Our Story
For more than three decades, Heritage Financial Partners has helped individuals and families bring clarity, confidence, and continuity to their financial lives.
The firm was founded in 1992 by Andy Hanson as Hanson Financial Services, with a simple but important belief: people deserve to understand what is happening with their money. From the beginning, the firm was built on trust, transparency, and long-term relationships — principles that continue to guide our work today.
In 2006, Managing Partner and Wealth Advisor Doug Gjerde, MBA, CFP®, joined the firm and helped lead it into its next chapter. At a time when fiduciary advice was far from the industry norm, Heritage was already committed to putting clients’ interests first and helping families make informed decisions with confidence.
A major milestone came in 2014, when the firm became Heritage Financial Partners. That same year, Chris Schuler, MBA, CFP®, and Jeremy Weller, CFP®, CRPC®, joined the firm as Partners and Wealth Advisors, followed by Stephanie Lee, CFP®, in 2015. Under Doug’s leadership, the team has continued to grow while remaining grounded in the values that shaped the firm from the beginning.
After nearly two decades of guiding clients through life’s most important financial decisions, Doug is stepping into a well-earned retirement. His influence is woven into every aspect of how Heritage operates — from the way we listen to clients, to the culture of care he helped build. We are deeply grateful for his leadership and honored to carry that legacy forward.
Today, Heritage represents three generations of advisors, with Chris and Jeremy leading the firm into its next era. This transition is not just planned — it is purposeful, reflecting our enduring promise to clients: trusted guidance, uninterrupted continuity, and relationships that last a lifetime.
What We Do
We help individuals and families make confident, well-informed decisions about their wealth.
For many of our clients, financial planning is not about one account, one investment, or one decision. It is about coordinating the many moving parts of a complex financial life — retirement income, investment strategy, tax planning, estate considerations, charitable giving, family transitions, and legacy planning.
Our work often centers around helping clients answer important questions:
How do we retire with confidence?
How do we make smart tax decisions over time?
How do we protect and transfer wealth thoughtfully?
How do we help the next generation make good financial decisions?
How do we simplify our financial lives without losing sight of what matters most?
Many of our client relationships span decades and generations. We take pride in helping families navigate decisions not just through market cycles, but through life’s many transitions.
We still smile thinking back to the days when entire filing cabinets were dedicated to a single family. While our tools and technology have evolved, that same relationship-centered approach remains at the heart of who we are.
Who We Are
Heritage Financial Partners is a collaborative team of Wealth Advisors, client service professionals, and operations specialists working together to deliver a seamless, personalized client experience.
Our advisors provide strategic financial guidance, while our service and operations teams help ensure thoughtful execution and ongoing support at every stage of the relationship. We believe clients are best served when advice, planning, implementation, and service are all working together.
As part of the nationwide Carson Partners network, we also have access to expanded resources and specialized skillsets, including an Investment Committee, Research Department, and Advanced Solutions Team. This allows us to pair the personal, hands-on service of a local firm with the depth and resources of a national advisory network.
Guided by our shared values — meaningful relationships, relentless execution, and a passion to serve — we work as one team to support our clients, their families, and the goals that matter most to them.
Community Involvement
Giving back is an important part of who we are.
Our team is actively engaged in the communities where we live and work through volunteerism, service, and community partnerships. We believe our impact extends beyond financial planning to the relationships, organizations, and causes that help strengthen the communities we call home.
You can learn more about the organizations we support on our Community Impact page.
We are also members of several professional organizations, including the Financial Planning Association, Estate Planning Council, and Chamber of Commerce.
Our philanthropic interests are personal to us and are not reviewed, sponsored, or approved by CWM, LLC. Ed Slott’s Elite IRA Advisor Group is a group of financial professionals who pay a fee to attend educational seminars related to retirement planning and tax regulations. Membership does not imply endorsement or affiliation with CWM, LLC.