In these challenging economic times, preserving and growing your wealth is a daunting task. Investment fads, inflation and rising taxes are relentless. Many investors end up taking too much risk for too little return, receiving mediocre service and conflicted “advice,” and paying too much in taxes. We solve these problems. It’s who we are. It’s what we do.
During the accumulation phase of your life, we assist you with strategies specifically intended to grow your hard-earned assets while protecting them from losses due to market downturns and taxation.
When it comes time for you to begin receiving income from your portfolio, we’ll show you strategies that can provide lifetime income and optimize your retirement benefits.
Whether it’s inheritance to your spouse and family, the succession of your business, or charitable gifting options for your estate, we’ll present you with the pros and cons of your options and provide experienced advice.
As you prepare for retirement, you might find yourself focusing on reaching a particular savings goal. Perhaps you set this goal years ago, when you first began saving for your future, or maybe you landed upon a target number more recently. In either case, your top priority is making sure that you can afford your standard of living in retirement, in addition to travel or any other hobbies that you might pursue.
Risk is inherent in the world of finance. As you enter retirement, you will face a number of risks, such as inflation, taxes, longevity, and market fluctuations. It’s not always possible to completely avoid all risks, but a comprehensive financial plan will include risk management strategies to minimize your exposure.
While retirement planning often appears to focus on income strategies and building assets, we also must face the inevitable. What will happen to your estate when you pass away? The estate planning process helps you to identify the values of your assets, decide how to pass on those assets to your heirs, and helps you develop strategies to avoid excessive taxes or any extra burden upon your loved ones.
Our income planning service is designed to help clients build a reliable and sustainable stream of income throughout retirement and beyond. By analyzing your current financial picture, future goals, and risk tolerance, we create customized strategies that balance growth with stability. Whether through dividend-producing investments, annuities, or tax-efficient withdrawal plans, our goal is to ensure you have the income you need—when you need it.
Underwriting Life Specialist
Nick Kotinek is an experienced life insurance underwriting specialist with a strong background in evaluating and managing risk. Born in Las Vegas, Nevada, and raised in Tomball, Texas. Nick has a unique blend of West Coast energy and Southern hospitality that informs their professional approach. With a keen eye for detail and a commitment to helping clients secure their financial futures, Nick works diligently to ensure that every policy meets the highest standards of coverage and protection.
Throughout his career, Nick has gained expertise in assessing various life insurance applications, working closely with agents and clients to make informed underwriting decisions. Their understanding of both the technical and personal aspects of life insurance allows them to tailor solutions that meet the specific needs of individuals and families.
Outside of work, Nick enjoys exploring the outdoors whether that is fishing, playing cards with his family, spending his time at the basketball gym, or watching his all mighty Real Madrid Soccer team on the weekends. Nick believes in the importance of giving back and strives to bring a personal touch to all aspects of their work and life.
Director of First Impressions
Scott Best is our Director of First Impressions with 4 years of industry knowledge and experience. Scott was born and raised here in Houston Texas where he grew up with his parents and younger sister before going off to college at the great Texas Tech University in Lubbock Texas. As a born and raised Houstonian Scott moved back after Graduating from Texas Tech University with a major in Economics.
With the finance world taking over his heart when he got out of college, he found himself working for a prominent insurance broker where he was able to really learn the ins and outs and hone is skills in the financial industry. With a full array of skills in case design and financial prep Scott found a home with the NHG family and helped so many families and individuals not only achieve their financial goals but also a safe and free financial future. With a true passion to help every single individual achieve financial freedom Scott makes sure everyone walks out with the knowledge and peace of mind that they have a safe future.
Scott currently resides in the Heights, in his spare time he enjoys going around Houston and trying new food spots and scenic views. As an ex-college basketball player, he also enjoys playing in intramural leagues in a multitude of different sports as well as working out during the week. With the Houston heat he also goes to Colorado yearly to snowboard and take advantage of the colder winter weather.
New Business Case Manager
Meet Brittany Gazlay, our New Business Case Manager with many years of industry experience. She finds fulfillment in her role at National Horizon Group as the liaison between our clients and the financial institutions. With her passion for helping people and her love for her work, she’s carving out her niche in the industry, one satisfied client at a time and has become an integral part of the team.
Originally from a quaint small town in North Carolina, she embarked on a new chapter with her husband and two kids nearly three years ago when she moved to The Woodlands, Texas, following her husband’s career path. Houston has become her playground, where she eagerly explores everything, it has to offer. From the vibrant live music scene to the exhilarating Rodeo events, and from sampling new culinary delights at local restaurants to browsing through markets brimming with homegrown talent, she embraces the Texan way of life wholeheartedly. While others may grumble about the heat, she revels in it, preferring the warmth of Texas over the cold of snow any day.
Case Design Specialist
Blake Berger is a Case Design Specialist with National Horizon Group. As a Case Design Specialist, Blake works to ensure all business is processed quickly and smoothly for our clients.
While attending Sam Houston State University, Blake earned a degree in Management. During his career, he has utilized data-driven solutions to help multiple companies across a broad spectrum of industries to improve their logistical operations and streamline their processes to increase organizational efficiency. He has also helped to create proprietary calculators used in-office to help show clients solutions to their financial situations and help our fiduciaries to plan accordingly.
Blake lives in The Woodlands, TX with his wife and daughter.
Receptionist/Executive Assistant
Chris Frias brings her charisma to National Horizon Group – With more than a decade of customer service expertise, she brings valuable experience to the firm.
As the friendly face that greets you at our office and the welcoming voice you’ll hear when you call, she takes pride in making every client feel part of our NHG family. Her genuine care for our clients shines through in every interaction, as she works tirelessly to ensure each person feels valued and appreciated. The relationships we’ve built with our clients mean the world to us, and she’s dedicated to nurturing those connections from the very first hello.
Chris is married to Joseph, and they recently became parents of a beautiful baby boy named Angel. Chris enjoys spending quality time with her mother and Abuelita who have taught her strong cultural values and independence.
Client Relationship Specialist
Rosa Garcia is the Client Relationship Specialist at National Horizon Group. She has over twenty-five years in the financial services industry as a life and long-term care specialist. She has supported some of the top financial advisors in the industry.
Her passion lies in client services, where she is dedicated to leveraging her experience to deliver exceptional support to our clients. Known for her proactive approach, Rosa thrives on challenges and cherishes building strong relationships with both new and longstanding clients.
Outside of work, Rosa enjoys doing things with her family. Rosa and her husband Orlando love to travel, and enjoy outside activities, such as fishing, riding bikes, and having fun in the sun! Rosa treasures moments with her daughter, Alexis, who is a school teacher.
Federal and Retirement Specialist
In his 27-year career, Jeff has shared strategies for balancing current enjoyment with future planning. His authentic and relatable style inspires audiences to rethink their finances and start a new, empowering conversation about money.
He focuses on teaching people about retirement income, long-term care, planning for estates and legacies, and saving strategies for retirement accounts like TSP, 401k, and 403b. As a licensed fiduciary, Jeff specializes in a range of services, including accurate pension calculation, optimizing part time service and military buy back time, navigating FEGLI and FEHB options in retirement, maximizing Social Security benefits, and providing TSP guidance. He aims to help people align their finances with their values, so they can make progress, seize opportunities, avoid pitfalls, and find confidence, balance, and peace.
A family-oriented person, Jeff is a loving husband to wife Charlee and father to two sons, ages 18 and 25, six daughters ages 5 to 33, as well as four grandchildren. He enjoys traveling, physical fitness, and is a classically trained pianist and accomplished guitarist.