Our Team

Mr. Schaper founded Benchmark Wealth Management in 2004 after working approximately 12 years with Washington Mutual (formerly Home Savings of America). Mr. Schaper held various positions in retail banking prior to transitioning to Financial Services in 1999. David has been an LPL Financial “Patriots Club” member for outstanding client service for the last several years.

Mr. Schaper specializes in helping people with income planning for and during their retirement years, with a personal focus on first responders. Critical to this is a 4-step planning process and proactive communication schedule between client and advisor. Dave has been married to his wife Heather for more than 20 years and they have two sons, Daniel and Ethan. Some of their hobbies are boating, camping, off-roading, skiing, travel and spending time with friends & family. David served as a Reserve Deputy with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department for almost 17 years, and now volunteers with Yavapai County Sheriff Office’s Auxiliary Force Patrol Group. He also served on the Finance Committee as a Director with the Anaheim Memorial Medical Center’s Charitable Foundation.

Mr. Schaper holds his Series 7, 63, 65 and 24 registrations through LPL Financial and Insurance licenses with the states of California, Arizona, Illinois and Colorado. David earned his Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor (CRPC) and Accredited Wealth Management Advisor credentials and designations from the College for Financial Planning in Denver, Co.

Mr. Kanitra is a founding member of the Benchmark Wealth Management team. Prior to this Brent worked in the Financial Services field for 17 years at Washington Mutual (formerly Home Savings of America) and City National Bank. Brent has developed an acute sense of what the individual investor and small business owner require to manage their personal finances.

Mr. Kanitra’s primary areas of expertise include retirement income and estate planning. Brent positions himself to be the primary advocate for his clients’ investment needs. He uses the vast network of contacts he has built over the past 20 years to find strategies that are economical and custom tailored to each client.

Mr. Kanitra and his wife Katharine consider themselves blessed to live and work in the community they were born and raised in and know to be the best in the world, Southern California. Brent is an avid golfer and actively involved with the Fullerton Men’s Golf Club as well as the Southern California Golf Association.

Mr. Kanitra is a Certified Financial Planner, CFP® and holds his Series 7 and 63 through LPL Financial and Insurance licenses in the states of California, New York, Texas, and Arizona.

Mark has always had a passion for investments. Originally from Boston, Mark moved to California in 1989 where he worked his way through college. He has worked in the Financial Services industry for the past ten years while his wife Nancy works in special education.

In addition to his finance degree from the California State University, Mark holds the series 7, the series 66 with LPL Financial, and the State of California Life Insurance license. Mark, his wife Nancy, and their three sons live in Brea where the boys play baseball and soccer.

A financial advisor since 1997, Bisi brings to Benchmark Wealth Management a broad knowledge of the markets and various financial products gained through his experience working for top financial institutions including Morgan Stanley and Citibank.

His investment philosophy is simple yet profound; “It’s preservation of principal before profits” understanding many people’s fears about investing and losing capital, Bisi takes a moderate, diligent approach to investing, making sure his clients are fully informed of their options and comfortable with his guidance-leaving little room for rash decisions.

There is no doubt about Bisi’s level of commitment to the success of his clients-his sincerity and obvious passion for his work are what he considers to be the key to making a positive difference in clients’ financial lives.

Before Bisi Joined Benchmark Wealth Management as a financial advisor, he was an auditor and a supervisory accountant. He earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting from California State University, Dominguez Hills, and holds a California Life and Health Insurance license. He also holds the following securities registrations and professional designations through LPL Financial: Series 63, 65, 7

Dan holds a dual role within the Benchmark team, both helping other advisors with practice management and helping clients establish goals and creating financial plans.

On the practice management side, Dan helps other advisors with processes, technology, and best practice habits. The goal is to simplify the day-to-day calendar for each affiliated office.

In addition, Dan works with a select group of clients to figure out their ‘big picture’ dreams and goals, then plan accordingly. To Dan, the best part of working with clients is striving to create solutions for a full and rich life – at whatever stage they find themselves.

In 2019, Dan earned his CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ marks. The CFP® certification program involves the completion of a rigorous education component and the CFP® board requires the candidate to pass a comprehensive 6-hour examination. Dan holds a California Life and Health Insurance license and FINRA Series 7, 24, 63, and 65 licenses through LPL Financial.

When away from the office, Dan enjoys spending time with his wife Rachel, daughter Sydney and son Luke. Dan and Rachel are both UC Santa Barbara graduates and enjoy travelling with the family.

Steven Lakso began his Financial Advisor career in 2001 with Edward Jones and joined LPL Financial in 2012. In 2019, he joined Benchmark Wealth Management with a desire to focus more attention on his clients with complex financial planning needs.

Steven has focused his career on assisting individual investors, “find the balance between saving, investing and living their lives to the fullest.” He became a financial advisor because, “the learning never ends.” He has a passion for simplifying the complex topics of finance and risk for his clients. He realized his true passion was in helping others obtain the American dream of financial independence.

Steven attended Western High School in Anaheim where he met his future wife Shana and received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management in 2000 from the University of Phoenix while working in the printing industry as a Plant Manager and outside Sales Representative.

In a search for continuous professional improvement, Steven earned his CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ marks in 2016. The CFP® certification program involves a rigorous 2-year educational program and requires successfully passing a comprehensive examination. The CFP® certification has allowed Steven to increase his investment knowledge base and service abilities to his clients. This is in addition to the CFP® marks, Steven holds a California Life and Health insurance license and Series 7, 63 and 66 licenses through LPL Financial.

Away from the office Steven enjoys woodworking projects, travelling with friends, skiing, golfing and boating. Steven and Shana live in Huntington Beach and are both 2nd generation natives of Orange County. Their daughter Stephanie recently graduated from UCLA with a degree in Economics.

April joined the Benchmark team in the Spring of 2022 to provide high touch, personal attention to our valued clients. April’s background includes experience in the equipment leasing space and she most recently worked with another LPL Financial office.

One of April’s best attributes is her strong interpersonal skill set along with being an excellent listener. She enjoys being a team player and collaborating with others to solve quickly and efficiently anything that comes her way.

In 2023, April earned her Financial Paraplanning Qualified Professional™ and FPQP® designation. April holds a California Life and Health Insurance License and FINRA Series 6 and 63 licenses through LPL Financial.

Outside of the office, April enjoys spending time with her four children, watching football and spending time at the beach.