Scott M. Danek

CFP®, AIF®
Founder, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and GFN (Genuine Fishing Nut)

Meet Scott

Scott M. Danek is an award-winning Founder, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and GFN (Genuine Fishing Nut) based in Okemos, Michigan with 31 years of experience in the field.

For Scott, it is incredibly rewarding to have a dedicated, caring team to work hard alongside to serve clients. Besides one’s health, family, and religion, depending on how someone ranks those things, next in line of importance is financial well-being and independence. People’s equanimity is incredibly important, which is signified by the firm’s name and what drives it to serve clients to the best of its ability.

Scott’s career began in the early 90’s serving individual clients and then he added qualified plan consulting by the mid-90’s, primarily with 401(k)s as well as defined benefit plans. In 1996, to signify his commitment to holistic financial and wealth planning, Scott earned the CFP® certification. He then earned the AIF designation, Accredited Investment Fiduciary, to support his work on behalf of both individual and corporate clients.

Community is also very important to Scott and Jill. Scott served 12+ years on his hometown’s school board as Treasurer, served as president of his local educational foundation ‘LEAF’ and as its race director for LEAF’s ‘Burg Run for 15 years, which raised over $50,000 during its existence. Equanimity was awarded one of three inaugural Impact awards for its support of its community, including organizations such as Ele’s Place, The Boys and Girls Club, and multiple food banks

Scott loves to fish, especially saltwater flats fly-fishing, earning the nickname GFN (Genuine Fishing Nut). He and Jill enjoy traveling and especially cherish the times when they get to see their three adult children and one grandchild.

 

The charitable entities and/or fundraising opportunities described herein are not endorsed by or affiliated with CWM, LLC, or Cetera Advisor Networks LLC or its affiliates. Our philanthropic interests are personal to us and are not reviewed, sponsored or approved by CWM, LLC or Cetera.

 

Qualifications

Icon/Paid Volunteer Day Created with Sketch. Experience
  • 31 years financial industry experience
  • 9 years with Equanimity Wealth Management
Education
  • BA Marketing from Michigan State University
2. Icon / 2. Decorative / Product / Fee Trades Copy Certifications
  • CFP®
  • AIF®
Awards
  • Carson Impact Award
  • Financial Times Top Financial Advisers - FT401
  • NAPA Top DC Advisor Team

Carson Impact award received by Equanimity 2021 – Carson’s Impact award is awarded to partner offices and/or stakeholders based on holistic impact made in their community through philanthropy and volunteerism. Receiving the Carson Impact award does not ensure that a client or prospective client will experience a higher level of performance or results, nor a guarantee of future investment success.

Financial Times Top Financial Advisers - FT401 (2015, 2016, 2018, 2020): Awarded to Scott Danek. The FT 401 Top US Retirement Advisors is a list of professionals who specialize in advising US employers on their defined contribution (DC) plans. Applicants were required to advise on at least $75m in DC plan assets and have at least 20 percent of their client assets in DC plans. The top factors in the scoring are: DC assets under management (AUM), Growth rate in DC plan business - measured by changes in both DC plan clients and assets, Specialization in the DC business - measured by what percentage of the overall assets managed by the advisor are in DC plans and how that concentration has changed, Experience advising on DC plans - tracks years spent managing DC plan assets through different economic and market environments, Industry certifications, and Compliance record. Neither the brokerages nor the advisors pay a fee to the Financial Times in exchange for inclusion in the FT 401. Listing in this publication and/or award is not a guarantee of future investment success. This recognition should not be construed as an endorsement of the advisor by any client.

The National Association of Plan Advisors (NAPA) Top DC Advisor Team Listing: Recognition given to Equanimity Wealth Management (2022). The NAPA Top DC Advisor Teams list highlights the nation's leading retirement plan advisor firms. This list focuses on teams, broadly defined as being in a single physical location, and having at least $100 million in DC assets under advisement. It is based on self-reported assets under advisement as of December 31, 2019, unless otherwise noted. Listing in this publication and/or award is not a guarantee of future investment success. This recognition should not be construed as an endorsement of the advisor by any client. No compensation was provided directly or indirectly by the recipient for participation or in connection with obtaining or using the third-party rating or award.