Emmett Kaarlsen
Emmett is our completely adorable, indispensable Chairman of the Cookie Board, and has been tasked with identifying all of the dinosaurs and zoo animals that might find their way into Pop Pop Bryan's office. We like to think of him as both the light in our President's eyes, and the future of Texas Retirement Headquarters.
Bryan Kaarlsen CFP® ChFC® CLU® RHU® REBC®
Texas Retirement Headquarters President Bryan Kaarlsen has 30 years of experience in the financial industry. For the first 15 years of his career, Bryan worked with one of the largest worldwide financial firms. But in 2007, he came to believe that having the ability to work with all of the top financial services companies would better serve his clients. This would give him the ability to offer diverse, nimble, and comprehensive financial services. Now, Bryan can offer truly custom plans for each client, based on their unique priorities, needs, and goals.
Bryan is consistently ranked among the top financial advisors in the country. He has been a featured 5 star professional and ranked in Forbes and Texas Monthly magazines. Bryan is considered a thought leader in the industry and has been quoted many times in the financial press.
Having earned the CFP (Certified Financial Planner), ChFC (Chartered Financial Consultant), and CLU (Certified Life Underwriter) designations, he is one of the most credentialed and experienced wealth managers in Texas. His commitment to integrity, exceptional client support, and relationship building has enabled Bryan to lead his team in catering to the needs of both businesses and individual clients. He is passionate about helping his clients navigate the often choppy waters of retirement and strives to be an indispensable member of his client's financial team. Bryan can be trusted to navigate the path to your financial future.
He is the former president of the Autism Society of San Antonio and, along with his wife Robin, has started a nonprofit organization to help autistic adults who are aging out of the school system. He is a regular contributor to many first responder charities, including the SAFD museum and the Shields of Christ golf tournament.
When Bryan isn't working for his clients or the charities he supports, he enjoys restoring his historic home ·in downtown San Antonio and being Emmett's "Pop-Pop.”
Greg Schorp
Texas Retirement Headquarters Vice President Greg Schorp joined the team in 2017 after nearly 20 years in financial services. Since 2001, he has been Regional Vice President with several major financial firms including Pacific Life, ING, and the Principal Financial Group. Greg joined Texas Retirement Headquarters to work with clients to develop plans their financial plans to help them reach their goals and dreams. He understands that finances can be complicated and wishes to simplify the planning process for those clients with unique needs, such as Retirement Income Planning, insurance needs, and legacy planning.
You may recognize Greg's name from his success as a football player. He was a star at San Antonio's Churchill High School, and an All-American tight end at Texas A&M, where he helped lead his team to wins in several bowl games and was named the most valuable player in the 1992 Disneyland Pigskin Classic.
Greg continued his football career by joining the NFL in 1994. He was a member of the Seattle Seahawks and Jacksonville Jaguars. Most notably, Greg was a tight end for the Super Bowl XXX Champion Dallas Cowboys.
Greg, his wife Nikki, and their children reside in New Braunfels, TX. Greg enjoys attending his children's extracurricular activities, hunting, fishing, boating and golf.
Lauren Schorp
Lauren Schorp joined the Texas Retirement Headquarters team in the summer of 2020 as our Office Manager. She brought with her an impressive background in customer relations, retail team management and inside sales support.
With over 15 years in retail management, including Foley's Department Store and several Mattress Firm stores throughout San Antonio, and 7 years in high tech in Austin, we are so fortunate to have her directing our client experience and managing our daily operations.
Lauren graduated from Texas State University with a degree in Healthcare Administration. She lives in San Antonio with her fiance, Shaun, and their two sweet dogs, Austin and Cassy. They are planning a wedding for the winter of 2021.
Lauren and Shaun love the outdoors and enjoy living very close to one of the largest city parks in San Antonio. Lauren also loves to travel and having gone to high school in Germany, she visits Europe as often as possible.
Ruben Cevallos
Ruben Cevallos has been a Licensed Insurance Rep for the Police and Fireman’s Insurance Association since 2003, also serving on their Board of Directors since 2010. He has worked closely with Bryan for over 10 years and retired from the San Antonio Fire Department after 33 years of service as a Firefighter and Paramedic. He is also a former board member of the San Antonio Fire Museum.
Joining the team in 2011, Ruben immediately became an asset for members of San Antonio’s public safety community. His knowledge and experience helps Bryan guide the firm’s firefighters and police clientele into effortless and sustainable retirement plans as well as options to protect their family legacies during their careers as active first responders. Ruben has been a wonderful liaison for Bryan and the entire team.
Ruben and his wife Machele live in San Antonio and enjoy traveling. They love visiting their 3 sons or attending NASCAR events in Daytona. You can also catch Ruben on the golf course or at home with a good book. Do not be shy to ask him for some great recommendations on anything, from what is the best golf course in the area, to how to best engage Bryan and the team to protect your family and loved ones in the future.
Kenneth Cook CFP®
Kenneth Cook, a Certified Financial Planner, joined Texas Retirement Headquarters in 2019 after working with Bryan over the last several years. Kenneth brings with him more than 35 years of experience in the Financial Services industry. A graduate of Texas A&M University, his background as an accountant for a stock brokerage company, and an owner of an insurance agency for more than 20 years uniquely positions him to guide his clients through their financial decisions. With clients ranging from Federal Employees and Teachers to Small Business Owners and Retirees of all types throughout the South, Kenneth is a remarkably experienced asset to Texas Retirement Headquarters.
Kenneth is an active traveler, particularly throughout Europe and South America.
Courtney Kaarlsen
Courtney Kaarlsen joined the team in 2014. During that time, she became a Registered Dental Assistant, and worked for a large practice in the Dominion. Her newfound background in dental administration has since given her a more solid foundation in client relations and rapport building. She is also Bryan's eldest daughter, so she brings with her a true understanding of both his focus on client support and his vision for Texas Retirement Headquarters.
Courtney has grown into the backbone of our internal client experience, along with a focused role as the coordinator of our daily operations. Her knowledge, attention to detail and care for each client are invaluable.
Her equally important role as Emmett's Mom, is also her greatest joy. Keeping up with a very active and growing boy has kept her heart full, and trips to the zoo, beach and area parks are among their favorite activities. That is, aside from visiting Pop-Pop (Bryan) at his office, of course!
Kent Petty
Kent Petty joined Texas Retirement Headquarters after a 25-year career in investment sales and service within the banking and insurance industry. Since 1996, Kent has enjoyed a diverse career as an institutional sales professional and analyst for global investment and insurance firms such as: JP Morgan Asset Management, Manulife John Hancock, AIG, and Lincoln Financial Group.
Kent's passion for education and awareness in the insurance and financial markets has allowed him to participate on Advisory boards and consult for investment, energy, and real estate related businesses over the last two decades, bringing a unique perspective to providing solutions for clients and prospects alike. Kent's passion for financial education, along with proper and successful planning, anchors his belief in a solid game plan to achieve a rewarding and fulfilling retirement.
When not speaking at conferences and events on financial education, Kent enjoys spending time with his college-aged kids outdoors, playing golf, and tennis. Kent received his B.S. in Economics from Texas A&-M and his MBA from the University of Denver. Kent currently resides in Austin, Texas.
Karen Cinelli
Karen Cinelli began working for Bryan 27 years ago, as her summer job while attending Texas A&M University. She went on to a career as a medical practice administrator and physician consultant. After having children, she returned to work for Bryan and has been with Texas Retirement Headquarters since 2009.
As an adoptive parent and former foster parent, Karen is active with several organizations that focus on children who age out of the foster care system, as well as acting as a mentor for families going through the adoption process. She also has served as president of the San Antonio Gladney Family Association, leading their charitable and social endeavors for adoptive families.
After 15 years as San Antonio residents, Karen and her family relocated to just outside of Des Moines, Iowa in 2020. We are all thankful for the age of telecommuting and Zoom meetings!
Robin Kaarlsen
Robin graduated from Cornell University (Marketing & Management) in 1988. She interned on Wall Street and was licensed in insurance and securities. She worked as a retail buyer, floor manager, and assistant store manager until she had identical twin daughters. At that point, she became a full-time mom and volunteer. When the girls were older, Robin attended graduate school and earned a second undergraduate major in English along with certification as a K-12 teacher. When her daughters left for college in 2011, Robin moved to Texas to finally be with the love of her life, Bryan.
Bryan used to joke that Robin was “Executive Director of Everything” in the business and at home. Thanks to tremendous growth and additional staff, she is no longer actively involved in the day-to-day operations of the company. Her focus is on establishing a 501(c)(3) charity, “Prism Communities,” which will create and operate long-term living campuses with on-site services for adults with autism and other severe disabilities.
Robin became passionate about developing these communities while she and Bryan were caring for Bryan’s autistic son, who aged out of his residential school at age 21. Navigating the systems in place for the intellectually disabled and mentally ill, especially those on the autism spectrum, is frustrating. Although he now lives in a group home where he receives the therapies and services to which he is entitled, they would like to see a more comprehensive program for their son, and know there are thousands of families with young adults in a similar situation.
Robin wondered why there are no assisted living communities, where all the residences, medical facilities and activities are centralized to serve this extremely unique population. She found there are a few organizations working to develop independent living models for higher functioning young adults with autism (but nothing like a full-service campus) and is learning from them about the laws and processes.
The organization is currently in the establishment phase: convening a board of directors across several key areas and beginning fundraising. We look forward to sharing more as the charitable organization grows and begins to meet the needs of some of our most fragile citizens.
