Business Details
38 Years
experience
Your Trusted Partner for Financial Planning Solutions
At Dark Horse Financial, we have dedicated ourselves to crafting personalized financial strategies since 1988, helping individuals and families achieve their long-term goals. Our approach begins by understanding your unique objectives, analyzing your current financial situation, and presenting tailored options to build a secure future. Our team of independent financial professionals brings decades of combined experience, united by a shared commitment to ethics and integrity. We specialize in retirement planning, Social Security optimization, and legacy strategies, providing unbiased guidance to address tax implications, estate preservation, and income security. With a proven process refined over 30 years, we empower clients through education and informed decision-making.Our founder, Todd Schnick, established this family-owned firm in 2013, building on a legacy of service that began with his military career and academic background in finance. Today, our team combines seasoned expertise with fresh perspectives, including next-generation professionals like Ian Schnick, who applies precision honed through athletics to financial planning. We serve clients across multiple states, offering hands-on support for retirement strategies, fixed annuities, and life insurance solutions. Our mission remains clear: to help clients navigate financial complexities with confidence, ensuring their strategies align with both practical needs and aspirational goals.
Services
Retirement Strategies
Social Security Exploration
Legacy Planning Concepts
Fixed Annuities
Life Insurance
Details
- Year established: 1988
Highlights and features
- We offer 30+ years of experience in personalized financial planning
- Our team includes independent financial professionals with diverse expertise
- We maintain a proven process refined over decades of service
- Our family-owned firm prioritizes unbiased, ethical guidance
- We specialize in retirement income strategies with guaranteed protection
Services
Retirement Strategies
Our retirement strategies focus on creating personalized financial roadmaps to ensure long-term security. We analyze your current situation, identify gaps, and implement solutions like fixed annuities to protect against market volatility. With expertise in tax-efficient withdrawals and income optimization, we help clients build sustainable retirement income streams while addressing estate preservation needs.
Social Security Exploration
This service helps maximize Social Security benefits through comprehensive analysis of retirement statements and eligibility factors. We identify income shortfalls, explain earnings record verification, and develop strategies for married couples and caregivers. Our guidance considers taxation impacts and coordinates benefits with other retirement income sources while emphasizing the importance of consulting official Social Security Administration resources.
Legacy Planning Concepts
Legacy planning focuses on preserving family values and financial assets for future generations. We facilitate discussions about inheritance priorities, emotional legacies, and practical considerations like life insurance solutions. Our approach helps clients create comprehensive plans that address both tangible assets and intangible family values while coordinating with legal professionals for proper documentation.
Fixed Annuities
Fixed annuities provide guaranteed income streams with principal protection against market fluctuations. We help clients understand accumulation potential, income options, and death benefits while explaining associated risks like surrender charges and tax implications. These instruments serve as foundational components in retirement strategies requiring stable, predictable income sources.
Life Insurance
Life insurance solutions focus on both death benefit protection and living benefits through cash value accumulation. We explain policy types, underwriting requirements, and tax considerations while demonstrating how life insurance can support retirement income and legacy goals. Our guidance includes policy comparisons and integration with broader financial strategies.
People
Todd Schnick
CEO, Sr. Financial Professional
Todd Schnick founded Dark Horse Financial in 2013 after starting his career in 1988. A licensed professional with military service experience, he specializes in long-term financial strategies and community leadership.
Michelle Strigotte
VP of Operations
Michelle Strigotte brings extensive business infrastructure experience to Dark Horse Financial. She specializes in strategic growth initiatives and operational reorganization, having developed successful business alliances across financial services sectors.
Ian Schnick
Financial Professional
Ian Schnick combines athletic precision with financial expertise, following his father's legacy. A licensed professional, he focuses on personalized financial roadmaps and client-centered strategies while maintaining active community involvement.
Questions
What financial planning services do you offer?
We specialize in retirement strategies, Social Security optimization, legacy planning, fixed annuities, and life insurance solutions tailored to individual needs.
How do you approach retirement planning?
Our process starts with goal clarification, analyzes current strategies, and implements personalized solutions focusing on market protection and sustainable income streams.
Are you licensed to provide financial advice?
Yes, our team includes licensed financial professionals qualified to offer retirement and insurance solutions across multiple states.
How can Social Security benefits be optimized?
We analyze earnings records, explore spousal benefits, and develop strategies to maximize income while considering tax implications and other retirement assets.
What makes your firm different from others?
We combine 30+ years of experience with a family-owned commitment to ethics, offering unbiased guidance through independent financial professionals.
