Advisors

Eddie Gill

As a former professional athlete, I recognize the countless hours required, to achieve the highest level of success at your particular craft. It takes extreme focus, dedication and perseverance. This approach has been transferred to my client relationships. As a team, my clients and I demonstrate a commitment to the process, proving to be invaluable.

I am dedicated to helping individuals and businesses develop financial and investment strategies that line up with their needs, goals and risk tolerance. My mission is to provide every client with targeted, comprehensive financial advice and portfolio management – delivered with the highest level of personal service and professional integrity.

Hard work and commitment to fundamentals have been constant in my professional career. These values have been transferred to my post-playing career and will always drive my approach to each and every challenge.

Stephanie Ashley

My passion is empowering families to reach their financial freedom. Money is not an object for us to accumulate, but a tool that allows us each to live the lives we were created to live, allowing us to share our gifts with one another. I start each relationship digging into your “Why” for money and your mindset around money. I challenge the ideas you already have about what money is, how it should be used, and the power we allow it to have over our lives. From there I partner with my clients to develop consistent actions that, over time, will bring you confidence around your money as you protect and build wealth for you, your family, and your future.

I am a native Hoosier, growing up around the perimeter of I-465. I graduated from Indiana University with a BS in Psychology and a minor in Neuroscience, then earned my MBA from Western Governors University. I now live in Noblesville with my husband, Zac, and our two young boys, Maverick and Nolan. As a family with two working professional parents, we enjoy every minute we get to spend together as a family, hiking, eating ice cream, and riding trains.

Ryan Averett, CFP®

Ryan moved his family across the country from Utah to be a part of the Invst team in May of 2023. He graduated from Brigham Young University and holds the SIE, Series 6, Series 63, and Series 65 securities licenses as well as insurance licenses. As a lifelong learner, Ryan is currently pursuing the Certified Financial Planner® certification to improve himself and become an even greater asset to clients and to the team. He loves helping clients work toward their WHY by finding the balance between pure financial or mathematical solutions, and the powerful emotions that tend to drive all the decisions we make. Ryan strives to bring out confidence and clarity in our clients’ financial lives.
Ryan and his wife, Emily, enjoy spending time with their son, Charlie. They enjoy being outdoors and going on hikes. Pickleball has recently become a favorite hobby along with trying new restaurants.

Donald Thomas

“Having played 8 years in the NFL and having a financial advisor I’ve always been intrigued as to how they help people in their financial lives. I’ve always been one to want to help people and I have a passion for educating myself on things I’m intrigued by. Being a professional athlete right out of college, I wasn’t ready for the amount of money that I was making at such a young age. A lot of professional athletes aren’t and that is why it’s so important to have a financial advisor that is hands on that you can trust to help you make the right decisions in your life. Being educated on your future financial health is key to success after the game is over. I want to work with and help young athletes and like-minded individuals so that they can maximize their financial potential in the future.” 

After football Donald opened up a Rita’s Italian Ice franchise in Indianapolis that he runs and operates. He is the Director of football for his son’s football league in Lawrence, Indiana and is an offensive line trainer as well for youth and college players. He has two children, Deegan and Dilynn as well as a dog named Drexel. He enjoys spending time with his children and traveling. All Donald knows is hard work.

https://player.vimeo.com/video/492237316

Tim Hays, CFS, ECA

Having spent 14 years working with financial advisors as a Regional Vice President for a major financial firm, I’ve seen literally hundreds of practices. Over that time I saw the absolute best our industry has to offer, and unfortunately, some of the worst as well. I learned all the ways that various companies and organizations can tip the scales one way or another to encourage the most profitable product/process, not always the one that was best for the client.

When I made the decision to move into the role of advisor, I wanted to build a practice around doing what was best for the client under every circumstance. I interviewed several well established organizations in Indianapolis. As soon as I found Invst, I knew I’d found my new home. By my estimation, every system and process they built was among the best of any organization I’d ever seen, and the best part about it all, the client was at the absolute center. For the families and sales professionals I work with, and for, no organization was better equipped to help me educate, guide, and counsel people to their full financial potential.

I was born and raised in Steamboat Colorado, and have lived in Indiana for 12 years, moving here after a brief 4 year stint in Wisconsin. I live in Carmel with my wife Amber, and kids Sydney and Jack. In my free time I like to be with friends and family, be active, travel, and read.

Bri Madren

Bri is a Certified Financial Planner® with over 8 years of industry experience as a financial advisor.  Her passion in the financial industry started during her time at Purdue University, studying Financial Counseling & Planning.  She spent a few years as an insurance agent, then began building her financial planning practice at Edward Jones in 2016. After becoming a CFP® professional, she needed a way to more comprehensively serve her clients. Bri joined Invst in 2023 so she could have access to more partnerships and ways to meet her clients evolving needs, as a true fiduciary, helping her clients reach their full potential.

Bri and her husband, Miles, opened their office in their hometown of Lafayette, IN. They have four children: Maya, Cooper, Brooke, and Mackenzie. Bri refuels with Jesus, Boilermaker Basketball, playing volleyball, and volunteering in the Greater Lafayette community through various organizations. Bri loves a challenge and is always learning something new. When you connect with her, let her know the latest book/podcast on your list!

Debbi Darchi, CFP®

When we come from a place of scarcity, it doesn’t matter what the stock market does, what we pay in debt or taxes, or how much we have saved in the bank. We can only optimize our wealth when we come from a space of abundance. 

My goal is to have each person become present to the abundance of what they already have, to realize the power they have to create, and from there, a space opens up for peace and freedom to arise around one’s finances as well as other areas of life that are important to them. 

I am most inspired to work with independent women (single, divorced, or widowed) and families who have loved-ones with special-needs/special-abilities. I have personal life experience in these areas.  I consider it a privilege to guide, educate and counsel these individuals, to create a structure and a pathway such that their financial decisions align with what they say matters most to them.

Residing in Tampa, FL I have two grown FL Gator boys who are the reason behind my “why”.  I love dogs of all kinds.  Originally from NJ, I’m a proud NY Giants fan.  After over four decades of never drinking coffee, I now have a newfound love for lattes and searching out unique and eclectic coffee shops wherever I go, due mostly to the influence of my two boys. I love practicing meditation, mindfulness, and other practices to discover deeper levels of consciousness and contentment. And I’ll never turn down the chance for a throw down of family game night! 

Joel Thornton Jr.

Joel was born and raised in Lakeland, FL and has been in the Financial Services Industry for over 13 years. Joel has clients that work in just about every profession and income/net worth range, which has provided him with a great understanding of the challenges that people face when deciding to plan for their todays and tomorrows. Joining INVST in 2019 was a natural fit due to Joel’s outside of the box, strategic oriented, and client first approach to financial planning.

“The financial services industry is primarily focused with either an insurance centered or an investment centered transactional sales process. Being able to help people understand the interdependency of both, coupled with a strategic approach, will unlock one’s ability to be optimally efficient in achieving their financial dreams. I strive to deliver a unique, uncommon, and transparent financial process that centers around the client instead of the prevailing products of the day. There is nothing more rewarding than to be able to provide clarity to those I work with in an industry that can be intimidating, confusing, and biased.”

Joel loves spending time with his wife, Ana, and four children Makenzie, Luke, Preston, and Ariana. Joel’s children are all active in competitive sports and enjoy trips to the beach or the mountains. If you don’t find Joel working in his office, you will certainly see him attending his kids sport matches somewhere. 

Tom Cudahy, CFP®, MBA

“After working in the financial industry for several years, it became clear to me that the industry I’d chosen was often more interested in selling products than helping people. I joined Invst because I believe it is my job to educate, guide, and counsel my clients towards reaching their full financial potential. To me, this means taking a comprehensive approach to financial planning as a fiduciary. When I meet with clients, their goal is never to grow as much money as possible. Their goals are to pay down debt efficiently, buy a new home, plan for a family, protect loved ones, pay for their children’s college, have enough money to retire, and understand how to pass on wealth as efficiently as possible to their family.

“My job as a financial advisor is to identify what these goals are with clients and to help them align all of their financial assets in the best way to meet them. I also want to be there as a trusted guide. I want to help clients weigh the implications of important financial decisions and educate them on the implications of different courses of action so they can confidently decide what is in their best interest.

“Finally, I’m here to ensure my clients’ goals are always being pursued, and that every action we make is consistent with the goals they are trying to achieve.”

With more than 11 years in the financial service industry, Tom has had success guiding and counseling clients of all types live more rewarding financial lives. He has been happily married 14 years to his wife Sarah and is the proud father of Trace and Iris.

Tom served two tours in Baghdad, Iraq with the 502nd of the 101st
Airborne as a scout reconnaissance platoon leader and battle captain. He completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Southern California and received his MBA from the Krannert School of Management at Purdue in 2011. Tom is also a Certified Financial Planner. 

Tom enjoys spending time with his kids, reading fiction, trying new restaurants, cooking with his wife, and scuba diving. 

Phillip Clark

Phil’s practice is solely focused on helping families who have loved ones with special needs plan for an abundant future. His younger sister, Sarah, has Down syndrome and is the catalyst for how he approaches planning conversations with his clients.

He believes that future planning conversations should be focused on allowing our loved ones to live happy, fulfilling, and purposeful lives—today and every day in the future.

Very early in his career, he realized that the industry’s approach to special needs planning was only centered around helping parents plan for the day that they are no longer able to care for their child.

While having a plan in place for the ‘what ifs’ in life are important for any family, as a proud big brother, he believed that families much like his own needed better conversations about future planning—conversations that centered around creating opportunities for success for his sister and our loved ones. 

Phil, his wife Chelsea, and their daughter Emma, live in Carmel Indiana where they enjoy being active in the community. Phil is a Special Olympics coach, a volunteer for Down Syndrome Indiana and Gigi’s Playhouse, and is an active board member for Same As U. His family are members of Mercy Road Christian Church where they volunteer in the special needs ministry.

Ryan Hoch, CFP®

Everyone’s circumstances are unique. That’s what I enjoy the most about being a financial advisor. It’s not a turnkey approach for every client and it’s a privilege to learn where each client has been and where they want to go on their financial journey. It’s about partnering together and building a relationship for financial success and freedom.

I work with business owners, medical professionals and executives to develop strategies to maximize wealth building potential while assessing risk. 

Ryan joined Invst in 2018. He graduated from Ball State University with a BS degree in Risk Management and is a Certified Financial Planner Professional and Certified Insurance Counselor. He has over a decade of financial planning experience and is a partner of Hoch Financial in Fort Wayne, Indiana. 

Ryan and his wife Melissa currently live in Fort Wayne with their son Brennen and their daughter Taylor. He enjoys being involved in their church, sporting events, vacationing, playing golf, coaching his kids in numerous sports and wine. 

Geoff Thomas

Since entering in financial services in 2003, all aspects of Geoff’s career have been rooted in the ideals of being an active listener that can provide solutions to his client’s needs and objectives. At an early age, he was taught the values of being honest, having integrity, and the benefit of a hard day’s work. These guiding principles are what he feels will be building blocks to success as he pursues his goals in financial advisement at Invst.

“Every Job I have ever worked has revolved around providing a service and helping others. Whether it was my first job at eleven mowing lawns, cleaning clubs at a neighboring golf course as a teen, or as a post graduate, providing corporate finance solutions in a banking environment to many years engaging with financial advisors as a wholesaler. ”

For the past ten years, Geoff worked for investment firms that provided alternative investment products—a job that required him to call on thousands of financial advisors around the Midwest Region of the US. Those visits showed Geoff how widely the quality of the client’s experience varied depending on the advisor’s approach: While many advisors were committed to doing what’s right for their clients, others remained stuck in the traditional cultures that prioritized company profits over people. 

With this in mind, he started to speak and review different firm cultures that could provide the best fit for he and his family in Indianapolis. Having known Scott and Branden, he valued their culture, process, and decided to explore options to switch sides of the desk and join their firm. 

Geoff and his wife, Anne, and children, Jackson (12), Addison (9), Wyatt (6) live in Noblesville, IN. They enjoy family activities like movie nights, camping, and other outdoor activities like bocce ball and corn-hole. Between Sports, Music, and Dance classes they remain busy as most families are. Geoff and Anne are native Floridians, football enthusiasts, and enjoy cheering on the Florida Gators, South Florida Bulls, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers whenever possible, but have room to cheer for the Indiana based teams as well. Other pursuits include golf and reading.

Geoff is a graduate of the University of Florida with a BA in Business Administration and holds Finra series 7, 66, 63, licenses, as well as, life and health Insurance Licenses.