Curtis Financial Services

50 years of successful financial advice

The Financial Advisors of Curtis Financial Services

Curtis Financial Services is an independent financial services firm in Muscatine, Iowa that offers investment management solutions for select clients throughout the United States. We offer objective, fee-only investment management. Additionally, we provide exceptional service and sound financial advice to help clients reach their long-term financial goals. Our primary objective is to assist our clients with preserving and maximizing growth on their hard-earned assets.

Our goal is to make sure our clients are provided with the type of service they desire and expect.

What We Do

As your investment professional, our objective is to help you preserve and grow your hard-earned assets. To give your long-term financial plan the best chance of success, you’re going to need access to some of the world’s leading money managers and fund managers. We assemble the top independent managers from around the globe and put them to work for you in a single portfolio. It is that simple. Our firm provides extraordinary access and expertise in selecting the best managers of individual funds to build a flexible asset allocation plan and create a diversified portfolio designed to support your unique financial goals. We take a hands-on approach to choosing investments that align with your financial goals and objectives, and at times incorporate individual bonds and stocks to enhance overall positioning. Knowing the best way to combine different management styles can be complicated. The key is to combine complimentary management styles for optimum results. Together, we can build a portfolio with the goal of withstanding varying market climates while staying aligned with your personal investment objectives. We review your investment portfolio with you periodically to discuss strategy, performance, allocation, holdings, and any market or life changes that may require adjustments. We also monitor the performance of your managers, alert you to major updates, and assist with rebalancing to help keep your investment strategy on track.

Sub Advisors

We are fortunate to be able to hire sub-advisers who complement our investment style with additional expertise in alternative investments and hedged investment portfolios.

Investment Communication

Each week, we send out a short, to-the-point market newsletter to all our clients. At times, we send out commentaries sharing our latest thoughts on investment allocation, the financial markets, and the economy. As needed, we call to update our clients on the state of the markets, our investment outlook, and our strategic response.

Client Account Access

Clients can access their accounts online through a password protected portal. Clients can review their account holdings, performance, and tax information at this site.

A desk with a tablet and financial reports

Why Choose Us

Curtis Financial Services’s objective is to help you preserve and grow your hard-earned assets. Our goal every day is to make sure our clients feel confident and comfortable in the management of their investments.

A few characteristics that set us apart include:

  • We are fiduciaries, which means we have a responsibility to always put our clients first.

  • We are fee-only, which means we take no commissions and are objective in our analysis and recommendations.

  • We are independent, enabling us to tailor client portfolios to their unique needs.

  • We value long-term relationships, serving more than 300 clients nationwide, including corporate executives, professionals, small businesses, families, and family trusts.

How We Manage

We recommend that before employing any firm to manage your investments, it’s a good idea to fully understand the methodology behind the firm’s decision-making process.  In developing an investment strategy for our clients, we employ a Six-Step Management Process.

In consultation with our clients, we develop an investment plan based upon their objectives, risk tolerance, expected rate of returns, and time horizon. This plan establishes reasonable objectives, expectations and guidelines, and creates the framework for a long-term asset allocation strategy with a level of risk suitable for the client. The plan establishes standards for making portfolio performance evaluations and promotes effective communication with our clients during both positive and difficult investment environments.

After creating a roadmap based on the newly determined client tolerances for risk and expectations, we analyze our client’s current investment holdings (when applicable) to determine how they differ from the proposed investment plan, how desired returns compare with the plan, and how much risk is necessary or unnecessary – or rewarded or unrewarded – within the current portfolio. In consulting with our clients, we then decide which investments to retain and which to add or change.

The purpose of allocation is to reduce risk, not necessarily to increase return*. Investments concentrated in specific sectors can often add risk without providing additional return. This can also be true for national economies. A diversified investment strategy spreads a portfolio across different sectors, industries, markets, economies, and investment objectives in order to reduce overall risk**. Investing globally, when and where appropriate, can further help reduce risk even if returns are not increased. This approach reduces reliance on the U.S. economy alone for portfolio growth. We incorporate U.S. domiciled foreign and global funds as an important part of our diversification strategy.

In constructing our portfolios, we seek funds, managers, and individual positions that best fit our clients’ risk tolerance and expected returns. We carefully screen and select those most likely to provide superior expected returns within the risk parameters defined by each client’s investment plan. We are active managers and employ certain techniques that seek to enhance returns where appropriate.

Our clients’ investments are held exclusively at Pershing LLC, one of the largest and most respected clearing firms in the United States. They employ the latest technology to securely oversee and report on client holdings. We also utilize a range of software and systems to help monitor portfolios as changes occur in the funds or market. To maintain consistency with the investment plan, portfolios are periodically rebalanced based on each client’s investment risk and objectives. Generally, rebalancing decisions are discussed with clients during the annual review process, and on an ongoing basis as applicable.

We establish a review schedule with our clients based on their needs and preferences. During the review, we discuss performance, asset allocation, holdings, portfolio adjustments, and other financial topics important to each client. Periodic reporting allows our clients to measure the success of their plan within a reasonable timeframe. Our clients’ portfolios are continuously monitored to ensure the underlying asset allocation remains consistent with their investment objectives, and that each investment continues to maintain its specific style and strategy. We believe asset allocation and a dynamic approach to investing are the essence of portfolio management. However, the key to our clients’ satisfaction lies in listening to their investment goals and keeping them well informed. Clients have online access to monitor their portfolio allocations and performance. Our more conservative clients are educated to understand that their projected returns may not be as high as those of more aggressive client portfolios. They also understand their projected portfolio losses during market downturns are generally lower due to adequate diversification across asset classes that are less affected by market movements. Our more aggressive clients, on the other hand, fully understand that in order to achieve higher expected returns over time, they must be willing to bear a far greater level of investment risk. Greater risk generally requires an adequate timeline for investing, a much higher discipline in investing, and a willingness to ride out market fluctuations that often produce considerable losses as well as superior gains in aggressive portfolios. The portfolio structure decision is among the most important our clients make in their investment plan. A client’s understanding of their exposure to risk, and what overall investments the plan holds and in what proportions, will determine how well the plan performs relative to the overall market and most importantly, relative to our client’s expectations.

*Investors need to be aware that no investment plan or asset allocation can completely eliminate the risk of fluctuating prices and uncertain returns. **International investing entails special risk considerations, including currency fluctuations, lower liquidity, economic and political risks, and differences in accounting methods.
Past Performance is not an indication of future results.
Registered Representative, Securities offered through Cambridge Investment Research, Inc., a Broker/Dealer, Member FINRA/SIPC. Investment Advisor Representative, Cambridge Investment – Research Advisors, Inc., a Registered Investment Advisor, Cambridge and Curtis Financial Services are not affiliated.
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Our Team

Brandon Sieben, MBA

Owner and Advisor

Brandon brings a broad-based business and market background to the firm, spanning over 30 years. He enjoys partnering with clients to assist them in reaching their long-term financial goals. Formerly, Brandon was the President of Allsteel, a division of HNI Corporation. During his 25-year career at HNI, Brandon held multiple senior leadership roles spanning a variety of global and domestic businesses, markets, and customers. Brandon also served as President & CEO of Compass – finances God’s way, a global non-profit Christian ministry. He currently serves as their Board Chair. Brandon also serves on the Board of Directors at Central Bank in Illinois, and on the Advisory Council of the Dayton School of Business at Asbury University in Kentucky. Brandon holds a B.S. in Finance from the University of Illinois and an MBA from the University of Iowa, as well as the FINRA Series 7, Series 63, and Series 65 licenses.

Michael R. Curtis, CLU®ChFC®AIF®

Founder and Advisor

Mike began his career in 1975 with Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company (NML) working as a financial representative. During his 31-year association with NML he achieved many industry awards, including being named the top producer nationally in 2006 for the company’s mutual fund product line. While with NML, his business focused on providing comprehensive financial planning for clients as well as providing investment advice beginning in 1982. It was always Mike’s desire to provide clients with the type of service they desired and had every right to expect. With the investment side of the practice growing, he decided in 2006 it would be best to resign from NML to concentrate on the investment side of the business only. Mike holds the Chartered Financial Consultant®, Chartered Life Underwriter® and the Accredited Investment Fiduciary® designations. Mike earned his AIF® Designation from the Center for Fiduciary Studies in 2014. The AIF® Designation certifies he has specialized knowledge of fiduciary standards of care and their application to the investment management process.

Jason Woepking

Client Relationship Manager and Advisor Support

Jason began his career in the financial services industry in 2007 and joined Curtis Financial Services in 2011. He plays a key role in client relations and supports the advisory team to help deliver a seamless experience for clients. Jason values building strong, lasting relationships and is committed to providing attentive, personalized service. Jason holds a B.A. in Liberal Arts from Grandview College, as well as the FINRA Series 7 and Series 66 licenses.

Rian Yates, MBA

Assistant to Advisors

Rian joined the firm in 2024 after completing both his undergraduate and graduate studies in Finance at Eastern Kentucky University. He earned his B.S. in 2023 and completed his MBA in 2024. Since joining the firm, Rian has obtained his FINRA Series 7, Series 63 and Series 65 licenses, along with his life insurance license. He plays an active role in supporting the advisory team by contributing to investment research, portfolio monitoring, and the development of client strategies. Rian is committed to delivering thoughtful, data-driven insights and helping ensure each client’s financial plan remains aligned with their long-term objectives.

Kris Curtis

Administrative Office Manager

Kris brings over 25 years of administrative experience to the firm. She has had the opportunity to work in the small business sector as an office manager as well as in the corporate environment as an administrative assistant. Kris graduated from Muscatine Community College and the American Institute of Commerce (AIC).