Steven Michael Smith

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.

Jahanguir Azodi is the principal of Virtual Investment Planning LLC and holds Series 65 and Series 66 licenses with 28 years of industry experience. He previously worked at Aspire Wealth Management, Berthel Fisher & Company Financial Services, and America's Financial Center, among others. Azodi also operates America's Financial Center, a wealth management and tax services firm, and is an author of a book related to accounting and tax services. Virtual Investment Planning LLC provides wealth management, discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement account advice to individuals, high-net-worth clients, and businesses. The firm manages approximately $23.7 million across about 102 clients, utilizing a long-term-focused investment process that combines fundamental and technical analysis, employing diversified mutual funds, ETFs, individual stocks and bonds, and insurance consulting through affiliated businesses.

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.

Richard Murray is a financial advisor with Midwest Advisors LLC in Saint Louis, MO, holding a Series 65 credential and 10 years of industry experience. He has worked at Midwest Advisors LLC since 2012, including a period from 2017 to 2019 at Sorin Capital Management. Midwest Advisors LLC is a small, independent firm managing approximately $39.1 million on a discretionary basis for a select client base. The firm specializes in investment management focused on U.S. real estate industry securities, employing both long-short and long-only strategies with options used for hedging, and follows a fundamental, value-biased investment approach supported by frequent industry engagement and detailed research.

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.