About the Heart of Advice

Josh Belfiore

Joshua Belfiore is a Senior Product Manager for Advanced Planning at eMoney. Formerly, he spent over seven years at Merrill Lynch as a financial advisor to institutions and high-net-worth families, including current and former executives of Fortune 100 companies. Joshua led the financial planning efforts for several private wealth teams, was a member of PIMCO's executive advisory board in his capacity as a Merrill Lynch financial advisor – focused on increasing synergies between wealth and asset managers - and frequently consulted with Bank of America Merrill Lynch leadership on driving innovations in wealth management. Joshua earned his undergraduate degree in Philosophy from Salve Regina University in Newport, RI, and is an active member of the alumni communities at Salve Regina as well as his high school alma mater, Canterbury School.

Bill Bachrach, CSP, CPAE

An esteemed author, speaker, and training provider, Bill Bachrach is one of the world’s most sought-after resources for successful financial advisors who seek to be at the top of their profession in terms of client service, business success, and personal quality of life. Creator of the Values-Based Financial Planning™ turn-key business model, financial advisors from around the world travel to work with him and his team of expert faculty and accountability coaches to implement his trademarked business framework. Harnessing the latest technology and artificial intelligence, Bill’s team recently launched the AdvisorRoadmap Virtual Training Platform. This self-guided, online learning system is packed with interactive training courses, videos, scripts, demonstrations, and high-value resources to help you master the repeatable processes that are crucial to acquiring and serving ideal clients. Throughout his career, Bachrach has penned a number of industry bestsellers including Values-Based Selling; The Art of Building High-Trust Client Relationships, Values-Based Financial Planning, High-Trust Leadership, and The Confident Advisor. In addition, his articles have been published in some of the most reputable financial services publications around the world.

Marci Bair CFP®

Marci Bair, CFP®, President & Founder of Bair Financial Planning is a native of San Diego and a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional with over 29 years of experience in working with Females in Leadership, LGBTQ+ families and progressive Business Owners to help them work towards their goals and pursue what's important to them. On the weekends you can find Marci and her wife enjoying the San Diego weather, and watching their kids play in their football or basketball games, or on the golf course. Marci Bair is a Registered Representative with and securities offered through LPL Financial, Member FINRA/SIPC. Investment Advice offered through WCG Wealth Advisors, a Registered Investment Advisor. WCG Wealth Advisors and Bair Financial Planning are separate entities from LPL Financial.

Josh Bennett, CFP®, EA

Josh Bennett, CFP®, EA, is managing partner of Vincere Wealth and founder of Vincere Tax. He's an unashamed personal finance nerd and an Investopedia Top 100 advisor. After graduating from Indiana University, he became a Certified Financial Planner™ professional to ensure he could guide the financial health of others. He started Vincere Wealth in 2017 as a fee-only practice dedicated to helping families and businesses keep and grow their wealth. The firm aims to help each client live their best life and create a work-optional lifestyle.

Colby Bircher

Colby Bircher is a Vice President and Charitable Planning Consultant at Fidelity Charitable®, an independent public charity. The mission of Fidelity Charitable is to grow the American tradition of philanthropy by providing programs that make charitable giving accessible, simple, and effective. Mrs. Bircher assumed her current role in 2017. In this role, Mrs. Bircher is a premier resource for charitable planning in the Northwest region. She is responsible for building relationships with advisors, enhancing their understanding of Fidelity Charitable’s donor-advised fund program, and discussing ways to incorporate charitable giving into clients' overall financial and wealth management plans.

Patti Brennan CFP®

A graduate of Georgetown University and a Certified Financial Planner (CFP), Patti Brennan is different. Not only does she provide comprehensive wealth management as President & CEO of Key Financial Inc., she and her team create integrated strategies that are unique for each client. Patti is not just a number cruncher. She has the ability to see the impact of small details in the big picture, and is known for communicating complex, financial concepts into simple, meaningful terms. Patti is a believer in giving back and currently resides on the boards of Brandywine Valley YMCA, Cuddle My Kids, Penn Medicine Chester County Hospital, and eMoney Advisory.

Daniel Bryant

Daniel Bryant is a thought leader, author, adjunct lecturer, entrepreneur, philanthropist, Iron Man, and CEO. He has a BA in Government and Spanish from Dartmouth College and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. After a successful career in investment banking and private equity, Daniel co-founded institutional investment consulting company Sheridan Road Financial which was subsequently sold to Hub International. Currently Daniel is an Operating Partner at private equity firm, Vistria Group, and sits on a number of corporate boards including TMG. Over his career Daniel has consulted with thousands of companies and been a thought leader around financial wellness and financial technology to help drive better health, financial, and life outcomes for individuals. His best-selling book, The Financial Wellness Mandate, and forthcoming book, The Financial Wellness Effect, detail the successes and solutions to achieving financial freedom.

Joe Buhrmann CFP®, CLU®, ChFC®

Joe serves as a Senior Financial Planning Practice Management Consultant at eMoney Advisor. With more than three decades in the financial services industry, Joe aligns his know-how and passion to help firms of all sizes increase usage, adoption, and engagement through a modern financial planning experience. He leverages his expertise and supports internal departments across the enterprise, helping Communications, Marketing, Relationship Management, and Sales. Joe attended Illinois State University, where he received his bachelor’s degree in Applied Computer Science and his MBA.

Mary Bell Carlson, Ph.D., CFP®, AFC®

Mary Bell Carlson, Ph.D., CFP®, AFC® is a financial behavior expert who has helped hundreds of people improve their personal finances and inspired other professionals to improve their communication skills. After getting married and having children, she started Chief Financial Mom.com, a personal finance education platform to help busy moms. She teaches in the financial planning programs at University of Georgia and Texas Tech and serves on the board of George Mason University’s Financial Planning and Wealth Management program. Mary is also the co-host of Real Money, Real Experts, a podcast covering real stories about how financial counselors and coaches impact their clients and can grow their businesses. She earned her Ph.D. from Kansas State University in financial planning with an emphasis in financial therapy. She also has a master’s degree in financial planning from Texas Tech University and a degree in political science from Brigham Young University.

Rita Cheng CFP® RICP®

Marguerita (Rita) Cheng helps educate the public, policy makers, and media about the benefits of competent, ethical financial planning. As a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® professional, Rita helps people meet their life goals through the proper management of financial resources. She is passionate about helping them navigate some of life’s most difficult issues—divorce, death, career changes, caring for aging relatives—so they can feel confident and in control of their finances. Rita is a regular columnist for Investopedia and Kiplinger, and a past spokesperson for the AARP Financial Freedom Campaign. Rita volunteers her time as a SoleMate, or charity runner for Girls on the Run, raising money to win scholarships for girls. She is also a coach for 261Fearless, a global supportive social running network which empowers women to connect and take control of their lives through the freedom gained by running.

Dr. Preston Cherry, CFT-I™, CFP®

Dr. Cherry is the Founder & President of Concurrent Financial Planning, LLC, a comprehensive financial planning firm that helps households and business owners achieve Life Money Balance™. Dr. Cherry serves as Assistant Professor of Finance and Head of the Personal Financial Planning Program at the University of Wisconsin – Green Bay. His research surrounds personality traits and financial uncertainty risks. Over 14 years, he has served in lead financial planning roles and RIA co-investment manager of $120M in firm assets. Dr. Cherry has also served in institutional retirement sales, as a mutual fund wholesaler, and serves as a financial advisor coach for Carson Group Coaching. His degrees include an MS and Ph.D. in Personal Financial Planning from Texas Tech University, B.B.A. in Finance from Prairie View A & M University and serves as President-Elect for the Financial Therapy Association, serves on the CFP Board Education Council, and the Boards of the Association of African American Advisors Foundation, and the Green Bay Economic Development Board for the Green Bay Chamber of Commerce. Dr. Cherry also serves on the Partners Committee for the Wisconsin Chapter of Financial Planning Association.

Chad Chubb CFP®, CSLP®

Chad Chubb is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) and Certified Student Loan Professional (CSLP®). He is the founder and lead advisor for WealthKeel LLC, located in Philadelphia and specializing in helping Gen X & Gen Y physicians across the United States. He has been quoted by CNBC, Fobes, and Yahoo for his work with physicians. Recently, Chad was a speaker at the first-ever Kitces Summit for his work on using SEO to build a brand and a firm. In 2020, he was named to the InvestmentNews 2020 class of 40 Under 40, and earlier this year, he was named to Financial Advisor Magazine Top 10 Young Advisors to Watch in 2021.

Ed Coambs, MBA, MA, MS, CFP®, CFT-I™, LMFT

Ed Coambs, MBA, MA, MS, CFP®, CFT-I™, LMFT, is an internationally recognized thought leader in financial therapy who has been cited by the Wall Street Journal, the Associated Press, Time, and CNBC. He leads couples through therapy from financial despair and frustration into financial intimacy and connection using the latest in love and brain science. He earned master's degrees in business, counseling, and financial planning. He is a licensed marriage and family therapist, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, and Certified Financial Therapist™. Ed is the founder of HealthyLoveandMoney.com an organization on a mission to help couples transform their relationship through learning, healing, and growing. He offers books, courses, blogs, and podcasts through this website, all aimed at helping couples understand where their relationship and money challenges come from and what they can do to change.

Scott Cognato

Scott Cognato is a Senior Technical Product Manager at eMoney. As a PM, he focuses on continually improving the best of breed Aggregation system, from architecture to end user experience, so that advisors and their clients don't need to. Scott's professional passion is to de-jargon FinTech and make even the most technical problems approachable to anyone interested. Outside of the office, Scott is an outdoor enthusiast, and can often be found mountain biking, road biking, or hiking throughout the Sierra Foothills he calls home with his family, friends, and Husky named Wolfy (his adopted name that fit too perfectly to change!).

Dan Cohen

Dan Cohen serves as Manager of Sales at eMoney where he focuses on the acquisition of new clients. Leading a team of 10+ sales reps, Dan directs the strategy and execution of all new sales in the U.S. Prior to joining eMoney, Dan led all North American customer acquisition at Vistaprint Corporate Solutions, where his team grew revenue 1900%. He earned his MBA from the University of Rhode Island in 2019.

Jedidiah Collins CFP®

Former NFL player who realized he was financially illiterate with his first big paycheck. Studying for the CFP® while playing in the NFL was the beginning of his passion, and today Jedidiah is a thought leader in the financial literacy space. He is the best-selling author of Your Money Vehicle, an adjunct professor of personal finance, and founder of the education-only company, Money Vehicle—providing virtual courses that teach high school and college students how to BEGIN a plan!

Meg Curry CFP®

With an undergraduate degree in computer science from Boston University, Meg began working in the financial services industry after the tech bubble burst in 2001. She went on to earn a master’s degree in financial planning and a graduate certificate in taxation from Bentley University and is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER (CFP®). Meg is passionate about empowering people to make good choices for themselves and helping them plan for future opportunities. She believes that if her clients understand the impact of their financial decisions, they can make better ones.

Joanne Del Signore

Joanne Del Signore is the Head of People Experience at eMoney playing an essential role in creating and nurturing our strong culture; one that lets people perform at their best while achieving strategic objectives. She and her team support eMoney’s most important asset—its people—and the functions that help the organization thrive. She works with business leaders to build and manage a People Experience organization that reflects and supports the dynamic needs of the business.

Kelly DiGonzini CFP®, MST

As the Director of Financial Planning for Beacon Pointe Advisors, Kelly is responsible for helping the firm’s private clients determine and meet their financial and estate planning goals. Prior to joining Beacon Pointe Advisors, Kelly spent years doing financial planning at MetLife for individuals and small business owners. She graduated from Gonzaga University School of Business with a concentration in Business Law, and earned her Master of Science in Taxation (MST) degree from William Howard Taft University. Kelly received her Personal Financial Planning certification from the University of California Irvine and is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™. Kelly is very passionate about financial education.

Rachel Eccles

Rachel joined eMoney in 2017 with an extensive background in B2B marketing, leading high performing teams and delivering differentiated brand experiences. She has more than 15 years of experience working with organizations of all sizes to design and execute integrated and performance-driven marketing strategies that connect audiences, elicit emotion, and drive growth and market share. As Senior Vice President, Marketing, Rachel oversees all areas of the company’s brand awareness and demand generation initiatives with a focus on driving customer acquisition, retention, and revenue growth.

John Eing, CFP®, CPA, MBA

John Eing, CFP®, CPA, MBA, is the chief strategy officer and a partner at Quantum Financial Advisors in southern California. As a financial advisor, John is passionate about helping his clients thrive by bringing clarity to their financial lives and allowing them to do what they love most. He also serves as the co-chair of NAPFA's Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Committee and was recently recognized by the editors of Financial Planning magazine as one of the 22 professionals who will transform wealth management in 2022. John earned his MBA from the Anderson School of Management at UCLA, and a B.A. in economics from UC Berkeley.

Dennis Elias CFP®, CPWA®, CLU®

Dennis Elias has worked in the Financial Advising industry since 2015. Dennis recently joined Andersen as a Senior Associate and looks forward to continuing his passion for providing clients a one-of-a-kind experience, while also continuing to build his work in the community. Prior to joining Andersen, Dennis started his career at AFS Financial Group, where he became one of three advisors and specialized in the growth of their wealth planning services and working with NextGen clients. Dennis earned his BS at Virginia Tech, majoring in Finance, with a concentration in financial planning. Dennis is a CFP® professional and Chartered Life Underwriter®. Additionally, Dennis recently attained the Certified Private Wealth Advisor® certification. He is a member of the FPA and volunteers for Britepaths and the Foundation for Financial Planning in the Northern Virginia area. When he is not helping people achieve their own form of financial freedom, Dennis enjoys exploring new cities, keeping himself active, and bringing friends and family along on his travels.

Aja Evans

Aja Evans is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor who specializes in financial therapy. Armed with eternal optimism and an empathetic approach, she has been in the mental health industry for over a decade. She is on a mission to get more people engaged in living their best life while attuning to their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors around money. Whether she is seeing clients, writing, or helping companies empower their employees to have more thoughtful conversations, money and emotions will definitely be on the agenda.

Gregory A. Furer CFP®

Gregory is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Beratung Advisors. Beratung Advisors focuses on planning for their clients and believes the future of the industry is driven by fees for advice and not asset management. Gregory is passionate about planning and spends time advocating and educating on behalf of financial planning. He believes this is a noble profession and when financial planners get better the world gets better.

Mac Gardner CFP®

Mac Gardner has served in the financial services industry for more than 20 years. His passion for financial literacy led him to publish his first book, “Motivate Your Money!" in 2013. As his family grew and his clients began to ask him for ways to teach their kids about managing money he decided to use elements from his first book to develop a financial literacy platform for young children. The Four Money Bears represent the four basic functions of money. When children gain exposure to money management skills at an early age they are likely to develop healthy financial planning habits as adults. Mac is a true believer in the power of stories. He wants every child to know the story of “The Four Money Bears" and the benefits of sound money management for generations to come.

Sasha Grabenstetter, AFC®, BFA™

Sasha Grabenstetter, AFC®, BFA™ is a Financial Planning Education Consultant at eMoney Advisor. She is an integral part of the internal and external financial planning education programs, as well as financial planning content development. Sasha won the 2020 Outstanding Symposium Practitioners' Forum Award from the Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education. She previously co-authored “Apple Seed: A Student Guide to Pro Bono Financial Planning” and “All My Money: Change for the Better.” With close to 10 years in financial education, Sasha received her AFC® designation in 2015 and graduated with her master’s degree from Texas Tech University in 2012.

Josh Griffin, MBA, AIF®, CFS®

Josh Griffin, MBA, AIF®, CFS® is a wealth advisor with Ascent Financial Group in Colorado, helping clients pursue their ideal retirement. Josh began his career in the financial services industry in 2004, with Sigma Financial/Parkland Securities. There he served as the Director of Sigma Planning Corporation. The greater involvment in financial planning led to his role as a full-time financial advisor. In addition to his finance degree, Josh pursued an MBA, became an Accredited Investmet Fiduciary (AIF), and obtained the Certified Funds Specialist (CFS) desigation.

Derek Hagen, CFP®, CFA, CFT-I™, FBS®, CIPM

Derek Hagen, CFP®, CFA, CFT-I™, FBS®, CIPM is a financial psychology expert specializing in meaning in life and helping clients who feel stuck. He supports financial health, mindset change, and intentional living by helping people understand their beliefs, values, and thinking patterns to help them live a life of meaning and purpose. He writes about the psychology of money and meaningful living using simple sketches on his Meaningful Money blog. He has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Nerd’s Eye View, Standard Deviations Podcast, Human Side of Money Podcast, Business Insider, and the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Meg Hanington, EPC

Meg Hanington, EPC, co-founder of Beacon Partners and co-host of the business streaming TV show, GetReal!, began her career at Merrill Lynch where she honed her skills in critical thinking, technology, marketing, and business development. Subsequent to this experience, she spent several years supporting successful independent financial advisors as they strengthened and grew their businesses before ultimately co-founding Beacon Partners where she knew she could achieve more independence, autonomy, flexibility, financial stability, and choice to serve her ideal clients. Meg delights in helping her advisor clients become re-energized, excited, and motivated. Her guidance helps them to refocus on why they became an advisor in the first place.

James Hargrave

James Hargrave, the Director of Financial Planning at My Financial Coach, brings professional experience in financial planning from his history of working in the banking, investing, and fin-tech industries. He currently has his Master's in Business Administration, CFP®, and the CLU®. Though proud of these accomplishments, the desire to better oneself, have integrity, and help those around him are instilled as guiding principles for life decisions.

Brandon Heid CFP®

Brandon is a Practice Management Consultant in eMoney's Financial Planning Group. In his role, he provides detailed assessments and recommendations for firms looking to enhance their use of the eMoney platform and incorporate interactive financial planning into their practice. He works closely with Sales, Training, and Relationship Management departments to assist prospects and active users, as well as develop internal talent. He helps coordinate eMoney’s University Program, working with instructors, program directors, and students in over 70 CFP Board registered programs across the country. Prior to eMoney, he spent time on both the institutional and retail side of TD Ameritrade, in multiple business development roles.

Abbey Henderson CFP® RLP® CPCC®

Abbey Henderson has worked in financial planning for over 20 years. A wealth advisor and coach, she holds an MBA and a Master of Science in Finance as well as the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, Master Registered Life Planner (RLP®), and Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC®) certifications. In her practice, Abbey marries the art and science of financial planning to deliver an exceptional client experience. She is passionate about helping people establish the financial confidence to know that everything is on track—from managing their money, to sending their kids to school, to planning for retirement.

Melissa Henderson

Melissa Henderson is the Director of Thought Leadership for Fidelity Investments. In this role Melissa conducts research and develops content on the wealth management industry to help Fidelity Institutional clients think differently about the future of their business. Her work centers around investor behavior and financial planning, and is delivered to Fidelity clients, investors and public through industry conferences, client events, social media and promotional channels. Melissa is working towards her CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification and received her Master in Business Administration from McGill University.

Jason J. Howell, CFP®, CPWA®, CSRIC®

Jason J. Howell, CFP®, CPWA®, CSRIC®, is president of Jason Howell Company, a family wealth management firm that uses Sustainable, Responsible & Impact Investing (SRI) to develop family leaders into patriarchs, matriarchs, and stakeholders of their local communities. Jason is also the author of JOY of Financial Planning: 7 Strategies for Transforming your Finances and Reclaiming your American Dream. He helps educate the next generation as an adjunct instructor for George Mason University's School of Business Financial Planning and Wealth Management (FPWM) concentration and the inaugural Council Chair for the FPWM Advisory Board. His professional career spans years in retail banking, corporate accounting, personal finance, politics, and long-shot attempts to make stars out of unsigned musicians. His mission is to bring the best of ultra-high-net-worth family financial planning to this generation's regular-net-worth families.

Dr. Russell James, J.D., Ph.D., CFP®

Russell James, J.D., Ph.D., CFP® is a professor in the Department of Personal Financial Planning at Texas Tech University. He holds the CH Foundation Chair in Personal Financial Planning and directs the on-campus and online graduate program in Charitable Financial Planning. Additionally, he is an adjunct professor at the Texas Tech University School of Law where he teaches Charitable Gift Planning. Dr. James has over 150 publications in academic journals, conference proceedings, and books. These predominantly focus on statistical analysis and experimental research related to gifts, estates, and property. He has been quoted on charitable and financial issues in a variety of news sources including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, ABC News, U.S. News & World Report, USA Today, the Associated Press, Bloomberg News and The Chronicle of Philanthropy.

Beth Jones RLP®, AIF®, CeFT®

Beth began her entrepreneurial career in graphic design in the early 1980s in Poughkeepsie, NY, and was the owner and creative director of the award-winning design firm B. Jones & Co. After a move to New York City in 1997 she was a consultant in the investment banking division at Goldman Sachs and Co. Beth then transitioned out of corporate life to work with individuals at an independent financial advisory firm for several years. Frustrated by traditional financial services’ lack of focus on the client, she and Susan created Third Eye Associates, Ltd. in 2005 to provide clients with a holistic approach to Financial Life Planning and Wealth Management. Beth's professional credentials include membership in the Financial Planning Association, the Kinder Institute of Life Planning, and the Sudden Money® Institute, where she serves on the advisory board. She has completed the Life Planning curriculum in the Kinder EVOKE® Method, a life-centered approach to financial planning. Beth has studied Financial Transition Planning at the Sudden Money® Institute and completed the Mastery program in early 2013. She has completed the Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF®) curriculum through the Center for Fiduciary Studies, associated with the University of Pittsburgh Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business. Beth is a Certified Financial Transitionist® (CeFT®), a Registered Life Planner (RLP®), and an Investment Adviser Representative of Third Eye Associates, Ltd., a Registered Investment Adviser. An active citizen in her community, Beth has generously shared her skills and vision with numerous non-profit organizations. She strongly supports the preservation of the rural character and architecture of her town and is a former President of Historic Red Hook. Beth is also a former board member of SAGE―Services and Advocacy for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Elders in New York City and a former Treasurer of Dutchess County Democratic Committee.

Bryna Kanarek

Bryna has worked in the financial services industry for over 40 years helping clients through all stages of life. She has a lifelong commitment to learning and professional growth and feels her greatest accomplishment is happy and confident clients. Bryna works with her clients to replace financial fears with confidence and assuredness through education, planning, and strategizing together. She is a member of the Society of Financial Service Professionals, the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA) and a Registered Representative since 1981.

Bradley T. Klontz, Psy.D., CFP®

Bradley T. Klontz, Psy.D., CFP® is an expert in financial psychology, financial planning, and applied behavioral finance. He’s an Associate Professor of Practice at Creighton University Heider College of Business, Co-Founder of the Financial Psychology Institute, and Managing Principal of Your Mental Wealth Advisors. In addition to Money Mammoth, Dr. Klontz is co-author/co-editor of numerous other books related to financial health and psychology. He has been a columnist for several professional magazines and journals and his work has been featured on many media outlets. He was awarded the Innovative Practice Presidential Citation from the American Psychological Association for his application of psychological interventions to help people with money and wealth issues and his innovative practice in financial psychology for practitioners across the country.

Dr. Emily Koochel

Dr. Emily Koochel is an experienced financial professional, academic, and researcher. She currently serves as a leader for eMoney Advisor’s Financial Education and Wellness initiatives in her role as the Senior Financial Planning Education Consultant. Dr. Koochel’s PhD in Applied Family Science and Master’s in Financial Planning provide a multidisciplinary lens to inform her work where she focuses on understanding the effect of financial behaviors and financial decision making on personal and financial wellness. She serves as a subject matter expert in the field, reviewing and authoring peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, and contributing to public scholarship. Most notably, she served as a co-author for the CFP Board’s book – The Psychology of Financial Planning - and was awarded 2020 Outstanding Research Journal Article of the Year by the Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education. She holds the Certified Financial Therapist – I designation and is an Accredited Financial Counselor.

Taylor Kovar

Before becoming the founder and CEO of Kovar Wealth Management in Lufkin, Texas, in 2014, Taylor Kovar, CFP®, found success in his career as a healthcare technology executive, and later, as an investment advisor at Merrill Lynch. He and his wife, Megan (who is also his high school sweetheart), have experience working with families and newlyweds and have seen firsthand how money can affect a marriage. They were entrusted with The Money Couple brand in 2020 to help others avoid divorce and overcome financial struggles with an ever-growing variety of resources.

Dennis Ladd

Dennis Ladd is a Vice President and Charitable Planning Consultant at Fidelity Charitable®, an independent public charity that has helped donors support more than 357,000 nonprofit organizations with $61 billion in grants.1 The mission of Fidelity Charitable® is to grow the American tradition of philanthropy by providing programs that make charitable giving accessible, simple, and effective. Mr. Ladd assumed his current role in 2020. In this role, Mr. Ladd is a premier resource for charitable planning in the New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut region. He is responsible for building relationships with advisors to enhance their understanding of Fidelity Charitable’s donor-advised fund program and discuss ways to strategically incorporate philanthropy into clients' overall financial and wealth management plans. Prior to joining Fidelity Charitable, Mr. Ladd served as a Managing Director at Foundation Source, the nation’s largest provider of comprehensive support services for private foundations. For much of his career prior to Foundation Source, Dennis worked with FactSet Research Systems, a company which provides financial data and analytic tools. Mr. Ladd currently serves as an Advisory Board at the Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens in Stamford, CT. He enjoys volunteering with the University of Vermont Alumni Admissions Representative and Career Networker; Project Homefront, a volunteer-driven community home repair program; and a school mentoring program in Norwalk, CT.

Joy Lere, Psy.D.

Dr. Joy Lere is a licensed clinical psychologist and behavioral finance consultant who practices where Freud meets finance. She has previously served as an Associate Clinical Professor in Clinical Psychology at George Washington University and has held research and clinical positions with Penn Medicine Princeton Health, the Department of Defense, and Children's National Medical Center.

Steve Levis CFP®

Steve Levis, CFP®, SVP, Financial Planning, leads the Practice Management Team within eMoney's Financial Planning Group. Steve helps new and existing firms succeed with the eMoney platform by leveraging its capabilities to the greatest extent within their practices. During his eMoney career, Steve has led the Customer Service, Financial Planning, Tech Support and Training teams at various times, in addition to countless hours assisting advisors and their teams.

Jess Liberi

Working closely with financial advisors and advisory firms, Jess immerses herself in their world to fully understand them and their clients' needs. Jess has focused on the growth and evolution of the financial services industry, its advisors, and the clients they serve to deliver a comprehensive and competitive suite of solutions.

Meghaan Lurtz, Ph.D., FBS™

Meghaan Lurtz, Ph.D., FBS™ is a professor of practice at Kansas State University, where she teaches courses for the Advanced Financial Planning Certificate Program, a lecturer at Columbia University, where she teaches financial psychology, and an undergraduate adjunct professor through the University of Maryland system in their CFP® program. Dr. Lurtz is also a writer and senior research associate with Kitces.com, a financial planning blog. She is also a past president of the Financial Therapy Association. Dr. Lurtz’s research interests vary as she studies both practitioners of financial planning as well as financial planning and financial therapy practices and interventions. Her research and expertise have been featured in Journal of Financial Planning, Journal of Consumer Affairs, Financial Planning Review, Wall Street Journal, BBC, Million Dollar Roundtable, and New York Magazine. She has also contributed chapters to the CFP Board’s textbook, Psychology of Financial Planning.

Duncan MacPherson

Duncan is the CEO of Pareto Systems, an industry leading business development firm dedicated to the elite professionals and companies within the knowledge-for-profit sector. Duncan and his team of consultants work with professionals in a wide range of fields including Financial Services, Insurance, Accounting, Legal, Mortgage, and Consulting to create predictable, sustainable, and duplicable businesses. Pareto Systems is well known for its approach which is based on best practices and for its focus on implementation. As a speaker in high demand, Duncan travels extensively throughout North America and around the world, conveying dynamic and fact rich presentations that have made him a popular spokesperson for the knowledge–for-profit industry. Duncan’s expertise in demystifying business development and marketing in the financial world has universal appeal; from the high-level advisor to the successful wholesaler, to corporate financial institutions. Duncan’s primary goal is to help Professionals achieve liberation and order in their businesses through step-by-step methodology and execution. Duncan is also an industry author and has written two best-selling books: Breakthrough Business Development, Take Your Business to THE NEXT LEVEL, and the recently released The Advisor Playbook. Achieving a business breakthrough is done by design, not by luck or chance. Duncan offers a clear plan to take your business to the next level. Beyond the office, Duncan loves spending time with his wife and two sons. They enjoy the four-seasons playground they call home in beautiful Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. He enjoys staying active with recreational activities such as golf, tennis, and skiing.

Cam Marston

Cam Marston is the leading expert on the impact of generational change and its impact on the workplace and marketplace. As an author, columnist, blogger, and lecturer, he imparts a clear understanding of how generational demographics are changing the landscape of business. Marston and his firm, Generational Insights, have provided research and consultation on generational issues to hundreds of companies and professional groups, ranging from small businesses to multinational corporations, as well as major professional associations, for over 20 years.

Chris Mauriello

Chris Mauriello, Financial Planning Practice Management Consultant, has been helping eMoney clients at every level for 6 years. Starting as a Customer Service Rep, Chris’s passion for helping advisors implement and use eMoney led him to become a Client Success Coach, then a member of the Live Training Team, and ultimately to his current position, where he helps firms scale their planning services to deliver more personal, impactful advice.

Gwendaline Mazzara

Gwendaline Mazzara is a vice president of practice management and consulting at Fidelity Institutional (FI), the Fidelity Investments business that offers financial professionals and institutions access to the investment, technology, and platform solutions they need to service their clients and grow their businesses. Fidelity Investments is a leading provider of investment management, retirement planning, portfolio guidance, brokerage, benefits outsourcing, and other financial products and services to institutions, financial intermediaries, and individuals. In this role, Ms. Mazzara helps registered investment advisors, multi-family offices, and broker-dealers grow their business by leveraging marketing, public relations, and sales strategies. She also provides custom business consulting and develops and delivers proprietary practice management programs. Prior to joining Fidelity, Ms. Mazzara served as managing director for a boutique alternative investments market research firm, where she was responsible for building out their European division. She also served as a senior sales executive at SS&C Technologies, selling front-middle-back offices systems to asset managers and hedge funds. She started her career in Silicon Valley, working in both tech startups and Fortune 500 consumer product companies, such as Mattel and Sony, growing and managing international sales, overseeing product development, brand development, and marketing. Ms. Mazzara earned her bachelor of arts degree from Smith College and her master of business administration degree from the University of California, Berkley. She also holds the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) Series 7 and 63 licenses.

Dr. Megan McCoy, Ph.D., LMFT, AFC®, CFT-I™

Dr. Megan McCoy, Ph.D., LMFT, AFC®, CFT-I™, works in the Financial Planning Department in the College of Health and Human Sciences at Kansas State University where she serves as an Assistant Professor and the Program Director for the Financial Planning Master’s Program. She is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, an Accredited Financial Counselor®, and a Certified Financial Therapist-I™. Megan has a B.A. in Psychology from The University of North Carolina and a M.A. in Marriage and Family Therapy from Drexel University. She also attended the University of Georgia, earning a Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Science with an emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy and a specialization in financial counseling and financial therapy practices. Megan volunteers on the Financial Therapy Association's Board of Directors and is the Associate Editor of the Journal of Financial Therapy. Her research focuses on financial therapy, financial self-efficacy, as well as diversity, equity, and inclusion within financial planning. Megan’s work has been published in top tier mental health, human development and family science, and financial academic journals.

Stephanie McElheny CFP®

Stephanie is the President of Wealth Planning at Aspen Wealth Strategies. A CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional with more than 10 years of industry experience, she is incredibly passionate about identifying opportunities and implementing comprehensive financial planning solutions for both individuals and businesses. As a Chartered Special Needs Consultant™ and Enrolled Agent, her specific expertise includes special-needs planning as well as individual and business taxation. Stephanie is also a proud “Retirement Adventure Roadmap" guide, helping clients discover their best retirement.

Max Mintz

Max Mintz is a Partner and Financial Planner at Common Interests, a holistic financial advisory firm specializing in Sustainable, Responsible and Impact Investing. Common Interests is a Certified B Corp®, a designation the firm pursued to demonstrate verified commitment to social and environmental responsibility, and track their progress over time. In 2019, Max was honored as a “40 under 40” advisor by InvestmentNews, which he ascribes to the firm’s commitment democratizing access to both financial services and impact investing.

Chloe Moore

Chloé A. Moore, CFP®, is the founder of Financial Staples, a virtual, fee-only financial planning firm based in Atlanta, Georgia, serving clients nationwide. Her firm is dedicated to serving tech employees who are entrepreneurial-minded, philanthropic, and purpose-driven. Chloé believes that money is an emotional topic that impacts many aspects of our lives. She enjoys helping clients unpack their money history and discover how they can use money to support a life that is most meaningful to them. In addition to promoting financial literacy through speaking, writing, and volunteering, she focuses on cultivating female and minority financial planners. In 2020, she launched the BLX Internship Program with three colleagues. The program provides paid internship opportunities to aspiring Black and Latinx financial planners. Through her leadership, contribution, and volunteerism within the financial services industry, Chloé has been recognized as one of Investment News Magazine’s Top 40 Under 40 in 2017, Financial Advisor Magazine’s 10 Young Advisors to Watch in 2021, and Investopedia’s 100 Most Influential Financial Advisors in 2020, 2021, and 2022.

Hannah Moore CFP®

Hannah Moore is a number loving creative, Certified Financial Planner, and owner at Guiding Wealth in Dallas, Texas. Hannah has a passion for making financial planning accessible for her clients as well as other financial planners. Hannah has been repeatedly recognized for her work within financial planning, most recently receiving the 2020 Visionary Leader Award from the Financial Planning Magazine for her work in creating the FPA Virtual Externship.

Scott Nance

Scott Nance is vice president, impact investing at Fidelity Charitable®, an independent public charity. The mission of Fidelity Charitable is to grow the American tradition of philanthropy by providing programs that make charitable giving accessible, simple and effective. Scott assumed his current role in 2021, driving the design, development and execution of the organization’s impact investing program. He is actively engaged in the sourcing and evaluation of ESG and impact investment offerings, as well as the design of customized philanthropic solutions for donors and their advisors. Prior to joining Fidelity Charitable, Scott was responsible for client-related and revenue-generating activities at CapShift, an impact investing advisory firm.

Jason Novak

Jason Novak is senior vice president of IT and Security at eMoney Advisor and has decades of information technology and security experience including vulnerability assessments, risk management, social engineering, compliance quality assurance, incident handling, business continuity and disaster recovery, and more. He is certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC) and is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), and Certified Information Security Manager (CISM).

Jacob Nuno CFP®

Not your typical financial planner, Jake Rivas’ obsession with wealth management emerged from his experience putting himself through college. This helped develop his passion for helping professionals make smart, educated choices with their money. Jake’s magnetic personality is a perfect fit for his bi-weekly podcast, Jake of All Trades, where he reviews financial articles, financial tools and helpful money tips, all with the focus of helping listeners build wealth both today and into the future. Very active on social media, Jake uses these new media lines of communication to connect with millennials and young families to make financial advice and planning accessible, fun and easy to understand. A graduate of Texas Tech University, Jake holds a Master of Science in Personal Financial Planning, and is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, Professional. Jake is also appointed with the IRS as an Enrolled Agent, helping clients with income tax planning and preparation. He is a licensed health and life insurance agent and holds FINRA series 7 and 66 securities licenses. Jake and his husband Guillermo have two fur babies; Gloria and Chachita. In his spare time, Jake loves to travel, watch movies, go thrift shopping and enjoy the food scene in San Antonio.

Ed O'Brien

Ed O’Brien, Head of Technology at Fidelity Institutional, previously CEO of eMoney Advisor, has over 30 years of experience in finance with a focus on advisor technology. Ed previously served as Senior Vice President and Head of Platform Technology for Fidelity Institutional where he managed the development and operations of platform technologies supporting RIA broker-dealers and family office clients of Fidelity’s clearing and custody businesses. Ed led his team to be granted two patents for the innovative technology design used to launch WealthCentral®, Fidelity’s platform technology. Ed’s previous experience includes an array of areas. Outside of his Fidelity career, Ed launched AdvisorTech, a business that successfully introduced a technology platform for financial advisors in Germany, Japan, and South Korea. In addition, he has served as president and board member for the Providence Society of Financial Analysts. Ed received a bachelor’s degree from Stonehill College in 1986 and an MBA from Bentley College in 1991.

Linda Olvera

Linda Olvera is a Financial Planning Associate at Ronald Blue Trust. She graduated from the University of Georgia with a BS in Financial Planning in 2021 and graduated with her MS in Financial Planning with a concentration in Behavioral Financial Planning/Therapy in 2022. As a recent college graduate, she is excited, passionate, optimistic, and curious to see what her career will look like in the years to come. Currently, she enjoys working with an awesome team that helps clients understand their financial situation while also journeying through life with them.

Nina O'Neal

Nina O’Neal is a Partner & Investment Advisor with Archer Investment Management. She has been featured in multiple industry publications as a sought out national thought leader and commentator on industry topics and trends. Named one of the InvestmentNews 40 Under 40 Financial Professionals, Nina also serves as a participant for the annual InvestmentNews Think Tank, “Future of the Financial Services Industry.” She can be found on Seasons 4 & 5 of “Practice Makeover,” an InvestmentNews video series. Nina frequently serves as a panelist and participant in think tank meetings and industry conferences. She has been a contributor on practice management and industry topics for Financial Planning Magazine. Nina has also been featured as a commentator in InvestmentNews, US News & World Report, The Washington Post, OnWallStreet, Bank Investment Consultant, Investor’s Business Daily, The Street, Citywire RIA Magazine, wealthmanagement.com, and more. She was named a 2019 Investopedia Top 100 Financial Advisor as well as Onalytica’s Women in Finance: Top 100 Influencers. Nina is the founder and organizer of the Female Advisor Network, a national membership organization dedicated to empowering female financial advisors. She has a passion for helping to drive industry advancement for female financial advisors as well as all women in financial services. As host of “The Juggle is Real,” a video series with InvestmentNews, she candidly shares the unique challenges of working parents. She lives in Raleigh, NC with her two young boys.

Barbara O’Neill, Ph.D., CFP®, AFC®, CRPC®

Barbara O’Neill, Ph.D., CFP®, AFC®, CRPC® is the owner and CEO of Money Talk: Financial Planning Seminars and Publications where she writes, speaks, and reviews content about personal finance. She is a distinguished professor emeritus at Rutgers University, after serving for 41 years as a Rutgers Cooperative Extension educator and personal finance specialist. She has written over 190 articles for academic publications and received over 35 national awards and over $1.2 million in grants to support her financial education programs and research. Dr. O’Neill is a past president of the Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education (AFCPE), a recipient of the AFCPE Distinguished Fellow Award, and a Next Gen Personal Finance fellow. She tweets personal finance information @moneytalk1, writes weekly posts for her Money Talk blog, and is the author of Flipping a Switch, a book about 35 later life transitions, published in 2020.

Nancy Paul

The mother of three daughters, Nancy spent 100 hours researching merit scholarships for her eldest daughter. Together, the girls won $600,000 in merit scholarships—money for college based on achievement. Every dollar gave the family more options and empowered the girls with benefits that money cannot buy. Since 2011, Nancy has advised families who earn too much for financial aid how to pay less for college and empower their students in the process. One-third of her private clients are financial advisors seeking solutions to skyrocketing college costs for their own families. Nancy is the best-selling author of The Little Book about Scholarships; a former UCLA Scholarship judge; creator of the “Pay Less for College Boot Camp,” “The More Money for College Conference” at UCLA, “The College Treasure Chest: Where to Find Money for College Faster,” and the W.I.S.H.E.S. System™. She is also a speaker, consultant, and advocate for all families’ rights to know how to pay less for college, attain financial wellness, and maximize their students’ potential.

Alex Petsis, CFP®, ChSNC®

Alex graduated with his Bachelors of Business Administration in Finance from the University of Pittsburgh and holds his Masters in Financial Services from Saint Joseph's University. Postgraduate, Alex earned the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ designation which requires passing a comprehensive 170 question proctored exam and achieving 6,000 hours of professional experience. At Anthony Petsis & Associates, Alex assists with the creation, implementation and maintenance of client financial plans. Alex enjoys meeting with clients to discover their needs and helping create custom investment solutions. As a Chartered Special Needs Consultant® and member of the Academy of Special Needs Planners, Alex has developed a specialty in planning for persons with disabilities and their families. While growing up in Bucks County, Alex has always been active in the community. He currently participates in the local Newtown Rotary club, St. Andrew's Parish, the Southampton Community Band and was named to Bucks County Courier Times “40 under 40” list. Outside of the office, Alex enjoys spending time with his wife and family, golfing, fishing and watching Philadelphia professional sports.

Alois Pirker

Alois Pirker is the research director for Aite Group's Wealth Management practice, specializing in trends in the wealth management market. He has published extensively on topics including digital transformation in wealth management, the registered investment advisor space, financial planning, separately managed accounts, and advisor-focused platforms and tools. Mr. Pirker has been quoted in various media outlets, including The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, Dow Jones, Reuters, American Banker, Investment News, Financial Planning, Ignites, and FundFire. Since its inception, Mr. Pirker has been part of the panel of judges for the annual Global Private Banking and Global Wealth Tech Awards presented by Financial Times’ Professional Wealth Management magazine.

Chad Porche

Chad Porche, VP, User Experience, has been working to enhance the usability and accessibility of eMoney for over 10 years. As the first UX designer at eMoney, he's played a foundational role in the evolution of the platform. Chad now focuses on emerging initiatives, using forward-thinking UX to capture multi-generational interest in eMoney's full suite of solutions.

Celeste Revelli CFP®

Celeste Revelli is currently Director of Digital Planning at Fidelity Investments, where she works on digital financial planning experiences for Fidelity advisors and clients. Starting her career as a registered advisor for a few years, Celeste has been in the financial services industry since 2009. She worked at eMoney Advisor for almost 11 years, where she led advanced planning support escalation, product research support, and eMoney’s financial wellness and financial education strategy as Director of Financial Planning. Celeste received her bachelor’s degree in communications and marketing from Loyola University Maryland and her certificate in financial planning from Boston University. She is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional and is currently pursuing her MBA specializing in financial psychology and behavioral finance from Creighton University. Celeste dedicates time to serving her community in the areas of pro bono financial planning and financial literacy, and she also serves the industry through her support of next generation planners, diversity and inclusion efforts, and exam and technology committees for the CFP Board. She lives in Philadelphia with her husband and son.

Michelle Riiska, ChFC®

Michelle joined eMoney over four years ago after working for an RIA where she first became acquainted with eMoney as a user of the software. She started her career at eMoney as a Customer Service Representative, which allowed her to use the skills she obtained as a Communications Major/Sociology Minor at Hawaii Pacific University to gain a great understanding of how our users utilize the software, and the questions clients may need answered through technology. She has since moved on to working with the Financial Planning Group where she works on escalated cases and participates in industry research. Michelle recently obtained the ChFC® marks and is looking to obtain her CFP designation. You can find her being overly enthusiastic about tax legislation in webinars, fishing the Elizabeth River, or coming up with new recipes that rival both the complexity and unpredictability of cryptocurrency.

Alex Rivera

Alex Rivera serves as the VP, Call Center Support at eMoney where he is passionate about creating and delivering exceptional client experiences. He oversees both client and technical support operations, drawing from a 20+ year history of continually finding new ways to serve and delight clients. Alex works every day at eMoney to ensure eMoney users have access to the information they need at any time. Prior to joining eMoney, he led the number one sales team in the J.P. Morgan Chase Card Services network and assisted with several product launches at Amazon.

Valerie Rivera

Valerie Rivera, Senior Product Marketing Manager at eMoney Advisor, leads the go-to-market strategy for eMoney's suite of business development solutions. Valerie began her career at eMoney in 2012 as an Account Executive and then a Live Trainer where she trained over 1,000 advisors on the eMoney platform – helping them drive success in their firms. In her spare time you can find Valerie outdoors--snowboarding, hiking, and mountain biking in her home in Colorado.

Inna Rivilis

Inna Rivilis is the Director of Practice Management and Consulting for Fidelity Investments. Inna’s work at Fidelity Investments is focused on developing programs and training to help financial advisors improve and grow their business. Her commitment to advancing financial planning is influenced by her 15+ years of career as an investment advisor, financial planner and most recently business consultant focused on the investment and financial planning firms. Inna serves as a President-Elect for the Financial Planning Association of Massachusetts with her tenure as president commencing in 2021. She received her Bachelor’s degree in finance from The University of Wisconsin and her Master’s in financial planning from Bentley University.

Lindsay Robinson, CFP®

Lindsay Robinson, CFP® manages the Financial Planning Service and Research Team, which focuses on providing the highest level of financial planning services for our clients. In this role she leads research initiatives on key planning trends and industry updates. Lindsay is a CFP® professional and has a Master of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in financial and tax planning.

Matt Rogers

Matt Rogers is a Director in the Financial Planning Group at eMoney Advisor, LLC. He has over two decades of experience in financial services spanning sales, marketing, and software development. Matt has published multiple articles and co-authored the Life Insurance chapter of Financial Planning for Medical Professionals. At eMoney, Matt enjoys helping build software to advance the company vision of financial piece of mind for all.

Luis F. Rosa, CFP®, EA

Luis is the founder of Build a Better Financial Future LLC. He is the host of the “On My Way to Wealth” podcast, co-founder of the BlatinX (BLX) Internship Program and LatinXcellence – an initiative that seeks to bring awareness to and help close the wealth gap in the LatinX community. Luis was named one of InvestmentNews “40 Under 40” in 2019, Financial Advisor “10 Young Advisors to Watch,” as well as Investopedia’s “Top 100 Financial Advisors” in 2020 and 2021, and named one of “8 Hispanic Personal Finance Influencers to Follow for Money Advice” by The Penny Hoarder.

Tyrone Ross, Jr.

Tyrone Ross is the founder of 401, a storytelling consultancy. As the former CEO and Co-founder of Onramp Invest, he raised $7M in venture capital from Gemini Frontier Fund, Coinbase Ventures, the SoftBank Opportunity Fund, and others. In 2019 he was recognized by Investment News as one of their 40 under 40 and by WealthManagement.com as a top ten advisor set to change the industry, and in 2020 he was named as one of 20 people who will change wealth management by FinancialPlanning.com. He was recently named one of Investopedia's Top 100 financial advisors, included on the ThinkAdvisor 2021 IA25: VIPs Pushing Advisors Forward, and acknowledged as one of Barron's 10 people to watch in wealth management in 2022.

Monica Ruelas

Monica Ruelas, Enterprise Sales Manager at eMoney, works closely with enterprise firms, helping them innovate their advisors’ business. Over the last decade at eMoney, Monica has held roles as an Inside Sales Manager and National Accounts Director. Over this time, she’s developed expertise assisting firms implementing wealth management software so their advisors can deliver more value to their clients.

Matt Schulte CFP®

As Head of Financial Planning, Matt focuses on helping clients fully utilize eMoney's dynamic financial planning tools. As one of the founding employees of eMoney Advisor, he has made significant contributions towards the feature-set definition of the platform. With over 20 years of experience in financial services, Matt and his team of Certified Financial Planners help clients implement practice management strategies on an in-depth level to collaborate and achieve business results.

Anand Sekhar

Anand Sekhar is vice president of practice management and consulting for Fidelity Institutional. In this role, his mission is to be a catalyst for transformation for businesses and employees. As a strategic business consultant to clients and contributor to Fidelity’s Practice Management program, he helps lead the direction and development of advisor tools, whitepapers, and resources in the areas of client experience, strategic planning, and talent. Sekhar currently serves on the board of the Envestnet Institute On Campus, Financial Services Institute’s (FSI) Diversity & Inclusion Task Force, and MMI Social Justice Advisory Council. He also holds the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) Series 7, 24, and 63 licenses.

Bill Simonet CFP®

Bill Simonet, CFP®, AIF® is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Professional and Managing Principal of Simonet Financial Group, LLC. He has over 10 years of experience in the financial services industry and is committed to helping empower individuals, businesses, and families to take the financial steps necessary to live their dreams. Bill has been recognized as a thought leader with the next generation of Financial Planning professionals. His work and collaboration within the financial planning community has led to several accolades such as: “InvestmentNews Magazine 40 under 40 class of 2017" and Financial Advisor Magazine's “10 Young Advisors to Watch 2018."

Cassandra Smalley, CFA, CFP®

Cassandra Smalley, CFA, CFP® is the Owner and CEO of Cassandra Smalley Wealth Management, a virtual, fee-only financial planning firm based in St. Petersburg, FL, and works with clients across the country. Her firm takes a modern relationship approach to the financial planning process, focused on inclusion and elevating women’s voices at the financial table. With shifting demographics of who is controlling and making the majority of the purchasing decisions, along with the lack of diversity within the financial services industry, Cassandra Smalley Wealth Management was founded to address this need for personalized planning and attention to every client. In addition to promoting financial education through speaking, Cassandra is the author of The Why of Wealth: Mastering the Steps to a Wealthy Mindset to Live a Joyful Life. The book centers on the unique challenges women face in building wealth and pivots obstacles into action empowering readers to design their best life. Cassandra has been recognized by Forbes and SHOOK Research as America’s Top Women Wealth Advisors 2020-2021, Top Next-Gen Wealth Advisor 2017-2020, Working Mother Magazine, and Top Wealth Advisor Moms 2017-2020, among others.

Lyle Solomon, Esq.

Lyle Solomon has extensive legal experience as well as in-depth knowledge and experience in consumer finance and writing. He has been a member of the California State Bar since 2003. He graduated from the University of the Pacific's McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento, California, in 1998, and currently works for the Oak View Law Group in California as a Principal Attorney.

Tony Steuer, CLU, LA, CPFFE

Tony Steuer, CLU, LA, CPFFE, is a financial wellness advocate dedicated to helping people make smart money choices by providing the knowledge and resources to put financial literacy into action. During his career as a fee-based life and disability insurance analyst, he provided consulting for the clients of many financial planners and attorneys and has helped countless people through his articles and books about insurance including Questions and Answers on Life Insurance, The Questions and Answers on Life Insurance Workbook, The Questions and Answers on Disability Insurance Workbook, The Questions and Answers on Insurance Planner, and Insurance Made Easy.

Connor Sung CFP®

As Director of eMoney’s Financial Planning Group, Connor helps clients build more successful practices and deepen client relationships. He leads an exceptional team of financial professionals who help clients transform their technology platform and financial planning processes to increase efficiency, drive growth, and create planning-led user experiences. He oversees eMoney's financial wellness strategy, as well as internal and external financial education programs, aimed at providing financial peace of mind for all. Joining eMoney in 2013, Connor has over 10 years of technology, practice management, and planning experience. He earned a Bachelor's degree from James Madison University, and earned his CFP® designation in 2016. Connor loves spending time with his family and friends in Philadelphia, and enjoys staying active by golfing, snowboarding, playing hockey, and playing with his goldendoodle, Nala.

Steve Taylor, CFP®

Steve Taylor, CFP®, Senior Financial Planner of Collaborate Planning Services at eMoney, works as a planning partner to help firms expand their business. Prior to his time at eMoney, Steve ran his own fee-only RIA to reach those who were underserved by traditional financial advice models. He has nearly 15 years’ experience in the financial services industry developing his expertise around delivering value through wealth management and financial planning.

Brett Tharp CFP®

Brett Tharp, CFP®, is a Financial Planning Education Consultant at eMoney Advisor where he is a primary contributor to internal and external financial planning education programs. In this role, Brett collaborates with colleagues in the Financial Planning Group and other internal teams to maintain and enhance learning programs. A graduate from the University of Connecticut in 2006, Brett then completed the CFP® coursework through Temple University and earned his CFP® designation in 2015. He brings more than a decade of financial services industry experience to eMoney.

Genevieve Thayer

Genevieve E. Thayer, EPC, co-founder of Beacon Partners and co-host of the GetReal! podcast, has nearly 20 years of experience as an operations expert in the financial services industry. Her background includes extensive work in compliance, technology, and client relationship management. Genevieve understands the value of strategically designing goals and objectives to thoughtfully plan for business growth. As an executive and leadership coach, she encourages her clients to challenge the status quo and think beyond their current barriers to implement meaningful change for themselves and their organizations.

Damon Thomas AIF®

Damon Thomas, Senior Enterprise Sales Manager at eMoney, works closely with executives of leading enterprise financial services firms to help them strategically position their firms to grow revenue, increase efficiency, and attract top talent. Damon has 18+ years of experience as an External Wholesaler, Manager of Advisor Development and more recently Chief Business Development and Marketing Officer. Damon has successfully engaged hundreds of financial advisors, private bankers, institutional salespeople, and senior executives to identify wealth management technology and product solutions to create a sustainable platform for firm and financial advisor productivity and profitability.

Frank Tropiano

Currently serving as Head of Client Services, Frank leads more than 150 employees dedicated to customer service, implementation, training, coaching, and client support. His previous experience as Head of Product for eMoney combined with eMoney’s award-winning customer service ensures that Frank and team can help eMoney’s 50,000 users maximize their experience and understanding of the eMoney platform to drive business growth. He also serves on eMoney’s core leadership team. Frank joined the company in 2002 and has spent his 30-year career focused on the development of financial applications, including online brokerage trading and e-commerce systems. He previously served as Regional Operating Officer and Director of eSolutions for Breakaway Solutions, Inc., an internet consulting company and application service provider. Prior to joining Breakaway, Frank held various leadership roles at Reality Online, a Reuters’ company, including Vice President of Reuters Web Development, Vice President of Development, Director of Content Services, Director of Data Center Operations, and Director of Macintosh Products. Frank earned his bachelor’s degree in computer science from Drexel University in 1988.

Erin Voisin CFP®

Erin Durkin Voisin has worked in the financial services industry since 2005. Prior to joining EP Wealth Advisors, Erin worked for Westmount Asset Management as their Director of Financial Planning. She concentrated on developing comprehensive financial planning solutions for their affluent client base. Prior to Westmount, Erin worked for MetLife in San Diego as well as MetLife of Southern California. She served as the Lead Financial Planning Specialist for the firm’s Case Design Unit where she was responsible for working with over 120 financial advisors in creating in customized comprehensive financial plans for their clients. Erin earned her BS from the University of San Diego, majoring in Business Administration and Psychology. She also holds a Masters degree in Accounting. She is currently a CFP® certificant and a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst®. Erin recently completed the Enrolled Agent Designation. Erin participates annually in FPA’s Pro Bono Financial Planning Days, is FPA Pro Bono for Cancer volunteer, co-chairs EP Wealth’s Financial Literacy committee and outreach, and has been a founding member and the current Chairwoman of EP Wealth Advisor’s Investing in Women initiative. Erin also co-chairs the firms Internship and Externship program. In her spare time, Erin enjoys spending time with her family, paddleboarding, cooking, and enjoying life at the beach!

Luke White

Luke White, Senior Product Manager at eMoney Advisor, defines the direction and vision of Bamboo and the eMoney Client Site. He focuses on providing advisors the tools and resources they need to acquire, retain, and engage their clients and prospects. He earned a bachelor's degree in Computer Information Systems at Clemson University and received his MBA from Boston College.

Jimmy Williams CFP®

Jimmy J. Williams, CPA/PFS, CFP®, is the CEO/President of Compass Capital Management, LLC, a registered investment adviser and wealth management firm with offices in Tulsa and McAlester, Oklahoma. He specializes in creating plans for retirees and near-retirees to realize their bigger future by utilizing tax-efficient strategies in the areas of proactive retirement plan accumulation and distribution, estate preservation and cash flow planning. He currently serves as the Chairman of the AICPA National Accreditation Commission. Jimmy has served as the treasurer and trustee on the AICPA Foundation. He is a past president of the OSCPA and completed a term as a member of the AICPA Board of Directors. Jimmy authors and teaches advanced financial planning techniques and ethics for the AICPA and the CPA Societies of California, Iowa, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas. Williams is often sought as an expert on financial planning matters for the CPA Insider, Daily Oklahoman, The Planner Newsletter, OSCPA Focus Magazine, U.S. News & World Report, N Common Magazine for Women and the McAlester News Capital. He has served as an editorial adviser to The Tax Adviser, The Planner Newsletter and The Journal of Financial Planning. Most recently he authored and published articles for CPA Insider titled “Are Ticking Time Bombs on your Client List?” and The Tax Adviser titled “Help Small Businesses Choose the Right Employee Retirement Plans”. Jimmy was recognized by CPA Magazine as one of the “Top 40 CPAs to Know in a Recession”. He was recently appointed by Governor Kevin Stitt to serve as a founding board member of the Oklahoma Employee Insurance and Benefits Board. Williams is the Past-Chairman of the OEIBB and responsible for the overall function and direction of the agency to serve its member through investing and monitoring approximately $380 million in reserves and to maintain and improve the sustainability of the agency to serve its participants. Most recently, Jimmy is the lead creator of a podcast titled, “Live a Life by Design” which has subscribers/listeners in 27 countries. As the author of Invest in Yourself weekly column in the McAlester News Capital, Williams provides guidance to retirees in seeking out a more meaningful life through managing their resources more efficiently. Registered Principal Securities offered through Cambridge Investment Research, Inc., a Broker/Dealer, Member FINRA/SIPC. Jimmy J. Williams is an Investment Advisor Representative of Compass Capital Management, LLC, a Registered Investment Advisor. Cambridge and Compass Capital Management, LLC are not affiliated. 321 S. 3rd, Ste. 4, McAlester, OK 74501.

Lauryn Williams CFP®

Lauryn Williams, CFP® is a 4-time Olympian, 3-time Olympic medalist and the first American woman to medal in both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games. Her company, Worth Winning, offers virtual services to help young professionals get the answers to the financial questions that matter most to them. Whether that is creating a budget, figuring out a plan for paying off student loans, setting goals for savings, or understanding a 401(k), Worth Winning is ready to help with all things personal finance.

Julia Wiss CRPC®

Prior to joining the Lumen Wealth Group, Julia’s expertise derived from Financial Planning at Independent Capital Management beginning in 2005. In 2010, Julia joined Waddell & Reed, Inc., and served as the Managing Principal of the South Bay Division of California beginning in 2013. There, she was able to combine her passion for Financial Advisor leadership, growth and development, with her skills in Financial Planning and client asset management. In November of 2017, Julia took her expertise in leadership and financial planning and joined a team of high caliber and exceptional service advisors focused on holistic wealth management. Julia’s focus is going the extra mile for clients by providing them with a top-notch customer experience. She especially helps clients connect the dots of their financial lives. Julia leads the onboarding, implementation, forecasting, and creation of functional strategies. Julia is a native of Moscow, Russia and moved to Fairfax, Virginia in the spring of 1996. She graduated from the University of Virginia in 2004 earning a dual degree in Economics and Theatre. In 2012, Julia obtained the Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor® designation and now serves as the President of the Financial Planning Association of Los Angeles. Julia, her husband Jeremy, and their son Nathan, live in Los Angeles. Outside of the Lumen Wealth Group, the Wiss’ family enjoys travel, live music, and hiking.

Cara Woodland

Cara Woodland joined eMoney Advisor as Market Research Manager in October of 2018. She helps the organization understand the wealth, financial advisor and financial technology marketplace in order help them be more customer centric in their decision making. She focuses on research related to customer experience, marketing, branding, new products and competitive intelligence. Prior to joining eMoney Advisor, Cara spent over 10 years consulting with Fortune 500 companies in market research, innovation and product development. In addition, she also has practical client-side experience within the finance and banking industry in developing marketing, front-end innovation and customer engagement programs. Cara graduated with a degree in Marketing Management from Virginia Tech and is a Certified Financial Marketing Professional. In addition, she is a frequent speaker and author on the topics of innovation, market research, creativity, communication and marketing strategy for colleges, professional associations and corporations.

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