James Brenton Dearing

Richard Espenschied is a financial advisor at Ameriprise with Series 66, Series 7, and APMA(R) designations. Before joining Ameriprise in 2025, he worked at Anheuser-Busch for nine years in economics and strategy. Ameriprise offers a retirement-income planning service designed for individuals with substantial investable assets, combining research, modeling, and tax-efficiency analysis to produce written recommendation reports. The firm provides a broad range of advisory, brokerage, and insurance solutions through affiliated companies.

Jeffrey Laughlin is a CFP® with 17 years of industry experience and has been with Fidelis Financial Planning, LLC since 2011. He holds a Series 65 license and is based in Saint Charles, MO. Outside of his advisory role, he is the owner and managing member of a non-investment related real estate entity. Fidelis Financial Planning serves middle-income and high-net-worth individuals, as well as various institutional clients, offering integrated financial planning and discretionary portfolio management. The firm employs a structured investment approach grounded in academic research, focusing on broadly diversified, low-cost funds and ETFs.

Michael Mills is the sole advisor at Mills Barrington Advisors, LLC, an independent firm based in Chesterfield, MO. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 24 years of industry experience. Mills has led his firm since its founding in 2013, following prior experience at major brokerage firms. Mills Barrington Advisors provides discretionary portfolio management and investment advisory services to individuals, trusts, and businesses. The firm emphasizes global diversification and uses a combination of quantitative analysis with fundamental and technical inputs, employing a range of strategies including margin, options, and short sales alongside longer-term holdings.

John Lotshaw is the principal of JM Lotshaw Consulting, an independent registered investment adviser based in O'Fallon, Missouri. He holds the ChFC® designation and Series 63 license and has 30 years of industry experience. Lotshaw has led JM Lotshaw Consulting since 2003. JM Lotshaw Consulting provides discretionary portfolio management and advisory services primarily to high-net-worth individuals and families. The firm manages approximately $7.9 million across seven client relationships, using a combination of fundamental and technical analysis to tailor strategies according to clients’ objectives and risk tolerances.

Gary Cassell is a financial advisor with Premier Wealth Advisory Services, Inc. in Chesterfield, MO, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and possessing 38 years of industry experience. He has been with Premier Wealth Advisory Services since 1998 and also has experience at Ceros Financial Services Inc. since 2012. In addition to advisory work, he is an independent insurance agent for various insurance companies. Premier Wealth Advisory Services provides portfolio management and active management services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, and retirement plans. The firm uses a combination of technical and fundamental analysis, relative strength, and modern portfolio theory with tactical timing rules, managing accounts on both discretionary and non-discretionary bases.

Matthew Durham is the sole advisor at Durham Wealth Management, LLC in St. Peters, MO, holding a Series 66 designation with 26 years of industry experience. He has led his independent firm since 2016 and also operates as a licensed insurance agent. Durham’s insurance sales form a separate business activity alongside his advisory role. Durham Wealth Management provides discretionary investment management and financial planning primarily to individual clients, managing approximately $27.6 million across about 80 accounts. The firm uses fundamental and technical analysis, cyclical analysis, and tactical asset allocation to create portfolios tailored to clients’ goals, with quarterly reviews and written financial plans delivered within about 60 days.