Austin Van Bemmel

Client Specialist, Wealth Strategies Group

Years at Punch:

2

Years in the Industry:

10

Personal Interests:
  • Family
  • Boating
  • Fishing

Austin joined the Punch & Associates in March 2022. He was previously the Director of Operations for an independent wealth advisory firm where he assisted with trading, financial planning, and wealth and business operations. Additionally, Austin brings trust experience to the Punch team having previously worked at a trust company. He assists with account opening, maintenance, and money movement. Austin likes to see the full picture for a client so he can best understand how to help in any situation.

Austin graduated from the University of Sioux Falls with a double major in Public Accounting and Business Administration. After a couple of years in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Austin and his wife
made the move to Minnesota and currently reside in Edina with their two young daughters. Outside of the office, Austin likes spending time with his family outdoors, fully enjoying Minnesota summers fishing and boating at the cabin in northern Minnesota. You can also find Austin rooting on the Twins and Vikings throughout the season despite their continual disappointment!

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.

Anthony Perala, CFA

Research Analyst

Years at Punch:

3

Years in the Industry:

10

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.

James Hannack

Research Analyst

Years at Punch:

3

Years in the Industry:

6

Personal Interests:
  • Running
  • Reading
  • Outdoor Activities

James joined Punch & Associates in September 2021 as an Associate Research Analyst. Previously, he worked as an analyst at a publicly traded regional bank where he assessed overall portfolio credit risk.

A Marquette University alumnus, James graduated with a double major in Finance and Accounting. He was a student analyst for Marquette’s Applied Investment Management Program covering the financial services sector. James completed Level One of the CFA® Program in early 2022 and Level Two in early 2023. He is currently studying for Level Three of the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation. In his free time, he enjoys running, reading, and anything outside.

 

 

 

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

Leah Delich

Marketing and Events Manager

Years at Punch:

3

Years in the Industry:

12

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.

Ryan Punch, CFP®

Associate Advisor, Wealth Strategies Group

Years at Punch:

3

Years in the Industry:

7

Personal Interests:
  • Golfing
  • Fishing
  • Music

Ryan joined Punch & Associates as an associate advisor in January of 2021. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with degrees in Finance and Economics, he worked for three years at local wealth management firm, where he assisted clients in defining and achieving their financial goals.

Ryan obtained his Certified Financial Planner designation in the fall of 2020. As a fan of puzzles, he enjoys seeing all the pieces of a financial plan come together to present the entire picture. Ryan is a member of our wealth strategies group and works with a team of advisors to assist clients in all aspects of managing wealth.

When he is not working on a DIY project around the house, you can find Ryan on the golf course, at the lake, cheering on his favorite Minnesota sports teams, or exploring his newfound enjoyment of the ukulele.

Candice Larson

Senior Executive Assistant to the CEO

Years at Punch:

4

Years in Administration:

23

Personal Interests:
  • International Travel
  • Reading
  • Gardening

Candice Larson joins Punch & Associates with over twenty years of administrative experience. She spent seven years within UnitedHealth Group in administrative supervisory roles and as a project manager to the head of marketing at OptumHealth. She then served as the executive assistant to the Chairman & CEO of The Valspar Corporation. Before joining Punch, Candice started Mighty Girl Friday, a virtual executive assistant services LLC.

Candice attended California State Northridge and the University of Arizona where she studied archaeology and design.

Candice loves international travel and has seen much of the globe. She is a voracious reader and enjoys word games, mountain biking, gardening, yoga, music and is passionate about animals. She recently served on the board of directors for Minneapolis Animal Care and Control. Candice lives in Waconia with her husband Steve and her rescue dog, Starla.

Julie Boehmke

Director of Administration

Years at Punch:

4

Years in Administration:

21

Personal Interests:
  • Cooking
  • Baking
  • Reading
  • Travel

Julie Boehmke is the firm’s Director of Administration. Julie oversees much of the behind-the-scenes operations at Punch, including human resources and benefits, facilities management, and technology.
 
Julie joins us after many years in firm administration at several local law firms.  She has lots of experience wearing multiple hats and prides herself on adapting to any firm need.  Julie strives to bring a can-do attitude to her daily work and strongly believes the first step to solving any problem is to meet it with a smile.
 
At home, Julie enjoys spending time with her husband, Brian, and their two daughters.  They love living in the country in the south metro, although their farm life is limited to a large dog and two cats.  Julie also loves to cook and bake, read, and travel whenever she can.

Ruth Langworthy, JD, CFP®

Advisor, Wealth Strategies Group

Years at Punch:

5

Years in Financial & Estate Planning:

14

Personal Interests:
  • Cooking
  • Reading
  • Family

Ruth Langworthy joined Punch & Associates in June 2019 as an Advisor. Ruth works with clients in the areas of financial, charitable, and estate planning. Prior to joining Punch, Ruth was an estate planning attorney at a law firm in Chicago. She also assisted donors with complex charitable gifts as part of the planned giving team at Wheaton College.

Ruth is an honors graduate of both Wheaton College, where she double majored in history and philosophy, and the University of Minnesota Law School. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, reading, and playing with her young children.

Sam Sheldon

Research Analyst

Years at Punch:

8

Years in the Industry:

8

Personal Interests:
  • Boating
  • Packers Football
  • Golfing

Sam Sheldon joined Punch & Associates as an intern in June 2016, while attending the University of St. Thomas. After graduating in May 2018 with a BA in Financial Management, he joined the team full-time as an investment research analyst.

During his time at St. Thomas, Sam led the University’s Investment Club and is now studying for the CFA exams. Sam completed Level One of the CFA® Program in early 2023, and he is currently studying for Level Two of the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation. In his free time, Sam enjoys boating on White Bear Lake, cheering for the Green Bay Packers, and playing an occasional round of golf.

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