Headquarters:

1111 Douglas Ave, Altamonte Springs, FL 32714

Year founded:

1989

Number of employees:

Phone:

407 869 9800

Email:

j.bert@financialgroup.com

Website:

financialgroup.com

LinkedIn:

linkedin.com/company/certifiedfinancialgroup

Certified Financial Group, Inc.

Joseph Bert

Co-Founder

Aaron Bert

President

Jessica Hall

Associate Advisor

Leadership

Joseph Bert is a fellow Boomer and understands the financial pressures clients face – supporting children, helping aging parents, and building their own retirement. He has guided hundreds of families through these same seasons. He founded Certified Financial Group®, Inc., where he serves as chairman and CEO. Since beginning his career in 1976, Bert has earned his CFP® certification and Accredited Investment Fiduciary® designation. Central Florida knows him as the Oracle of Orlando® from his weekly On the Money! radio show on 107.3 FM & 580 AM WDBO. After five decades, he still enjoys helping families make smart decisions so they can enjoy the life they have earned.

Co-Founder

Joseph Bert

A Central Florida native, Aaron Bert has built his career on a simple belief: good planning turns uncertainty into confidence. Since 2008, he has helped families align their money with what matters most – retirement, investments, taxes, estate planning, and charitable giving. He serves as a fiduciary, meaning clients’ interests always come first. He serves as president of Certified Financial Group®, Inc. and holds the CFP®, AIF®, and CAP® designations. His background includes military service as a U.S. Air Force captain, construction management with Turner Construction, and an MBA from the University of Arizona. Outside the office, he enjoys time with his wife, three kids, and two dogs.

President

Aaron Bert

Jessica Hall has worked in financial services since 2013 and joined Certified Financial Group®, Inc. in 2021 to provide clear, client-first advice. She left large corporate firms because she believes clients deserve guidance free from pressure to sell proprietary products. Hall is a CFP® professional and Accredited Investment Fiduciary® designee, taking a holistic approach that coordinates investments, retirement, tax awareness, insurance, and estate planning around clients’ goals. She serves on the board of the Financial Planning Association and holds an M.S. in Personal Financial Planning. At home, she shares a blended family with her husband, Chris, stepson Austin, and their two dogs, Sunni and Shady

Associate Advisor

Jessica Hall

Shad McKnight

Chief Underwriting Officer

Shad McKnight joined ISC in July 2019, bringing 20+ years of experience in the P/C space in leadership roles in underwriting, product development/management, actuarial, analytics, marketing, claims, strategy, and IT. His career also includes serving as senior VP of underwriting, product, and actuarial with Merchants Insurance Group, VP product management at CUNA Mutual, and regional AVP product and underwriting with Nationwide Insurance.

Chief Underwriting Officer

Shad McKnight

Brad Nebel

President, Wholesale & New Programs

Brad Nebel joined ISC in 2024, bringing nearly 20 years of experience in the wholesale, MGA, and program business space. He served as Senior Vice President – Chicago P&C Branch Manager for BMS Re, where he specialized in treaty placements for MGA program business. His career also includes serving as Senior Vice President - Global Facultative & North America Facilities Manager at Willis Towers Watson. Additionally, Nebel spent 12 years at The Jack Nebel Companies (MGA) as Senior Underwriter & Broker, where he led teams for P&C general binding authorities, programs, and Lloyd’s binders.

President, Wholesale & New Programs

Brad Nebel

For nearly five decades, Certified Financial Group, Inc. (CFG) has been a trusted guide for retirees and near-retirees across Central Florida. Recognized as one of InvestmentNews’ 5-Star Wealth Management Teams of 2026, the Orlando-based firm has built its reputation on a simple promise: turning complex financial lives into clear, confident retirement plans. Recognition is, in its own words, “external validation” of what it has always done – fiduciary-grade wealth management delivered with integrity, empathy, and expertise. A further marker of that fiduciary discipline is CFG’s CEFEX certification, which the firm has maintained for nearly a decade and is held by fewer than 2 percent of advisory firms worldwide. At the heart of its identity is what it calls “planning tomorrow … today” – a commitment to helping clients step into retirement with clarity. Its culture is rooted in disciplined, evidence-based planning and what it describes as “straight-talk communication.”

“Pull quote 2”

Spokesperson, Certified Financial Group, Inc.

Mark Bernacki

Chief Underwriting Officer

Mark Bernacki

Chief Underwriting Officer

Julie Prewitt

Senior Vice President, Marketing

Simon Williams

Chief Strategy & Distribution Officer, Arch Insurance International and Active Underwriter, Syndicate 1955

Mark Bernacki is the chief underwriting officer of Amwins, the first to serve in the role. Prior to that, he served as president of Amwins Special Risk Underwriters. In addition to his leadership in underwriting, Bernacki runs the Amwins Alternative Risk Transfer Team for Amwins.

Chief Underwriting Officer

Mark Bernacki

Chief Underwriting Officer

Mark Bernacki

Julie Prewitt has worked on nearly every aspect of marketing and advertising in her nearly 20 years in the industry. Her team at REInsurePro manages branding, advertising, events, content, digital campaigns, and agent engagement and plays a key role in product development.

Senior Vice President, Marketing

Julie Prewitt

Kimi leads the Estate Planning and Wealth Protection team and is a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners. She understands the complex and delicate nature of family estate planning, the technical requirements around probate and estate administration, and the importance of preserving wealth for future generations. Her advice is accurate, commercial, strategic and tailored to each situation.

Partner

Kimi Shah

maintaining an in-house team of more than 20 programmers to facilitate fast improvements direct bill options to streamline the payment process for the agent and the insured providing IVANS policy downloads that enable up to 30 percent labor savings to independent agencies delivering online capabilities including rating, policy documents, payments, and claims reporting

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Advisors follow a structured CFP®-based planning process by coordinating together: • investments • retirement income • tax strategy • estate planning The goal is not simply to manage money but to help clients make smarter decisions about their future and to hear the truth, even when it is uncomfortable. The firm is led by founder and CEO Joseph Bert, and under his and the rest of the C-suite’s stewardship, comprehensive planning has been made the non-negotiable entry point for all client work. Leadership has consistently positioned the firm as a fiduciary, prioritizing transparent fee structures and client protection over product sales. It has also embraced modernization thoughtfully, framing technology – including AI – as a lever to make advisors more effective orchestrators and behavioral coaches, rather than a threat to the human relationship at the center of its work.

relationships and teamwork embracing and driving change holding teammates accountable pursuing excellence with humility giving back to the community

CFG’s other differentiator is its depth of integration. Clients are not handed investment advice in isolation; they receive a plan that accounts for tax-efficient withdrawals, estate planning, and risk management as a coordinated strategy. A team of experienced CFP® professionals and Accredited Investment Fiduciaries® ensures continuity: if one advisor is unavailable, another can step in seamlessly without clients losing the thread of their plan. Communication is delivered in plain language, using real-world exam ples rather than industry jargon, so clients understand the why behind every recommendation. The firm describes its edge as functioning as “full-stack technicians and calm, emotionally intelligent coaches at the same time”. When clients feel anxious about market volatility, advisors do not simply say “stay the course” – they connect the concern back to the plan, show the numbers, and then address the feelings. Studies used by the firm suggest clients attribute roughly 40–45 percent of an advisor’s value to emotional support and behavioral coaching, and CFG has built this understanding into the fabric of how it serves clients. The result is what it calls “financial peace of mind”: clients who are informed, reassured, and loyal through even the most turbulent markets. For the firm, recognition is not a destination – it reflects nearly 50 years of consistent, client-first practice. As Bert and his team look ahead, the firm’s mission remains unchanged: helping people retire with confidence.

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Spokesperson, Certified Financial Group, Inc.

Financial Planning and Investment Advice offered through Certified Advisory Corp, a registered investment advisor.