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.

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.

Kristy Trojan is a graduate of Salisbury University where she received her Bachelors in Finance. She grew up in Johnsburg, and now lives in Grayslake, Illinois. She joined Northwestern Mutual in 2019 as a Financial Representative and joined Integrative Wealth Advisors in early 2021 to align herself with distinguished advisors to learn and grow with. She now holds the title of Director of Marketing. She holds her Life and Health license and is investment licensed. Her favorite part of her career is interacting with clients and engaging in meaningful conversations to help them meet their goals.

In her free time, Kristy enjoys hiking, kayaking, reading, spending time with friends, traveling, and shopping, and going on walks with her dog George!

Daniel Mortell graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a bachelor’s degree in Economics. He lives in Glenview with his wife Ellen and three children, Madeline, Claire, and Mac. He joined Integrative Wealth Advisors in 2019 and comes to us from the investment management side of the industry having spent the last 10 years representing both institutional and retail asset management firms. Daniel is a CFA® charterholder (Chartered Financial Analyst) and a member of the Chicago CFA® Society. He holds his life, accident, and health license along with his FINRA Series 7 & 66.

Chris Silchuck attended University of Illinois and graduated with a degree in Economics and was involved in his community and his fraternity, Chi Psi. He was born and raised in Mount Prospect, and now lives with his fiancée Kelly in Chicago. He began his career with Northwestern Mutual as an intern in 2014. He then moved up to Assistant Financial Representative and later joined the network staff, as an Associate Wealth Management Advisor. He now holds the title of Director of Investments. He has been working with Integrative Wealth Advisors since 2018 and decided to officially join the team in March 2021. He holds his Life and Health license, is investment licensed, and has his Wealth Management Certified Professional designation. His favorite part of his career is being able to interact and work directly with clients to help them and take them through our process from start to finish.

In his free time, Chris enjoys spending time with friends, going to the movies traveling, and frequenting sporting events. He is an all-around Illinois fan – Illini, White Sox, Blackhawks, and Bulls!

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!

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.