Ken Gilpin

Ken Gilpin is a Certified Financial Planner and the president/owner of Sound Investments Inc., a Registered Investment Advisory firm he founded in 1993 and still runs from Overland Park, Kansas. He graduated from the College of Financial Planning in Denver, Colorado, where he completed the CFP professional education program and sat for the national examination, and he holds a Bachelor of Business Administration (his about page cites Wilfrid Laurier University). He has resided in Johnson County, Kansas for roughly 25 years.

His career spans several decades in finance. In the 1970s he worked as a commercial loan officer lending to small businesses; in the 1980s he became a stockbroker primarily trading stocks. Seeking a way to serve clients without commission-driven conflicts, he formed his own fee-only advisory practice in 1993. Sound Investments is described as a firm built "to satisfy the needs of clients for a practical and comprehensive approach to financial planning and investment management."

As of its most recently referenced Form ADV, Sound Investments reported roughly $16.29 million in regulatory assets under management — consistent with a solo/boutique local RIA rather than a startup-investing angel or fund. Gilpin was named a Five Star Professional award winner for the 2024 award cycle (period cited as 04/10/2024–10/31/2024).

• Fee-only fiduciary model: The firm operates on a fee-only basis, which it says "eliminates commission-driven conflicts of interest"; financial planning is offered at no separate charge.
• Long-term, holistic planning: Emphasizes long-term investing tailored to each client's tax situation, age, and risk tolerance, with cash-flow charting and tax minimization.
• Low-cost vehicles: Uses no-load mutual funds, including institutional-class funds with lower expense ratios, to reduce portfolio management costs.
• Trend-based positioning: Bio material references 30+ years of observing market trends and using trend-based sector positioning within diversified portfolios.
• **What this is *not*:** There is no stated thesis about startups, seed rounds, check sizes, or a target company profile — because the firm invests client money in public markets, not in private companies.