About Us
Serving Those Who Serve is a fed-focused financial advisory firm with 35 years of experience helping federal employees plan for and execute their retirement goals through comprehensive financial planning and fiduciary investment management.
Origin Story
The story of Serving Those Who Serve always begins the same way.
My father-in-law died suddenly in 1988. He was a retired career fed. At the time I was new to my profession and the family, so it fell to me to help my mother-in- law settle his affairs. I quickly realized that dad spent his day doing his job and not reading about his benefits. As a result, he had some misconceptions and there was a difference between what he had told mom to expect and what she received. And not in a good way. And I couldn’t fix it. So, I requested any benefits manuals and information I could find and spent the next number of weeks going through them to see if there were any more surprises.
Thankfully there were not, and to be fair the ones that were there were not the fault of the program. It was just the unfortunate convergence of a busy person getting 2 pieces of paper in the same day and one had to do with the job and one with the benefits. I did however have two big takeaways. The first was, I remember asking my wife “who was looking out for him?” I mean, if someone gives their whole life to public service, shouldn’t they at least be able to understand the benefits? The second, was when it all was over and I had mom squared away, I wanted to go to work for a place that worked with Feds.
Well, in 1988, I couldn’t find one. So, I began explaining federal benefits to any fed I met. Days became weeks, weeks became months, and months became a career.
Fast forward to 2015. Mom passed away. She had a rich full life and I found myself waxing philosophically about how the experience had laid the groundwork for my career. Then my wife broke the mood and asked, “what happens when you die”. I thought she was asking what plans I had made to protect her and the children. “No, what happens to your feds?” Fair question since I was still just one guy and it was all in my head. After prayer and reflection, I decided I wanted to try to train the next generation. To make Serving Those Who Serve last decades beyond me.
Dad was proud of his federal service. We are no less proud to serve the dedicated women and men who serve as he did. This is expressed in our mission is to reach, teach and serve you, the career civilian fed. Please make use of our articles, podcasts, videos and webinars and be sure to share with your friends. And if you are seeking a planning relationship, we’d love to talk.
Whether you are an “ I can do it” or a “help me through it”, we are here for you.
– Dan Sipe, Founder
Our Values
People First
We truly care about our clients’ lives, families, and challenges. Life happens, but you don’t have to face it alone. Everything we do starts and ends with people.
Always Be Learning
We educate ourselves, our clients, and our community, leveraging our collective expertise in service of our clients. We are humble but confident, and always open-minded.
Clarity & Teamwork
Our success depends on working together clearly and accurately. We are solution-oriented. We are precise, accountable, and thorough. We’re a team, headed in one direction, toward a common mission.
Integrity
Part of integrity is putting in an honest day’s work. We go the extra mile. We don’t quit. We have a sense of urgency and a “do it now and do it right” attitude.