Conor Boffeli

Financial adviser, director of financial planning, Bral Niedert Private Wealth Advisors

Age: 31

Wife: Jessie Boffeli 

Children: Eleanor Boffeli

Reasons he is a Forty: From 2009 to 2016 he played for the Iowa Hawkeye football team and in the NFL post-college, demonstrating a unique combination of sacrifice, dedication and talent. He serves on the steering committee for the United Way of Central Iowa’s LINC initiative, where he has helped increase membership and plan the Winter LINC Up and 2023 Financial Literacy events. He sits on the essential needs cabinet, where he helps direct funds to local nonprofits. He sits on the board for Can Play, where he helps plan the Game for Good and Courage on the Court events and aids the organization’s fundraising efforts.

What are your goals in your role at your company? My focus today is on growing our business organically and systematizing our financial planning process and output. We are actively growing our clients and team members, and I’m putting a framework around our entire financial planning process to ensure consistency, expertise and maximum value.

What are your goals for your community involvement? The LINC Steering Committee has put a strong emphasis on growing our young professional member base in 2023 and beyond. I’m excited to help these efforts by introducing new companies to our membership, creating unique and valuable professional development opportunities and discussing avenues to give back to our funded partners. 

What's your biggest passion, and why? My passion is helping clients put financial plans in place to accomplish any and all of their retirement goals. There is no better feeling than knowing you helped bridge a gap between where someone stands today and where they ultimately want to be.  

What is it that drives you? Being a native to Des Moines but having lived in other cities, I have seen how fantastic Des Moines is for raising a family, employment, standard of living, schools, etc. I have loved living here and want the same experience for as many others as possible.  

What are your future aspirations? My main goals are to continue growing my investment advisory and financial planning business and deepening my roles in the organizations I support. I feel great about what I’m doing in and out of the office, but increasing my responsibilities and having a larger impact is important to me.  

Three hobbies: Attending various Iowa Hawkeye sporting events, attempting golf and playing pickup basketball. 

Fun fact: On my first day with the Chicago Bears, I accidentally parked in Jay Cutler’s parking spot (starting QB). He then entered the locker room shouting, “Who the heck’s from Iowa?”

One word to describe you: Versatile.

What is your wish for the Central Iowa business community? My wish is that financial literacy and financial education were emphasized in school earlier in life. Having a basic knowledge surrounding your finances is a fantastic way to set yourself up for the long term. 

Anything else you haven't addressed that people must know about you? My guilty pleasure, mind-numbing activity is watching all things Bravo. “Real Housewives” and “Million Dollar Listing” are the favorites, but I will tune in to almost anything they air!

What's one piece of advice that you would give to a young professional? Two pieces of advice that helped me: Find something you are genuinely interested in, and show up consistently. You get out of anything what you give. Find someone who has done it before you and ask for their advice. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel, just re-create it. 

What is one issue you would like to see Central Iowa leaders address? Most of the funded partners I review applications for on the essential needs cabinet list affordable housing as a main barrier preventing them from completing their work. Making sure our residents have a place to rest their heads at night is the starting point for solving many of our essential-needs goals: affordable housing, safe spaces and access to healthy food. However, rent prices and lack of inventory make these issues difficult to solve.