What We Offer

Serving Unique Markets

Michael Fontanini

What We Offer

Serving Unique Markets

Bob Carter

What We Offer

Serving Unique Markets

Todd Mezrah

Providing Only the Best

Lion Street Firms enjoy access to superior life insurance and wealth planning offerings and solutions available for high-net-worth clients, companies, and business owners.

Our offerings and solutions are unified by our integrated platform, which provides an open architecture and direct access to all leading insurance carriers, our exclusive broker dealer, and sophisticated resources for the advanced markets.

Lion Street’s unique platform allows our independent Firms to consolidate their support and coordinate across product and regulatory spectrums, enabling them to serve their client’s life and wealth needs more efficiently.

Life Insurance

Corporate & Business Solutions

Wealth Solutions

Private Client

Life Insurance

Lion Street Firms provide sophisticated life insurance planning solutions and strategies for high-net-worth individuals, families, executives, and businesses.

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Support for Lion Street Firms

Our network of independent Firms is backed and supported by Lion Street’s:

Enhanced product and market access
Sophisticated underwriting support
Advanced case design support
Full case-support services
Advanced planning strategies and insights

Our Expertise

Tap into deep expertise that addresses a variety of advanced wealth planning needs, including:

Life Insurance Strategies/Analysis
Wealth Transfer/Estate Planning
Charitable Giving
Corporate and Business Insurance
Specialty Life Insurance — Private Placement, Premium Financing, Foreign Nationals, Life Settlements

Core Products

We offer the highest quality products for sophisticated wealth management, such as:

Individual and Survivorship Life Insurance — Indexed and Variable Universal Life, Universal Life, Whole Life, Term Products
Annuities — Fixed, Index & Variable Products
Disability Income — Individual and Executive Products
Long-Term Care — Individual and Executive Products
Specialty Risk — Life and Disability

Carrier Partners

Lion Street has built relationships with leading insurance carriers who provide Firms with unparalleled access to six strategic carrier relationships:

We also offer full access to all nationally known carriers, including Allianz, Corebridge, Equitable, Mass Mutual, Securian, Mutual of Omaha, National Life, New York Life, North American, Principal, Protective, and Symetra.

Life Insurance Team

Michael Fontanini

Advanced Planning & Design

Bio >

Michael Fontanini

Advanced Planning & Design

Michael Fontanini, MT, CFP®, AEP®, CLU® is Vice President of Advanced Sales and Design with Lion Street, Inc. Michael specializes in developing sophisticated life insurance solutions to meet the sophisticated needs of the high-net-worth and corporate & business clients of the 200+ Lion Street Firms nationwide, and mentors a team of six design analysts. Prior to Lion Street, his background consists of diverse experience with several life insurance companies in the areas of personal financial planning, life insurance product development and advanced planning.

Michael has earned a Master of Taxation (MT) Degree with an Estate Planning Certificate through the Graduate Tax Program of Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law/Villanova School of Business, the designations of Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) from the CFP Board, Accredited Estate Planner (AEP®) from the National Associate of Estate Planners and Councils, and Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU®) from The American College. He is FINRA series 7 and 26 registered, a current member of the Estate Tax Working Group committee for Finseca (the largest political advocacy group for the Financial Security Profession), which advises Finseca and its lobbyists on estate tax policy considerations to help inform its legislative advocacy strategy, and a past member of the Advanced Sales Committee for LIMRA.

Michael is from Des Moines, IA and currently resides in Austin, TX.

Chelsea Graf

Contracting & Licensing

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Chelsea Graf

Contracting & Licensing

Chelsea Graf is the Manager of Lion Street’s Contracting and Licensing department, where she and her team provide support and guidance to financial professionals on establishing the required contracting and carrier appointments to conduct business with Lion Street. She has been working in the insurance industry since a high school internship that sparked her interest in the field. Over the course of the last 20 years, Chelsea has worked with firms and agents across the country in most aspects of the behind-the-scenes detail work that is essential to their success, including commissions, contracting, licensing and new business processing. She holds California Life and Health Agent licenses.

Tiffany Hyde

Head of Underwriting

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Tiffany Hyde

Head of Underwriting

Tiffany Hyde has led Lion Street’s Underwriting Division since 2012, where she provides oversight to underwriting efforts, new firm selection, vendor relationships and strategic initiatives. Her additional areas of expertise include reinsurance staging and negotiations, foreign nationals, complex medical history, advanced case design, product selection and premium finance. Active in the life insurance industry since 1990, Hyde has served in various leadership capacities for prominent companies including U.S. Financial, Mutual of Omaha and Voya. She also brings considerable medical knowledge from her previous career in nursing.

Passionate about continuing education, Tiffany has earned her FALU designation and currently teaches underwriting courses of all levels for hundreds of field office staff across the country. Tiffany participates in several industry groups, serving on the committee of the Texas-Wide Underwriting Conference. She is also a member of the American Academy of Insurance Medicine and is a regular contributor on trends and innovations within underwriting and the life insurance industry.

David Janacek

Advisor Compensation

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David Janacek

Advisor Compensation

Dave “D.J.” Janecek has oversight for operational efficiencies between Lion Street, its firms and supporting carriers, with special emphasis on compensation, contracting and carrier relations. D.J. has over 40 years of insurance industry experience with various wholesalers and distribution companies. As one of the original Lion Street employees, D.J. was previously with Partners Financial, a division of NFP, holding various positions in operations, marketing, case design and new business. D.J. earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in business management from the University of Texas and holds the Chartered Life Underwriter® (CLU) and Chartered Financial Consultant® (ChFC) designations from The American College.

Aaron Lemoine

Carrier Relationships

Bio >

Aaron Lemoine

Carrier Relationships

Aaron Lemoine, Vice President of Carrier Relationships, is responsible for Lion Street’s carrier management and partnership strategy, helping to drive growth and maximize revenue opportunities. Aaron has been in the financial services industry for more than 10 years. His work in a variety of roles helps him understand the many aspects of distribution. Prior to Lion Street, Aaron held multiple roles at NFP Securities, Inc. (now Kestra Financial) where he worked closely with financial advisors. Aaron attended Lamar University where he studied financial accounting.

Lisa Lombardo

Case Management

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Lisa Lombardo

Case Management

Lisa Lombardo is Lion Street’s Director of New Business Operations and Case Management, working directly with firms in receiving, processing, and managing formal and informal business from submission to paid for over 20 carriers. Lisa partners closely with each case manager, carrier, and vendor to establish successful working relationships in order to secure a smooth policy experience. She recognizes that a cohesive team approach adds value to the company, since all are working together toward a common goal. Lisa has been with Lion Street since 2013 and has been in the financial services industry for over 30 years, holding various roles including licensing and contracting, sales support, production reporting, commissions, and case management in both BGA and career environments.

Dan Stanley

Life Operations

Bio >

Dan Stanley

Life Operations

Dan Stanley brings more than 30 years of life insurance experience to Lion Street. Dan has run operations for several insurance carriers and distributors, with specific expertise in finding solutions to optimize the customer experience. Dan has held several key roles over the years: Vice President of Operations at Ash Brokerage, Vice President of Underwriting at Partners Financial, and Director of Operations at ING. In addition, Dan spent seven years managing one of Lion Street’s most successful Firms, IPS Advisors. This line of sight allows Dan to work closely with Lion Street Firms to find ways to improve the business model. Dan has the perfect combination of direct sales experience with high-net-worth clients, carrier underwriting, and operations. Dan served in the Marine Corps for six years and enjoys golf, traveling, and spending time with family.

Corporate & Business Solutions

Lion Street Firms provide corporate life insurance solutions to trusted advisors of corporations and business owners who are looking to achieve key objectives and protect highly valued assets.

Our Firms are supported by our Corporate and Business Solutions (C&BS) team, which takes a personalized, consultative approach in developing solutions that reward and retain top executives. They also design strategies for mitigating risk and business succession planning.

Firms are further supported by powerful technologies and resources that enhance their ability to provide your clients with world-class business solutions.

Corporate & Business Solutions Team

Michael Fontanini

Advanced Planning & Design

Bio >

Michael Fontanini

Advanced Planning & Design

Michael is from Des Moines, IA and currently resides in Austin, TX.

Matt Veatch

Corporate & Business Solutions

Bio >

Matt Veatch

Corporate & Business Solutions

Matt Veatch serves as Vice President of Corporate & Business Solutions for Lion Street.

With more than 25 years of experience in corporate executive benefit consulting, and specialized expertise in non-qualified plans and tailored corporate solutions, Matt designs and implements tailored solutions to help business owners address succession, retention, and benefit restoration objectives. He has worked with organizations ranging from Fortune 1000 companies to small privately held businesses and professional service firms. Matt is a frequent industry speaker and has worked with insurance carriers on product design and application within the broad range of corporate executive benefits plans.

Prior to joining Lion Street, Matt founded and led a nationally recognized consulting practice, oversaw nonqualified plan and COLI market distribution for Pacific Life, and built corporate executive benefit divisions within leading brokerage and advisory firms.

He holds a bachelor’s degree from Kansas State University and holds his 6 and 63 FINRA registrations, as well as life and health insurance licenses.

Wealth Solutions Team

John Burmeister

President & CEO, Lion Street Financial LLC

Bio >

John Burmeister

President & CEO, Lion Street Financial LLC

John Burmeister is the President and CEO for Lion Street Financial, LLC, the broker-dealer subsidiary of Lion Street, Inc. Prior to joining Lion Street, John served on the leadership team at NFP Advisor Services Group (NFP). Since joining NFP in 2003, John held positions in front line support, transitions, overseeing operations, and developing advisory service operations. Prior to joining NFP, John was an investment advisor with Charles Schwab and company . John holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in business management from Angelo State University in San Angelo, Texas. He is a registered representative holding the FINRA Series 7, 24, 63 and 66 licenses, in addition to having his Life, Health, and Variable Insurance license . He also holds the CMFC® designation from the College for Financial Planning.

Carie Heckler

Chief Compliance Officer

Bio >

Carie Heckler

Chief Compliance Officer

Carie Heckler serves as Chief Compliance Officer for Lion Street Financial, LLC (LSF), a registered broker dealer and FINRA member, and Lion Street Advisors, LLC (LSA), an SEC registered investment adviser. In her role as Chief Compliance Officer, Carie is tasked with administering each of LSF’s and LSA’s compliance programs. Carie has worked in the financial services industry since 2000. Prior to joining the Lion Street family, she served as Chief Compliance Officer of WFG Advisors, LP, an SEC registered investment adviser. She also spent seven years with AXA Advisors, managing and supervising 30 branch compliance professionals, supporting thousands of sales associates across 20 branches covering the western half of the United States. Carie began her career as an Investigator with the Texas State Securities Board Inspection and Compliance Division, where she participated in several on-site exams of registered broker-dealers within the state of Texas.

Chris Merla

Chief Operations Officer

Bio >

Chris Merla

Chief Operations Officer

Chris Merla is the Chief Operations Officer for Lion Street Financial, LLC, the broker-dealer subsidiary of Lion Street, Inc. Chris oversees both the operation and transition teams of the broker-dealer, and helps to develop the advisory service operations and platforms. Prior to Lion Street, Chris served as an executive leader and Chief Operations Officer for eight years with a prominent independent RIA with a national footprint. Prior to joining the RIA, Chris held positions as a Senior Examiner at LPL Financial and a Licensing and Registrations Manager at NFP Securities. Chris holds a BBA in business management and a Bachelor of Business Administration in finance from St. Edward’s University. He is a registered representative holding the FINRA Series 7, 24, and 63.

Kari Ratajczak

Chief Accounting Officer

Bio >

Kari Ratajczak

Chief Accounting Officer

Kari Ratajczak is the Chief Accounting Officer for Lion Street Financial, LLC, the broker-dealer subsidiary of Lion Street, Inc. In her role, Kari is responsible for leading financial management and compensation for the broker-dealer. Prior to joining Lion Street, Kari worked for several years in the insurance industry at The Hartford and Prudential Financial. Her experience spanned life, annuity and property casualty insurance in a variety of financial, operational and strategic leadership roles. Kari started her career at PricewaterhouseCoopers, specializing in the financial services and insurance industries. She graduated from the University of Connecticut with a bachelor’s in accounting.

Private Client Solutions

Lion Street Private Client Group (LSPCG) supports complex life insurance cases through financial advisors at banks, wirehouses, and other financial services organizations. Using a highly collaborative approach, our network of seasoned life insurance experts and independent firms help Financial Advisors meet the sophisticated estate planning, business, and corporate insurance needs of their high-net-worth clients. Emphasizing service, responsiveness, and accountability, the LSPCG network provides the specialized life insurance support that Financial Advisor’s need to create holistic financial plans for their clients — and for the Financial Advisors to grow their own book of business.

Private Client Team

Dan Stanley

Sales and Operations

Bio >

Dan Stanley

Sales and Operations

What We Offer

What We Offer

What We Offer

Providing Only the Best

Life Insurance

Learn More About Our Expertise

Support for Lion Street Firms

Our Expertise

Core Products

Carrier Partners

Life Insurance Team

Michael Fontanini

Chelsea Graf

Tiffany Hyde

David Janacek

Aaron Lemoine

Lisa Lombardo

Dan Stanley

Corporate & Business Solutions

Learn More About Our Expertise

Succession Planning

Core Benefits for Business Owners

Executive Comp & Retention Strategies

Key Employee Benefit Restoration

Asset Strategies

Corporate & Business Solutions Team

Michael Fontanini

Matt Veatch

Wealth Solutions

Learn More About Our Expertise

Lion Street Financial

Lion Street Advisors

Core Benefits

Partners

Wealth Solutions Team

John Burmeister

Carie Heckler

Chris Merla

Kari Ratajczak

Private Client Solutions

Learn More About Our Expertise

Core Expertise

Core Benefits

Private Client Team

Dan Stanley

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