
2024 will be a memorable and pivotal year when the book is written on PDS. It really is hard to believe it’s over. What made it so memorable? The incredible achievements and the wonderful people who helped make it possible. 2024 can be summarized in three words: Growth, Technology, and Reach.
Growth
There are lot of ways to measure growth in business. It could be opening a new office, adding new employees, financial metrics, or professional development. We did not open any new offices, and incredibly did not hire anyone new to the firm in 2024. And I will share some other data points in a moment, but the most important number for us in 2024 was 16. At our company holiday party in 2023, we had 16 incredible employees and their significant others enjoying an evening of celebration and gratitude. At the holiday event this past December, we had the same 16 people and their significant others attending. Zero turnover. In a highly competitive industry, this is almost unheard of. I speak on behalf of all shareholders when I say we are always trying to make sure our team knows how much we appreciate them. This measurable gave us greater satisfaction than any other last year.
Statistically, the firm had its largest growth year ever. In 2021, we were honored to be recognized by Financial Advisor Magazine, a hallmark publication of our industry, as one of the 50 Fastest Growing RIAs (Registered Investment Advisors) in the nation. We were humbled to receive the award again in 2024!
There can be such a thing as bad growth, or growth for growth’s sake. Our management team has worked to avoid this at all costs. Many firms sign any client they can, not worried about what it could do to their service model for what they call their “core” clients. Our focus is on all clients, so we have gone to great lengths to not only sign new clients, but make sure they are the right clients. Because we want to protect our culture by having the right team in place, we need to first make sure we have the right clients. For four years, our Incentive Compensation Program that all non-owner employees are eligible for has focused on this initiative and for four years running, we not only met, but exceeded every goal we set as part of the Program. This allows us to maintain the culture we desire, and for our employees to share in the financial success of the company.
In terms of professional growth, we have quite a bit of activity right now. Joel passed the CFP® Exam in July last year and both Luke and Karl have begun the arduous process of completing the education requirements to sit for the exam themselves. All without missing a beat at the office.
Technology
While we were experiencing the biggest growth year in the firm’s history, we decided to overhaul several key pieces of our technology stack. It’s no secret technology is critical to improving scale, security, and service for clients. Last year, led primarily by Rita, Jimmy, Alyssa, and Joel, we converted our Client Relationship Management (CRM) software, which contained 38 years of historical data, notes, and is the central heartbeat of how we manage our service objectives for clients. If this wasn’t enough, we opted to change document storage providers, again moving 38 years of historical documents.
There’s a magical word in technology called integration, where your software providers are able to talk to one another and allow you to more seamlessly deliver results for the user. For now, the integration in our industry falls short of every firm’s preference, but we continue to invest in these things as we believe it is part of building an infrastructure that will help support our continued growth.
Additionally, we continue to upgrade how we have clients sign documents electronically and as 2025 rolls on, you will see changes in how we securely share documents with you electronically. I assure you all these changes are to enhance the client experience and provide a more secure environment to operate within. These are big financial commitments on our part, but we consider these to be great investments in our clients.
Reach
What legacy does one leave when they’re gone? A heavy question for sure, but one worth considering. From the moment I was introduced to PDS, I knew it was an organization grounded in the principle of making an impact. From the leadership of Bob Hamilton, Bob Cochran, and Jim Hamilton, we’ve always known our responsibility is not only to our families, friends, and clients, but the broader communities we live and work in. From that lesson, PDS CARES, the charitable foundation of the firm, was born in 2014. From the beginning, the shareholder group has pledged to donate a portion of the firm’s income each year to fund charitable initiatives. Through the end of last year, PDS has donated over $172,000 to our foundation and communities, with gifts to 127 unique charities! Each team member of PDS is allocated dollars to give at their discretion, and we of course choose to support other initiatives through company grants. Our staff continue to make positive impacts in their community, with their time, effort, and financial commitments. Impacting others in a positive manner is our definition of reach.
We would be remiss if we didn’t celebrate a few personal milestones with you. Beth and her husband AJ welcomed Gabriella Grace to the world last July. She goes by GG and is adored by her big brother Gray. Alyssa and Brent also shared the wonderful news they are expecting a sibling for little Hadley. The newest addition is set to arrive in February. Joel had a BIG year. Besides passing the CFP® Exam he got a “yes” from Jourdan when he proposed to her. Laurie and Phil welcomed their 5th grandchild – can you imagine cooler grandmothers than Laurie and Jill from PDS? And finally, in May this year Ali and Cole will tie the knot! Another great year of personal milestones!
As we plan for 2025, I am often reminded of the difference between goals and priorities. Goals are aspirational; priorities are non-negotiable. Our priority is to put forth an unrelenting effort to serve you, hopefully impacting you in a positive way for years to come. For this opportunity, we are humbly grateful.
Sincerely,

Jamie Menges, CFP®, CPA, Shareholder
Rita Itsell, Shareholder
Kurt Brown, CFA, Shareholder
Jimmy Rogers, CFP®, Shareholder
Please keep in mind…..
- Quarterly Tax Estimates are due April 15, June 16, September 15, and January 15, 2026.
- Your Required Minimum Distributions are due by the end of the year, but why wait? We will be happy to process these for you as early as possible.
- April 15: Tax filing deadline for individuals. If you file for a tax extension, your tax is still due at this time! If you need money to pay a tax bill from an account we manage, you’ll need to give us 7-10 business days to ensure it can be processed in time.
- April 15: Due date for 2024 Traditional IRA, Roth IRA and HSA contributions to be postmarked or received at Charles Schwab.
- August 1: Summer is drawing to a close, school is just around the corner and we begin the sprint to the year-end finish line. The latter stages of the year, and more specifically the 4th quarter, present numerous challenges for us as we work towards year-end and try to balance the holidays and time with our own families. We deliver recommendations all year long and while some require late-in-the-year implementation, many simply get delayed due to busy schedules. We kindly ask you to consider any open recommendations before it’s too late.
- October 15: Extended tax filing deadline for individuals.
- October 15: Medicare Open Enrollment begins and closes December 7.
- December 1: If you make Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCD’s) from your IRA each year through check writing, we encourage you to send those checks no later than 12/1. Charities must deposit those checks by 12/31 for it to count as a QCD in the current year.
- December 31: Required Minimum Distributions must be completed. Don’t wait, let’s get started on those now!
Notable FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) Dates
- You can file the 2024-2025 FAFSA until June 30th, 2025.
- The window for 2025-2026 opened November 21, 2024 and will tentatively remain open through June 30, 2026.
- The 2026-2027 FAFSA will open October 1, 2025.
IMPORTANT DISCLOSURE INFORMATION: Please remember that past performance is no guarantee of future results. Different types of investments involve varying degrees of risk, and there can be no assurance that the future performance of any specific investment, investment strategy, or product (including the investments and/or investment strategies recommended or undertaken by PDS Planning, Inc. [“PDS”]), or any non-investment related content, made reference to directly or indirectly in this blog will be profitable, equal any corresponding indicated historical performance level(s), be suitable for your portfolio or individual situation, or prove successful. Due to various factors, including changing market conditions and/or applicable laws, the content may no longer be reflective of current opinions or positions. Moreover, you should not assume that any discussion or information contained in this blog serves as the receipt of, or as a substitute for, personalized investment advice from PDS. To the extent that a reader has any questions regarding the applicability of any specific issue discussed above to his/her individual situation, he/she is encouraged to consult with the professional advisor of his/her choosing. PDS is neither a law firm nor a certified public accounting firm and no portion of the blog content should be construed as legal or accounting advice. A copy of the PDS’ current written disclosure Brochure discussing our advisory services and fees is available for review upon request or at www.pdsplanning.com. Please Note: PDS does not make any representations or warranties as to the accuracy, timeliness, suitability, completeness, or relevance of any information prepared by any unaffiliated third party, whether linked to PDS’ web site or blog or incorporated herein, and takes no responsibility for any such content. All such information is provided solely for convenience purposes only and all users thereof should be guided accordingly. Please Remember: If you are a PDS client, please contact PDS, in writing, if there are any changes in your personal/financial situation or investment objectives for the purpose of reviewing/evaluating/revising our previous recommendations and/or services, or if you would like to impose, add, or to modify any reasonable restrictions to our investment advisory services. Unless, and until, you notify us, in writing, to the contrary, we shall continue to provide services as we do currently. Please Also Remember to advise us if you have not been receiving account statements (at least quarterly) from the account custodian.