Matt Meline

Matt Meline Sr., CFP, is the founder and CEO of PrairieFire Wealth Planning. With over 30 years of experience in financial services, Matt guides clients to focus on their dreams and values, in addition to their money, as the ultimate path to an improved quality of life. In 2019, he founded PrairieFire during his own empty nester journey. Inspired by the idea of a prairie fire sparking new growth by clearing remnants of the past, Matt’s approach helps families strip away old financial beliefs and preconceptions they’ve built up over time so they can focus on the goals that matter most with a clear, renewed sense of purpose.

After graduating from the University of Northern Iowa, Matt accidentally stepped into a finance career when he started working at a bank. He became a senior manager for various banking organizations, traveling throughout the Midwest. After being forced to terminate a bank teller for a minor infraction, he realized that he was sacrificing his own values for his job. The incident inspired him to become a financial planner and build his own practice inside larger financial institutions, with values, purpose, and mindfulness at the core.

Named a 40 Under 40 Business Leader, Matt is also an award-winning graduate of the Greater Des Moines Leadership Institute and a member of the Financial Planning Association. He is a passionate leader within his community. He currently serves as the board chairman for the Executive Board of the Greater Des Moines YMCA and has held leadership roles within Greater Des Moines’s Ingersoll Business Association, West Side Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Chamber of Commerce, and Joppa Homeless Outreach.

A tennis and pickle ball enthusiast, as well as an avid golfer, he has taken three-putting to a professional level now that his four kids have left the nest. Matt lives in Des Moines with his wife, Lisa. Learn more at prairiefirewealth.com.