Rick Kahler, CFP®, MS, ChFC, CCIM, launched his professional career in real estate at age eighteen and went on to earn a master's degree in personal financial planning. He founded Kahler Financial Group in 1981 and became South Dakota's first fee-only financial planner in 1983. Between 1998 and 2003, he served as a member and then chairman of the South Dakota Investment Council. He oversaw a six-billion-dollar portfolio and was widely recognized for making exemplary strides in a time of unprecedented market volatility.