Kevin Robertson, CFA

Director of Institutional Relationships

Years at Punch:

<1

Years in the Industry:

17

As the Director of Institutional Relationships, Kevin is responsible for broadening our presence in the institutional market. He prides himself on taking a collaborative approach with clients, serving as an informational resource on behalf of our investment team. Kevin joined Punch in June 2024, and he brings almost 20 years of investment experience to the firm. He regularly travels throughout the country to ensure our clients always have the communication and resources they need.

Kevin is a CFA® charterholder and graduated from Trinity College with a B.A. in Political Science, where he was a member of their NESCAC championship football team. He lives in Hingham, Massachusetts with his wife, Amanda, and their three young children. In his spare time, Kevin enjoys golfing, skiing, and coaching his kids’ various sports teams.

 

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Todd Spicer, JD, IACCP®, CAMS, CFE

Chief Compliance Officer

Years at Punch:

1

Years in the Industry:

14

Personal Interests:
  • Coaching
  • Family
  • Reading
  • Traveling

Todd joined the Punch team in June 2023 after several years serving as the Chief Compliance Officer for other large local firms. Todd has an extensive legal and regulatory compliance background in the financial services industry. He is a skilled compliance professional with a focus on developing, implementing, and maintaining robust compliance programs. Above all, Todd enjoys collaboratively working with his colleagues to ensure processes and procedures are pragmatic and effectively implemented.

Todd received his BS in Business Management and Administration and a minor in Economics from Bradley University and his JD from Hamline University School of Law. Todd maintains several compliance certifications, including the Investment Adviser Certified Compliance Professional designation, the Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist designation, and the Certified Fraud Examiner designation. Todd is an avid sports fan, and when not cheering on his local professional teams, he can likely be found on a field in Mendota Heights coaching or cheering on his four children with his wife or playing at home with his two dogs and two cats.

Chris Verbracken

Director of Technology 

Years at Punch:

<1

Years in the Industry:

12

Personal Interests:
  • Family Time
  • Fantasy Football
  • Playing Board Games
  • Watching the Packers

Chris Verbracken joins our team as Director of Technology. Chris has spent the last decade helping customers transform their business processes through the use of technology. Over the years, Chris has led dozens of successful implementations with customers big and small, and he holds over 20 professional certifications. He looks forward to leveraging his experience to help take the firm to the next level in our use of technology, with the aim of improving both employee and client experiences. Chris will also serve as the firm’s Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), ensuring our systems and data are secure. He will also work with our Chief Compliance Officer to ensure we are compliant with accountabilities set forth by the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Chris has a B.A. and M.A. in Theological Studies. He resides in Ramsey with his wife and three daughters, and in his free time he enjoys watching football (Go Packers!) and playing board games.

Howard Punch

Chief Investment Officer

Years at Punch:

22

Years in the Industry:

40

Firm Activities:
  • Board of Directors, Chair
  • Chief Investment Officer
  • Investment Committee
  • Compliance Committee

Howard directs all research and investment initiatives at Punch & Associates. Howard honed his investment management skills the old fashioned way: by making a lot of mistakes. Starting his career in the early '80s at Merrill Lynch in NYC and then in Minneapolis, it was normal practice to call clients with one stock at a time, state the case for owning it and hope for the best. Win, lose or draw, each pick would have to be revisited with each client (talk about transparency!). The end result was a deep respect for risk, a large dose of humility, and a risk-averse investment approach that anticipates what could go wrong before fantasizing about what could go right. After spending nearly 19 years at Merrill Lynch, Howard started Punch & Associates in 2002.

A hopeless research addict and devout student of behavioral finance, Howard actively researches market anomalies and inefficiencies. Howard resides in Eagan, Minnesota with his wife, Julie. He is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of Carleton College, enjoys hockey, golf, and believes the Vikings will have the opportunity to lose their fifth Superbowl before he dies.

Cory Kiner, CPA

Senior Advisor & Chief Financial Officer

Years at Punch:

1

Years of Professional Experience:

20

Personal Interests:
  • Tennis
  • Reading
  • Photography
  • Travel

Cory is an expert in taxation with a particular interest in developing multi-year tax planning strategies for individuals, families, businesses, and trusts. Having joined the Punch team in November 2022, Cory has collaborated with Punch and many of its clients for more than 15 years from his prior CPA firm. Recognizing that tax is only one component of wealth planning, Cory takes great pride in knowing his clients and working with them to create tax plans that enhance their overall financial and family goals.

Born and raised in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Cory earned BA degrees in Government/International Affairs and Spanish from Augustana College. He also holds an MBA from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. Cory passed the CPA exam in May 2003 as a candidate of high distinction. Prior to joining Punch, Cory was a partner at a Minneapolis CPA firm specializing in tax planning and preparation for high-net-worth individuals, businesses, and trusts.

Cory and his family reside in Bloomington, Minnesota. In his free time, he enjoys tennis, reading, photography, and traveling to discover new places.

Alicia Tompkins

Senior Systems Analyst

Years at Punch:

2

Years of Professional Experience:

18

Personal Interests:
  • Attending Son’s Sporting Events
  • Family Time
  • Gardening

Alicia Tompkins joined Punch & Associates in July 2022 as a Senior Systems Analyst. She brings over a decade of operations and accounting experience in the financial services industry to our team. She ensures our data systems run smoothly and accurately.

Alicia graduated with a B.S. in Business Administration from Metropolitan State University and an A.A.S. in Financial Accounting from Rasmussen College. She lives in Edina with her husband and their two boys. Between kids sports and activities, she enjoys flower gardening and spending time outside with the family.

Linnea Åkesson

Associate Research Analyst

Years at Punch:

2

Years in the Industry:

2

Personal Interests:
  • Traveling
  • Yoga

Linnea joined Punch & Associates as an Associate Research Analyst on the Investment team after interning the fall of 2020 and summer of 2021.

Linnea graduated from the University of Minnesota with a B.S. in Finance and a minor in Accounting. At the University, she participated in the David. S. Kidwell Funds Enterprise as a Fixed Income Analyst specializing in the Consumer Discretionary sector. When Linnea isn’t studying for her CFA® designation exam, she enjoys a good game of squash, visiting her family in Sweden, and yoga.

 

CFA® and Chartered Financial Analyst® are registered trademarks owned by CFA Institute.

Laura Hebzynski

Senior Systems Analyst

Years at Punch:

2

Years in Data and Project Management:

9

Personal Interests:
  • Biking
  • Swimming
  • Coaching

Laura joined Punch & Associates in January 2022 as a Systems Analyst. She brings over seven years of professional experience in data validation, research, and analysis. She will be using her skills to work closely with our Wealth Strategies Group to effectively manage data across several platforms. Laura will maintain client and account information, facilitate internal processes to support the Administrative Group, and monitor reconciliation status for all accounts.

Laura graduated with a B.A. in Applied Mathematics from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul. In her free time, she enjoys biking, swimming, and coaching.

Leah Delich

Marketing & Events Manager

Years at Punch:

2

Years in the Industry:

11

Personal Interests:
  • Yoga
  • Reading
  • Cooking

Leah joined Punch & Associates in the fall of 2021 as our first Marketing Coordinator. She has over a decade of marketing, communications, and brand management experience in the financial services industry. She uses her skills to manage our marketing initiatives and events, create client communications, and design newsletters and firm materials.

Leah graduated with a B.A. in Communications/Public Relations and a minor in Spanish from Northwestern University – St. Paul. In her free time, she enjoys yoga, reading, and sipping a cup of tea or a fine glass of wine.

Anthony Perala, CFA

Research Analyst

Years at Punch:

2

Years in the Industry:

9

Personal Interests:
  • Traveling
  • Hiking
  • Reading
  • Baseball

Anthony knew the right opportunity to pursue his passion for small and microcap equity investing was out there but it required a little patience. After seven years honing his research skills for two different fixed income asset managers, he joined Punch & Associates as a Research Analyst.

Anthony graduated from The College of St. Scholastica with a B.A. in Economics and Villanova University with a M.S. in Finance. He lives in Plymouth with his wife and son. He is very thankful he doesn’t have to juggle chasing around a toddler and studying for the CFA exams, having become a CFA® charterholder in 2018. He enjoys traveling and hiking with his family, reading, and baseball.

 

 

 

CFA® and Chartered Financial Analyst® are registered trademarks owned by CFA Institute.

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