Ryan Cooper is a PFS™ credentialed financial advisor with five years of industry experience. He has worked at Verticus Advisors Inc. since 2024 and previously held roles at Archer Investment Corp and Nagel CPAs, LLC. Ryan combines financial advising with accounting expertise. Verticus Advisors Inc. serves individual and high-net-worth clients with discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and integrated accounting and tax preparation services. The firm’s investment process incorporates fundamental analysis and modern portfolio theory to build long-term portfolios, and it uniquely integrates tax preparation and accounting within its advisory practice.

Mark Lund is a financial advisor with Stonecreek Wealth Advisors in South Jordan, Utah, holding Series 63 and Series 65 designations and over 23 years of industry experience. He has been with Stonecreek Wealth Advisors since 2010. Lund also serves as president of Financial Educators of Utah, which provides financial education to employees of businesses and members of various groups. Stonecreek Wealth Advisors offers investment advisory and retirement-planning services to individuals, retirement plans, trusts, charitable organizations, and business entities. The firm employs a fiduciary approach based on the Uniform Prudent Investor Act and Modern Portfolio Theory, utilizing third-party investment managers and delivering portfolio analyses and retirement-planning engagements.

Charan Singh is the sole advisor at Skylid Capital Management, Inc., an independent registered investment adviser based in Sandy, Utah. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 designations and has 10 years of industry experience. In addition to his advisory role, Singh teaches accredited options courses and a marketing class through Options Animal. Skylid Capital Management serves individual and high-net-worth clients with discretionary portfolio management, employing a combination of charting, fundamental, technical, and quantitative analysis. The firm utilizes options and other derivatives in client accounts and emphasizes transparency by publishing historical performance results and disclosing ancillary teaching activities.

Joan Sharp is a CFP® and ChFC® with 22 years of industry experience. She is the principal advisor at River Family Advisors LLC, an independent firm she has led since 2018. Prior to River Family Advisors, Joan worked at Glenayr Family Advisors and Life Strategies, LLC, where she continues to serve as president, providing coaching to other life coaches. She also serves as an unpaid member of a family office committee involved in managing a family property. River Family Advisors serves high-income individuals, professionals, business owners, and multi-generational families, specializing in inherited or sudden wealth and major life transitions. The firm provides financial life planning, family wealth planning, conversation coaching, and financial education seminars, referring clients to vetted third-party asset managers rather than offering discretionary portfolio management directly.

Reginald Maxfield is a CFP® with 19 years of industry experience and has been with Olympus Peaks Financial, LLC since 2016. He holds a Series 66 designation and assists individuals with the organization and management of defined contribution and defined benefit plans. Olympus Peaks Financial, LLC provides ongoing portfolio management, pension consulting, and fee-based financial planning to individuals, high-net-worth clients, and pension/profit-sharing plans. The firm combines fundamental and quantitative analysis with modern portfolio theory and technical strategies, and maintains a notable pension consulting practice for plan sponsors alongside its discretionary investment management services.

Hi! I’m Jen, fellow human and creator of Money Illustrated. I'm so grateful you're here! My journey into financial planning began while I was working as a self-employed artist & graphic designer; learning to manage my own finances and variable freelance income is what sparked my interest in understanding money better. This quickly became more than a side hobby, and eventually resulted in my making a career change to pursue an undergraduate degree in financial planning. I later went on to complete a graduate degree in Financial Planning & Analytics. In addition, I obtained the Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) designation, am an Accredited Financial Counselor (AFC®), and a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst (CDFA®). As a free-spirited, artsy feminist working in the financial planning industry over the years, I never quite fit into the old-school, male-dominated industry (very much in need of diversity and new perspectives). Eventually, I decided I needed to create the space I was searching for. I started Money Illustrated with the hope that I could bring my two worlds of art and financial planning together in order to create something different—an inclusive, progressive, and innovative approach that's both creative and human-centered. My goal is to always act in clients' best interest, while guiding toward financial success and educating on the intricacies of their financial situations. Overall, I want to help others feel empowered to live their dream lives. No matter what your financial background looks like, I’m here to offer a judgment-free approach that meets you where you are. Financial planning is a tool to help you build a life that feels like your own, focusing on your values, supporting your relationships, and prioritizing what truly matters most to you. Outside of personal finance, I love to hike in the nearby Rockies, tend to my plants, practice yoga, and paint. I live near Salt Lake City, Utah, with my wonderful partner, an exuberant dog, and two cuddly old cats.

Ryan Kelly is a CFP® with seven years of industry experience. He has worked at RFK Capital Management since 2018 and previously spent ten years at Evergreen Capital Management. Ryan operates as the sole advisor at RFK Capital Management. RFK Capital Management provides project-based financial planning and investment advice primarily to individual Do-It-Yourself investors, including high-net-worth clients. The firm uses a fixed, flat-fee structure for discrete engagements and emphasizes low-cost, broadly diversified indexing with periodic rebalancing and limited trading.

Matthew Ross is a CFA® charterholder and financial advisor with 10 years of industry experience. He is the sole advisor at Mill Creek Investment Management, where he has worked since 2014. In addition to his advisory role, Ross is involved in finance and accounting at Salt Lake Mattress & Mfg. Co., a mattress manufacturing business. Mill Creek Investment Management provides discretionary portfolio management and investment review services to individuals, institutional, and corporate clients. The firm uses a strategic asset allocation process documented in written Investment Policy Statements and employs a range of investment vehicles, including alternatives for qualified clients.

Cody Lewis is a financial advisor at Proactive Wealth Management, Inc. in Draper, UT, holding the ChFC® designation with 22 years of industry experience. He founded Proactive Wealth Concepts, Inc., an insurance agency offering life, health, disability, and long-term care insurance, which represents a portion of his business activities. Prior to his current role, he worked at several firms including ARS Investment Advisors, Allegis Investment Advisors, New England Securities, and Ameriprise. Proactive Wealth Management is a small, independent investment adviser serving individuals, trusts, estates, and businesses, including high-net-worth clients. The firm emphasizes long-term, discretionary portfolio management based on fundamental analysis, using primarily low-cost mutual funds and ETFs, and typically begins client relationships with a formal financial planning process.

Larry Oshita is the sole advisor at Lota Advisors LLC in Salt Lake City, UT, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with 11 years of industry experience. His work history includes a 12-year period of unemployment starting in 2014. Lota Advisors LLC provides discretionary portfolio management and hourly financial planning primarily for high-net-worth and qualified investors as well as small businesses. The firm customizes investment strategies using quantitative modeling and technical analysis, employing indexed ETFs, individual equities, options strategies, and selective short selling, while allowing clients to retain custody of their assets.

Matthew Argyle is a CFP® and CFA® with 13 years of industry experience, currently serving as the sole advisor at Encore Retirement Planning, LLC in South Jordan, Utah. He previously worked at DFPG Investments, LLC and E*Trade Securities LLC. In addition to his advisory role, he owns and operates Encore Tax Services, a tax preparation business, and acts as an independent agent providing insurance products through Allegis Advisor Group. Encore Retirement Planning serves high-net-worth households, focusing on retirement income planning, wealth distribution, and portfolio management. The firm employs a planning-led, tax-aware approach with diversified ETF allocations and offers both strategic advisory and delegated discretionary services, primarily for accounts custodied at Charles Schwab.

Pavel Naruta is the sole advisor at NarStar, holding a Series 65 designation and currently based in Sandy, Utah. He has prior experience as an independent contractor developing technical analysis tools for futures markets and has worked at Mid America River & Rail. Pavel has been a full-time student for several years. NarStar provides discretionary portfolio management primarily for individual retail investors, SIMPLE IRA participants, trusts, and business entities through four internally managed Model Portfolios. The firm employs a combination of fundamental analysis and AI-assisted research, with a rules-based, momentum-driven approach for its Trend strategy.

Steven Altman is a financial advisor at SHA Advisory in Salt Lake City, UT, holding a Series 66 designation with two years of industry experience. His prior work includes roles at Park Avenue Securities and Guardian Life Insurance Company. SHA Advisory provides financial planning and investment advice to individuals, families, trusts, and small business owners through a do-it-yourself consulting model focused on client education and self-directed brokerage accounts rather than portfolio management. The firm operates on an hourly or engagement fee basis and does not take custody of client assets.

Spencer Kenley is a Series 65-licensed financial advisor with two years of industry experience. He is the principal of 114th Financial LC, an independent firm he founded in 2024. Prior to this, he worked at Practice Financial Group, LLC from 2019 to 2023 and was employed at Brigham Young University from 2015 to 2019. Outside of his advisory role, he provides compliance consulting for investment advisors. 114th Financial offers financial planning, investment management, bookkeeping, and tax preparation services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, and families, with specialized planning for mental-health therapists and business owners. The firm employs a passive, allocation-driven investment approach using index mutual funds and ETFs, operates on a non-discretionary basis, and integrates behavioral education into its planning. It is notable for combining tax preparation and bookkeeping with advisory services under a CPA principal.

Jon Debry is the sole advisor at JD Investment Management, LLC, an independent firm based in Salt Lake City, UT. He holds a Series 65 designation and has 27 years of industry experience, having led JD Investment Management since its founding in 1998. JD Investment Management provides fee-based portfolio management and limited, topic-specific financial planning to individual and nonprofit clients. The firm employs a value-oriented investment approach focused on fundamental analysis with technical analysis used for timing, investing broadly across equities, bonds, ETFs, and preferred securities while generally avoiding options, margin, and private placements.

Sterling Crockett is the principal of Crockett Wealth Management, Inc. in Sandy, Utah. He holds Series 65 and Series 66 licenses and has 16 years of industry experience. Prior to founding his independent firm in 2022, he worked at Ameriprise and Packerland Brokerage Services, Inc. Crockett has also been involved with nonprofit organizations, including the Elizabeth Smart Foundation and Fight the New Drug, Inc. He is a licensed insurance agent, with a portion of his compensation derived from insurance product sales. Crockett Wealth Management, Inc. serves high-net-worth individuals, business owners, retirement plans, and nonprofit clients by providing discretionary asset management and comprehensive wealth-planning services. The firm emphasizes client-specific strategies and offers pension and ERISA plan services as well as nonprofit consulting.

John Shreck is the principal of JDS Investment Management in Salt Lake City, UT, with 12 years of experience as a financial advisor. He holds a Series 66 designation and also serves as president and tax preparer of JDS Financial Management PC, a tax planning and preparation firm. His background includes multiple limited partnership roles in family farm operations. JDS Investment Management is a single-advisor registered investment adviser serving a small client base primarily composed of high-net-worth individuals, trusts, and estates. The firm provides discretionary asset management and financial planning, utilizing a passive, long-term investment approach based on Modern Portfolio Theory with diversified, low-cost mutual funds and ETFs across multiple asset classes.

John Coles is a Series 65-licensed financial advisor with 12 years of industry experience. He has been with Lone Peak Capital Management, LLC since 2016 and previously worked at Legacy Planning Group from 2014 to 2018. Lone Peak Capital Management, LLC provides investment management primarily to individual retail clients as well as other advisers through sub-advisory and third-party asset management arrangements. The firm uses a combination of technical and fundamental analysis to guide allocation and trading decisions, serving a variety of clients including small businesses, trusts, and retirement plans.

Newpark Wealth specializes in financial planning and investments for Emergency Physicians. We do our best work for Emergency Physicians in their 40s who are tired of working night shifts and are looking to retire at 55. Our clients have neither the time, desire, or mental energy to properly manage their increasingly complex finances, as career, family, and recreation consume those scarce resources. Our clients are eager to outsource financial planning and investment management to a trusted advisor. We work with you to develop a comprehensive financial plan that integrates your income, expenses, assets, liabilities, insurance coverage, employee benefits, estate planning, tax strategy, and unique goals. We understand the nuances of your career arc – and the stresses of Emergency Medicine – deeply enough to accurately build, and continuously refine, projections of your household net worth. Ultimately, Newpark proactively prioritizes your financial action items to entirely relieve you of that mental burden and protect your time – while preparing you to retire at age 55.

Malik Samara is a financial advisor at Jaeger Wealth Advisors in Salt Lake City, holding a Series 66 designation and having one year of industry experience. Prior to joining Jaeger Wealth Advisors, he worked at Equitable Advisors, LLC. His background includes diverse roles in various industries before entering finance. Jaeger Wealth Advisors is a fee-only registered investment adviser that serves individuals, high-net-worth households, and employer-sponsored retirement plans. The firm offers discretionary portfolio management and financial planning, utilizing a combination of modern portfolio theory and various analytical approaches, and provides retirement plan consulting along with educational seminars.