Brian Barstead has spent most of his professional career helping clients learn to manage their money and plan for retirement, and now he’s preparing to take his own advice.
“I’m retiring from Ameriprise and financial planning and have transferred ownership of my franchise to Jennifer Sylvia,” Barstead said. “My last official date is still tentative, but it will happen within the next month.”
Barstead said his Ameriprise office at 700 South Grand Ave. West will soon close and all operations will be managed from 2621 Montega Drive, the location of Anthology Financial Partners. He joined Sylvia as an “informal partner” last year when she took over the financial planning practice following Steve Koch’s retirement, and the team was renamed.
A Springfield native, Barstead graduated from Illinois State University with a bachelor’s degree in medical technology and biology and initially worked for HSHS St. John’s Hospital in hematology. He met his wife Nancy there, and the couple has now been married 41 years.
They reside in Rochester and have one adult son, Alex.
“One of the ironic things I’ve learned this year is that I thought I understood retirement planning very well, having done it for so long,” Barstead said. “Nancy retired in 2018, and now it’s my turn – but I suppose I never really knew what it felt like to retire until now I’m doing it myself. The real meaning of it in your life comes when you have time to reflect. All the friendships and clients I’ve met over the years are like chapters in my life story: It has been an anthology.”
After receiving an MBA from Sangamon State University in 1986, he began working as a personal financial planner for IDS Financial Services, a company owned by American Express that had operated in Springfield since the 1940s. The company later became known as American Express Financial Advisors. In 2005, Barstead became one of the first franchisees when the company transitioned to Ameriprise and began operating under a franchise model.
In addition to his financial planning career, Barstead has been very involved in community service. He was a musician with the Springfield Municipal Band off and on for four decades and also served as a docent at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.
Barstead has been a Rotarian since 1990 with the Springfield Sunrise Club and has served in a number of roles with the club and district. He currently serves as the district delegate for the Rotary International Council on Legislation and Resolutions and will serve with the Rotary Foundation of Rotary International as its Downstate Illinois Coordinator for three years starting in July.
“Nancy and I plan to do more volunteer work as our time and energy permits, and I’m looking forward to having more free time to do more in the community,” Barstead said. “Maybe I’ll improve my golf swing, but that might be hopeless at this point.”
Reflecting back on his career, Barstead said, “Life’s been good. I appreciate Springfield, and all of my clients and their trust and loyalty over the years. Someone once told me, ‘Opportunity plus preparation equals luck.’ I worked hard, studied and kept at it, and it has worked out well.
“We’ve been blessed, and I’m happy to call central Illinois my home. I remember the Boy Scouts advice, ‘You should always leave the campsite a little nicer than it was when you found it.’ I always liked that idea.”
