Clients know Brett as an avid sportsman who enjoys hunting and fishing and has a strong commitment to volunteering to coach young hockey players. When he’s not doing any of those things, he enjoys traveling with his wife Kristi and spending time with their daughters. His personal interests help him understand the importance of work-life balance. In addition to developing personal financial plans for families and individuals, he researches and designs model portfolios to accomplish clients’ aspirations of retirement, legacy or college funding. His areas of expertise include PERA and TRA pension plans, NUA and small group retirement plans.
Our team
Our team of Certified Financial Planners and registered representatives share their personal and professional experience to give you a customized financial program.
Brett Kusske
President, Certified Financial Planner®
Brett enjoys developing financial plans for individuals and families that take the emotion out of investing. Using the best practices as a Certified Financial Planner™, he objectively helps clients define their goals and objectives and designs a strategy to address them.
Brett was affiliated with Kusske Financial Management Inc in 2007 and became President of Kusske Financial, Inc. in 2018. He has a degree in business management with a concentration in finance from St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota and earned the Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®) designation in 2010 from the College of Financial Planning.
As a regular public speaker, Brett presents educational workshops on basic financial concepts and retirement planning.
Series 7 and 66 Securities Registrations
MN Insurance License 40141332
Travis Buck
Certified Financial Planner®
Travis’s commitment to service and education come from his experience of growing up in rural South Dakota as part of a banking family. As a Certified Financial Planner™, Travis develops personal financial plans with income, estate and tax strategies around each client’s specific goals and objectives. He focuses on creating strategies designed to produce income streams from assets to replace your paycheck during retirement.
His hands-on approach towards working with clients is consistent with how he lives. Being an avid dirt-bike rider and motorcyclist Travis has had plenty of opportunities to read a roadmap, change course due to unexpected weather, make repairs along the way, and most of all — enjoy the journey.
Travis was affiliated with Kusske Financial Management, Inc in 2000 and Kusske Financial, Inc. since 2018. He earned the Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®) designation in 2002 from the College of Financial Planning.
Travis is a regular public speaker presenting educational workshops on basic financial concepts and retirement planning.
Certified Financial Planner™ Professional
Registered Representative
Securities Licensed 7 and 63
MN Insurance License 20152720
Tony Johnson
Certified Financial Planner®
Tony develops financial plans using his attention for detail to set realistic goals for families and individuals at all stages of life. Prior to becoming a CFP® Tony worked with Brett and Travis to design model portfolios and implement new investment strategies and systems at our firm. As part of our Leadership Team, his input in the future direction of the firm is invaluable.
Tony calls Minnesota his home and is a graduate of St. Cloud State University. He is married to Lauren and they are expecting the arrival of their first child. He looks forward to teaching this little one how to play his favorite sport — baseball — and how to fish at his extended family’s lake home in Northern Minnesota.
Tony joined Kusske Financial, Inc. in 2018. He earned the Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®) designation from the College of Financial Planning in 2024.
Certified Financial Planner™ Professional
Registered Representative
Securities Licensed 7, 63, and 65
MN Insurance License 40631396
Ben Braaten
Client Service Associate
Ben assists clients in many ways, including preparing account applications and servicing issues such as setting up instructions for deposits, withdrawals, required minimum distributions, and qualified charitable distributions.
Ben is the most recent addition to the Kusske organization. As a father of three young children, he has many superpowers. He and his high school sweetheart are graduates of Burnsville High School which is located right by our office. He likes to build and fix things, which comes in handy here at our small office.
Securities Registrations: Series 6, SIE
Deb Comerford
Administrative Assistant
Administrative Assistant
Deb is the helpful voice you hear on the phone and the person who makes sure everything goes smoothly when you visit our office. Call Deb to make an appointment or answer any general questions you may have.
Thomas Jensen
Client Service Associate
Thomas assists clients in many ways, including preparing account applications and servicing issues such as setting up instructions for deposits, withdrawals, required minimum distributions, and qualified charitable distributions.
Thomas is another recent addition to the Kusske Organization. He is a graduate of Bethel University with a bachelor’s degree in business finance. Thomas played four years of collegiate basketball. He currently resides with his wife, Bre, in Edina, Minnesota.
Securities Registrations: Series 65, SIE
MN Insurance License Accident & Health, Life: 21644049
Brooke Kusske
Operations Manager
Brooke oversees the daily management of Kusske Financial Inc and makes sure you have the information you need — when you need it. Check out Kusske Financial’s Facebook page, your e-mail, or our website, for the latest information on personal finance and how it could affect you. She arranges workshops and special events for Support, Support +, and Premier clients.
Mark Radmacher
Client Service Associate
Securities Registrations: Series 6 and 63
MN Insurance License 40728453
Mark joined Kusske Financial in 2024 as a member of the client service/operations team. Mark assists with the administration of investment accounts, supports the advisors with financial planning analysis, and helps maintain and build client relationships.
He lives in New Prague with his wife, Molly, and their three boys Carson, Connor, and Colin. Mark and his family enjoy getting outside as much as possible, golfing, playing baseball, and having the occasional family movie night.
Dena Sogn
Client Service Associate
Dena was previously with Kusske Financial Management from 2004-2014 — and then returned to Kusske Financial in 2022. When she wasn’t working here, she remained a friend and we are very happy to have her back. She is a dog lover and a friend to all critters great and small. If she could move her desk outside, we are pretty sure she would.
Dena assists clients in many ways, including preparing account applications and servicing issues such as setting up instructions for deposits, withdrawals, required minimum distributions, and qualified charitable distributions.
Jackson Sabo
Client Service Associate
Founder of Kusske Financial
MARY B. KUSSKE
Certified Financial Planner™
As founder and former president of Kusske Financial Management Inc, Mary specializes in helping retirees and pre-retirees achieve financial independence. Her guiding philosophy is that education is the foundation of financial success. Mary is well versed in the complicated issues associated with the state of Minnesota’s Public Employee’s Retirement Association (PERA), traditional and Roth IRA’s, and 401(k), 403(b), and 457 deferred compensation plans.
Mary’s personal experiences compel her to insist that everyone has a plan in place to care for themselves and those they love. She wants everyone to receive the level and quality of attention she would expect for her own mom. She obtained the professional designation of CLTC (Certified in Long-Term Care) from the Corporation for Long Term Care Certification in 2012.
As a member of Ed Slott’s Master Elite IRA Advisor Group, an exclusive organization of financial advisors, Mary is dedicated to being a leader in the IRA industry. Master Elite IRA Advisors are equipped with the tools and resources to help their clients sort out the complicated tax laws on IRA’s, Roth IRA’s and required minimum distributions.
Additionally, Mary is a member of the Financial Services Institute’s Financial Advisor Council, a national organization committed to ensuring that all individuals have access to competent and affordable financial advice, products and services.
Mary is a regular public speaker, offering educational workshops about basic financial concepts and retirement planning.
Series 7, 24, 53 and 63 Securities Registrations · MN Insurance License 25218