Our Team

Diana Pedersen is our lead – Group Health Benefits Specialist for our practice.

She has been an awesome addition to our office and has already proven to be a valuable team player.

She has been a licensed agent since 2004 and specializes in Medicare, Group Health Benefits and Life Insurance.

Diana takes extreme care with our business partners, bringing Big Benefits to Small Businesses. She makes sure they receive a high level of customer service, all while saving money and streamlining the onboarding of their employees with their group benefits, helping with efficiency and training of the systems that we use. She has embraced change and technology and has very exciting value propositions to add to our existing partnerships and the new ones that we bring on.

In addition to handling our group business, Diana also handles all our Guided Medicare Solutions reviews. Diana is licensed and certified to offer Medicare Supplements and Medicare Advantage Plans in Washington and Idaho for retirees. She goes through multiple trainings each year to make sure that she understands Medicare’s changing rules and all our product offerings. Diana has a deep desire to help individuals with their Medicare needs and helping them understand their options under State, Federal & Private programs.

Diana prides herself on providing first class solutions for each business and personal client that she works with, as each have unique needs, depending on which stage of life they find themselves.

Diana spends her time enjoying the outdoors, golfing, fishing, camping and traveling.  Most of the time, you can find her doing all these activities with her husband, daughters and grandchildren.

Kirby Brown is the Vice President of Starr Investments & Benefits.

After graduating high school in the small town of Brewster Washington, Kirby spent 2 years at Wenatchee Valley Community College and transferred to Eastern Washington University.  He graduated there, with a degree in business administration with a focus in operations and human resources management.  He immediately entered the insurance and benefit’s industry in 1994, where he has spent the last 25 years.  He took a position as a sales director for a regional carrier managing 5 states, from 2004 to 2009. However, he missed working one on one with clients, and moved back to the retail side of the industry.  In 2018 he joined his current business partner, Jim Starr to create Starr Investments & Benefits and the team they now have. 

Kirby’s passion or his "WHY" do you do what you do?  To simply make a difference. "No one encouraged me to save while I was younger or educate me on investing early and options.  "Statistics from Morning Star say those who work with a financial advisor tend to retire with as much as 2.97 times more than those who don't." 

They are coaching and encouraging people every day to "stay the course" and stick to their plan to achieve their financial goals.  Helping business owners to provide a meaningful way both they and their employees can save for retirement with employer sponsored retirement plans.  Studies have shown that a 401K can represent upwards of 70% of an individual's total retirement. 

Kirby is also a licensed Insurance producer offering Annuity solutions when it fits and guarding against a sudden death or disability with quality products, he can access through his broker dealer. 

Kirby spends his spare time working outside and enjoying the outdoors, golfing, fishing and boating. 

Kirby is an active board member for Feed Spokane, a local non-profit that rescues quality food from restaurants and grocery stores from being thrown away and it's distributed in the form of meals to approximately 20,000 people a week in the Spokane area.  

He enjoys spending time with his wife of 30 years, Tracy and their beautiful growing family and looks forward to another 25 years in this ever-changing business!

Tyann Bennett is the Business Administrator and holds the position of Secretary for Starr Investments & Benefits. She truly is the heart and soul of our business and is one of a kind when it comes to communicating and caring for our clients. She literally is the face of our business and first contact with all of our clients and new relationships.  She has been here from day 1, and is our MVP. 

Tyann works closely with United Planners and their compliance department to make sure all our T's are crossed and I's dotted when completing all the rigorous paperwork required by FINRA and SEC to remain compliant with the ever changing regulations. 

She is also the Executive Assistant to Jim Starr and Kirby Brown and handles all the scheduling in the office and accounting.

Tyann hasn't always worked in the financial industry, although it may seem so.  After 25+ years in the dental industry as an Office Manager, Tyann went back to school and received her Accounting Clerks Certificate.  Upon graduating she was offered a position with Starr Investments & Benefits and went on to get her Washington State Life, Health and Annuity Licenses.

Tyann’s passion is to be able to provide outstanding, personal customer service for our clients, new and existing and to continue to learn about the ever-changing world of Investments and Benefits.

Outside of the office Tyann enjoys spending time with family & friends in the outdoors. You can often find them; camping, boating, Side by Side ATV riding, taking their family annual trip to the Oregon coast, or simply enjoying the summer sun at the lake with her best friend and sister Tracey, along with all the other family that makes it out there!  

She lives by, “You're never to old to go back to school, or start a new career at any stage of your life, always continue to learn!”  

Our Starr Investments & Benefits team can attest that Tyann has proven this to be true, time and time again!