R. Griffith McDonald, Managing Director

Griff McDonald has been a Managing Director of RIS since 1992.

Griff was also President of Integrated Financial Strategies Group (IFSG) from 1982 to 2009. Prior to founding IFSG, Griff served in various investment-related management roles with Standard Oil of Ohio and Xerox Corporation. For four years in a row, Griff was named one of the top 250 financial advisors in the United States by WORTH Magazine.

Griff has a B.A. in chemistry from DePauw University and a M.B.A. from Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration in 1966. Griff has been active in Ann Arbor community affairs for nearly 20 years. (See Griff McDonald’s background for more details.)

K. Larry Hastie, Managing Director

Larry Hastie has been a Managing Director of RIS since 1992.

Larry was also President of Pattern Recognition Management, Inc., (PRM) from 1990 to 2009. Prior to founding PRM, he was Executive Vice President of Michigan National Bank. Larry had overall responsibility for the bank’s $3 billion trust business and its discount brokerage, investment advisory, and strategic planning activities. Larry served as Treasurer and Vice Presidents of Planning and of Human Resources during his eight years with Bendix.

Larry has a B.A. in economics from DePauw University and a M.B.A. in finance and Ph.D. in managerial economics from Cornell University. Dr. Hastie has authored 6 articles on various financial topics. He spent a year in Trinidad as a Fulbright scholar. (See Larry Hastie’s background for more details.)

Brock E. Hastie, Vice President and Portfolio Manager

Brock Hastie is Vice President and Portfolio Manager and joined RIS in 2005. Brock provides financial planning and general investment advice to clients. He prepares retirement plans and coordinates account set up, transfer and implementation for new clients. He coordinates recommendations for clients regarding investments, seasonal moves and other active trading with Larry.

Brock has a B.A. in Economics from DePauw in 1992 and an M.B.A. with Distinction in Finance and Corporate Strategy from the University of Michigan. He spent 6 years at Intel Corporation in Portland, Oregon as a financial executive. Most recently at Intel Capital, he headed up the Mergers and Acquisitions finance team. Prior to business school, he worked with a small investment banking firm, Davis Financial Group, in Denver. (See Brock E. Hastie’s background for more details.)

Karen A. Chapell, Vice President and Portfolio Manager

Karen A. Chapell is Vice President and Portfolio Manager and joined RIS in 2007.  Karen provides financial planning and general investment advice to clients.  She coordinates account set-up, transfer and implementation for new clients.  She coordinates recommendations for clients regarding SEI portfolios, investments, seasonal moves and other active trading with Griff.

Karen has a B.A. in Psychology from Michigan in 1993.  She has 21 years of investment and client servicing experience with local Ann Arbor investment advisory and retail brokerage clients. (See Karen A. Chapell's background for more details.)

H. Todd Kephart, Vice President and Portfolio Manager

Todd Kephart is Vice President and Portfolio Manager and joined RIS in 2009. Todd provides financial planning and general investment advice to clients. He prepares retirement plans and coordinates account setup, transfer and implementation of new clients. He coordinates recommendations for clients regarding investments, seasonal moves and other active trading.

Todd earned a B.S. in Accounting from Lehigh University in 1992 and an M.B.A. from the University of Michigan in 2003. He spent 14 years at TIAA-CREF, with some time in Denver, Colorado and Southfield, Michigan but with most of his time spent in Ann Arbor. Most recently at TIAA-CREF as a Senior Wealth Management Advisor, Todd provided investment advisory services to University Presidents around the Midwest as well as to other high net worth individuals in the Ann Arbor area. (See H. Todd Kephart's background for more details.)

Aaron Tanner, Operations Manager

Aaron Tanner is the Operations Manager and joined RIS in 1997. Aaron coordinates the day-to-day operations and is in charge of performance reporting and tax reporting for clients. He is the resident professional in retirement planning and implementation with TIAA-CREF and with other employer plans.

Aaron graduated from Michigan State University in 1996 with a B.A. in Finance. He is the only Spartan fan in the office.

Meet The Support Staff

Lisa Myers, Operations Manager

Lisa joined RIS as Operations Manager in 2007. She has 22 years of experience in the investment advisory industry and is primarily responsible for all aspects of operational excellence for the company including office organization and client service.

Bobette Cianteo, Financial Services Associate

Bobette has been part of the group since 2002. She acts as a liaison with clients, clients’ advisors, product sponsors, banks, trustees, transfer agents, broker-dealers and outside money managers. Bobette is responsible for preparing portfolio reviews for asset management accounts and calculating advisory fees. Bobette graduated from Eastern Michigan University with a B.S. in Business Management and Communication Arts.