Sean is a member of our Financial Planning Resource Center and provides a high level of planning support and guidance to North Star associates and their clients.

Sean’s favorite part of working at North Star as a financial planning specialist is the fact that he has the ability to help advisors grow their practice while also helping their clients by creating plans.

Based out of North Star’s headquarters in Minneapolis, Sean serves clients and financial professionals throughout the country. He holds a B.S in Mechanical and Industrial Engineering from the University of MN Institute of Technology.

Sean lives in Saint Paul, MN, with his wife of over 25 years, Heather, and two kids, Mary and Sam—both of whom are now in college. He is an avid fan of Minnesota sports teams and loves to travel and spend time outdoors.

Bailey provides financial planning, administrative support, and training to North Star advisors and staff, in addition to a growing case preparation role in the Financial Planning Resource Center since becoming fully licensed in 2024.

She attended the University of Minnesota and enjoys hiking and canoeing with her partner, Ben.

Austin is the Director of Tax Services at North Star Resource Group in Minneapolis, where he provides tax advice to North Star advisors in their mission to attract and retain clients.

Prior to joining North Star in 2023, he was a tax manager for private client services at BDO LLP. He managed between five and 10 tax associates and senior associates while servicing pass-through entities, REITs, trusts, and high-net-worth individuals who had a high degree of tax complexity. He also advised individual and trust clients on year-end tax planning while clearly communicating the results of projections and discussing potential tax strategies.

Before BDO, Austin served as a Senior Tax Associate at Deloitte Tax LLP. In this capacity, he served high-net-worth individuals across athletics, real estate development, retail, and manufacturing industries. He also researched, planned, and performed accounting method changes, entity restructuring, and liquidations as part of his role here.

After growing up in Cook, MN, Austin graduated with a B.A. in Accounting from Saint John’s University in Collegeville, MN. He has also completed the CPA certification exam from the State of Minnesota Board of Accountancy. In his free time, he enjoys muskie fishing, spending time outdoors, and attending Minnesota Twins baseball games. His family also runs Vermillion Dam Lodge, a resort in northeastern Minnesota, which he still visits to this day.

Since joining North Star in 2016, Max has been using his expansive knowledge and commitment as a disability expert to provide counsel to our associates. Today, he is available to speak with clients about their disability insurance needs and options.

Serving individuals nationwide, Max is committed to ensuring each client has a customized protection strategy for their specific needs.

As Senior Vice President, Chase oversees the operations of Business Owner Solutions, Distribution Planning, and North Star’s insurance brokerage operations, which include Property and Casualty Insurance, Disability Insurance, Medicare/Individual Health, and Employee Benefits.

After graduating from the University of Wisconsin—Eau Claire with a degree in business administration and finance, Brakke joined North Star in 2008.

As a trained former financial advisor, Chase understands how to integrate complex strategies into overall financial goals. In his current role, much of his time is spent working directly with advisors and their clients and connecting them with North Star’s supporting team of specialists to serve clients holistically.

Chase is heavily involved in his community and has seen firsthand how financial literacy and preparedness can positively impact others. He serves as a board member for BestPrep, an organization that provides educational programs to students in grades 4-12 through professional mentorship opportunities. Each year, Chase volunteers over 100 hours with the organization as an eMentor, classroom speaker, and student essay judge.

For his volunteer work in furthering financial literacy, Chase was the recipient of the BestPrep Bunzel Volunteer of the Year award in 2018, was recognized as a Notable Leader in Finance honoree by Twin Cities Business in 2021, and was named an honorable mention for the Volunteer of the Year award from Invest In Others in 2024.

Chase lives in Stillwater, Minn., with his wife, Jenn, and two children. In his free time, he enjoys playing golf, basketball, volleyball, and tennis, along with spending time with family, especially at his lake cabin.