people smarts + great technology
who we are

We founded the organization by rebranding our 40+ year old company and adopting a business plan to create a national independent financial services firm centered on the employee benefit relationship.
Unlike most advisory firms who just want to work with the wealthiest 1% of Americans, intellicents’ passion is to also help the 99% that compose the core of the American workforce. They most likely are your next-door neighbors, the parents of your kid’s friends that you sit next to at junior high and high school sporting events, your fishing buddy, members of your church, your golf or bowling partners, your book club, and your close friends that you enjoy long walks and conversation with.
But just think about it…this typical American worker gets the vast majority of their financial needs taken care of at their place of employment:
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Their income
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Their retirement plan, most likely a 401(k) or 403(b)
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Health, dental, vision, disability, and life insurance benefits
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Health Savings Accounts and Medical Reimbursement flex plans
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Dependent care
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Voluntary benefits including identity theft, critical illness, and accident coverage

The decision support matrix of these benefits is converging, necessitating ONE RESOURCE for all your employee’s questions. And these are no longer just benefits questions, but rather they are financial planning issues.
The wealth management industry is addressing these issues for owners, upper management, and the affluent. But this same industry acknowledges that they have little time or interest in providing this service for the 99% of Americans that they openly refer to as “the underserved”.
Toward this end, intellicents has put together a growing team of professionals to provide four core services – retirement plan services at both the plan and participant level, wealth management, financial wellness education and advice to employers and individuals, and group insurance,…all supported by people smarts and great technology, with the end goal of helping the American worker make their dreams real.
Our goal is to put intellicents wealth management offices in places where we have a large population of 401(k) and 403(b) participants; and to start retirement and group insurance offices in locations where we currently have no market penetration.
This business plan was put together based on the insight and feedback we receive from clients and valued business partners. From this we identified a real need to not only assist the wealthiest 1% with their financial goals, but to help the typical American “get their financial house in order”. That is our mission here at intellicents, and we invite other like-minded advisors and employers to join us in this crusade to put together a process to “overserve the underserved”.

our core values
quality
"A" papers
innovation
pioneers
courage
willing to be first
passion
love for what we do
collaboration
play well with others

where we are
today
Brad Arends
co-founder & ceo

Taking what he has learned over the last three decades, Brad brings his industry experience and knack for prognosticating what’s coming …
Grant Arends
co-founder & president

Grant brings his passion for new life experiences and demand for quality to an organization with four distinct yet complementary business lines ...
we're more than great tech
awards
firm
awards
client

in addition, intellicents has had four clients win 'Plan Sponsor of the Year' from Plansponsor Magazine since 2013, including one for each of the last two years.