Brett Nicklaus CFP®
President/Owner
Brett Nicklaus, CFP® is the President/Owner of Trinity Insurance and Financial Services. Trinity’s corporate office is located at 315 S. Peoria Ave. Dixon, IL with a satellite office located at 7210 E. State St. Rockford, IL.
Brett’s Financial Planning career began in August of 1986 when he accepted a position as a Representative with Prudential Insurance. On January 1st, 1990, Brett accepted the opportunity to be a Manager for the office in Effingham, IL and later in Rapid City, SD. In 1994 Brett & Julie decided to move back to Dixon to be closer to their family.
In 1995 Brett became an Independent Advisor so that he would have more flexibility to develop personalized plans for the people he worked with. In 2003, he earned his Certified Financial Planner designation. Brett’s primary focus is to offer Holistic Financial Planning, including Social Security maximation and Medicare options and solutions.
Brett & Julie married on March 29th, 1986. They have 3 children: Seth (Amy), Devon (Emily), and Holly (Theron). They have been blessed with 7 grandchildren; Brody, Emma, Jakob, Brecken, Griffin, Millie Jo, and Jessi Ann whose schedules keep Brett and Julie very busy. They are also very active with their church family and the foundation they created; Trinity Cares. For R&R, they love spending time on the Rock River or visiting the Lake Ozarks.
Roxanne Shaffer
Administrative Assistant
I grew up in Dixon and graduated from Dixon High School. I joined Brett and his team in February 2017. I live in Dixon with my husband Richard. We have 3 children; Dean (Zaya), Jonathon (Bailey) and Nicole (Danny). We have two granddaughters; Sophia & Bailee. And we also have one cat and four grand dogs. As a family, we enjoy hiking, exploring, traveling and spending time with family and friends. To relax and unwind, I enjoy jigsaw puzzles.
Sandra Lightner
Administrative Assistant
I am the mother of 3 daughters; Tiffany(Deon), Tasha(Andy), and Ciara(Colin). I have 9 grandchildren; Taylor, Gage, Brendan, Patrick, Briella, Conner, Mavrik, Thatcher, and Maren and 2 great grandchildren, Zayden and Xavier.
I graduated from Dixon High School and live in Dixon. I earned my Associate Degree in Business at Sauk Valley College in 1999 and my Bachelor Degree in Business Administration at University of Phoenix in 2006.
I am an avid runner. I discovered a passion for traveling in my pursuit to run a marathon in all 50 states, which I completed with Maui, Hawaii in January of 2022. I enjoy competing in races from 5K to marathon distance or any other physically challenging events. What I look forward to most of all is spending time with my family.
Lisa Vaglica
Administrative Assistant
I had the pleasure of being relocated to Dixon with my career about 18 years ago. I found the community to be a most welcoming area to grow my business and flourish beyond my expectations. My journey has now brought me to the Trinity Family. I have 2 adult sons, both graduated from Dixon High School. My eldest son attended Eastern Illinois University and he has a very successful career at a local energy company. My youngest son is in his 9th year in the US Army, and he devoted to serving his country. I very much enjoy walking and hiking, being in nature, and anything near water. But the most important thing to me is my family.
Holly Green
Director of Recruitment and Retention
I started dating my husband in 2014, Theron Green, and we married in 2016, and together we've had the incredible opportunity to travel the world throughout his military career over the past decade. We are blessed with two wonderful boys, Brecken (7) and Griffin (5), who were both born in Germany, and we are excited to welcome a baby girl in May 2025. Currently, we are stationed in Maryland, where Theron works at the Pentagon for the U.S. Army.
I graduated from Dixon High School in 2011 and pursued Criminal Justice at Sauk Valley Community College on a basketball scholarship. While being a mom and wife brings me the greatest joy, I also love traveling, cooking, and visiting family in Illinois whenever we can.
For the past six years, l've been working remotely and have gained valuable experience in social media management. I'm incredibly grateful for the chance to bring my skill set to Brett's business, helping grow Trinity to its full potential.
I'm thankful for this opportunity and excited to see what the future holds for me at Trinity
Nick St. Ores
Business Strategist
Born and raised in Freeport, Illinois, I graduated from Aquin High School in 2005. In college I obtained: AS at Highland Community College in Freeport; BA of Business Administration at Ashford University in Clinton, IA; and Masters of Coaching & Athletic Administration at Concordia University in Irvine, CA. I'm proud to live in my hometown with my lovely wife, Erica, who is a second-grade teacher in the Forreston School District.
My journey with Trinity Financial began through an unexpected connection: my mom attended one of Brett's seminars and later introduced me to him. That meeting not only sparked a professional collaboration but also marked the start of an exciting opportunity to drive transformative results for our local businesses and communities.
I am a business strategy consultant with over 15 years of experience helping organizations across many industries scale and thrive. As the business strategist at Trinity Financial, I utilize my consulting expertise to turn visionary ideas into actionable strategies, uncovering opportunities, streamlining processes, and introducing innovative systems—all while ensuring that every initiative aligns with the company's commitment to exceptional face-to-face service and client relationships.
Outside of work, I enjoy staying active and spending time outdoors, whether it's traveling, gardening, hiking, coaching or playing sports, or exploring the local scenery. I'm passionate about personal development, including fitness, mental performance, and lifelong learning. When I'm not diving into a good book or refining my skills, you can often find my wife and I enjoying quality time with family and friends or supporting local community events.