About

Rick Kahler, MSFP, CFP®, CFT-1™, CeFT®, president of Kahler Financial Group. He founded Kahler Financial Group in 1981. He became the first fee-only Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®) in South Dakota in 1983. In 2020 he became one of the first Certified Financial Therapist-Level I (CFT-I™) in the nation and a Certified Internal Family Systems℠ Practitioner in 2021. In 2021 he also founded IFS Informed Financial Therapy™.

In 2019, he was named one of the financial planning professions’ “Innovators” by InvestmentNews. In 2018, Rick received the Insiders Forum Iconoclast Award for his groundbreaking work in financial therapy. In 2017 and again in 2019, Investopedia.com named Rick one of the top 100 Most Influential Financial Advisors.

He is co-author of six books on the psychology of money: Coupleship Inc. – From financial conflict to financial intimacy (Coupleship Publications, LLC, 2023), The Psychology of Financial Planning (CFP Board, 2022), ), Facilitating Financial Health (NUCO, 2016 2nd Ed.), Conscious Finance (FoxCraft, Inc., Second Edition 2007), The Financial Wisdom of Ebenezer Scrooge (HCI, 2006), and Wired for Wealth (HCI 2009). Rick has been a columnist for 32 years for several South Dakota newspapers and is the author of many articles and whitepapers, including “The New Kid on the Block – IFS Informed Financial Therapy,” (Journal of Financial Therapy, 2023.)

He launched a weekly podcast in 2021, Financial Therapy-It’s not about the money that draws an international audience. 

His work as the co-founder of Onsite’s Healing Money Issues workshop, was featured by ABC News’s 20/20 in 2009 and in Wynonna Judd’s book Coming Home To Myself, (New American Library, 2005).  The Wall Street Journal, hailed this work as “an innovative effort that combines experiential therapy with nuts-and-bolts financial planning.” 

Rick is a founding board member and past Chair of the Financial Therapy Association. And serves as a Distinguished Adjunct Professor at Golden Gate University where he instructs the Facilitating Financial Health graduate course.His financial planning firm, Kahler Financial Group, specializes in the integration of investment advising, financial planning, , financial coaching, and financial therapy, serving small business and real estate owners, professionals, and retirees, as well as individuals and families.  His financial therapy firm, Advanced Wellbeing, LLC, specializes in IFS Informed Financial Therapy.

In addition to earning the CFP® designation in 1983, Rick graduated from the American College, Bryn Mawr, PA, in 1988, earning the Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC) designation. He obtained his master’s degree in personal financial planning in 1999. 

He served on and chaired the South Dakota Investment Council and served in leadership capacities with the Financial Planning Association and the National Association of Financial Planning Advisors.  In 2003, National American University recognized Mr. Kahler with the Alumni Distinguished Service Award.

He has been published or quoted in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Times of London, ABC News, NBC News, CNBC, SDPB, Forbes, USN&WR, Money, Kiplinger’s, AARP, Money, YahooFinance.com, MarketWatch, Journal of Financial Planning, Financial Planning Magazine. Investment Advisor, Advisor Perspectives, Reuters, Reuters Money, and others.