Exit Planning Institute - Find a CEPA

Everything I do starts with one question: What do you want your money to do for you?

My ultimate goal is to help you turn your dreams into reality — and to have some fun along the way!

As a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® professional and Certified Exit Planning Advisor® professional, my work is built around financial planning — helping you understand where you are today and where you want to go, and creating a strategy that brings clarity and confidence to your decisions. I use financial planning to guide clients through life transitions such as retirement, business ownership changes and multigenerational planning — times when clarity and perspective matter most. We can work together to determine if this service is appropriate for your unique situation. I am licensed in many states and can help serve families across the country.

My family is the reason I became a financial advisor. Growing up, I watched my dad, our family’s first college graduate, build a business through hard work and determination. His example inspired me to pursue a career focused on helping others create financial confidence and clarity. I’m proud to be the second in my family to graduate from college and to bring those values into every client relationship.

Growing up, I started working at the age of 15, volunteered and played sports throughout high school. I grew up playing water polo and swam competitively for over 10 years. While in high school, I even competed in the National Junior Olympics for water polo.

I attended Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree with a major in accounting and minor in biology. In college, I started as a financial advisor intern and moved to St. Louis to work at our home office in the retirement services division.

When I am not at work, you can find me planning my next scuba diving trip, cooking, reading, trying new restaurants in the community or hanging out with my husband, Jonny, and our son, Beckett.

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120-Day CEPA Playbook: Download the Playbook

For a new CEPA, following the 120-day CEPA Playbook will be a critical piec..

Brochure

2022 Colorado State of Owner Readiness Quick Look Brochure

Review the most notable statistics and findings from the 2022 Colorado Stat..

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UBS Approved Content

2022 Colorado State of Owner Readiness Report

Download the 2022 Colorado State of Owner Readiness Report to see where Col..

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2023 National State of Owner Readiness Report

Download the 2023 National State of Owner Readiness Report to see where Uni..

Videos/Recordings

2024 Webinar Series

Join us as EPI interviews our 2024 speakers about their experiences.

Videos/Recordings

2025 Webinar Series

Join us as EPI interviews our 2025 speakers about their experiences.

Videos/Recordings

2026 Webinar Series

Join us as EPI interviews our 2026 speakers about their experiences.

5-4-3-2-1 Whitepaper

This whitepaper takes the Value Acceleration Methodology and breaks it into..

Whitepaper

5-4-3-2-1 Whitepaper

This whitepaper breaks the Value Acceleration Methodology into 5 easy conce..

Whitepaper

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A Look Inside The Unique World of Value Creation Whitepaper

EPI interviewed 13 Value Advisors within the Exit Planning Community to lea..

Case Study

A Look Into Pressure Solutions Inc.: An Exit Planning Case Study

Download the sample case study to use with business owner clients or in wor..

Courses

Access My Courses

Navigate to your purchased EPI Academy content.

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Whitepaper

Best-In-Class Whitepaper

At Exit Planning Institute® (EPI), being best-in-class is a deliberate choi..

Case Study: The Value of Transitioning a Business to its Employees

Learn more about Happy Earth Cleaning’s transition from LLC to Co-operative..

Case Study

UBS Approved Content

Case Study: Value Acceleration

Learn more about value acceleration by downloading the case study which giv..

Infographic

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CEPA Development Scorecard

Track your progress and growth by completing the CEPA Development Scorecard..

View details and resources for your upcoming CEPA program.

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Chapter Logos

Download your Chapter's logo to use in marketing or business development in..

Exercises

Template

Confidential Estate Planning Form

Use this document as a template for Confidential Estate Planning for your c..

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Decentralizing the Business Owner

Do you know the risks in with a business that is completely dependent on th..

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UBS Approved Content

Decentralizing the Business Owner

Do you know the risks in with a business that is completely dependent on th..

Template

Email Marketing Templates

Sample templated emails to begin to educate owners and advisors and build y..

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EPI Chapter President Circle Meeting Notes

Meeting minutes from previous Chapter President Circle Meetings can be foun..

Case Study

Exit as a Business Strategy: A Collection of Case Studies from Advisors and Owners

When deciding to exit their business, an owner has several internal and ext..

First Steps

The first steps after earning your CEPA designation.

Infographic

Five Stages of Value Maturity Infographic

An in-depth look at the Five Stages of Value Maturity

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Five Stages of Value Maturity Infographic

An in-depth look at the Five Stages of Value Maturity

Whitepaper

UBS Approved Content

From Successful to Significant

The framework for a high value business transition.

Merrill Approved Content

From Successful to Significant Whitepaper

Business, Personal, Financial: A Holistic Approach to High-Value Transition..

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Infographic: Beyond CEPA Path

The Beyond CEPA Roadmap is designed to provide Certified Exit Planning Advi..

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Infographic: Decentralizing the Business Owner

See the importance of decentralizing the owner and ensuring the business ru..

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Infographic: Five Stages of Value Maturity

The Five Stages of Value Maturity impact the growth and ultimate sale of a ..

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Merrill Approved Content

MassMutual Approved Content

Infographic: The 5 D's

Educate an owner on the ways they may be forced out of their business due t..

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Infographic: Who Has a Seat at the Table

Understand the key members on your exit planning team and the roles they pl..

Articles

Books/eBooks

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Whitepaper

Issue One: The Annual Exit Magazine

The Annual Exit is a valuable resource for professionals in the exit planni..

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Know Your Gaps

Three numbers every business owner should know and manage to meet their goa..

Phase 1 Stage 1: The Value Maturity Index - Identifying Value

Materials to use within the Value Maturity Index: Identifying Value portion..

Exercises

Template

Sample Personal Contingency Plan

A template for putting a contingency plan in place.

Whitepaper

The Impact of Unplanned Consequences on Business Value Whitepaper

Learn how professional advisors help mitigate the risks associates with the..

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Securian Approved Content

UBS Approved Content

Merrill Approved Content

MassMutual Approved Content

The Value Acceleration Methodology

Download to utilize in your exit planning education or training with owners..

Whitepaper

Program Overview

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Testimonials

Featured Courses

All-Access Bundle

The Exit Planning Summit

Webinars

State of Owner Readiness

Annual Exit

Free Content Library

About EPI

Purpose Statement

NICOLE PUGSLEY

NICOLE PUGSLEY

120-Day CEPA Playbook: Download the Playbook

2022 Colorado State of Owner Readiness Quick Look Brochure

2022 Colorado State of Owner Readiness Report

2023 National State of Owner Readiness Report

2024 Webinar Series

2025 Webinar Series

2026 Webinar Series

5-4-3-2-1 Whitepaper

5-4-3-2-1 Whitepaper

A Look Inside The Unique World of Value Creation Whitepaper

A Look Into Pressure Solutions Inc.: An Exit Planning Case Study

Access My Courses

Best-In-Class Whitepaper

Beyond CEPA Roadmap

Business Attractiveness Scorecard

Case Study: A Framework To Build Value In Your Business

Case Study: CEPA and CPAs

Case Study: CEPA and EOS

Case Study: CEPA and M&A

Case Study: How to Strategically Build Transferrable Value

Case Study: How To Utilize Your CEPA Credentials In A National Wealth Management Firm

Case Study: Human Capital, The Exit Planning Institute

Case Study: The Value of Transitioning a Business to its Employees

Case Study: The Value of Transitioning a Business to its Employees

Case Study: Value Acceleration

CEPA Development Scorecard

CEPA: 2024 APR | Online

CEPA: 2024 AUG | Online

CEPA: 2024 FEB | Online

CEPA: 2024 JAN | Online

CEPA: 2024 JUL | Online

CEPA: 2024 JUN | Online

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CEPA: 2024 OCT | Online

CEPA: 2024 SEP | Online

Chapter Logos

Confidential Estate Planning Form

Decentralizing the Business Owner

Decentralizing the Business Owner

Email Marketing Templates

EPI Chapter President Circle Meeting Notes

Exit as a Business Strategy: A Collection of Case Studies from Advisors and Owners

First Steps

Five Stages of Value Maturity Infographic

Five Stages of Value Maturity Infographic

From Successful to Significant

From Successful to Significant Whitepaper

Infographic: Beyond CEPA Path

Infographic: Decentralizing the Business Owner

Infographic: Five Stages of Value Maturity

Infographic: The 5 D's

Infographic: Who Has a Seat at the Table

Issue One: The Annual Exit Magazine

Know Your Gaps

Phase 1 Stage 1: The Value Maturity Index - Identifying Value

Sample Personal Contingency Plan

The Impact of Unplanned Consequences on Business Value Whitepaper

The Value Acceleration Methodology

Top Questions To Ask Your Business Owner's Advisors

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