As a Certified Financial Planner with twenty-six years of experience, Brandon Hayes has guided families through retirement planning at Compass Financial Group in Evansville, Indiana, but it’s his work with widows, born from personal experience when his father died during Brandon’s teenage years, that has become his true calling and expertise.

Leading a team of professionals in one of Indiana’s top financial planning practices (as recognized by Forbes for three consecutive years), Brandon has developed a unique approach to serving surviving spouses that goes far beyond traditional financial advice. His practice has become a sanctuary where the overwhelmed can find clarity., where major decisions can wait, and where the journey from financial paralysis to confidence unfolds at each widow’s own pace.

Brandon’s path into financial planning was shaped by watching his mother navigate widowhood with the help of their financial advisor, Don Dowell. This experience taught him grief profoundly impacts financial decision-making, that when executive function is offline, even paying a simple bill can feel monumental. Today, he brings his understanding to every client interaction, offering not just financial expertise but the patience and presence that grieving spouses desperately need.

Through his “bucket strategy” for income distribution, Brandon ensures widows have both immediate security and long-term stability, protecting them from having to sell investments during market downturns. But, beyond the technical strategies, it’s his willingness to meet clients where they are, whether that’s helping them sort through unopened mail, providing office resources for document scanning, or simply sitting with them in their tears, that truly sets his practice apart.

“Most financial advisors focus on transactions and returns,” Brandon often tells his clients. “But when you’re grieving, you need someone who understands that making any decision can feel impossible. You need time, patience, and someone who’s walked this path before.”

In a full-circle moment that validates his approach, Don and Carol Dowell, the very advisors who guided Brandon’s family through loss, eventually became his clients, entrusting their own financial future to the young man they had mentored. This transition from student to master reflects the depth of trust Brandon has earned through decades of compassionate service.

Today, Brandon works with approximately thirty widows who have found their way to him through referrals and personal recommendations. Grounded in his Christian faith and the biblical calling to care for widows and orphans, he brings both professional expertise and personal understanding to every client relationship. Whether he’s explaining Social Security survivor benefits on a whiteboard, helping uncover a forgotten $500,000 life insurance policy, or offering prayer when invited, his mission remains constant, ensuring no widow faces the journey alone.

When he’s not in the office, Brandon coaches his four children’s sports teams and works alongside his brother, who joined the practice thirteen years ago. Through Compass Financial Group, he continues to transform life’s most difficult transitions into a journey of empowerment, providing daily that with the right guide, widows can move from fear to financial confidence, one patient step at a time.