James J. Tyrpak MSFS, CLU®, ChFC®, AEP®

Tyrpak Wealth Strategies, Williamsville, NY

Jim has more than 35 years of experience in the financial planning field. He has a Master of Science in financial services with a specialty in pension planning and estate planning.

Jim is heavily involved in his profession and the community. He has been past president of many organizations including the national and local chapters of the Society of Financial Service Professionals.

Jim and his wife, Donna, live in Amherst and enjoy traveling throughout the U.S. and Europe.

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Michael J. Tyrpak AIF®, BFA™, CPFA®

Tyrpak Wealth Strategies, Williamsville, NY

Mike has been encompassed by the financial service profession his whole life. He pursued several financial service-related careers before joining Tyrpak Wealth Strategies in 2009.  Mike has focused his practice area on retirement plans, trusts and non-profits.  He also works heavily with professionals looking to create a comprehensive wealth picture for themselves and their family.

In 2018 he earned the Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF®) designation from fi360. The AIF® prepares investment professionals and those managing investments on behalf of others to carry out their fiduciary responsibilities. To meet these responsibilities AIF® practitioners employ the Prudent Practices and Mike uses this process to train and consult investment committees to understand and implement best practices of fiduciary care for the groups they represent.  In 2022 Mike earned the Behavioral Financial Advisor (BFA™) designation created by Kaplan Financial (now the College for Financial Planning) and think2perform.  This part of Mike’s practice can involve working with families to determine their values and helping to align those values with their financial and personal goals. In 2022 he earned the Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor (CPFA®) designation from the National Association of Plan Advisors (NAPA) another important fiduciary credential developed by some of the nation’s leading advisors and retirement plan experts.  Advisors who earn the CPFA® demonstrate expertise required to act as a plan fiduciary or help plan fiduciaries manage their roles and responsibilities. In working with employer sponsored retirement plans, Mike analyzes the unique needs of the client and their business(es) to determine what solutions will work best for them. This custom approach utilizes many vehicles (401k, SIMPLE, SEP IRA, 403b) and various levels of advisory, investment options and platforms.  Mike has also completed a NAPA certificate program in ESG (Environmental Social Governance) investing for 401(k) Plan Advisors and has written a white paper on ESG investing.  He is frequently learning from the organizations and thought leaders in the financial services profession and works with his clients to bring that thought leadership to the Buffalo area and beyond.

Mike has been published several times in the Journal of Financial Service Professionals, one of the oldest practitioner Journals in the financial services arena.  He has qualified for Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT®) six times including Court of the Table four times and Top of the Table twice.

Mike is also very involved in the community and profession. Mike is Past President of the Buffalo Chapter of the Society of Financial Service Professionals. He is also the President and a longtime trustee of the Buffalo Niagara Heritage Village, where he is able to put his passion for history toward a good cause. Mike is current President of the Rotary Club of Niagara Falls, NY and has served as president of the Rotary Club of Amherst as well as the Roundabout Rotary Club. He is currently serving on the Alumni Board of Canisius High School, his alma mater. Mike and his wife, Sarah, live in Niagara Falls with their sons, Will and Charlie. They love travelling to another great tourist area, Orlando. Mike is a marginal sailor and poor trap shooter. Mike & Sarah (and occasionally Will) also enjoy bogey golf.

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Aimee Pierce

Client Relationship Specialist

Aimee joined Tyrpak Wealth Strategies in 2016 after working in a client relations role at a local law firm. Her role with our firm provides the necessary communication and coordination of our business, personal, and family clients. She develops our client, broker, and financial professional communication and marketing strategies. This includes our events, newsletters, website, and social media.

Ella Graff

Accountant & New Broker Specialist

Ella has worked in the accounting field for more than 30 years before joining our firm in October of 2018. During Ella’s 30-plus years in the accounting field, she specialized in corporate reporting and insurance compliance. She joins our firm with eight years of experience working in the insurance industry.

In addition to her accounting work, Ella assists our business retirement plan strategies compliance and work with our team to grow that space. She oversees many custom reports that are an important part of tracking information for the wealth strategies we provide for our clients. She is also responsible for auditing and compliance for our outside financial professionals.