Samuel Burkart
Financial Advisor
Fun fact: Golf keeps him humble and reminds him patience matters.
About TrueNorth
A firm built for one question: how do I make what I've saved last?
Headquartered in southeastern Wisconsin and working with households nationwide through the transition from earning to drawing income. The most consequential decade of a financial life.
Independent. Planning-first. Fiduciary.
Our Philosophy
It starts with retirement income planning.
Everything we do begins with one question: how do we replace a paycheck for the next thirty years? Investments, taxes, Social Security, insurance, and estate decisions all serve that answer. Not the other way around.
Most firms lead with a portfolio and let the plan catch up. We do the opposite. Build the income plan first, then choose the tools that bring it to life.
Who We Work With
Built for the household that wants a real plan.
Built For You If
- +You're 50+, within ten years of retirement or recently retired.
- +You've built meaningful assets and don't want to wing the next 30 years.
- +You want a written plan with purpose and full understanding.
- +You're looking for a long-term advisor relationship versus transactions.
- +You want to work with an advisor with independent choice versus a captive advisor.
Why We Do This
The story behind the firm.
We kept watching good people, hardworking, smart, and well-intentioned, make avoidable mistakes with retirement money simply because no one had ever sat down with them and explained how it actually works.
Sam grew up in Wisconsin and played collegiate basketball at UW-Milwaukee and UW-La Crosse, practice before sunrise, extra reps after everyone else went home, the work nobody was watching. That's still the tempo: show up, out-prepare the room, be a teammate people can count on.
Derek grew up in a family business and learned early that consistency, hard work, and trusted relationships matter. Values he has carried since starting his financial planning practice in 1999.
We built TrueNorth around one observation: the years right before and after retirement are the most consequential of a financial life, and many people aren't guided through this transition well.
Principles
Four commitments we make to every client.
01
Plain English, always
Every recommendation comes with the reasoning behind it. If you can't explain your plan to your spouse in two minutes, we haven't done our job.
02
Long-game thinking
We model your plan out to age 95, not next quarter. Decades-out planning beats performance chasing every time.
03
A transparent process
You see how decisions get made and why. No closed-door meetings about your money.
04
Real relationships
Same advisor, same phone number, year after year. We respond within one business day, and we follow through.
The Team
Specialists in the transition into retirement.
Derek Dahl
Financial Advisor
Fun fact: Thoroughly enjoys annual hunting trips 'Out West' with family.
Find out where you actually stand.
A complimentary 30 minutes, no pressure, and you'll walk away with a clear read on whether you're on track and the two or three specific moves that would change the answer.
Schedule a Retirement Readiness Consult →