In this episode of the dsmWealth Podcast, host Suzanna de Baca challenges listeners to see retirement not as an ending, but as a meaningful new beginning. She talks with nationally recognized private wealth adviser Deniz Franke and author and transition coach Jann Freed, Ph.D., about blending financial readiness with personal fulfillment.
Discover why retirement is far more than money—and how purpose, joy, communication, and intentional planning can create a richer, more satisfying future.
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Revol One Financial® is the marketing name for Revol One Insurance Company. Revol One Insurance Company is responsible for its own financial and contractual obligations. Revol One Insurance Company is not authorized to conduct business in the state of New York.
The term “financial professional” is not intended to imply engagement in an advisory business with compensation unrelated to sales. Financial professionals will be paid a commission on the sale of an annuity.
This material is intended to provide educational information, and should not be considered financial advice or recommendations. Revol One Insurance Company is not acting in a fiduciary capacity with respect to any annuity contract.
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Indices are not available for direct investment.
As Chief Investment Officer at Revol One Financial®, Dan Ruether leads the firm’s investment strategy, portfolio management, and research efforts across the investment management organization. With over 20 years of experience in investment management, he brings deep expertise in insurance portfolio management, risk management, and strategic asset allocation.
Prior to joining Revol One Financial, Dan served as Vice President, Insurance Portfolio Manager at Voya Investment Management. He has also held key investment roles at Allianz Life, Charles Schwab, and Columbia Threadneedle, where he was responsible for overseeing institutional portfolios, developing innovative investment frameworks, and driving performance.
Dan joined Revol One Financial to help build a next-generation insurance platform that combines innovation with disciplined investment management. He is energized by the opportunity to shape strategy and create long-term value in a dynamic, entrepreneurial environment. The firm’s vision to modernize the insurance industry and deliver solutions that better serve clients and policyholders is particularly inspiring.
Known for his thoughtful and strategic approach, Dan brings insight, rigor, and collaboration to every challenge. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling to new places, golfing, and exploring great food.
Dan holds an MBA in Business Management & Investment Management/Finance and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Financial Management from the University of St. Thomas.
As Chief Distribution Officer at Revol One Financial®, Patrick Cahill leads the company’s sales strategy and distribution initiatives. He collaborates cross functionally to ensure Revol One Financial brings to market innovative annuity solutions that financial professionals are excited to offer, and their clients truly want.
With over 25 years of experience in the financial services industry, Patrick has held senior leadership roles across sales, business development, and strategic partnerships. His deep background in the annuity space spans wholesale distribution, institutional relationship management, and sales leadership. Prior to joining Revol One, he served as Head of Strategic Accounts at Coventry, overseeing institutional relationships and business development in the life settlements sector. He also previously led sales, marketing, and business development for a leading institutional turnkey asset management platform.
Patrick is committed to advancing the fixed index annuity market by aligning distribution strategies with a modern, technology-enabled experience that enhances client outcomes. He joined Revol One Financial to help build a differentiated, national platform focused on speed, simplicity, and innovation.
Outside of work, Patrick is a proud husband of over 17 years and devoted father who enjoys time with his wife and daughter. A former live-in nanny, his early travels abroad sparked a lifelong appreciation for family and adventure. He’s also a Philadelphia Tough Man Champion, Swifty-dad, and dog-dad to Roxy the cockapoo. Patrick proudly embodies the “Can and Will” spirit that powers the Revol One Financial Pack.
As Vice President of Marketing at Revol One Financial®, Cynthia Pearce-Karrick leads brand strategy, product education, and lead-generating sales support. With more than 30 years of experience in financial services and insurance marketing, she brings a deep understanding of how to create compelling narratives that connect with audiences, drive engagement and inspire action. Her focus: making it easier—and more engaging—for financial professionals to talk about annuities and their role in modern retirement planning.
Prior to joining Revol One Financial, Cynthia held senior marketing roles at National Western Life Insurance Company, NCMIC Group, and Wells Fargo, Inc., where she built and transformed brand identities, led customer experience initiatives, and implemented marketing strategies across complex product portfolios. Known for combining data, creativity and strategic insight, she has played a key role in multiple rebrands and consistently drives measurable impact.
Cynthia joined Revol One Financial to help make retirement planning feel more approachable — for financial professionals and their clients. With a passion for storytelling and a fast-paced, purpose-driven mindset, she simplifies the complex and crafts narratives that spark curiosity, build connections, and brings the Revol One Financial brand to life in bold, meaningful ways.
Outside of work, Cynthia loves beach time, cheering on her kids, and staying active with a good run. You’ll usually find her with an iced tea in hand—and always ready for what’s next.
Susy Gooding serves as a Strategic Advisor to Revol One Financial®, offering third-party insight and guidance to help the company compete boldly and effectively with legacy players. With a career rooted in high-growth environments and complex transformations, Susy brings sharp strategic thinking, deep financial acumen, and a forward-focused perspective to support Revol One Financial’s fast, nimble approach to revolutionizing retirement solutions.
Susy has more than a decade of board-level experience and an extensive leadership background across finance, capital markets, and corporate strategy. She was a key executive at Athene, where she helped lead the company through its IPO and later established its Treasury function. Following the merger of Athene and Apollo, she became Group Treasurer of Apollo, responsible for building an integrated strategic capital platform across a $60B financial services enterprise. Her career highlights include managing rating agency strategies, financial projections & analytics, capital markets, capital management, liquidity management, , and delivering technology-driven operational improvements.
At Revol One Financial, Susy brings not just experience, but energy—helping shape a smarter, faster, and more thoughtful path forward. Her ability to connect strategy, culture, and execution makes her a valuable ally in challenging the industry status quo.
When she’s not advising on growth and strategy, Susy enjoys spending time with family and friends and is recharged by being outdoors in nature.
As Chief Product Strategist at Revol One Financial®, Nate Wilbanks leads the design, development, and delivery of innovative retirement products—building a future-ready portfolio that reflects real customer insights and real market opportunity. With over 20 years of experience in annuity product strategy, Nate brings a sharp eye for trends, deep financial discipline, and a bold approach to creating solutions that drive value for customers, advisors, and stakeholders alike.
Nate played a pivotal role in launching Nationwide into the fixed index annuity space, helping the company grow to 3 in FIA sales by 2017. He’s also held product roles at Aviva, Sammons, and Allianz, and most recently advised insurers as a consultant at Milliman—applying predictive analytics to shape smarter product, marketing, and customer experience strategies.
A Fellow of the Society of Actuaries and a veteran of the Wisconsin Army National Guard, Nate blends strategic thinking with disciplined execution and a commitment to doing things better and faster. He joined Revol One Financial to help build something agile, relevant, and responsive to today’s evolving retirement landscape.
Nate lives in Columbus, Ohio with his wife and two sons. When he’s not developing new products, you’ll find him on the sidelines of a soccer or football field, cheering his kids on with the same passion he brings to the office.
As Chief Operating Officer at Revol One Financial, Matt Kerchal oversees all financial professional and client operations. With over 30 years of experience across operations, IT, and finance, he brings a sharp focus on efficiency and a relentless drive to simplify processes and elevate service.
Matt began his insurance career in the funeral home and cemetery sector, building a strong industry foundation before transitioning to annuities. He managed multiple carriers while working for a third-party administrator, then spent 16 years at Sammons Financial Group leading operations for both fixed and variable annuities. There, he also drove sourcing partnerships and led new venture initiatives, gaining deep experience in startup development and strategic innovation.
Matt joined Revol One to help build out a clean, cloud-native platform that works better for agents and clients. Fueled by transparency and a “get it done” mindset, he’s all about action—and jumping on opportunities with speed and precision.
When he’s not driving operational change, Matt enjoys time with his family and credits his relentless work ethic to his early experiences working on a ranch.
Mark Zesbaugh serves as Chairman and CEO of Revol One Financial®. A visionary leader with decades of experience in insurance, finance, and entrepreneurial growth, Mark leads with an entrepreneurial mindset and a drive to challenge the status quo. Under his leadership, the company is building a modern, agile platform designed to revolutionize how people feel, think, and experience retirement solutions—backed by a commitment to innovation, exceptional service, and speed to market.
Beyond his role at Revol One Financial, Mark is President of Entrepreneurial 180, LLC, where he provides strategic advisory services and growth capital to emerging companies across diverse industries. He maintains ownership stakes in a dynamic portfolio of businesses and plays an active role in helping them scale efficiently and profitably.
Mark’s career includes serving as President and CEO of Security Life Insurance Company, a national provider of ancillary life and health products. Earlier, he spent 17 years at Allianz Life Insurance Company, where he held multiple senior leadership roles—including CEO for five years. His experience also includes launching a Bermuda-based reinsurance operation and advising private equity firms on insurance M&A opportunities.
Mark holds a B.A. in Business Administration and Accounting from the University of St. Thomas. He became a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in 1987 and earned the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation in 1995. He is an active member of YPO Gold, the CFA Institute, and the Twin Cities Society of Security Analysts, and he serves on multiple for-profit and nonprofit boards.
Outside of work, Mark enjoys exploring new places, golfing and spending time with his family—but his mind rarely rests. Whether he's on the move or off the grid, Mark is always thinking ahead, scanning the horizon for what's next and how to stay one step ahead in a rapidly evolving industry.
As Chief Financial Officer at Revol One Financial®, Brent Hipsher leads financial strategy to support profitable growth while balancing the needs of stakeholders. With over 20 years of experience in insurance finance, he’s committed to delivering transparent, high-quality results and building efficient, scalable processes that meet regulatory standards and drive long-term success.
Prior to joining Revol One Financial, Brent held senior finance roles at Allianz Life Insurance Company and Transamerica. His responsibilities spanned IFRS and U.S. statutory reporting, internal controls, risk-based capital, and financial planning and analysis. He led major initiatives like the IFRS 17 implementation and has a track record of developing future leaders in the industry.
Brent joined Revol One Financial to be part of a company that embraces innovation, moves with agility, and brings fresh thinking to the insurance industry. He’s energized by the opportunity to simplify how financial solutions are delivered and create lasting value for policyholders, partners, investors, and employees.
Known for his collaborative, solutions-focused approach, Brent brings a practical mindset and positive energy to every challenge. His leadership style is shaped by his personal mantra: “be smart, stay curious, have fun.” Outside of work, he enjoys traveling, running, golfing, and cheering on the University of Minnesota Gophers with his wife and two boys.
As Chief Information Officer at Revol One Financial®, Bob Guilmette leads all aspects of the company’s technology vision, strategy, and execution. With more than 30 years of experience in life and P&C insurance, consulting, and technology leadership, Bob is focused on building a fully modern, cloud-based platform that delivers best-in-class service to agents and customers—without the burden of legacy systems.
Before Revol One Financial, Bob helped architect and scale annuity platforms at The Hartford, supporting growth from $600 million to $10 billion in Variable Annuity sales. He brings that same innovative spirit to Revol One Financial, where he’s helping to redefine what’s possible in the insurance industry.
Bob joined Revol One Financial to break from the outdated, slow-moving tech of traditional carriers. He’s passionate about using today’s tools to bring products and experiences to market at cheetah speed—enabling faster, smarter service for financial professionals and their clients. His approach is guided by a deep belief that technology, when aligned with business goals, creates measurable value across the board.
Known for his hands-on leadership and “builder” mindset, Bob doesn’t just innovate at work—he’s also renovated seven homes himself, from plumbing to tile. Like the Revol One Financial cheetah, he’s fast, agile, and focused on the finish line.
Bill Crane leads Legal and Compliance at Revol One Financial, providing strategic counsel, managing legal risk, and ensuring regulatory compliance across the organization. With nearly 20 years of experience spanning legal and sales roles in the annuity and life insurance industry, Bill brings a rare blend of technical insight and business perspective to a fast-moving environment.
Before joining Revol One Financial, Bill served as Assistant General Counsel and later as Head of Advanced Markets at Global Atlantic Financial Group—where he transitioned from legal into sales leadership, a shift that continues to shape his agile approach today.
Joining Revol One Financial was a chance to help launch something bold and fresh—an annuity and life insurance company built to move fast with a focus on technology and service. Bill’s ability to bridge compliance and commerce makes him a key force in our effort to Revolutionize the norm.
When he’s not navigating complex legal landscapes, Bill enjoys time with his family, reading a good book, and sipping strong coffee—fueling his next sprint forward.
As Chief Actuary and Chief Risk Officer at Revol One Financial®, Adam Lei leads all actuarial and risk management functions. He serves as a trusted advisor on capital management and enterprise risk management, supporting financial planning and analysis, and helping to align and support Revol One Financial’s broader strategic objectives.
With over 20 years of senior leadership experience in banking and insurance Adam brings deep technical expertise and a collaborative mindset to his roles. He has held corporate leadership positions and contributed to industry standards—most notably as part of the team that developed the Actuarial Standard of Practice for Enterprise Risk Management, a milestone in shaping professional guidance for the insurance industry.
Before joining Revol One Financial, Adam was Vice President of Enterprise Risk Management (ERM), Asset and Liability Management (ALM), and Inforce Management at National Western Life Insurance Company, where he oversaw enterprise risk, asset-liability coordination, and inforce profitability. Before National Western, Adam led Aflac’s global risk and capital analytics function.
Adam was drawn to Revol One Financial by the opportunity to make a meaningful impact alongside a leadership team that shares his values. He thrives in the company’s collaborative culture, where cross-functional teamwork drives innovation, exceptional service, and the development of a strong, capable team.
Outside of work, Adam keeps his mind sharp with a quirky habit: doing three-digit multiplication in his head for fun. It’s just one example of the analytical focus he brings to everything he does.
