Lara Smith is a financial advisor at Empower Advisory Group with two years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 66 credentials and previously worked at Target and Starbucks before moving into financial services. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management primarily to employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors and their participants, using an integrated model linked with Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative platforms. The firm emphasizes long-term portfolio returns, annual rebalancing, and client savings rates through point-in-time financial plans and optional managed account solutions.

John Lynch is a financial advisor with United Planners Financial Services of America, holding a Series 66 designation and 19 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Woodbury Financial Services and Questar Asset Management. Lynch is also an independent agent for non-variable insurance. United Planners Financial Services serves a diverse client base, including individuals, corporations, charitable organizations, retirement plans, and various institutional clients. The firm operates both as a registered investment adviser and broker-dealer, offering an open-architecture platform with multiple custodians and third-party money managers.

Robert White is a CFP® professional with 35 years of industry experience, currently serving at Money Concepts Capital Corp. He has been with Prairie Financial Group, LLC since 2007. Outside of his advisory role, he is an author of fiction and serves as Vice President on the Board of Directors for the Cass County Coalition of Chambers, as well as a board member of the Pleasant Hill Historical District. Money Concepts Advisory Service provides portfolio management, financial planning, and consulting services to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, charitable organizations, and corporations. The firm offers a range of managed programs and employs model portfolios, third-party sub-advisers, and fundamental and technical analysis to manage assets for approximately 14,700 clients.

Nicole Muenz is a financial advisor with Thrivent Investment Management holding a Series 66 designation and four years of industry experience. Her career includes roles at Central Trust Bank, LPL Financial, and State Street Bank, as well as academic positions at the University of Missouri and Truman State University. Outside of finance, she serves as an Assistant Tournament Director for USA Softball of Kansas City, supporting local girls' softball tournaments. Thrivent Investment Management provides Dedicated Planning Services to individuals, families, businesses, and nonprofit clients, focusing on holistic, goal-based financial analyses without discretionary trading authority. Their planning integrates with managed-account programs under a consolidated billing system while maintaining separate service offerings.

Daniel Dornan is a financial advisor with LPL Financial based in Lee's Summit, MO, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and 14 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at The Bank of Missouri, Simmons Bank, and SunTrust Advisory Services. Outside of advisory work, he has a business development role at The Bank of Missouri. LPL Financial provides advisory and brokerage services to a diverse client base, including individual investors, retirement plans, banks, charities, and high-net-worth households. The firm supports its advisors with an in-house research team that develops model portfolios and offers a range of investment delivery options tailored to client needs.

Jason Kurz is a financial advisor with Edward Jones, holding a Series 66 designation and nine years of industry experience. He has been with Edward Jones since 2016 and previously worked for Maryville R-II School District from 2012 to 2016. Edward Jones is a full-service wealth management firm serving more than four million individual and institutional clients, offering a range of managed strategies, separately managed accounts, and affiliated mutual funds. The firm manages approximately $1.01 trillion in assets and operates a nationwide network of over 23,700 financial advisors and 15,000 branch offices.

Julie Naji is a financial advisor with LPL Financial, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 32 years of industry experience. Her career includes roles at Voya Financial Advisors, Securities America Advisors, and OSAIC. Outside of her advisory work, she is involved in managing a farm in Kingsville, Missouri. LPL Financial provides advisory and brokerage services to a diverse client base, including individual investors, retirement plan sponsors, institutions, and high-net-worth households. The firm offers a range of investment solutions supported by an in-house research team and delivers services through a large network of investment adviser representatives.

Ashley Struzick is a financial advisor with Primerica Advisors in Pleasant Hill, MO, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and 18 years of industry experience. She has been affiliated with PFS Investments, Inc. and Primerica Financial Services since 2006. Outside of investment advisory activities, she engages in part-time speaking engagements and is involved in the sale of non-investment related products such as home security and automation services. Primerica Advisors offers discretionary asset management through its Lifetime Investment Program, which provides model-delivery strategies and a limited selection of discretionary separately managed accounts to individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm curates third-party asset managers and uses a tiered wrap fee structure, with portfolio implementation delegated to BNY Mellon Advisors.

Matthew Logan is a financial advisor with Edward Jones in Pleasant Hill, MO, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and 25 years of industry experience. He has been with Edward Jones since 2000. Outside of his advisory role, he is a partner in a custom closet business in Lee’s Summit, MO. Edward Jones is a full-service wealth management firm serving individual and institutional clients, including high-net-worth households and corporate entities. The firm manages approximately $1.01 trillion in assets and offers a range of advisory strategies, affiliated mutual funds, and trustee and lending services through a nationwide network of financial advisors.