Meet the Team

Investment Planning Group is made up of four partners: Jim Phelan, Lee Mathie, Ty Rees, and Cindy Gardner. They have more than 50 years of combined experience in the securities industry. At the day-to-day level, Jim and Ty are charged with researching products and assembling retirement income plans. Lee and Cindy are the client advocates. They manage the entire process on behalf of the client. 

Jim worked for a large brokerage firm in Salt Lake City in 1992. There, he assisted many advisors who were affiliated with the firm. When the advisors had big cases, Jim would accompany them to meet with their clients. Jim found he really enjoyed meeting and interacting with clients and decided that he wanted to work directly with them on a more frequent basis.

Meanwhile, for several years Lee maintained a career in the casualty insurance industry in Blackfoot, Idaho. In 1995 he became registered in the securities industry with a focus on retirement planning. As fate would have it, Lee was one of the advisors who Jim worked with frequently. They liked working together and the idea for a new business was formed. Jim moved from Salt Lake City to Pocatello, Idaho to establish Investment Planning Group with Lee. 

As a third partner, Cindy began her career in the casualty insurance business in Blackfoot in 1988. Like Jim, Cindy worked with Lee for several years. In 2011, Cindy became registered in the securities industry and joined Jim and Lee at Investment Planning Group. 

The fourth and final partner, Ty, has recently joined the team in January of 2021 after graduating from Utah State University. He was born and raised in a small south-central Utah town called Loa. After meeting and eventually marrying Lee's granddaughter, he and his wife returned back to the Blackfoot area with intentions to succeed Lee as a partner in the firm.