Wausau Pilot & Review 
From left: Heather Schreiner, Susan Schulz and Barbara Hogue stand behind Steven Schreiner in this photo from the Experience Wealth team.
Many central Wisconsin families and business owners have built real wealth, yet could use additional support in navigating the many complexities of planning for their future, and Steven Schreiner opened Experience Wealth in Wausau with them in mind.
Schreiner, a financial advisor who holds the Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor (CPFA), and Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA) designations, launched the firm in April from an office on Stewart Avenue. His four-person team primarily serves Wausau, Merrill and Central Wisconsin, though they work with people throughout the US.
Many of the people he meets have worked hard and saved consistently for decades, he said, and the next step often calls for a different kind of thinking.
“Sometimes the challenge is helping them move from simply accumulating assets to thinking more strategically about retirement income, taxes, estate planning and what they want their wealth to accomplish for the next generation,” Schreiner said.
The region’s economy shapes those conversations. A strong manufacturing base, a large agricultural community, many closely held family businesses and a long history with the insurance industry mean Schreiner spends much of his time on questions that come up less often in larger metro areas. Those questions include retirement pensions, passing a family business or farm to the next generation, preparing an owner for an eventual sale and managing the taxes around those transitions.
“A lot of the work is not simply deciding what to invest in; it is helping families coordinate everything they have built over decades and make thoughtful decisions about what comes next,” he said.
Steven Schreiner. Provided photoBuilding the practice he wanted
Before launching Experience Wealth, Schreiner worked as a financial advisor with an established wealth management company, helping individuals and families plan for their financial futures. As his career developed, he grew more interested in a practice that reflected
his own vision for client service, one that was “more personal, more relationship-driven and focused on making sure clients feel understood and cared for.”
“Opening Experience Wealth gave me the opportunity to build that kind of practice from the ground up,” he said.
Experience Wealth is an independent practice affiliated with Cetera, a national broker-dealer. For clients, Schreiner said, independence comes down to flexibility and personalization. He has more control over how he structures the client experience, which technology and planning tools he uses, how often he meets with clients and how he organizes their financial lives.
“What a client sitting across from me would probably notice most is that the experience feels very personal,” he said. “We can spend more time talking about what is actually important to them, make the planning process easier to understand and build the relationship around their family, goals and long-term priorities rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach.” 
Photo provided by Experience Wealth
From fitness to finance
Schreiner’s path into financial advising started somewhere else entirely. Before entering the industry, he owned and operated a health and fitness business, where he spent much of his time helping people set goals and build plans around their individual circumstances.
The two fields have more in common than people might expect, he said. Goals, injuries, health considerations and life circumstances all shape a fitness plan, just as retirement goals, taxes, investments and family considerations shape a financial one. In both fields, the job starts with understanding the whole picture.
Running a company also gave Schreiner firsthand experience with the pressures business owners know well: taxes, expenses, employees, growth, cash flow and the constant decisions that come with all of them. That background helps him relate to clients who own businesses, whose business and personal finances are often closely connected.
“Looking back, there is actually a pretty clear thread between the two careers,” he said. “Both are about understanding people, helping them work through complicated situations and developing practical strategies to help them achieve their goals.”
Helping employers with retirement plans and exit planning
The Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor (CPFA) designation reflects additional training in workplace retirement plans, and Schreiner works with employers on 401(k) and other retirement plans. Rather than focusing on what a company may be doing wrong, he looks for ways to make the
plan more effective for both the business and the people who work there. That work covers plan design, investment options and fees as well as employee participation and education.
For owners, a well-designed plan can be a strategic tool.
“Depending on how the plan is designed, it may help the owner and key employees save more efficiently for retirement, create meaningful tax advantages, attract and retain employees and fit into a broader business succession or exit-planning strategy,” Schreiner said.
For employees, the most important piece is knowing how to use the benefit.
“A retirement plan can be very valuable, but only if employees understand their options, feel comfortable making decisions and know how the plan fits into their broader financial picture,” he said.
For many business owners, their company represents years of hard work and a significant share of their wealth. Earning the Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA) designation has given Schreiner a structured approach to help owners connect their business decisions with their personal financial goals.
“Together, we can identify risks, explore opportunities to strengthen business value, and determine what a future transition needs to accomplish for them and their family,” he said.
Whether you’re considering a sale, passing the business to family, or simply preparing for the future, planning early creates more options. Schreiner helps bring the financial pieces together and coordinate with your CPA, attorney, and other professionals to develop a cohesive strategy.
Schreiner states “The goal is to help build a stronger business today while preparing for the financial security, lifestyle, and legacy you want beyond ownership.” 
Steven Schreiner
Heather Schreiner
Susan Schulz
Barbara Hogue
How he’s paid, and who he serves
Schreiner works with clients in one of two ways. Clients in ongoing advisory relationships typically pay a percentage of the assets the firm manages. The rate depends on the amount of assets, the complexity of the client’s situation, the services provided and how the portfolio is structured. Other clients work with him through traditional commission-based brokerage accounts, where compensation may come from commissions on certain investments or transactions rather than an ongoing advisory fee.
No single percentage or dollar amount reflects what every client pays, Schreiner said, so the firm always takes costs into consideration when developing and implementing plans, and costs are reviewed with each client individually.
“We review the costs with each client up front so they understand exactly how we are compensated and what they are paying before they make a decision,” he said.
“Being a good fit to work with us has less to do with account-size and more to do with the kind of relationship and planning a client needs,” he said. Many Experience Wealth clients are approaching retirement, already retired or running a business. Their situations often involve tax planning, estate and legacy planning and coordinating the many pieces of a financial life. The firm also works with clients who have simpler needs and want a more streamlined investment relationship.
What clients are asking now
Most of the questions Schreiner hears this year come back to uncertainty. Clients want to know what market volatility means for their retirement, whether interest rates will stay elevated, how much they can safely spend, what future taxes might look like and whether Social Security and other income will be enough.
For people nearing retirement, the questions get practical. When can I retire? How much can I spend? Should I pay off debt? When should I take Social Security? How do I create reliable income without taking on more investment risk than I’m comfortable with?
Business owners tend to focus on taxes, how much of their wealth is tied up in the business, when and how they might step away and how to turn the value they’ve built into financial security for their families. Long-term care and estate planning come up often too, as clients start asking how to protect and eventually pass on what they’ve built.
“What I find is that clients usually aren’t looking for a prediction about what the market or interest rates will do next,” Schreiner said. “They want to know whether their plan can handle different outcomes and whether they’re still on track.”
This emphasis on planning runs against one of the most common misconceptions about his profession, he said: that financial advising is mostly stock picking. Most of his time goes towards getting to know his clients, as well as planning; including taxes, retirement income, estate coordination and helping clients make decisions with confidence.
“Investments matter, but they’re just one piece of a much bigger picture,” he said. Looking ahead
Schreiner plans to keep deepening how Experience Wealth serves clients, with ongoing education and staying current with planning tools and technology as their needs change. The practice will grow carefully, he said, with the client experience at the center.
For anyone hesitant to make that first call, he offered some reassurance. “You don’t have to have everything figured out before reaching out,” Schreiner said. “Whether your situation is simple or more involved, my role is to help you get clarity, make sense of your options and take the next right step.”
“The relationships are what make the work meaningful,” he said.
“Over time you really get to know people, their families, their goals and what they care about,” he said. “Those relationships are the most rewarding part of what I do.” 
From left: Susan Schulz, Steven Schreiner, Heather Schreiner and Barbara Hogue
Experience Wealth 2111 Stewart Ave., Suite 300, Wausau 715-907-8471 [email protected] Facebook: experiencewealth | Instagram: @experiencewealthllc
Securities offered through Cetera Wealth Services LLC, member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory services offered through Cetera Investment Advisers LLC, a registered investment adviser. Cetera is under separate ownership from any other named entity.
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