Clay Budach, CFP®RICP®

Clay is a dedicated Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®), specializing in efficient portfolio management, tax planning, retirement planning, and income distribution planning. Clay brings a genuine passion for understanding each client’s unique goals and values, creating tailored financial strategies that align with their aspirations.

Professional Journey and Expertise
Clay began his financial services career in 2018 at a large insurance broker-dealer, where he gained experience in the risk management products and strategy. This foundational knowledge sparked a deeper interest in comprehensive financial planning.

In 2020, Clay joined a large wealth management firm that served high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth individuals, where he honed his skills in building and managing financial plans and investment portfolios. Over three and half years, Clay helped service more than 200 high-net-worth households, managing portfolios exceeding $1 billion in assets. His responsibilities spanned all aspects of financial advisory services, including investment operations, financial planning, investment management, and delivering exceptional client service. This comprehensive experience not only deepened his technical expertise but also strengthened his ability to address the nuanced challenges of retirement planning, tax efficiency, and income distribution planning. 

As Clay transitioned into a client-facing role, he discovered his true passion—working directly with clients to craft personalized financial plans and build meaningful, long-term relationships. These experiences inspired him to set out and build Custom Wealth Planners in 2023. Clay’s favorite moments in his work involve helping clients realize pivotal goals, such as achieving financial independence, retiring with confidence, gifting to loved ones or charities, or uncovering the “ah-ha” strategies.

Credentials and Education
Clay holds both the CFP® and Retirement Income Certified Professional (RICP®) designations. The RICP® focuses on transitioning clients from the accumulation phase to the distribution phase, addressing key considerations such as health insurance, Social Security optimization, pension integration, tax-efficient withdrawals, long-term care needs, and income distribution strategies. Clay earned his degree in finance with an emphasis on personal financial planning from the University of Northern Iowa.

Life Beyond the Office
When he’s not helping clients achieve their financial goals, Clay enjoys pursuing his passions outside of work. Clay loves to golf and makes the most of it in the short Iowa season. Clay resides in Ankeny and likes to find things to physically challenge himself. He recently caught an endurance bug and took up a range of events from half marathons to IRONMAN triathlons. Clay is a diehard Vikings fan and a member of the Ankeny evening Rotary club.