As you know, Whelan Financial is undergoing a momentous change in 2026, as Vin Whelan prepares to retire at the end of this year—bringing to a close nearly forty years of leadership and vision.
Vin made a courageous career move in 1988 and founded Whelan Financial, guided by a deeply held belief that clients’ interests should always come first. What began as a vision has grown, through his leadership and perseverance, into a firm that serves more than 500 clients and manages nearly $800 million in assets.
It was Vin’s unquestionable integrity, and unwavering commitment to clients, that drew me not only to this profession but to pursue a career at Whelan Financial. With enormous gratitude and warmth, I often reflect on Vin’s leadership and all that he has taught me over my 21 years with the firm.
As the CEO, it will remain my responsibility to perpetuate the company’s core values and to ensure our clients continue to receive the highest standard of service; but I couldn’t be prouder to be one of four partners who share this commitment. Each with their own distinct and equally important strengths, Taylor Whelan, Stephen Detweiler, and Kasandra Dieu join me in leading this firm to new heights!
- Taylor Whelan, CFP®, CFA, Chief Investment Officer and Chief Financial Officer, has been with Whelan Financial for 11 years. Taylor’s genuine passion for investing, combined with his ongoing commitment to education and research, continually strengthens and expands the investment strategies available to our clients. As CIO, he oversees the firm’s investment philosophy, portfolio construction, and research efforts, while also serving as a trusted Investment Advisor.
- Stephen Detweiler, CFP®, Chief Trading Officer and Investment Advisor, has been with Whelan Financial for 15 years. Stephen’s experience and nuanced understanding of trading play a critical role in how our investment strategies come to life. In addition to advising clients, he directs all trading and strategy implementation, ensuring thoughtful risk management, consistency, and precision across client portfolios.
- Kasandra Dieu, Chief Operating Officer, has been with Whelan Financial for 13 years. Kasandra’s leadership, attention to detail, and vision for how clients experience our firm strengthen every aspect of our operations. In addition to overseeing the firm’s marketing efforts, she manages day-to-day operations, technology, compliance, and client service infrastructure—helping ensure a seamless and consistent experience for every client we serve.
The four of us have worked together for more than a decade and collectively create long-term stability, a strong succession plan, and share a bright vision for the future! With that, we are excited about what’s next. We will continue adopting the newest technology to expand our service offerings to you. We will cultivate additional advisors so that we can broaden our reach and serve even more families, and we will endeavor to bring more ease to your financial lives.
We are sincerely grateful to each of you, our clients, for the trust you have placed in us over the past four decades, and we look forward to continuing to serve you—and future generations—for many years to come.
Warm regards,
Portia L. White, CFP®, CEO
Authored by Portia White, CFP®
Preliminary language, parameters, and edits for this blog were crafted by the Whelan Financial team and Portia White, CEO, with the help of generative AI.
