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THE MONOTELO TEAM
Jim Richter, CFP®, CAIA®, EA, CEPA ®
President
jim@monotelo.com
Jim Richter is the President of Monotelo Advisors.
Jim sets the strategic direction for the firm, including oversight of all tax and financial planning services at Monotelo Advisors. He brings 20+ years of experience in the financial services industry, including 10 years of hedge-fund specific work across diverse investment products. Prior to founding Monotelo Advisors, Jim spent 7 years as a Managing Director and Partner at a Chicago-based asset management firm. Prior to his time in the asset management industry, Jim spent 9 years as a fixed-income specialist in the banking industry. Jim is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and a Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst with a degree in Finance from the University of Illinois - Chicago. He is an Enrolled Agent, a federally authorized tax practitioner empowered by the US Department of the Treasury to represent taxpayers before the Internal Revenue Service. Jim is also a Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA®), trained to help business owners align their goals and build transferable value to successfully exit their companies.
If you asked Jim where he would like to be right now, it would be in the Northwoods of Wisconsin.
Ron Rindone, CPA
Certified Public Accountant
ron@monotelo.com
Ron is a Certified Public Accountant with more than 40 years in public accounting.
Ron has extensive experience with accounting and taxation in the manufacturing and service industries. He is a member of the Illinois CPA Society. Ron has a deep understanding of the Internal Revenue Code and how it intersects with our small business owners and individual families. He has a Bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Illinois.
Ron and his wife have one son and two grandchildren. In Ron’s free time he enjoys spending time at his home in Lake Geneva with family and friends. Little known fact about Ron: he has been to the World Series of Poker more than once! Nicknamed “Best Dressed Ron” by the Heartland Poker Tour announcers in 2016, Ron was perfectly fine with his new nickname after he walked away with $74,000 in tournament winnings.
Mary J Bresson, CPA
Certified Public Accountant
mary@monotelo.com
Mary is a Certified Public Accountant with more than 20 years in public accounting.
Mary has extensive experience with accounting, taxation, and the agriculture industry. She is a member of the AICPA, Illinois CPA Society, and the National Society of Accountants. Mary has a Bachelor’s degree in accounting from Northern Illinois University with a minor in Finance. She is an Intuit QuickBooks ProAdvisor and supports many of our small business and farming clients with payroll, bookkeeping, monthly accounting services and QuickBooks training and support.
Mary lives with her husband Jeff near their family farm. They have two adult children and five grandchildren. In Mary’s free time she enjoys gardening, traveling, cooking, music, and entertaining family and friends.
Gavin Tabb, CPA
Certified Public Accountant
gavin@monotelo.com
Gavin is a Certified Public Accountant and small business specialist for Monotelo Advisors.
He is responsible for supporting our small business clients throughout the United States with seamless payroll, bookkeeping and monthly accounting services throughout the year. Gavin has a Bachelor’s degree in accounting from Northern Illinois University. He is an Intuit QuickBooks Certified User.
Gavin and his wife have a five-year old daughter and one-year old son.
Mike Matousek, CPA
Certified Public Accountant
Mike has extensive experience, spanning over four decades, starting as a staff accountant, and eventually becoming a partner at his own firm. His responsibilities included preparing and filing individual and business tax returns, assisting in audit field work for corporations, assessing the risk of material misstatement in financial statements, and designing audit procedures in accordance with Generally Accepted Auditing Standards (GAAS) for various accounts. As a partner at his firm, Mike was also involved in training and supervising staff, playing a leadership role in the development of his team. His current focus at Monotelo involves researching tax positions for clients to minimize tax liabilities and filing complex corporate tax returns. Mike has a wealth of experience and expertise in tax planning, auditing, and leadership within the field of public accounting.
Michael Baumeister, CFP®, EA
Financial Planner
michael@monotelo.com
Michael is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ for Monotelo Advisors.
Michael provides solutions to client’s complex financial planning needs in a thorough, cost-effective manner. He is the point of contact for all financial planning clients to ensure a constant channel of communication and oversight. His personal experience brings an expertise in the fields of asset allocation, estate planning, insurance review, tax planning and comprehensive financial planning. Michael has a Bachelor’s degree in accounting from Judson University. He is an Enrolled Agent, a federally authorized tax practitioner empowered by the US Department of the Treasury to represent taxpayers before the Internal Revenue Service.
Michael and his wife have a two sons, both under five years old. Even though Michael is a millennial, with the facial hair to prove it, he does not wear tight jeans or drink coffee. When Michael was 10 years old, he wanted to be a paleontologist, but then again, that’s when Jurassic Park was still a big deal!
Renee Katschke
Small Business Specialist
renee@monotelo.com
Renee is a small business specialist for Monotelo Advisors with over 15 years of public accounting experience.
Renee works alongside Mary Bresson in our West Brooklyn office serving our small businesses and farming clients. She started her career in banking and has been providing bookkeeping, payroll and sales tax return preparation services since 2006. Renee also supports our team in preparing individual 1040, corporate and partnership tax returns.
Marianne Richter
Engagement Manager
marianne@monotelo.com
Marianne Richter is responsible for ensuring that Monotelo is delivering a high level of customer service and meeting the expectations of Monotelo’s small business relationships. Marianne brings 13+ years of diversified training and marketing experience in the consumer goods industry to Monotelo.
Marianne and her husband, Jim have two adult sons. Little known fact about Marianne: she is a certified personal trainer and health coach. If Marianne could be anywhere, it would be on a beach.
Starla Dolihite, EA
Tax Specialist
Starla is a tax specialist with Monotelo Advisors. She serves in our personal tax department where she brings her best to Monotelo clients each day. Her attention to detail and commitment to excellence are what make her special. She is passionate about studying tax law and getting into the nitty-gritty so she can apply that knowledge to make a difference in the lives of our clients. Outside of work she enjoys hiking, mountain biking, paddleboarding and serving in her church. Starla and Brian, her husband of 33 years, have three adult children and one daughter-in-law.
If Starla could be anywhere right now it would be working out at the gym, or at the beach. But not just any beach! The beach has to be on the Florida Gulf Coast. Starla and her husband are Florida natives.
Starla has a Bachelor Degree in Accounting from the University of West Florida. Starla is an enrolled agent, a federally authorized tax specialist that operates to provide advisory services to American taxpayers about matters concerning the Internal Revenue Service.
Anita Ruffin
Accountant
Anita is a seasoned accounting professional who has served in public and corporate accounting over the course of her career. Working in the accounting department at Motorola for a decade, Anita played the role of staff accountant, compensation analyst and team leader in Motorola’s network services business. Anita holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from the University of Missouri. She and her husband have three adult children and a dog! Anita enjoys traveling, gardening, leading her BSF bible group and spending time with family. If she could be anywhere right now, she would be on the beach, in a tropical island!
Michelle Hartley, AFC®
Paraplanner
Michelle serves in Monotelo’s personal tax and our financial planning group. In addition to preparing tax returns for Monotelo clients, Michelle supports our clients with strategic tax and financial planning insights. Michelle began her undergraduate education at Tulane University, before life as a military spouse sent her on a 20-year exploration of communities throughout the continental U.S. and the Pacific Ocean. Along the way, she finished her bachelor’s degree in psychology at the University of Texas at San Antonio, was selected for the FINRA Foundation's Military Spouse Fellowship Program, and began pursuing her passion for financial counseling, education, and taxes. Michelle enjoys volunteering with organizations that serve military families and youth in her local community. When she isn’t serving Monotelo clients or completing work on her master’s degree in financial planning, you might find her baking or maintaining her garden. Michelle and her husband of 20 years have one son in middle school. If Michelle didn’t have to work for a living, she would probably be serving military families with free financial counseling services or writing a book on the connection between psychology and financial decision-making. Michelle is an Accredited Financial Counselor. The Accredited Financial Counselor (AFC) provides financial advisors with practical training in all aspects of personal finance. AFC candidates must have at least 1000 hours of experience as a financial counselor.
Cassie Beesley
Associate
Cassie is a long-time resident of Bunker Hill, and is thrilled to assist Monotelo clients in the local communities she loves. Cassie earned two bachelor’s degrees from Eureka College, one in Mathematics and one in Secondary Education. After graduating from college, Cassie worked as an administrative assistant for over 5 years, where she found her calling in accounting and her love for numbers. In her spare time, Cassie coaches girls and boys volleyball at her alma mater high school. When Cassie is not caring for the needs of Monotelo’s clients, you might find her writing her own fictional stories, or hiking and kayaking
Nicole Boyd
Tax Specialist
Nicole is a tax specialist serving in Monotelo’s personal tax group and is in the process of getting her Enrolled Agent status. Since starting her career in tax, Nicole has filed over 2,000 personal tax returns. With a passion for numbers, she knew at a very young age that her career would be in tax and accounting. When Nicole is not serving Monotelo clients with a smile, you will probably find her on the volleyball court or reading. She is the captain of 5 volleyball teams that play in sand and on court year-round.