Brian Berkenhoff
CFA®
Birch Investment Management, L.L.C.
Principal & Financial Advisor
Brian Berkenhoff
CFA®
Birch Investment Management, L.L.C.
Principal & Financial Advisor
“I founded Birch Investment Management with one goal in mind: to empower families to align their finances with their values and to help them achieve financial independence.” - Brian Berkenhoff, CFA®
Fee-Only Financial Planner located in Brookings, South Dakota. We serve clients both locally and across the country.

Brian Berkenhoff is a Brookings, South Dakota fee-only financial planner. Birch Investment Management provides comprehensive financial planning and ongoing wealth management services to clients in their mid to late careers. Together with our clients, we help to simplify their financial lives and help them rest easy knowing that their money is helping to move them toward their goals.
As an independent, fee-only, fiduciary financial advisor, Brian Berkenhoff is never paid a commission of any kind, and has a legal obligation to provide unbiased and trustworthy financial advice. We serve clients locally in South Dakota and virtually across the country.
Brian Berkenhoff, CFA, is Principal & Financial Advisor at Birch Investment Management located in Brookings, South Dakota.
Brian is a CFA® charter holder and member of the CFA Institute. He founded Birch Investment Management in 2011 to serve clients in the Brookings, South Dakota, area and beyond in a fee-only, fiduciary capacity. Brian is incredibly passionate about helping his clients and their families achieve financial independence, and work toward their goals with a trusted advisor walking with them every step of the journey.
When he’s not working, Brian enjoys spending time golfing, traveling, and being with his children.
Sophia, 17, is a junior at Brookings High School. In her free time she works hard at a local home decor store and financially supports the local coffee shops and clothing stores with her earnings. She is creative and has a passion for design and art.
Madelyn, 15, is a freshman at Brookings High School. She recently became a barista at a local coffee shop and saves every penny she earns. She is caring and puts others before herself.
Emmett, 9, is a 3rd grader at Dakota Prairie Elementary. He loves playing soccer and Minecraft. He has more energy than the rest of the family combined.
WHO WE ARE
We are a fee-only, fiduciary financial planning firm based in Brookings, South Dakota. We abide by the fiduciary standard - meaning we are legally bound to serve our clients and to put their interests first.
What does that mean for you?
The Birch Investment Management team will never try to sell you a financial product that isn’t in your best interest or give you advice that isn’t 100% informed by your unique goals and values. We don’t receive commissions from the sale of financial products and are only compensated by our clients. In other words, your wins are our wins, and we will always be working for your success.
WHAT WE DO
Through our work as a fee-only financial advisory firm, we help clients:
- Understand their current financial situation.
- Clarify their values.
- Define their goals.
- Create a custom financial plan that helps to move them from Point A to Point B.
We work with individuals and families both to create an initial financial plan that is unique to them and to manage their ongoing financial planning and investment management needs.
OUR WHY
We believe that our clients deserve to spend more time doing what they love with the people they love -- and less time worrying about their finances. Together with our clients, we help to simplify their financial lives and help them to rest easy knowing that their money is helping to move them toward their goals.
Fee-Only, Fiduciary, Independent: Three Important Criteria to Consider When Choosing a Financial Advisor.
Specialties
- Wealth Management
- Comprehensive Financial Planning
- Investments
- Tax Planning
- Retirement Income
Ideal Clients
- Growing Families
- Retirees and Near Retirees
- Sudden Money Situations
- Business Owners and Executives
Working Together
- Complimentary Initial Consultation
- Virtual Meetings
- In-Office Meetings
- No Product Sales
Professional Designations & Affiliations
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Brian Berkenhoff is a CFA® charterholder
The CFA Program is the most respected and recognized investment management designation in the world with less than 200,000 charterholders globally.
This advisor has earned the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation (CFA® charter) by passing all three of the CFA exams and gaining relevant industry experience, demonstrating their mastery of the investment analysis and decision-making skills most needed in the global investment management profession.
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Brian Berkenhoff is a Member of the CFA Institute
The CFA Institute is a global, not-for-profit organization comprising the world’s largest association of investment professionals. With more than 170,000 members and 150 regional societies around the world, the organization is dedicated to developing and promoting the highest educational, ethical, and professional standards in the investment industry.
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Brian Berkenhoff is a Member of the XY Planning Network
The XY Planning Network is the leading organization of fee-only financial advisors who are focused on working with Generation X and Generation Y clients. Our mission is to connect consumers with best-in-class financial advisors who specialize in working with clients just like you.
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Brian Berkenhoff is Quoted on Business Insider: "Financial advisors share 4 habits that their most successful clients have that helped them build wealth"
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Brian Berkenhoff is Quoted in US News and World Report: "7 Best Bond Index Funds to Buy"
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Brian Berkenhoff is Quoted in Forbes: "How The E*Trade And TD Ameritrade Deals Will Impact You"
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Brian Berkenhoff is Quoted on Business Insider: "What is an index fund? A low-cost, low-risk way to invest in the stock market"
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Brian Berkenhoff is Quoted in Forbes: "How Does Your Financial Future Change From These Unexpected Good Things That Will Come Out Of This Crisis?"
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Brian Berkenhoff is Quoted in Forbes: "This Is How Your Work, Spending And Life Changes From This Point Forward"
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Brian Berkenhoff is Quoted in Fiduciary News: "How Can a 401k Plan Sponsor Continue to Contribute to a Quarantined Employee’s 401k Account?"
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Brian Berkenhoff is Quoted on CNN.com: "How to prepare if coronavirus might cut your income"
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Brian Berkenhoff is Mentioned in the Snohomish County Business Journal
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Brian Berkenhoff is Mentioned by his wife, Nichole, in the Herald Net: "Ways to scrimp and save"
Contact Brian Berkenhoff
Office Locations:
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118 Main Ave. S.
Brookings, SD 57006