Team

Jim Houghton, Wealth Management Advisor for Five Cities Financial, has built a successful fee-based planning team with a rather simple philosophy, we can tell you what you need to do, but we can’t make you do it. Jim and his team design individualized financial plans that provide you with flexibility and the opportunity to take action. Five Cities Financial has thrived because of Jim’s run-through-the-wall mentality for his clients. He intrinsically doesn’t want to let them down. In most cases, that is telling clients what they need to hear rather than what they want to hear. It’s the number one reason why the work of Five Cities Financial is valued by people considering retirement and people that are retired.

Five Cities Financial starts by learning goals and dreams of the people that come to their office. Then, they run a financial analysis of their current situation and design a plan to realize those goals and dreams. It’s an approach that has resonated with business owners and executives who have little time for fodder.

Professional Designations:

Retirement Income Certified Professional (RICP)
While many financial professionals are experts at wealth accumulation, there is an urgent demand for practical ways to structure effective retirement income plans. The risks clients face-economic and market uncertainty, inflation, outliving available income, changes in social safety nets, and rapidly escalating healthcare costs-mean financial professionals need all the latest thinking and techniques to serve their clients’ changing needs

Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC^®)
The Chartered Financial Consultant^® (ChFC^®) meets the advanced financial planning needs of individuals, professionals and small business owners with in-depth coverage of the key financial planning disciplines, including insurance, income taxation, retirement planning, investments and estate planning.

Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU^®)
The Chartered Life Underwriter^® (CLU^®) is the world's most respected designation of insurance expertise by providing in-depth knowledge on the insurance needs of individuals, business owners and professional clients.

Chartered Advisor for Senior Living (CASL^®)
More than 76 million baby boomers are quickly moving into retirement, and they need qualified retirement planning and income advice. Other designations provide a strong foundation for a broad range of financial planning concepts, but only the CASL^® designation delivers the rigor and specialized knowledge to be truly effective in retirement planning.

The first thing, Wealth Management Advisor, David Kreiter tries to do is put himself in his client’s shoes. He’s not concerned with the style or brand of the shoe, but what that person’s world looks like if he were to be walking around in them. With 25 years of experience and almost 20 of those years as an investment specialist, David has seen it all economically, but he knows experience means nothing if he’s not focused on the goals of his clients.

Business owners, CPAs, attorneys, and executives trust David’s guidance because it’s built on a strategy to help them improve their financial position in the most efficient and effective manner.

Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC^®)
The Chartered Financial Consultant^® (ChFC^®) meets the advanced financial planning needs of individuals, professionals and small business owners with in-depth coverage of the key financial planning disciplines, including insurance, income taxation, retirement planning, investments and estate planning.

Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU^®)
The Chartered Life Underwriter^® (CLU^®) is the world's most respected designation of insurance expertise by providing in-depth knowledge on the insurance needs of individuals, business owners and professional clients.

Eli McNall has been living in or around the Quad Cities all of his life. Born and raised in Aledo, IL and a graduate of Augustana College with Bachelors in Business Administration and Finance, Eli began his career as Plant Manager of Operations at a local manufacturing company. He was first introduced to Northwestern Mutual in 2011 as a policy owner. In May of 2016, Eli joined Northwestern Mutual and moved to Five Cities Financial in December of that year because of his desire to help individuals and families accomplish the financial goals they strive for. Eli believes success is driven by process improvement. He partners with clients to see opportunities, create a plan to improve, implement, and sustain the plan to attain their goals together. Eli and his wife Ashley have three children: Braelyhn, Cohen, and Dawsyn, and a miniature dachshund Ella. When not being a soccer, t-ball, or dance dad, Eli enjoys playing basketball, golfing, working on his yard, and spending evenings with friends and family around the fire enjoying good food and drinks.

April primary role is ensuring things get from point A to point B. That could entail helping David and his clients schedule appointments, answering and directing phone calls, or updating information on the client’s behalf. If you need David or the team’s help, she is a great place to start.

Prior to coming to Five Cities Financial, April worked as an administrative assistant for a real estate appraisal firm.

A bit of a fitness guru, April enjoys practicing yoga, biking Iowa, and teaching at the local 9-round kickboxing gym. She and her husband Marcus spend family time chasing around their daughter, Ada. On the off-chance she gets a moment to catch her breath, April may be found at a local coffee-spot or looking for the next local culinary treasure.

Neena is your primary contact to schedule meetings or if you are not sure who the best person on the team to answer your question is, she will assist in directing you to the right person.  She is also here to assist with client services requests such as change of address or beneficiary election changes. 

She has earned her Bachelor’s in Psychology from Truman State University in Kirksville, MO and Master’s in Health Care Administration from St. Ambrose University in Davenport, IA.  Her previous work experience has been in Health Care Administration and Management.  She started working in front office and reception and advanced into managerial roles.  She enjoys building relationships with others and helping them identify and reach goals. 

Neena was raised in the Quad Cities.  She and her husband Tony met, married and have raised their three children, Clark, Kiran and Taj in the Quad Cities.  She enjoys spending time with family, playing cards and loves to dance.   Outside of the office you may run into Neena at a Zumba, Bollywood or other fitness class.

Ryan helps clients with servicing accounts and development of financial planning for current market conditions and long-term financial goals.  Before joining Five Cities Financial, he ran his own practice with Northwestern Mutual. Ryan partners with our Northwestern Mutual corporate office investment team, along with outside market experts, to develop a top-notch planning philosophy for all Five Cities Financial clients.

Ryan always had a strong desire to help others which is why he pursued a degree in Finance and Business Analytics from Iowa State University. During his time in Ames, he helped his friends better understand their finances and start investing in themselves and preparing for their futures. This led him to Five Cities Financial where he continues to make a difference in people’s lives.

Outside of work, he enjoys the simple things. When he is not spending time with his girlfriend Renee and goldendoodle Finley, Ryan is outdoors, running duck creek trail, and fishing whenever possible. He loves cooking and exploring new flavors. When he’s not cooking up a storm in the kitchen, he likes a good cup of coffee. On the weekends, he visits farmers markets, local coffee shops, and joyrides in his truck with Finley’s head out the window while listening to country music.

Joining Five Cities Financial in 2011, Jennifer is the gears of the investment operations. Jennifer earned her Bachelor’s of Business Administration from Truman State University in Kirksville, MO. Jennifer’s past employment background has been with education and insurance. Married to Jim they have three children, JK, Jacob and Julia. In her spare time, Jennifer enjoys watching volleyball, cooking with produce from her own garden, and trekking through the hills of the Midwest on her bike. She has even logged 80 miles in one day.

Steve is an investment specialist and analyst for Five Cities Financial. He helps David and Jim build investment strategies for clients and works with clients directly on their financial planning.

Steve joined Five Cities Financial in 2019. He has been a financial advisor for more than 20 years.

Steve and his wife, Stephanie, live in Moline. Steve is a passionate community organizer with his role as Past President of the Quad Cities Estate Planning Council, a board member on the community advisory board for WQPT, and a board member of Hearts for Housing. On weekends, Steve is an active participant in a local medieval combat group called Belegarth.

Alessandra’s role at Five Cities Financial is dedicated to overseeing all operations and strategy development. She began her career with Northwestern Mutual in 2018, and in 2021, she transitioned to Five Cities Financial.

Alessandra has extensive experience in providing outstanding customer service and is committed to presenting herself in a professional manner. Her friendly and open disposition allows for clients to communicate with her and the Five Cities Financial team easily and effectively.

Alessandra is originally from Chicago, IL but has been living permanently in the Quad Cities since she graduated from Augustana College in 2015. Outside of the office, Alessandra enjoys reading, cooking, golfing, and anything that challenges her to develop a new set of skills.

Tanner is the team’s Financial Planner Specialist. His responsibility is to put the piece together to paint the picture of your financial future. Tanner’s background in being a representative gives him a strong foundation to make sure the details needed to ensure a comprehensive financial plan aren’t being overlooked. Outside of work I enjoy spending time with my family and spoiling our boy with pokemon toys/cards and spend far too much time binge watching criminal minds. I graduated from Grand View University in the spring of 2019 and have joined five cities financial in April of 2022.