About Us

Ryan has always been a bit of a geek when it comes to numbers. From the early years of sitting in a 4th-grade classroom trying to complete the multiplication tables in the shortest amount of time to win the $1 bill from the teacher, his insatiable love of math was born. This started Ryan down the path of appreciating the value of a dollar. He attributes his start in business to his grandfather Robert “Bob” DeSanto, the former owner of the Casa de Roma. Every Sunday was spent with his grandfather watching NFL football up until his passing in 1997. The respect and care for money were driven home by Grandpa Bob, and Ryan has bestowed the same care of money on the clients of Wheeler Retirement Plans. Whether he is leading a meeting with a Retirement Plan committee or engaging on-site with the employees, Ryan takes great pride in putting the client first.

Ryan has been a partner at Wheeler Associates and Wheeler Retirement Plans since 2014. As Wheeler Retirement Plans Qualified Plan Director, he holds the Chartered Retirement Plans Specialist® designation, bringing broad experience to the qualified/non-qualified plan space, from sponsor to participant. He excels in the governance, written process, and ERISA compliance of retirement plans. His commitment to education in this field has opened an innovative stream of revenue for Wheeler Retirement Plans and was recognized in 2020 as a “Top 500” 401K advisor in the US by Financial Times Magazine (October 2020).

As a graduate of the University of Minnesota Duluth, Ryan received his BA in accounting while playing four unforgettable years for the UMD Bulldog hockey team. A Duluth East native, Ryan and his family of four beautiful women—Jodi (wife), Madison, Bailey, and Nora—reside in Lakeside (5 if you count Black Lab Juno). Ryan’s hobbies outside of his full-time job as family cheerleader include searching for the rare “5” hours to fit in a round of golf and solo day trips to Minneapolis for concerts.

To review or inquire about an ERISA Qualified/Non-Qualified plan issue/question, please reach out to set up a free look under the hood.