Kristopher (Kris) Schnell is a Financial Planner, Investment Advisor Representative and President of Cogent Independent Advisors. Kris previously worked for Bank of America/Merrill Lynch as a Financial Advisor and MetLife Securities as a Financial Planner. Kris began his career in financial services after experiencing firsthand what can happen if a family's best interests are not kept in mind. He was immediately inspired to combine the problem solving and analysis skills he had previously garnered in the civil engineering industry with his strong commitment to honesty, transparency and competency so that his clients would have a trusted source for financial guidance. Kris founded Cogent Independent Advisors in May, 2012, upon realizing the fee-only business model was the only way to shield his clients from the greedy hands of Wall St. firms and insurance companies. He named the firm to communicate his vision as a place where Advisors could work as fiduciaries for their clients without the constraints and conflicts of interest imposed by sales managers and proprietary products. "Cogent" is an adjective meaning powerfully persuasive as in an argument or case. This is the fee-only business model. "Independent" means Cogent Advisors do not work for any particular investment product manufacturer nor is there any incentive given to use one over another. "Advisors" means truly professional advice givers, not sales people pitching products. The logo is an elephant with it's trunk pointing back onto itself. The power and intelligence of the elephant signifies Cogent's business model while the position of the trunk signifies good luck.