Our Team
Our team is committed to providing exceptional customer service to all our clients.
If you need to schedule an appointment, make changes to your policy, submit a claim or request any other service, please let us know and we will respond promptly.
Ryan Scott Saunders , CFP®, RICP®, CLU®, ChFC®, CASL®
Founder and Wealth Management Advisor
Ryan Scott Saunders , CFP®, RICP®, CLU®, ChFC®, CASL®
Founder and Wealth Management Advisor
A lifetime resident of Charlotte, Ryan resides in South Charlotte with his wife, Alicia, and his children, Savannah, Caroline and Drew. They are members of Carmel Baptist Church. Ryan is an active member of the UNC Rams Club and enjoys spending Saturdays watching football at Kenan Stadium. A self-proclaimed sports addict, he also enjoys watching the Carolina Panthers and the Tar Heels rack up NCAA Basketball Championships. Ryan is very passionate about travel, spending several weeks a year on both domestic and international excursions with his wife and family.
Ryan was named Financial Advisor of the Year by the local Northwestern Mutual Network Office in Charlotte for four consecutive years (2017-2020). He achieved 4-Star Pathfinder Status in 2020 and 3-Star Pathfinder Status in 2018, 2019 and 2021 by Northwestern Mutual for maintaining a balanced, integrated practice. He also received the Northwestern Mutual 2019 Master Achievement Award, the 2018-2019 Financial Security Award (Top 20) and 6x winner of the Financial Security Award (Top 100). Ryan has also been named to Northwestern Mutual Forum for four consecutive years, 2018-2021, which recognizes the top 3% of all advisors nationally.
Plancentric Financial Group was recognized by the Charlotte Business Journal in the Fast 50 class of 2020, the only financial services firm within the fifty fastest growing businesses in Charlotte. Recently, Charlotte Magazine celebrated Plancentric Financial Group as the voters’ choice winner of the top Financial Planning/Wealth Management team in the city in the 2021 Best of the Best Awards.
Jason has been with Northwestern Mutual since 2008 after graduating from UNC-Greensboro in 2002, where he attended on a golf scholarship. Jason was the 1998 North Carolina Amateur Champion and played in three United States Amateurs.
Jason and his wife, Stefanie, and their sons Carter and Tucker are members of Lake Norman Baptist Church in Huntersville, NC and they enjoy traveling the North Carolina coast, especially Sunset Beach.
Michelle began her relationship with Plancentric Financial Group as a client where she was inspired to make a career change and joined the team in 2018. Her passion for making smart financial decisions resonates with our clients, making her invaluable to them as she helps guide them toward financial freedom. Michelle’s continuous drive to delve deeper and expand her industry knowledge has led her to earn the CFP® professional certification and maintain licenses for Life, Health, and Long-Term Care insurance, as well as the Series 7 and 63 securities registrations.
Michelle’s goal is to help address potential gaps and inefficiencies to give clients peace of mind and set them up for financial empowerment. As a graduate of Clemson University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Management, it is important to Michelle to journey back to Death Valley whenever she can. She is a Charlotte native and enjoys traveling, being on the water and spending time with her husband, daughter, family and friends.
Mary began her career with Northwestern Mutual in 1988 in Pennsylvania before moving to Charlotte and brings a unique blend of experience, knowledge and expertise to her role as Chief Operations Manager, where she is responsible for overseeing the business operations for the team.
Mary holds life and health insurance licenses, FINRA Series 7, 9, 10, 24 and 63 securities registrations, and has earned her ChFC® and SPHR® designations. When she is not in the office, Mary enjoys gardening, hiking, golfing, and spending time with her husband, John, and her family and friends.
Jane has been with Northwestern Mutual since 1999 and joined the team in 2015, bringing over two decades in the Life and Health Insurance Industry to our team. As Director of Insurance Services, she manages our New Business and Policy Owner Services Departments. Her primary responsibilities include expediting policy underwriting and client relations.
Jane was raised in the Washington, DC and the New York areas and when not in the office, she enjoys traveling, gardening, and spending time with her husband, two grown boys and grandson.
Eva started working at Northwestern Mutual in June 2019 and joined Plancentric Financial Group in February 2020. She holds Series 7 and 63 securities registrations, as well as licenses for Life & Health and Long-Term Care Insurance.
Eva graduated from Kenyon College in 2019 earning her BA in Classics (Latin and Ancient Greek) where she gained substantial teaching experience. She has carried her teaching skills over to our team and clients. She is devoted to guiding our clients through every step of the investment onboarding process, as well as helping them with the ongoing maintenance of their accounts.
With her acute attention to detail, Eva maintains and develops processes for the team that enable top-of-the-line support for our clients. In her spare time, Eva finds herself in the kitchen baking a wide assortment of delicious treats. When she’s not in the kitchen, she likes to spend time outdoors with her friends and family.
John joined Plancentric Financial Group in May 2020 and holds his Life and Health insurance licenses and Series 7 securities registration.
John works in the investment and insurance sides of the business, with a key role in preparing reports and portfolio comparisons for client meetings. He heads the tracking and delivery of insurance policies and has begun to take a larger role in the creation of individualized financial plans. He recently graduated from North Carolina State University with Bachelor of Science degrees in both Economics and Business Administration.
John was born and raised in Charlotte, NC and is an Eagle Scout of Troop 33, where he stays involved in the local community. He is a huge sports fan, especially college basketball. He enjoys being outdoors and on the water, running, playing golf and tennis. John also enjoys traveling and going out with friends.
Caitlin began her career with Northwestern Mutual in 2012 in marketing and event coordination before joining Plancentric Financial Group in December of 2020. As Director of Marketing, Caitlin’s focus is on client experience and relationship building.
After growing up in the suburbs of Atlanta, she graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Science in Advertising and finished graduate school with a Master’s in Heritage Preservation from Georgia State University. Outside of the office, Caitlin enjoys the outdoors and loves to spend time hiking and camping in the mountains with her husband and daughter.
Sawyer joined Placentric Financial Group in May 2021. He is currently studying Economics at Furman University, where he is the treasurer of the Furman Economic Society, a member of the Investment Club, and a student leader for Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Sawyer was raised in Charlotte and is a huge Carolina Panthers fan. He is an avid fisherman and especially enjoys offshore fishing. Sawyer also enjoys going to the beach and spending time in downtown Greenville, South Carolina.
Greyson joined Plancentric Financial Group in May 2021. Currently, he's studying Economics and Business Administration at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Greyson was born and raised in Charlotte, North Carolina and enjoys volunteering around the community often. He is an avid college sports fan, especially basketball and football. Greyson is a member of the UNC men’s club lacrosse team and is very passionate about being active. He loves the outdoors and tries to spend as much time as he can traveling and spending time with his friends.
Ethan joined Plancentric Financial Group in May 2021. Ethan attends North Carolina State University, majoring in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance. At NC State he enjoys spending time working with the Investors Association and playing intramural soccer and cricket. Ethan was born and raised in Charlotte, NC but loves to travel to the beach and mountains on weekends. When he is not studying or in the office, he loves playing golf, watching soccer, and taking his two dogs on hikes around the area.
Haley joined Plancentric Financial Group in September 2021. She is currently a Senior at University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where she is studying Finance with a concentration in Accounting. Haley was raised near Charlotte, North Carolina and enjoys walking around the city. She likes to make time to travel and be with her friends. When she’s not in the office or studying, Haley is at home spending quality time with her dog, Bentley, and her cat, Mushu.