Holly Howard

Michelle Vargas, Certified Financial Planner™ is the President of Waymaker Financial Planning, a Fee-Only firm that provides transparent and accessible financial guidance. She enjoys helping clients navigate and plan all aspects of their financial life so that they will worry less about their future and free up more time to spend doing what they love. After earning a degree in Finance from the University of Southwestern Louisiana in 1990, she moved to Florida and started her career with Harcourt Brace Publishing. Her journey into personal finance began when she signed up for her 401K and wanted to learn about additional options to plan for retirement. This eventually led to working as a financial advisor and completing the extensive education requirements for becoming a CFP® in 1998. She believes her experience as a young professional searching for unbiased advice enables her to better serve Gen XY professionals because she remembers what it was like being in their shoes. As a former homeschool parent and the wife of a federal employee, she is passionate about helping women, homeschool families, and federal workers plan wisely for a comfortable financial future. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking in Colorado, barbecuing with family, and working in her garden.

Matthew Beeby is a financial advisor at Harvest Capital Management in Aledo, TX, with 19 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and previously worked at Stephens from 2014 to 2018. Outside of advisory work, he owns and manages residential real estate investments through MHB Real Estate Investments, LLC. Harvest Capital Management provides investment advisory and planning services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, and pension and profit-sharing plans. The firm employs a long-term, modern portfolio theory approach with fundamental analysis, offering services such as portfolio management, financial planning, and pension consulting.

Chukwudi Uraih is a financial advisor at Lampados Financial Group, LLC, holding a Series 65 designation with four years of industry experience. He has worked at Booz Allen Hamilton and serves in the United States Army Reserve. Outside of advising, he is the owner and CEO of Lampados Realty Group TX, LLC, a real estate business. Lampados Financial Group provides fee-only financial planning and investment advisory services to individuals, families, professionals, and fund investors. The firm utilizes a proprietary methodology combining fundamental investment analysis with algorithmic cash-flow modeling to offer diversified, long-term, and risk-aware strategies alongside infrastructure-focused fund management.

Brian Phillips is the sole advisor at Phillips Ray Capital Management, Inc., an independent registered investment adviser based in Fort Worth, TX. He holds a Series 63 designation and has 28 years of industry experience. Phillips has been with his firm since its founding in 2002. Phillips Ray Capital Management serves approximately 98 clients, managing about $59.5 million in assets. The firm provides discretionary portfolio management and consulting services to individuals and certain institutional clients, employing both fundamental and technical analysis to tailor portfolios according to client objectives, risk tolerance, and liquidity needs.

Garrison Leach is the sole advisor at G.P. Leach Securities LLC in Aledo, TX, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with five years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Cheldan Capital Management, L.L.C. and J.S. McNair Advisors. G.P. Leach Securities LLC provides quantitative portfolio management and advisory services to institutions and individual investors, offering a range of separately managed strategies executed primarily through exchange-traded funds. The firm employs a systematic, research-driven approach using proprietary models and incorporates derivatives and leverage where suitable, operating as a boutique manager with a broad and sophisticated strategy set.

You deserve simple, straightforward financial advice that you understand and trust. I’m the son of two master plumbers. When it came to plumbing, “master” is the right word. They were good at what they did. And, like all contractors and tradesmen, their business went through highs and lows. When times were good, we took amazing vacations and enjoyed life together. When times were tough, like going through bankruptcy to avoid losing everything, we had to bear the burden. This is a story told all too often, and it’s why I started Forthright Financial Services. I received a Bachelors Degree in Accounting, Masters Degree in Taxation, and a Certification in Financial Planning on my way to becoming a Certified Financial Planner® professional. I worked for 4 years at a CPA firm, where I became the lead tax associate for individuals and small partnerships. I switched careers to my original passion and worked for a great financial planning firm for 5 years. While there I became the director of financial planning and helped create and implement the entire financial planning process. Throughout my journey, I helped my dad in many different ways. After my dad passed away, I left my job and started my business with the mission to help other hard-working business owners, like him, understand their finances in order to minimize taxes, maximize cashflows, increase profits, and grow their business efficiently. As a contractor, your business and your personal financial situations are so connected that I believe you need special advice to address both of those areas simultaneously. That special guidance is exactly what we provide. Straightforward advice for all circumstances, goals, and seasons of life – that’s always a phone call away. If you’re ready to offload the stress and worry around your money and your business, now and for when your working days are done, let’s talk. Also help with: Small Business help Family Business Planning Self-Employed Individuals & Consultants planning Tax Planning Charitable Giving Business Planning Holistic Financial Planning Entrepreneurs Startup Founders Retirement Planning Cryptocurrency Financial Life Planning & Financial Coaching Family Financial Planning Social Security Optimization Baby Boomers, Gen X, Gen Y/Millenials, Gen Z Christian Business Owners