As a Member Agent of The Nautilus Group®, a service of New York Life Insurance Company, Brian Ruh works hand-in-hand with Nautilus specialists experienced in taxes, estate law, life insurance, accounting, and charitable giving. This relationship helps ensure you benefit from some of the most sound thinking when it comes to your estate.
Through Eagle Strategies, we provide fee-based financial planning, investment advisory services and access to investment management programs. Eagle Strategies LLC is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission as an "Investment Adviser" and is an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of New York Life Insurance Company.
I’m happily married to my wonderful wife, Gina. We are proud parents of three adult sons, and prouder grandparents to four young granddaughters. I’ll admit that I love my English Cocker, Sadie, only second to my grandbabies! Without hesitation, all of them will agree that my second home is the outdoors - fishing, hunting or landscaping my country yard. And there’s no better way to end such a day but with a porterhouse steak and Grey Goose Martini. Mention those two treats and I’m your new best friend!
Dream Vacation
Alasklan Cruise
First Job
Bailing hay & picking stones
All-time Fave Food
Porterhouse Steak at Schwarz’s Supper Club
Biggest Pet Peeve
Poor weather on weekends
Love People Who
Are honest and open
Life Goal (non work-related)
Give more to charitable causes
12 is the number of times I have
Caught a Musky over 50”
Fun Fact
Need a Schwarz’s Supper Club “fix” at least once every 2 weeks
Fun Fact
Enjoys watching birds
Fun Fact
Love the Olive Balls my mom used to make every Christmas. Thankfully my brother has now mastered making them!
Brian is the founder and owner of Action Financial Strategies, which he runs with his son, Bradley in New Holstein and Green Bay, WI. Since 1989, Brian has been helping people achieve their financial goals by being thorough and leaving nothing to chance. Although Brian is nearly deaf in one ear... and hard of hearing in the other (due to his earlier years of helping his grandfather run a masonry business during summers off from teaching science at Chilton Public Schools) his clients will assert he is an attentive listener!
Brian loves helping business owners and professionals navigate and solve the challenges of creating a solid financial future. He works with them to craft a Lifeplan® for their businesses and families - by helping them get their financial house in order...now and down the road in the future. His passion lies in seeing clients through all stages of their life and the life of their business.
In addition to financial and investment planning, Brian collaborates with CPAs and attorneys to help create tax strategies and estate plans that efficiently protect client assets.
Brian has been a New York Life agent since 1989, and is a Member Agent of The Nautilus Group, a select group of under 250 member agents nationwide focusing on Business and Estate Planning. Since 1993, he has earned a seat at the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT is recognized throughout the industry as the standard of excellence in life insurance sales performance), consistently reaching the highest level of MDRT, Top of the Table.
I seem to find my life being run by women… both at work and at home. This includes my awesome teammates (Jenny, Krista and Wendy), my beautiful wife Sharisa, my three sweet daughters, and even our two family dogs! So it should come as no surprise that if you mention ‘bourbon,’ you will have my attention! When I’m not hanging out with my kids or golfing with friends, you’ll find me woodworking in my shop.
Dream Vacation
Over-the-water Bungalow in Bora Bora
First Job
Residential construction
All-time Fave Food
If I had to eat the same thing every day, it would be sushi. I’d be broke, but blissfully broke.
Biggest Pet Peeve
The sound of someone chewing
Love People Who
Are perpetually excited and optimistic
Life Goal (non work-related)
To always seek knowledge through books and people in an effort to enrich the lives of those I spend time with
Fave High School Class
Show Choir
7 is the number of times I have
Eaten an entire Schwarz’s Supper Club Prime Rib for 2 (52 oz. of meat... sweet joy!)
Since 1987, Bradley has been in training to join his father’s financial practice. After college Bradley detoured to Chicago to work for Wells Fargo Financial as a Credit Manager. It didn’t take long to tire of being surrounded by Bears fans before he returned to the Frozen Tundra in Green Bay, and joined his father in helping people achieve the financial goals that are meaningful to them. And the rest, as they say, is history.
As a financial planner/adviser, Bradley looks to solve his client’s deepest financial goals and, together, fulfill their ‘Life Plan.’ He is passionate about getting to know his clients through meaningful conversation to gain absolute clarity of their whole financial picture. “That’s what makes the relationships we have so much fun,” says Bradley.
Whether he’s helping individuals or business owners, he strives to simplify his clients’ lives by bringing them the resources, information and solutions they need to make informed and confident decisions. Doing so often involves collaboration with attorneys, CPAs and other trusted professionals. By engaging all parties, he’s able to provide informed guidance with the goal of shaping a client’s ideal future.
Bradley has been a New York Life agent since 2010, and a Financial Adviser through Eagle Strategies LLC since 2011. In 2014, Bradley earned the right to be called a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®), which at the time placed him within 3% of the CFP® registrants under the age of thirty (there are >80,000 CFP® registrants.)
Paul joined the Action Financial Strategies team in 2020, fulfilling his aspiration of becoming a financial advisor. A strong background that spans hospitality, telecommunications and customer service has sharpened his communication skills, successfully providing him with invaluable insight on how people like to be treated.
Over the years, an ever-present intrigue of helping people, especially when it comes to saving money and planning for the future led to pursuing his Master's Degree in Business, with a focus on Finance, where he gained a more robust understanding of key elements of the financial pie.
Paul’s education and experiences have paved a strong foundation for his role of helping individuals, families, and business owners develop a sound financial strategy while still having access to their capital. Paul is driven to help clients create, build, and preserve wealth; plan for college funding; and implement and evaluate retirement options.
After a handful of years in the Madison area, I made the move back to Kiel, Wisconsin where I was born and raised. I enjoy hiking so am looking forward to hitting up the local trails as well as taking some road trips on my motorcycle to expand my hiking explorations.
Combining two of my favorite pastimes – cooking and entertaining – I’m always up for a casual cookout or dinner party with friends and family. Share a great beef jerky recipe with me, and I’m your friend for life.
Dream Vacation
New Zealand
First Job
Computer Lab Support
All-time Fave Food
Beef Jerky
Biggest Pet Peeve
Arrogance
Favorite Pastime
Cooking for others
Love People Who
Are easy-going and positive
Can’t Live Without
Access to nature
Life Goal (non work-related)
Financial freedom (we didn’t even tell him to say that!)
Fave High School Class
Grad degree Project Management
7 is the number of times I have
Chosen Spam as my snack-of-choice while on a motorcycle trip
Fun Fact
Little obsessed with trying new beef jerky flavors. (Dill Pickle is my favorite thus far…)
Fun Fact
My first visit to Bolivia gave me dysentery. A great reason to only eat things that are pre-packaged and drink bottled water.
It was through Jenny’s first roles after college – working for manufacturer Tecumseh Products, and then for an accounting firm - that she realized variety is in fact the spice of life. Not one for repetitious work, Jenny craved new challenges each and every day, and her role with Action Financial Strategies has surely delivered! She joined our team in 2001 and hasn’t looked back.
Originally brought on board as support staff, Jenny has continuously proven herself with her rock solid work ethic, keen financial insight, and avid willingness to learn and grow. To say that Jenny maintains the harmony of order in our office is an understatement. As Brian often jokes, if Jenny is not coming to work, neither is he!
In her service assistant capacity, Jenny helps with case analysis and client presentation development, thereby providing our clients with better perspective on their financial landscape. “I love the diversity of our clients, and thus the diversity in all the moving parts of their financial future,” says Jenny of her involvement in the planning process.
Customer service is an integral aspect of Jenny’s role. Whether providing clarity to client questions, helping get their financial house in order, or sitting down with them to review their current portfolio - she really gets to know our clients on all levels throughout their financial journey. It could be said that when it comes to phone calls, inquiries, updates and changes -- she’s become the guiding light for our clients.
Family is everything to me. I have likely earned the title of ‘Greatest Fan’ to my many nieces and nephews over the course of their sports-playing youth. Countless hours have been spent at the ballpark, field or gym… working a concession stand or cheering in the bleachers.
It seems that I’m always coming and going, which suits me perfectly, as I’m always up for a new adventure. There’s just something about trying new things and visiting new places. Give me a good road trip or a long weekend away and I’m a happy girl!
Since my December 2019 beach wedding, my family has expanded… and graciously gifted me the opportunity for my husband and I to spend time down south visiting family and friends in Florida and Alabama. (An especially favorable perk during the long Wisconsin winters!)
Dream Vacation
Alaskan Cruise
First Job
Stell’s Piggly Wiggly (ironically, in the same spot of the same building that we work in today!)
Before joining our team, Krista gained invaluable experience in administrative roles and proceeded to become a successful recruiter. It was through her administrative background that led her to Action Financial Strategies in 2010.
After joining our team, Krista very quickly realized a true interest in the financial planning arena, finding a real passion in working alongside our advisers as they craft financial plans for our clients. She describes the most intriguing part of her job as, “seeing the creative planning strategies that we shape for our client’s needs and objectives come together into a complete plan.”
Krista has most certainly continued to grow and evolve within our agency, first obtaining her Registered Service Assistant delegation in 2012 and later becoming fully registered as an Associate Financial Adviser in 2015.
Krista’s natural enthusiasm for planning and her spot-on organizational skills have dovetailed perfectly into her role of handling paperwork and schedules. She keeps the days running seamlessly for the whole team as the scheduling mastermind behind our intricacy of meetings and appointments. With true finesse, Krista navigates the underwriting and application process for our clients, guiding the process from start to finish.
I have a house full of boys (with my husband, two sons and even our golden retriever) and I wouldn’t have it any other way! I live for summer… and Packer season! While my dream is to own a cabin on a lake someday, I am thankful for all the family cabins we’re able to visit. They’re where we spend most of our summers, relaxing on a pontoon while listening to country music.
I also love hosting get-togethers with family and friends; I especially enjoy cooking and baking for these gatherings… although I try to keep the baking to a minimum since I have a terrible sweet tooth and most of it ends up getting eaten during the baking process!
Dream Vacation
Bora Bora & Australia
First Job
Babysitting
All-time Fave Food
Oreo Ice Cream Blizzard
Love People Who
Are easy-going
Life Goal (non work-related)
To own a pontoon and cabin on a lake
Fave High School Class
Math
Bucket List
Parasailing
Fun Fact
I have a twin, yet we are more opposite than alike.
Fun Fact
I STRONGLY dislike berries and bacon
Fun Fact
I’m very organized and like the feeling of being able to cross things off my to-do list.
Fun Fact
I’ve very punctual. Being right on time feels like running late to me.
Wendy joined the team in 2016 as our Marketing and Event Coordinator. She heads the firm’s marketing strategies with a crystal-clear focus on setting the stage for the ultimate client experience.
Before joining our team, Wendy provided a wide array of marketing services to a diverse client base ranging from small town businesses to luxury yacht builders. She has enjoyed using her creative marketing and graphics tools to coordinate comprehensive branding and marketing strategies; from logo design and literature development to website and social media management to event preparation and execution.
In supporting our firm’s relationship-centric approach, Wendy steers us to consistently deliver on our brand promise through appealing materials, relevant content, and a compelling digital marketing foundation. She is the driving force behind our events, from business owner seminars to continuing education for our centers of influence to our not-to-be-missed client social events.
When asked about the best part of her job, Wendy answers “making things look good! I love the process of turning something -- whether it’s an event invitation, a welcome brochure for new clients, a seminar presentation packet, or our digital marketing presence -- into something that’s appealing and easy-to-understand.”
I without a doubt live for the summer months and am convinced that the clock does in fact move faster from June through August. My husband and our two sons share my love for the outdoors, especially spending time on the lake near our house – (though the amount of water toys sure increases each year as the boys get older!) The long WI winters are broken up with kids’ sporting events, my LOVE for Christmas, Badger & Packer parties, snuggling with our two furry felines and warm-weather vacations.
My passion for making things look good definitely spills over into my personal life with a love for decorating...and redecorating! My husband gets scared when I pull out my deck of paint swatches! What did I ever do without HGTV??
Dream Vacation
Hawaii or Greek Isles
First Job
Subway Sandwich Artist
All-time Fave Food
Toss-up between Nachos or a Soft Pretzel
Biggest Pet Peeve
Clutter
Love People Who
Make me laugh
Life Goal (non work-related)
To express appreciation for something each day
Fave High School Class
Desktop Publishing
Happy Place
On or near water
Can't Live Without
Camera. (No such thing as too many pictures!)
Fun Fact
Ultra-competitive! Ask my kids – I never let them win.
Fun Fact
Love extreme rides...yet afraid of heights
Fun Fact
I have a significant weakness for cool sunglasses!
A colleague of Brian and Brad for over a decade, Jeremy joined forces with Action Financial Strategies in 2021. Being no stranger to helping teach, grow, and protect individuals, families and their assets, Jeremy’s expertise and vision seamlessly align with that of our team. His “why” undoubtedly lays in helping his clients with informed decision-making when it comes to their portfolios, their retirement planning, and their overall wealth preservation.
Its through regular and meaningful conversations with his clients that guide Jeremy in finding just the right mix of solutions to balance their current financial landscape with their (often evolving) goals for the future. Thus leading to the most rewarding aspect of his work – the long-term relationships he builds along the way.
Jeremy has been a New York Life agent since 2009, and a Financial Adviser through Eagle Strategies LLC, a Registered Investment Advisor since 2013. He is a member of NAIFA and has achieved membership into the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT) since 2017 by demonstrating superior professional knowledge, experience, sales excellence and client service. MDRT membership represents the top life insurance and financial service professionals worldwide.
I grew up in Wisconsin Rapids and graduated from UW-La Crosse. Back up a few years to eighth grade and that’s when I met my wife, Krista. We’ve built our life together in Cottage Grove with two beautiful daughters that certainly keep us busy with their various sports/activities.
As is the case with most Wisconsin-ites, my hobbies vary with the season: in summer you’ll find me on the golf course, fall takes me to the woods for bow hunting, and winter sends me packing on a warm-weather vacation. I’m always up for a good book, so welcome your recommendations!
Dream Vacation
Fiji
First Job
Working on family-owned cranberry marsh at age 14
All-time Fave Food
Bacon-wrapped venison jalapeno poppers
Biggest Pet Peeve
People who don’t clean up after themselves
Love People Who
Have a great sense of humor
Life Goal (non work-related)
To bump up my charitable giving & volunteer time each year
Fun Fact
Ketchup or Hot Sauce – I put one on pretty much everything I eat!
The Nautilus Group® is an exclusive resource accessible to Member Agents working with affluent, high net worth and business owner clients. Nautilus provides a range of consultative services and technical case design to support its Member Agents in presenting estate, business, charitable, insurance and retirement strategies to their clients and their clients' advisors in these key areas: Family Protection, Estate and Legacy Planning, Business Succession and Exit Planning, Executive Benefits, and Philanthropy.
Since every client has unique requirements, The Nautilus Group® staff and its Member Agents employ an individualized case development strategy, working on a team basis with the clients' professional advisors.
Member Agents of The Nautilus Group®, through their expertise and commitment to this team approach, can provide resources, services and solutions that help their clients work with their own professional advisors to attain clarity on their financial situation and also help achieve their business and estate planning objectives.
This consultative process fosters an understanding between the client, the Nautilus Member Agent, and the client's circle of advisors. Working hand in hand with the Nautilus staff, Member Agents present their clients with state-of-the-art planning strategies and customized case analyses designed to meet the clients' complex objectives. The one-on-one case design process used by Nautilus is tailored to the unique requirements of each client, achieving a better understanding of the complex needs and goals of each individual.
The Nautilus Group® is located in Dallas, TX and is staffed by an elite team of professionals experienced in law, taxation, accounting, business, insurance, finance and philanthropic planning. This team provides dedicated support for Nautilus Member Agents, an elite group of experienced insurance and financial industry leaders, firmly committed to a team planning concept.
The Nautilus Group® is a service of New York Life Insurance Company. Neither The Nautilus Group®, its member agents, nor its staff provide tax, legal or accounting advice. Clients are urged to seek the advice of their own professional advisors before implementing any planning strategies.
Eagle Strategies LLC ("Eagle") is a Registered Investment Adviser and a wholly-owned subsidiary of New York Life Insurance Company. Eagle is dedicated to providing comprehensive solutions to help secure the future you desire. Eagle offers robust, high-quality investment advisory programs, ensuring Advisors have the necessary tools to design tailored solutions - solutions centered around your individual goals, time horizon, and risk tolerance.
Action Financial Strategies LLC | New Holstein & Green Bay, WI
