What a Good Retirement Plan Service Actually Looks Like with Shawn Van Winkle (Ep. 10)

What happens when no one explains the rules, and everyone assumes someone else is handling it?

In this episode of Zombie Advisor, James Knapp sits down with Shawn Van Winkle, a retirement plan advisor whose path into financial services began with a personal mission to help others avoid the financial struggles he faced growing up. 

Shawn shares how his early experience in large institutions shaped his perspective, what he learned about both good and bad client service, and why education is often the missing piece in retirement planning. 

They talk about what a retirement plan advisor actually does, how small incremental changes can change outcomes over time, and how a lack of communication can quietly cost employees and employers more than they think. 

What to expect:

• Why most employees feel stuck or unsure when it comes to retirement plans
• How small, consistent increases, even 1%, can change long-term outcomes
• The hidden risks employers take on when retirement plans aren’t clearly structured
• The difference between transactional service and true partnership in financial planning
• And more!

Connect with us!

• Boyum Wealth Architects
• LinkedIn: James Knapp, CFP®
• LinkedIn: Boyum Wealth Architects
• [email protected]
• Subscribe to the podcast here!

Connect with Shawn Van Winkle:

• Boyum Wealth Architects
• LinkedIn: Shawn Van Winkle
• [email protected]

About Our Guest:

Shawn Van Winkle is a retirement plan advisor at Boyum Wealth Architects. He began his career in law enforcement before transitioning into financial services, joining Principal Financial Group in 2017. There, he focused on retirement education and later expanded into executive compensation strategies, working with stock options and equity-based planning. Today, Shawn focuses on helping business owners and their employees better understand and engage with their retirement plans through education, efficiency, and partnership-driven service.