Benjamin Mac Burgeson

Levi Smith is a financial advisor at L. J. Smith & Co LLC in Jacksonville, TX, with five years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has previously worked at firms including Goldman Sachs and Cerity Partners LLC. L. J. Smith & Co. provides investment advisory services to individuals and high-net-worth clients, offering customized portfolio management and standalone financial planning. The firm employs fundamental analysis and modern portfolio theory with a long-term trading horizon and delivers periodic account reviews.

Matt Montgomery is the sole advisor and owner of his independent firm, Matt Montgomery, based in Jacksonville, Texas. He holds the ChFC® and Series 63 designations and has 40 years of industry experience, including over three decades at Royal Alliance Associates, Inc. Outside of his advisory work, he serves as chairman of the board for a nonprofit focused on international ministries and acts as treasurer for a local church. Matt Montgomery provides discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and access to advisor-managed model portfolios for individuals, small businesses, and retirement plans. His firm utilizes both fundamental and technical analysis, supported by third-party research and portfolio optimization tools, to manage accounts with a focus on risk tolerance and regular performance reviews.

Tom French Jr. is a financial advisor with Grimes & Company in Frankston, TX, holding a Series 66 designation and 21 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at TD Ameritrade and A. G. Edwards & Sons, Inc. He has been with Grimes & Company since 2017. Grimes & Company provides discretionary portfolio management and financial planning services to individual and institutional clients, including charitable organizations and government entities, using proprietary research and a range of investment vehicles. The firm also serves other investment advisers as clients and offers trustee services through an affiliated trust entity.

Heather Bates is a financial advisor with Eagle Strategies (NY Life) and holds Series 63 and Series 66 credentials. She has 12 years of industry experience and has worked with several firms, including Bates Wealth Strategies, LLC, Island Wealth Strategies & Insurance Solutions LLC, and Johnson Financial Strategies, LLC. Outside of her advisory role, she serves on the Christus Trinity Mother Frances Foundation Women’s Board and owns a residential cleaning business. Eagle Strategies serves a diverse range of individual and institutional clients, providing financial planning, investment management, and retirement-plan advisory services through a large network of affiliated advisers. The firm offers multiple program types and emphasizes tailored recommendations, managing the majority of its assets on a non-discretionary basis within an integrated New York Life affiliate structure.

Richard Stone Jr. is a financial advisor at Commonwealth Financial Network with 39 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 63 designation and has been with Commonwealth since 2014. Outside of advisory work, he owns gas, oil, and mineral rights in several Texas counties. Commonwealth Financial Network is a registered investment adviser serving a national network of approximately 2,950 advisors and their clients. The firm provides a range of advisory programs and back-office support, including operations, trading, technology, investment management, and compliance, allowing affiliated advisors discretion in portfolio construction alongside managed model portfolios.

Cecil Staples is a financial advisor with Cetera who holds a PFS™ designation along with Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has 32 years of industry experience. He manages Staples Wealth Management LLC and has a long-standing background in accounting as the owner of Staples & Associates, PC, CPAs. His professional activities also include operating in real estate through several entities alongside his advisory work. Cetera Investment Advisers LLC operates as a multi-manager platform serving individual, corporate, charitable, and institutional clients across a broad range of portfolio management and financial planning services. The firm supports a large network of advisors offering access to affiliated and third-party investment managers with a variety of program options and custodial arrangements.