Dan founded Castino Financial over 30 years ago with the mission to secure futures and impact lives through sound advice and comprehensive planning. Dan’s vision remains to deliver an unparalleled financial management experience to high net worth families, successful business owners and corporate executives through three essential components of comprehensive planning: advisory services, risk management and tax conscious financial planning. To further his goal to continue to deliver such a unique client experience he has hand-picked Steve Mengyan and Ben Pipala and partnered up with The Mengyan Pipala Group to form Integrative Wealth Advisors. This forging of our exceptionally talented and dedicated organizations will provide our clients with expert insight, innovative solutions, and ideas.

BUSINESS:

As an experienced and highly respected Wealth Management Advisor, Steve Mengyan works with each of his clients to carefully create and implement comprehensive financial plans, no matter what stage of life they are in. As your life continues to evolve and change through the years, Steve is here to help guide and care for your financial future every step of the way.

Steve began his career at Northwestern Mutual in 2002 as an intern, while receiving his Financial Planning degree from Central Michigan University. After his internship, he joined Northwestern Mutual where he later established Mengyan Financial in 2012. In 2021, he partnered up with Ben Pipala, to form The Mengyan & Pipala Group with the goal to help even more families build their financial futures. Steve has always had a passion for planning and creating well thought out plans and strategies to ensure peace of mind. This led to later rebranding the firm’s name to “Integrative Wealth Advisors” for better alignment with their core beliefs in comprehensive and integrative planning.

Steve feels most fulfilled when helping people make important life decisions that lead to more abundant lives in alignment with their core values.

EDUCATION:

Steve graduated from Central Michigan University in 2003 where he double majored in both Corporate Finance & Personal Financial Planning.

PROFESSIONAL CREDENTIALS:

• CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® Professional
• Chartered Life Underwriter, CLU®
• Chartered Financial Consultant, ChFC®
• Certification in Long-Term Care, CLTC®
• Retirement Income Certified Professional, RICP®

PERSONALLY:

When Steve is not at the office, he enjoys spending time with his friends and family, running around to each of his children’s sports / activities, reading, golfing, camping, hiking, and traveling around the United States in his 40 ft. motorhome.

Steve met his wife Mandy in high school and they have been together ever since. They currently reside in Libertyville, Illinois, with their four wonderful children Cameron, Samuel, Mia, Levi, and their Goldendoodle named Max. He and his family are also involved with the Libertyville campus of The Chapel.

BUSINESS:

Ben Pipala was born and raised in Johnsburg, Illinois. He obtained his associates in criminal justice at the College of Lake County with the intention of becoming a detective, prior to being introduced to Northwestern Mutual. After careful research of the financial planning industry, he developed a deep appreciation for Northwestern Mutual’s planning philosophy and decided to build a career and business with Northwestern Mutual in August of 2015. In 2021, Ben partnered with Steve Mengyan, put their visions together and formed The Mengyan & Pipala Group with the goal to help even more families plan and build their financial futures. They later rebranded the firm’s name to “Integrative Wealth Advisors” as it speaks directly to their core beliefs in comprehensive and integrative planning.

Ben’s favorite aspect of the career is getting to know people on a personal basis and learning about what is important to them and their families. He finds it rewarding to work with others and sort through the complexities of their finances to develop a game plan that will help them achieve their goals with a high degree of confidence.

PROFESSIONAL CREDENTIALS:

• Chartered Life Underwriter, CLU®
• Certification in Long-Term Care, CLTC®
• Retirement Income Certified Professional, RICP®

  Ben currently holds his FINRA Series 6, 7, & 63 securities licenses, as well as Life, Health, Long-Term Care and Annuity licenses.

PERSONALLY:

Ben and his wife, Danielle, have been married since September 2014 and they are proud parents to their two wonderful boys Jack, born in 2016, and Logan, born in 2020. They are now raising their family together in Lake Barrington, Illinois. Ben enjoys spending quality time playing with his boys and watching them grow.

In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his family and friends. He has a love for hosting friends at their home while cooking and practicing the art of grilling / smoking meats on his Weber Smoker.

Lee Jenner is a graduate of Ohio State where she studied Psychology. She has lived in Green Oaks for the past 18 years, but recently moved to Lake Bluff, Illinois. She was introduced to Northwestern Mutual in 2017 through her NM advisor. She began as an Associate Financial Representative serving on two separate teams. She now holds the title of Director of Insurance Operations and has been with our team since 2019. She holds her Life and Health license. Her favorite part of her career is working directly with clients, helping to educate them on their insurance options and helping them implement recommendations.

In her free time, Lee enjoys working out, listening to live music, walking her dogs (Mack and Otis), hanging out with her girlfriends, and traveling!

Lia originally from MI, now calls Lincolnshire, Illinois home, where she lives with her husband, Scott, and their four kids-Myles, Maycie, Morgan and Makailey-and their two lovable dogs, Brutus and Maya.

At home and in her career, Lia is focused on building meaningful connections and making a positive impact.  She cherishes time with her family and is deeply passionate about giving back to her community.  Through her volunteer work at local animal shelters, Lia's love for animals and commitment to helping others is clear.  This same sense of care and service shapes her professional life, where she always puts client's needs first and strives to make a lasting difference in everything she does.

Trina began working with Dan in 1997 and has been in the financial services industry since 1992. With over thirty years of experience in the financial services industry, Trina sets the bar by providing the highest level of service to our clientele. Her strength lies in her constant endeavor keeping the lines of communication open and helping with any issues that have to do with insurance or investment accounts. Trina serves as our Director of Client Services, making sure your questions, concerns, and service requests are taken care of promptly and with the utmost professionalism and courtesy. Her ultimate goal is to make sure your experience with Integrative Wealth Advisors is the very best.

Chris Andrew graduated from the University of Colorado with a degree in Finance and Real Estate. After graduating, he worked in mergers & acquisitions specific to senior living and skilled nursing properties. At the beginning of 2023, he began working with Integrative Wealth Advisors and enjoys working closely with clients to help them implement and maintain holistic financial plans. He is currently pursuing his CFP (Certified Financial Planner) designation. He holds his Life & Health licenses and FINRA Series 7 & 63.

In Chris’s free time he enjoys golf, travel, and trying new restaurants.

Matt grew up in the Champaign-Urbana area of Illinois and attended Eastern Illinois University graduating with a double major in Finance and Business Administration while working full time.  He began his career in financial services in 2012 and moved up to this area working for Castino Financial since 2017 which merged to form the current Integrative Wealth Advisors.

Matt obtained his certification as a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® Professional because he enjoys planning for the most complex needs of our clients and creating manageable and attainable goals.

Matt enjoys life in Skokie along with his wife Stephanie who has a background in social work and their son Jadan they adopted in 2021.  He is an active member of First United Methodist Church in Evanston where he enjoys singing, and leading fellowship groups and going on mission trips.  Matt is an automotive enthusiast, a movie buff, and has fun playing bocce ball, cards, golf, and tennis.  He enjoys road trips, attending plays, musicals, major league baseball games and museums where he reads every plaque.

Michael Giannetti graduated from Indiana University in 2021 with a bachelor’s degree in economics, and minors in Informatics & Criminal Justice. Originally, Michael was born in Highland Park, and he now resides in Northfield, Illinois. Michael started his career in the financial services industry in 2022, and he joined the Integrative Wealth Advisors team in 2024. Michael holds his Life and Health licenses, along with his FINRA Series 7 & Series 63.

In his free time Michael enjoys working out, watching sports, doing jigsaw puzzles, and spending time with his friends and family.

Riley attended University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where she studied Biology. She grew up in Johnsburg, IL and now lives in Spring Grove, IL. She joined Integrative Wealth Advisors in 2024 as Director of Marketing and Client Experience. Her favorite part of her career is ensuring clients feel valued, heard, and understood at every stage of their financial journey with us.

In her free time, Riley enjoys reading, traveling, spending time with friends and family, and taking walks with her dog, Storm!

Max Hardin graduated from the University of Missouri with a bachelors degree in Finance and Real Estate. Originally from Lindenhurst, he now resides in Gurnee, Illinois. After completing his studies in 2023, Max joined Northwestern Mutual and later became an Associate Financial Representative at Integrative Wealth Advisors in 2024. He holds a Life and Health license. Max’s favorite part of his career is helping people achieve their goals while building lasting relationships with them.

In his free time, Max enjoys spending time with family, golfing, hunting, working out, and traveling.