Management Team
Gary A. Psotka – Vice President, Senior Benefits Consultant |RIA™
Registered Investment Advisor, CA & IL, Certified Financial Manager
Licensed Insurance Agent in CA and Multiple States
Gary is an Honors Graduate of the Business School of the University of Arizona, in Tucson Az. Gary earned his Bachelors Of Science Degree in Business Administration majoring in Finance and also Real Estate. Gary started In the Financial Services Industry in 1983 in Chicago, Illinois, his home town when he joined the investment firm of Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith. Gary is a graduate of the Merrill Lynch School for Financial Consultants in New York, NY and worked for over 15 years in the Chicago, San Francisco and Newport Beach offices of the firm. In 1988 he became a Vice President and Senior Financial Consultant with the firm. During these years, Gary honed his skills and expertise in the areas of Corporate Finance and Corporate Employee Benefits Plans.
In 2003 Gary left Merrill Lynch and founded the firm, Service One Financial (later renamed VP Benefits Group). Gary along with his partner Roberto Velazquez have established VP Benefits Group as a leading Regional Benefits Firm that specializes in helping small to mid-sized businesses improve the Employee Benefits programs and stay in tune with all the complex changes brought about by Health Care Reform.
His duties include Benefits Consulting, Plan Design and Implementation, Compliance Advisory, Renewal Negotiations, Cost Reduction and Evaluation Services
Roberto Velazquez – Vice President, Senior Benefits Consultant
Licensed Insurance Agent – CA, HI
Roberto is a Vice President and co-founder of VP Benefits Group. Roberto holds over 25 years of proven leadership experience in the Financial Services Industry. He holds extensive experience in working with large, diverse organizations such as, Merrill Lynch, UBS, Chase Manhattan and Bankers Trust and achieving operational excellence.
Prior to starting VP Benefits group with his partner, Gary A. Psotka, Roberto was a regional wholesaler with Lincoln Financial Group, and was responsible for their West Coast Retirement Sales. His responsibilities included the oversight of the various wire houses and educating of Financial Consultants about 401(k) plans. Prior to Lincoln Financial Group, Roberto was the retirement specialist for Merrill Lynch’s Newport Beach, CA office and responsible for training financial consultants on the firm’s in-house programs, ERISA and coordinated sales presentation. Mr. Velazquez attended Pace University in New York, NY.
His duties include Managing Client Services, Group Benefits Renewals, ERISA compliance advisory and operations.