Thomas Howard Payne

Evan Mitchell is a financial advisor with Bankers Life Advisory Services, Inc. in Grand Prairie, TX. He holds a Series 66 designation and has over a decade of experience, including ten years managing Mitchell's Furniture and Mattress City before joining Bankers Life and its affiliates in 2024. Bankers Life Advisory Services, Inc. provides discretionary portfolio management and investment consulting primarily to mass-affluent and high-net-worth individuals. The firm emphasizes customized asset allocation, tax efficiency, and a combination of fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis in its investment approach.

Carman Kubanda is a financial advisor with Innovative Wealth Building LLC in Fort Worth, TX, holding a Series 66 license and six years of industry experience. Prior to joining Innovative Wealth Building in 2023, he worked at First Command Financial Planning, Inc. and several other firms. Kubanda is also the owner of Wellbeing Financial, LLC, which provides insurance services and lead generation. Innovative Wealth Building LLC offers portfolio management and financial planning services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, and charitable organizations. The firm employs long-term trading strategies guided by fundamental analysis and modern portfolio theory, managing accounts on both discretionary and non-discretionary bases.

David Morales is a financial advisor at First Command Advisory Services with Series 6, 63, and Series 65 licenses and one year of industry experience. Prior to joining First Command, he served in the U.S. Navy from 2015 to 2019 and received his bachelor’s degree in Finance at the University of San Diego. First Command Advisory Services serves a diverse client base including individuals, high-net-worth clients, corporations, and charities through a multi-service platform offering financial planning, discretionary asset management, brokerage, insurance, and banking products. The firm emphasizes advisor-led financial coaching and provides tailored professional services through structured engagement cycles.

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.

Kyle Lee is a financial advisor at Bard Investment Group, LLC, holding a Series 65 credential with one year of industry experience. Prior to founding Bard Investment Group in 2025, he worked at American First Finance, People 2.0, ACE Cash Express, and D.R. Horton. In addition to his advisory role, he maintains a separate contract programming business. Bard Investment Group provides financial planning, portfolio management, and educational seminars primarily for individuals, high-net-worth individuals, and small businesses. The firm emphasizes low-cost, broadly diversified index funds and ETFs, with portfolio management conducted on a non-discretionary basis and regular client reviews.

Lacy Rogers is a CFP® professional with 11 years of industry experience currently serving as the sole advisor at The Dedicated Dollar in Fort Worth, TX. Her prior roles include positions at Hilltop Securities Inc. and Morgan Stanley. The Dedicated Dollar provides investment management and financial planning services to individual and high-net-worth clients, including business owners. The firm utilizes a Modern Portfolio Theory-based approach with primarily passive portfolios and automated model platforms, offering project-based, hourly, and ongoing comprehensive planning engagements.