Meet The Team

Founder Robert “Bob” Byrns (CEO, CFP®, AIF®, EA, ATA, ATP) has been putting clients first since 1977, when he joined his uncle, Gene Byrns, in the business of tax preparation. As a tax advisor, Bob devoted himself to absorbing every detail of the tax code in an effort to give his clients as great of an advantage as possible. Bob expanded his focus to include financial planning in 1995 and strategic wealth management in 2003, when Strategic Investment Solutions, Inc. was founded.

Doug has provided investment management and financial planning to his clients for over 20 years. In addition, he is a partner at Strategic Investment Solutions, assists the firm’s clients as an on-staff financial advisor, serves as the chief compliance officer (CCO), and has a seat on the firm’s investment committee. Doug has a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from Eastern Illinois University, a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) from Northeastern University and holds the Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) and Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF®) designations. Doug serves on the Orland Park Police Pension board of trustees and has taught classes on investments and financial planning at College of DuPage and for Saint Xavier University’s Renaissance Academy program.

Ayman Saidi serves as Managing Partner of Strategic Investment Solutions. He previously worked for Thomson Reuters in their news and media group, where he had both business development and supervisory responsibilities. As Managing Partner, Ayman leads strategic projects across the organization. He also coordinates operations, communications, human resources, and works closely with the financial advisors affiliated with the firm to help them achieve their business goals. Ayman is on the firm’s investment committee and organizes due diligence and investment research initiatives. Ayman graduated from The Lebanese America University in Beirut with a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing and Management.

Sally joined SIS in 2010 as the Corporate Controller and provides valuable assistance with tax clients. She graduated cum laude from North Central College with a Bachelor of Arts degree majoring in Accounting and obtained a Master of Science degree in Taxation from Northern IL University. She has worked as a tax professional for 27 years, mainly with individual clients. She is an Enrolled Agent (EA) who has been representing clients before the IRS and resolving tax issues for 13 years.

Trent joined SIS in 2017 to help serve our tax and investment clients. Trent earned his Bachelor’s degree from Augustana College (IL) with a double major in Accounting and Finance, and a double minor in Economics and Pre-Law. While a freshman in college, Trent founded and became president of the University’s first Student Investment Fund, in which funds from the school’s endowment were invested. Prior to joining SIS, Trent worked for Charles Schwab in Austin, Texas where he was in the ‘Financial Consultant Academy’ assisting clients nationwide with financial advice. Since joining SIS, Trent has earned his Enrolled Agent (EA) designation representing clients before the IRS, as well as his Life and Health Insurance Licenses. Trent is a diehard Cubs fan, and in his free time, he enjoys playing golf and softball, as well as watching movies with his wife Sarah.

Colin joined SIS in 2009 as a wealth management/401kERISA plan consultant after working with clients for almost two decades as an independent financial advisor in the Chicago area, where he developed long-term relationships as a trusted advisor. Colin received his Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Illinois at Chicago with concentrations in managerial and organizational behavior and entrepreneurship. In the ERISA space, Colin is passionate about driving 401k plan success, implementing cutting edge methodology to measure, diagnose, and drive better results for his clients. Over the course of his 20+ year career, Colin has worked with a wide variety of corporate, not-for-profit, and government clients throughout the Chicago area. He utilizes this experience to create compliant, efficient, and effective retirement plans for his wealth management clients that use both behavioral finance and modern portfolio theory/efficient market approaches to investing. Colin lives in the southwest suburbs with his wife of 28 years Peggy and 3 children. He enjoys playing guitar and cheering for Chicago sports teams.

David serves as a lead advisor and relationship manager to high-net-worth individuals, families, and organizations, including closely-held and family-owned businesses. David works with clients to gain a complete understanding of their lifestyle, career, philanthropic, and wealth planning goals. Once David has a holistic understanding of his clients’ unique goals, time horizon, income needs, and tolerance for risk, he will create a unique and constantly evolving financial plan to help meet his clients’ goals.

He joined the firm in 2018 and has over 12 years of experience in the financial services industry. David holds the Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) and Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF®) designations. He earned his Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance and Accounting from Saint Xavier University.

David was born and raised in the Chicago area. He enjoys fitness, golfing, and biking.

Debra Schnepp joined SIS in 2016 and serves as Client Servicing Specialist. Prior to joining SIS, Debra spent ten years with Charles Schwab and has over 30 years of experience handling diverse aspects of client servicing. She brings a broad range of expertise in establishing client relationships and ensuring that clients experience a pleasant and seamless onboarding process. Her role also includes implementing process improvements to ensure that clients receive the best possible service.

Peggy Gerdes joined SIS in 2001 and serves as Operations Manager. She has been involved in almost every aspect of the back-office operations since joining the firm from trading and client reporting to also providing support to the firm representatives in the Orland Park office as well as advisors in Wisconsin and Ohio.

Tammy Reed joined SIS in 2012 and serves as Operations Manager. She holds an Associate’s degree of Applied Sciences in Management from Richard J. Daley College and a Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies from Governors State University. Tammy brings a broad range of expertise in database management, client relations, and administration. Tammy manages the front desk and provides operational support.

Alex joined SIS in 2020 and serves as a tax and financial planning adviser. She holds a Bachelor’s degrees in both Accounting and Management from Northern Illinois University. Before joining SIS, Alex became a licensed CPA and worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP in Chicago, where she prepared state and local tax returns for private equity partnerships and corporations. Since joining SIS, Alex has earned her Enrolled Agent (EA) designation representing clients before the IRS, she also passed the Series 65 Uniform Investment Adviser Law Exam in 2022. She has extensive experience in customer service and enjoys helping clients improve and solve financial problems. In the future, she aims to further develop her skills within the team to become a Certified Financial Planner. In her free time, Alex enjoys traveling, being outdoors, and staying active.