Ryan Daus CFP^®, ChFC^®, CLU^®

Certified Financial Planner®, Founder & Principal

Professional Background

Ryan founded Daus Financial Group in 2002 and has been helping families and business secure their financial lives for over 20 years. He is a practicing Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) as well as a Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC®) and Certified Life Underwriter (CLU®). Ryan graduated magna cum laude from the Lee Honors College at Western Michigan University with a bachelor’s degree in Finance.

Personal Side

Ryan and his wife Annie have two children, Harper and Bennett. They reside in Grand Rapids and stay busy playing and coaching football, baseball, basketball and volleyball. They are members of Saint Anthony’s Catholic Church and Ryan is chair of the finance committee for Saint Anthony’s School.

The Daus family spends the vast majority of their “free time” on a sports field or in a gym. However, when they have a non-sports weekend, they like to get away to the family cottage on Canadian Lakes or travel somewhere warm during the long Michigan winter.

Fun Facts

Family Pets

The Daus family has had three dogs: all boxers.

Birthday Trends

Ryan's wife Annie is the ONLY member of the family that was not born in November.

Sweet Tooth

Ryan's son Bennett was mentioned on the Ellen DeGeneres Show once, with a picture of him climbing the pantry shelves to get cookies... naked!

La mia famiglia

Ryan's mothers side of the family immigrated from Italy in the 50's and are all fluent in Italian.

Justin Gregory

Director of Operations

Professional Background

Justin has been with DFG since 2016. He is the person who manages the office and keeps everyone organized, while striving to continually improve services at the firm. As a family man himself, Justin always finds great satisfaction in helping families plan for the future and ensuring that our clientele receives top-tier service.

Before joining Daus Financial Group, Justin attended Valencia College and went on to work in commercial and residential real estate, specializing in investment property analytics. During this time, Justin founded a very successful property management company where he developed his skills in management, marketing and finance. Justin also is able to use his skillset in this area to consult with our clients on their personal and investment property portfolios.

Personal Side

Justin and his wife Kendra live in Kalamazoo with their two children, Layne and Kaleesi. The Gregory family also has two fur-children, George and Mando, and are giant dog lovers. Their time is regularly spent in hockey arenas for Layne, and basketball courts for Kaleesi. Both children are very active in their chosen sports. Their family also enjoys spending time at home attending to their large vegetable garden. When the have a chance to get away, Northern Michigan is a place they all love to visit. Justin is a native of South Jersey, across the river from Philadelphia, and is an avid Eagles and Phillies fan. He has always loved sports and tries to be on the golf course as much as possible. He also plays in a competitive wiffle ball league in Kalamazoo and has also played in national tournaments held throughout the country.

Fun Facts

Your travel bucket list

The Great Pyramid in Egypt, Machu Pichu, Iceland, & Ireland. I love to travel and have seen a ton of America's National Parks. New places, people and landscapes are incredibly exciting to me.

The best place you've ever visited

Chichen-Itza (Mayan Ruin, Mexico). I'm fascinated by ancient civilizations and ancient history. I can't get enough of it. If there is a book or documentary on the subject, I'm all over it.

The first book you ever remember reading

Clifford The Big Red Dog. I vividly remember struggling through the pages learning to read. Tough to say if I loved the book or it was just that traumatizing learning to read.

Joshua Ruggles

Associate Advisor

Professional Background

Josh is an investment specialist and associate financial advisor with Daus Financial Group, having come on board in 2013. With over ten years of experience in the financial planning industry, Joshua has become a trusted advisor to many families in West Michigan and throughout the country. His main roles include investment analysis, financial planning, and advising clients. Joshua’s approach to financial planning is simple: understand our clients’ goals and work with them to create a personalized plan to achieve those goals.

Josh’s clients appreciate his creative planning ideas and ability to explain complex financial concepts in a way that is easy to understand. Joshua’s ultimate goal is to help our clients achieve financial peace of mind, and he does that by being available to answer any questions they may have and making sure their investments are working as hard as they are.

Personal Side

When he is not crunching numbers, Josh and his wife Kristen can be found hiking with their dog Patch, camping up north or in the mountains out west, or hanging out with friends playing one of their many board games. To stay active, Joshua has been playing hockey since age 4, though he now gets slower every year! To make up for this, he also plays in a golf league where he can pretend to get better every year. Joshua was born and raised in West Michigan and attended KVCC and Western Michigan University where he graduated cum laude with a degree in Finance.

Fun Facts

First Car

At 13, I was quite excited to drive and bought a 1992 Chevy Lumina with over 425,000 miles on it that surprisingly lasted several years.

Longest Trip

The longest and furthest I have driven was a 35-hour, straight-through drive from Kalamazoo to San Francisco in college, stopping only for food and gas.

First book

A lover of random facts, the first book I recall reading is the Guinness Book of World Records.

Trenden Peacock CFP®, ChFC®

Certified Financial Planner®, Financial Advisor

Professional Background

Trenden joined Daus Financial Group at the beginning of 2022 with 3 years of industry experience. In the office, Trenden can be found helping to build financial plans, performing investment and tax analysis, and meeting face-to-face with clients. He has obtained his Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) and Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC®) designations while continuing to serve families, business owners and individuals with DFG.

Personal Side

Trenden and his girlfriend Mya moved from Grand Rapids to Kalamazoo in 2022 as they both found better job situations in the same city. They invested in two Bernedoodles who keep them on their toes during their free time. With Mya working as a radiation therapist, they both feel blessed to have found careers in which they love what they do as well as have a positive and lasting impact on the people they serve. When out of the office and away from home, Trenden can be found coaching and playing golf with The First Tee Organization of West Michigan and spending time with family and friends.

Fun Facts

Family History

My mother is the oldest of 7 and my father is the youngest of 8, but I am an only child.

Fur Babies

We have 2 Bernedoodles, Opie and Rory (named after the golfer, not the Gilmore Girls).

Avid Golfer

I am part of the 0.5% of amateur golfers who have shot under-par in their lifetime.

Terra Eash

Chief Compliance Officer

Professional Background

Terra has been with Daus Financial Group since 2018 and currently oversees our compliance and data management systems to ensure that everything is accurate, secure, and organized. She is our go-to person for technical support, designs most of our marketing material, and helps Ryan prepare for client meetings. Terra also serves as Justin’s right hand (well, technically his left since that’s his dominant one!) thanks to 4 years of operational management experience as well as a bachelor’s degree in computer information systems and psychology (summa cum laude) from Baker College in Michigan.

Personal Side

Terra lives with her daughter Alycia and twin Golden Retriever/Border Collie dogs Dug and Luna. They enjoy spending time with extended family & friends, practicing yoga, hosting board game potlucks, volunteering, hiking and being active members of the local Reform Jewish synagogue, Temple B’nai Israel in Kalamazoo.

Fun Facts

Longest Trip

A 31-hour set of flights from Chicago to Phnom Penh with layovers in Vancouver & China, to kick off a 3-month backpacking trip to Southeast Asia after college. I visited Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia and Thailand.

Hidden Talent

I’ve never lost a game of Egyptian Rat Screw because I’m really quick at slapping the doubled numbers in the discard pile!

Recurring Neighbors

I was born in Philadelphia and lived there for the first 2 years of my life. My co-worker Justin grew up in South Jersey, just across the river from Philly, and we currently live less than 5 minutes apart in Kalamazoo, too!

Autumn Hewitt

Client Relations Manager

Professional Background

Autumn joined the Daus Financial Group team in 2021 and makes sure all our clients receive world-class service. She has several years of experience in the administrative field. Autumn is the main point of contact for DFG when you call in or would like to schedule a meeting. She attended Aquinas College and is currently working on furthering her education in the financial services field.

Personal Side

Autumn enjoys spending time with her husband Jared, their kids Nevaeh and Ash, and their 3 dogs, Samson, Sasha and Sadie Bell. They love taking trips to visit family or explore new areas. The Hewitts also enjoy playing games together; so much so, they recently built a massive solid oak gaming table from reclaimed barn wood as a center piece for family nights. Depending on the weather, they also spend time hiking, having bonfires in the backyard, and funny movie nights.

Fun Facts

Hometown vs. High School

I was born and raised in Las Vegas, NV until I was 15. Then my father moved us to his hometown of Union City, MI. It was a culture shock to go from a massive city with so much to do to a tiny town with only one stop light. The population of Union City in the year 2000 was about 1,800 and my freshman class in Las Vegas was 900 students!

Most incredible Natural Phenomena Experienced

When I was younger, my mother lived in Fairbanks, Alaska for a while. We would spend the summers and holidays with her. During one of the visits, we were able to see the northern lights and they were breathtaking. Also had a mouse walk up to the glass door of our cabin and just stare at me.

Favorite food

My comfort food that always helps when I'm not feeling well or when I was pregnant is French fries. Doesn't always matter where they’re from; I just crave fries!

Meet Our People

A Blend Of Unique Backgrounds And Expertise To Serve You

Ryan Daus

CFP^®, ChFC^®, CLU^®

Certified Financial Planner®, Founder & Principal

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