Who We Are 

Steve Allender CRPC®

Wealth Advisor 

My journey into this profession began when I was ten years of age. It was then I started receiving my first weekly allowance of 30 cents. I had to give 10 cents to church and 10 cents to an interest-bearing savings account that couldn't be spent. The remaining 10 cents could be spent on anything I wanted. I soon realized that by saving my spending money, I could buy things larger than a piece of Double Bubble. So, by the time I had my driver's license, I had enough money to buy my own car. By the time I was headed to college, I had several thousand dollars in the savings account for school expenses. And now as a professional, I still devote a portion of my earnings to charity.

I’ve also learned some investing principles the hard way. Not long after I graduated from college, a stockbroker called me out of the blue and convinced me that the stock in a new blimp company was going to skyrocket. Yep, I lost my investment on that one. But it helped me realize two things about wise investing: have a goal (a hot stock tip is not a goal), and make sure you work with someone as dedicated to your goal as you are. 

My first job was with the National Cattlemen’s Association. They offered a retirement account that I began contributing to as well as my own personal investment account. I spent countless hours reading Money Magazine and Kiplinger reports to find the best investments. 

One day, a co-worker asked for help with her investments. The next month, another co-worker asked for help, and soon, I found myself dispensing investment advice to several people. It was so rewarding to be able to share what I knew—and to make what seemed a difficult subject easy to understand. I realized this was my calling, and I’ve been doing it now for over 20 years. 

I love living in Colorado! I’m blessed to be able to backpack, snowshoe, raft, explore old mining communities and ruins, mountain bike and occasionally fish. I’m also a Colorado Trail thru-hike completer—486 miles of the most beautiful country on earth. When not tramping around the backcountry, you might find me reading, particularly on the subjects of Lincoln and the Civil War. I also mentor a young man through Save Our Youth, and I participate in the Minute Man Ministry helping the elderly and single moms with household carpentry, plumbing or yard work.

Scott Tschappat

Wealth Advisor 

As a wealth advisor affiliated with Acute WealthCare, I realize the peace, security and dignity that financial planning can provide people. I started in this business to help people prepare for an unexpected future. Throughout our life, we face many challenges to overcome that shape who we are and how we think. This happened early in life for me, when I was almost 17.

It was three days before my birthday when my life completely changed in one minute. I woke up that morning and found my dad unresponsive. An aneurism in his aorta would be the cause, but he was gone. My dad was a banker and very conservative, and of course, he had purchased a life insurance policy. It was this money that kept us all going. I remember telling my Mom to spend some of that money on whatever, and her response I still remember to this day: “Scott, you don’t have the slightest idea how money works. If I spend the principal, then I will have nothing left. I need to live off the interest.” Of course, it is never as simple as that, but the life insurance proceeds and watching my Mom manage this money did resonate with me. I had a few more twists and turns before starting my career in wealth management, but the foundation had been poured.

I had to find failure first. Fresh out of college with no direction, I was working in Colorado’s brew pub industry for our former Governor when I was presented with an opportunity to be a part of a new brew pub in Wyoming. A few friends from high school asked me to be the general manager of this operation. We spent three years trying to get this project financed, funded and off the ground. It crashed later. This taught me another valuable lesson about planning. It is easy to bounce back when you are 26, but it would be disastrous later in life, especially with no plan.

I have spent the last 20 years trying to help my clients put that plan in place. I did end up helping my mom manage some of that money, and one of the things I used to tell my early clients was that I looked at their money like it was my mom’s money. Over the years, I have noticed that I have become an important part of my client’s lives. I frequently get phone calls or emails updating me on the wonderful things going on in my client’s lives — maybe it is the birth of a child or grandchild. It might be a new job or business proposal or maybe just to say, “Hello.” I have grown with them too. I have many clients that I have known long before starting my own family. I find this to be a very rewarding part of my job — getting to learn who my clients are and what makes them want to get out of bed each day. When times are rough or when a crisis presents itself, it makes it easier to be a calm and reassuring voice for clients, and this becomes reciprocal.

I have known Steve Allender for 15 years, and we have had mutual clients for over 10 years. We decided after looking at the makeup of our businesses over the past year that we could serve our current and future clients better if we formed a partnership and worked together to achieve our like-minded goal of providing important financial planning. We also found that nurses and healthcare providers made up a large part of our clients. We both are passionate about finding ways to provide this service to these wonderful people who are always ready to care for us in our time of need.

I live in Highlands Ranch with my wife, Bridget, a school counselor at All Souls Catholic School, and our two daughters, Sarah and Emily. I love sports and have been lucky enough to coach both of my daughters’ basketball teams over the last few years. The only sport I don’t like is the one my wife does the best, long-distance running. In the spring and summer, my hands get dirty from gardening, another hobby of mine. Vegetables are plentiful during the summertime, and my big backyard keeps me busy during the warmer months. School plays, concerts and projects take up the winter months. There is a good chance you will see me at Red Rocks or some other venue checking out live music, as it’s one of my favorite things to do.

Michele Palmer

Administrative Assistant  
641-209-8424

I joined Cambridge in 2018. In my current role, I assist financial professionals with account management, reporting and planning, communication, and client management. Additionally, I completed the Cambridge Client Service Excellence (CCSE) certification training and am a certified Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt. I live in Orange Park, Florida, with my two awesome teenagers, one boy and one girl, and am engaged to my very best friend. I was born and raised in Iowa but plan to set my eyes on every continent. Working in the financial industry has introduced me to how big the world is outside of Iowa. Particularly, I enjoy working at Cambridge as it’s located in the Midwest and lives up to the core values (integrity, commitment, flexibility, and kindness) it promotes. I also find joy in assisting with the daily duties of my financial professionals and relieving any stress for them that I can.

In my downtime, I enjoy going to sporting events with my family, spoiling my two beautiful dogs, practicing yoga, meditation, crafting of all kinds and learning astrology.