Forty years. It was humbling to celebrate such a milestone anniversary for PDS in 2025. It is a testament to Bob Hamilton, his brother Jim, and Bob Cochran. They worked for years in service to their clients, with incredible humility, and created a reputation which our current team has been able to use to help us fuel continued growth.
As we look to the future, we continue to invest our energy into building a culture of accountability, continued self-improvement, challenging ourselves for personal growth, with the expected outcome to always do what’s right for our clients. We do not strive to be better than other firms, our focus is on our own highest standards and being better than we were yesterday. What can we do to better ourselves, and in the process, enhance the service we deliver to our clients – sound financial counsel.
It always starts with people. Incredibly, the only changing faces at our company holiday party in 2025 were new ones! Another year of no turnover. One could argue turnover is a good thing, as it forces fresh ideas into the organization. We added Josh Underhill full-time (our intern who graduated from The Ohio State University) and Tad Herrington, CFP®, both of whom have brought fresh energy and perspective to all facets of the company in their short time with us. This continuity combined with new talent means we’re heading into 2026 with deeper expertise, stronger client relationships, and enhanced capabilities.
Whether a business or a person is turning 40, it encourages a good bit of reflection. We feel blessed to have participated in so many client milestones. I know it sounds cliché, but we really do celebrate those moments internally at the firm because they bring us an incredible sense of accomplishment when we see clients celebrate things such as the birth of children or grandchildren, purchase of a new home, weddings, new jobs, retirement, gifts to loved ones, and the list goes on. We know our part was a very small one, but we take great pride in being part of the team.
Internally, we celebrated Josh passing the CFP® Exam and are encouraged to see 4 other individuals studying for it in 2026. Also, earning well-deserved promotions this past year:
- Jill Olding to Director of Office Administration
- Joel Bleskey to Paraplanner
- Beth McCampbell to Associate Financial Advisor
- Alyssa Troyer to Director of Operations
These are great professional accomplishments, but as you know, personal ones matter here just as much, or more. In February, Alyssa and Brent welcomed Sully, a little brother for Hadley. May brought us Ali and Cole’s wedding. And they surprised us with more good news this year as they are expecting their first child in June. Jill and Jim celebrated the arrival of another grandchild in May. Finally, Mac, Bailey, and James were not enough of a challenge, so Jimmy and Cookie added another beautiful daughter (Goldie) in October!
2024 was our best growth year ever – until 2025. I attribute this to a few things. First, we have a talented team with no turnover. Second, we have spent the past several years being very intentional about the clients we want to work with. Finally, our flat-fee business model is unique in our industry. Our fees are a representation of the work we perform, not the amount of assets our clients invest with us. This seems obvious, but our industry does not operate this way. When new clients come to us, they are often happily surprised with the depth of our work, and the fairness of our fees relative to our peers. If you know anyone who could benefit from working with an independent advisor under a flat-fee model, we welcome those introductions.
So many things at PDS bring great pride, but as much as anything, I am so excited to see PDS CARES, our charitable foundation, continue to make an impact in the community. As part of our 40th anniversary celebration, we hosted a campaign to award a winning charity with a $10,000 gift. We asked the public to vote on our website, and after 14,669 ballots were cast, The Dublin Food Pantry came away with the prize! We recognize so many people are in need and what began in 2015 as a small idea has made a large impact – PDS CARES has granted over $135,000 across 138 unique charities. At the same time, we continue to pledge profits each year to build the endowment fund for CARES, with the intention of creating a legacy of giving in the PDS name. But it’s not just PDS. We processed over 680 gifts from our clients to charitable causes in 2025! Honestly, that number likely does not scratch the surface as we know our clients routinely make additional gifts to charities beyond the structured ones we assist with.
2025 was an incredibly successful year for PDS by any measure. We need to celebrate this because success is not easy, nor do we expect it to be. It is also momentary, and we are not entitled to it in the future. As we look ahead, we’re energized to develop deeper client relationships, continue innovating in how we serve, and in helping our clients impact their communities. We are grateful for the opportunity to serve our wonderfully generous clients and wish everyone a prosperous and healthy 2026.
Sincerely,
Jamie Menges, CFP®, CPA, President, Shareholder
Rita Itsell, Shareholder
Kurt Brown, CFA, Shareholder
Jimmy Rogers, CFP®, Shareholder
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.
