Our Mission
For our plan sponsor clients, our mission is to fit their companies with retirement plans that perform. We know that each plan has unique goals and objectives. As your plan consultant, we will create an ongoing service plan specific to your needs and we will serve as a co-fiduciary to your plan. This means that we commit to putting the interests of your plan and its participants ahead of our own.
For our individual wealth management clients, our mission is to get to know and understand your needs, wants, and long-term goals. We want to help you develop, implement, and monitor a strategy that’s designed to address your individual situation.
Meet our Team
Tim Norris-Buzzini, CRPS®, CPFA™
Principal & 401k Financial Advisor
Tim Norris-Buzzini founded Defined Plan Advisors in 2007 after fifteen years of experience in the financial services industry. Tim started his career as a financial advisor with a national brokerage firm and then worked several years with a local pension administration firm where he developed corporate retirement plan expertise. The decision to start Defined Plan Advisors in 2007 was based upon a desire to deliver objectively prudent advisory services to clients, completely independent of all providers. In 2008, Defined Plan Advisors partnered with Retirement Plan Advisory Group to leverage the strategies, systems and services offered by one of the largest independent consulting networks in the U.S.
Tim graduated from the University of the Pacific with a B.S. in Business Administration. He holds FINRA Series 7 (General Securities Representative) and Series 63 (Uniform Securities Agent State Law Examination) licenses, is an Investment Advisor Representative and maintains the Chartered Retirement Plans Specialist® professional designation.
Nichol Cunningham, QPFC
Client Service Manager & Retirement Plan Consultant
Nichol has worked in the retirement plan industry for the past 13 years. She started her career as an administrative assistant with a local third-party administrator firm that specializes in retirement plan administration. In this role, she was responsible for trust accounting reconciliation, data entry of annual census information and daily processing of participant loans and distributions. Nichol's skillset and knowledge rapidly expanded, and soon she was doing everything from plan design consulting to daily plan administration, compliance testing, contribution calculations, annual plan valuations, Form 5500 filings, enrollment meetings and more. Nichol loves working with retirement plans because they are so complex and ever-changing; there's always something new to learn.
In her role as Client Service Manager, she is dedicated to providing top-quality customer service and support. Nichol’s prior work as a retirement plan administrator makes her uniquely qualified to serve our clients. She understands the complex issues facing retirement plan sponsors and participants and is passionate about working with employers to help them understand the various aspects of plan administration and their role in it. She takes pride in her ability to build relationships with clients and work collaboratively to find solutions for the many issues that arise as part of daily plan administration.
Nichol holds a Bachelor of Science in Business, Management and Master of Business Administration from the University of Phoenix and recently obtained her Qualified Plan Financial Consultant Credential (QPFC). She has a positive attitude and a great sense of humor, which helps her get through life's ups and downs. Nichol currently lives in Modesto with her husband Casey and their two cats (one sweet and one feisty).
Retirement Plan Advisory Group
Defined Plan Advisors is a proud member of the Retirement Plan Advisory Group (RPAG), one of the nation’s largest networks of independent retirement plan advisors. Through RPAG, we have access to a team of experienced CFA® charterholders, ERISA specialists, and plan consultants who help us deliver data-driven advice and proactive plan management.
This partnership equips us with powerful tools and resources, including fiduciary training programs, investment due diligence, and plan benchmarking, to help plan sponsors feel confident in meeting their fiduciary responsibilities.
Kestra Financial
Kestra Financial, Inc. is the parent company of Kestra Investment Services, LLC (Kestra IS) member FINRA/SIPC, Kestra Advisory Services, LLC (Kestra AS), Kestra Private Wealth Services, LLC (Kestra PWS), and Kestra Institutional Services, LLC. Kestra IS is a registered broker-dealer.
Being part of Kestra Investment Services LLC and Kestra Advisory Services LLC, allows us to offer our clients access to a broad range of investment solutions from some of the nation’s leading providers, without being tied to proprietary products or sales quotas.
Kestra Financial provides independent advisors like us with the technology, compliance support, and flexibility needed to focus on what matters most: serving our clients’ best interests.
Defined Retirement Plan Solutions
At Defined Plan Advisors, we often collaborate with Defined Retirement Plan Solutions (DRPS), an independent third-party administrator that provides plan document, compliance, and annual administration services for qualified retirement plans.
Because we share common ownership and a similar philosophy, our teams work closely together when clients choose to engage both firms. This allows for a more coordinated experience — simplifying communication, aligning timelines, and helping ensure every part of the plan runs smoothly.
That said, plan sponsors are always free to work with any TPA they prefer. We respect the relationships you’ve built and are committed to maintaining a transparent, conflict-free approach that puts your plan's needs first. Defined Plan Advisors and Defined Retirement Plan Solutions are separate but affiliated entities, each operating independently and providing distinct services.