South Carolina Business Review

Social Security uncertainties raise value of financial planning

By Mike Switzer

Published June 24, 2025 at 6:30 AM EDT

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Rick Van Der Noord, a certified financial planner in Greenville S.C.

Financial planning, whether you do it yourself or hire someone to help, benefits individuals and families of all ages, but our next guest says it’s of particular value to those who are approaching retirement age, especially during this time of the uncertainty surrounding policies coming out of Washington. Mike Switzer interviews Rick Van Der Noord, a certified financial planner in Greenville SC.

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Mike Switzer

After almost 20 years, Mike Switzer retired from Wells Fargo Securities in 2001 as Senior Vice President/Investment Officer and Certified Portfolio Manager. In 1999, he and his wife, Maggie, purchased and operated for eight years the Baskin Robbins ice cream store on Forest Drive in Columbia. They grew the store from a bottom-tier operation in the Baskin Robbins franchise system to one in the top 5% nationwide within three years, tripling sales along the way. While operating the ice cream store, Mike and Maggie received patents for a portable ice cream sink and fold-down sneezeguard they invented and in 2002 started Magnolia Carts, an ice cream cart manufacturing company, which they sold in 2013.

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