Garrett Howard is a financial advisor at Mariner with one year of industry experience. He holds the Series 65 designation and previously worked at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City and Capitol Federal Savings Bank. Mariner serves a wide range of clients including individuals, pension plans, trusts, and charitable organizations through investment management, financial planning, retirement consulting, and access to various third-party managers. The firm offers customized discretionary portfolios supported by both in-house research and external platforms, along with integrated tax and accounting services and administrative family office capabilities.

John Meyers is a financial advisor at Empower Advisory Group in Kansas City, MO, with seven years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has worked with firms including GWFS Equities, Prydes Old Westport, Inside Ventures, Southwind Enterprises, and the University of Missouri. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management primarily to employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors and their participants. The firm integrates its services with Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative platforms, offering point-in-time financial plans and optional managed account solutions.

Drew Van Scyoc is a financial advisor at Hightower Advisors with one year of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at Hightower Advisors since 2023. Prior to this, he was involved with Prairie Highlands Golf Club and Shadow Glen Golf Club. Hightower Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to a broad mix of individual and institutional clients, offering discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting. The firm emphasizes manager selection and multi-manager solutions through affiliated and third-party managers, utilizing proprietary research and a variety of investment vehicles including mutual funds, ETFs, and alternative investments.

Antwaine Barnett is a financial advisor with Empower Advisory Group holding Series 63 and Series 66 designations and 24 years of industry experience. His career includes roles at Gwfs Equities, Inc., J.P. Morgan Institutional Investments Inc., and J.P. Morgan Retirement Plan Services. Outside of his advisory work, he is the owner of A&R Enterprises, LLC, a rental property management business. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management primarily to employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors and their participants, as well as to Empower Premier IRA and certain retail brokerage account holders. The firm delivers services through an integrated model linked to Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative platforms, emphasizing long-term portfolio returns and annual rebalancing in their planning approach.

Sheri Birdsell is a financial advisor with VOYA Financial Advisors, Inc. based in Overland Park, KS, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 18 years of industry experience. She has worked at VOYA Financial Advisors since 2014 and previously at Prestwood Financial Group. Birdsell is also an independent insurance agent specializing in the sale of fixed insurance products. VOYA Financial Advisors serves a broad client base including individuals, institutions, and retirement plan sponsors, offering financial planning, portfolio management, and plan-sponsor consulting through various program structures such as wrap programs and third‑party money manager access. The firm often provides non-discretionary recommendations and operates both as an SEC-registered investment adviser and a broker-dealer.

Margaret Fitzgerald is a CFP® and Series 65-licensed financial advisor with Creative Planning, where she has worked since 2021. She has four years of industry experience, including prior roles at Waddell & Reed and G.L. Huyett. Creative Planning provides wealth management, financial planning, and retirement-plan advisory services to individuals, institutions, and corporations. The firm employs a financial-planning-led investment approach that emphasizes low-cost indexing, buy-and-hold strategies, and selective private market exposure while supporting retirement plans with sub-advisory and managed account services.

Nolan Keim is a CFP® with seven years of experience at Mariner Wealth Advisors. He serves as a board member of the Financial Planning Association of Greater Kansas City and co-leads committee meetings focused on increasing financial awareness in the community. Keim is also a member of the finance council at Ascend Church in Olathe, KS. Mariner serves a broad client base including individuals, pension plans, trusts, and charitable organizations through investment management, financial planning, retirement consulting, and access to specialized investment vehicles. The firm combines in-house research with third-party managers and offers integrated tax, accounting, and administrative family office services.

Dane Broadie is a CFP® with 14 years of experience in the financial industry. He is currently with Oppenheimer and has previously worked at Rhino Financial, Perspectives Financial, Allstate Insurance, and LPL Financial. Broadie holds Series 66 and Series 63 licenses. Oppenheimer serves individuals, corporations, pooled vehicles, and retirement plans, offering a variety of advisory programs that include portfolio management, consulting, and financial planning. The firm employs a range of investment approaches tailored to client and program needs, managing approximately $36.7 billion in assets as of the end of 2025.

Jason Batt is a CFP® and ChFC® with 21 years of industry experience. He has been with Centaurus Financial, Inc. since 2015. Outside of his advisory role, Jason serves as an adjunct professor at San Diego Christian College and Kyoto International University, teaching undergraduate courses and developing course materials. He is also president and CEO of Open Door Financial, a non-investment related business. Centaurus Financial, Inc. provides advisory and brokerage services to a diverse client base, including individuals, families, small businesses, and institutions. The firm offers a mix of financial planning, portfolio management, and retirement-plan consulting, utilizing both discretionary and non-discretionary arrangements with a variety of analytical approaches and specialized services.

Kristen Shope is a financial advisor at Creative Planning with 21 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 designations and has been with Creative Planning since 2010. The firm provides investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, corporations, foundations, trusts, and retirement plans. Creative Planning manages approximately $217 billion in client assets and employs a financial planning-led investment process emphasizing low-cost indexing and buy-and-hold strategies, supported by a broad range of supplemental portfolio options and affiliated legal, trust, and retirement plan services.

Christopher Rea is a financial advisor at First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. with 22 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at firms including BMO Bank, LPL Financial, BancWest Investment Services, and Bank of the West. His current role at First Citizens Investor Services began in 2026. First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. serves individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and corporate entities through advisory and brokerage services. The firm offers portfolio management, wrap programs, model portfolios, and a Guided Investing platform, applying fundamental, quantitative, and technical analysis to a broad range of investment products.

Trent Evans is a CFP® and holds a Series 65 license, currently serving as a financial advisor at Creative Planning with three years of industry experience. Prior to joining Creative Planning in 2022, he worked at Ernst & Young, LLP from 2019 to 2022. Creative Planning provides investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, corporations, foundations, trusts, and retirement plans. The firm manages approximately $217 billion in client assets and employs a financial planning–led investment approach that emphasizes low-cost indexing and buy-and-hold strategies, supplemented by specialized techniques such as direct indexing and tax-loss harvesting.

Sean Spencer is a financial advisor at Prime Capital Financial with 15 years of industry experience. He has previously worked at PKS Investments, Access Capital LLC, and TRUENORTH, INC./IMA Wealth, Inc. Outside of his advisory roles, Spencer serves as a board member on the Dean’s Advisory Board for the W. Frank Barton School of Business at Wichita State University. Prime Capital Financial is an SEC-registered enterprise advisory firm serving individuals, trusts, corporations, and retirement plans. The firm offers asset management, financial planning, retirement plan services, and family office solutions, employing a range of investment strategies and maintaining affiliated tax advisory and family office practices.

Jeffrey Maher is a senior wealth advisor with Mariner Wealth Advisors, based in Overland Park, KS, holding Series 63 and Series 65 designations and bringing 36 years of industry experience. He has been with Mariner since 2014 and is also involved with MSEC, LLC, an investment-related business. Mariner serves a broad range of clients, including high-net-worth individuals, pension plans, trusts, and charitable organizations, offering investment management, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and tax services. The firm employs discretionary, customized portfolios supported by in-house research and third-party managers, with notable integration of tax and accounting services uncommon for an enterprise of its size.

Alexander Van Patten is a financial advisor at Prime Capital Financial with a Series 65 designation and one year of industry experience. His prior work includes roles at Adams Brown, Koch Minerals & Trading, and Swindoll, Janzen, Hawk & Lloyd. Prime Capital Financial is an SEC-registered enterprise advisory firm serving individuals, trusts, corporations, and retirement plans with services including asset management, financial planning, qualified retirement plan sponsor and trustee services, and third-party manager selection. The firm employs a range of investment strategies and offers family office services, tax planning through an affiliated accounting subsidiary, and continuity mechanisms for legacy client relationships.

Daniel Donegan Jr. is a financial advisor at Creative Planning with 17 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has been with Creative Planning since 2015. Creative Planning provides investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, corporations, foundations, trusts, and retirement plans. The firm manages approximately $217 billion in client assets and employs a financial planning-led investment approach that emphasizes low-cost indexing and buy-and-hold strategies, supplemented by specialized techniques such as direct indexing and tax-loss harvesting.

Ryan Lukasek is a financial advisor at Creative Planning with 3 years of industry experience. He holds Series 65 and Series 63 licenses and previously worked at American Century Investment Services and Summit Funding. Before transitioning to finance, Lukasek served in law enforcement with the Shrewsbury and Wentzville Police Departments. Creative Planning provides wealth management, financial planning, and retirement-plan advisory services to a diverse client base, including high-net-worth individuals, institutions, and corporations. The firm employs a financial-planning-led investment approach emphasizing low-cost indexing and buy-and-hold strategies alongside selective private market exposure.

James Stanziola is a ChFC®-designated financial advisor with 35 years of industry experience. He is affiliated with Commonwealth Financial Network and has been with the firm since 2012. Outside of his financial advisory work, he is the sole owner of Stanziola Law Practice, LLC, where he performs legal work in estate and business matters. Commonwealth Financial Network serves a national network of approximately 2,900 advisors and offers a broad platform including managed-account programs, third-party asset manager access, and custody services. The firm supports advisers with a range of investment options and back-office services for individual and institutional clients.

Kevin Kephart is a Series 65-licensed financial advisor with Creative Planning, where he has worked since 2018. He has nine years of industry experience, including two years at Waddell & Reed prior to joining Creative Planning. Creative Planning provides investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, corporations, foundations, trusts, and retirement plans. The firm manages approximately $217 billion in client assets and employs a financial planning–led investment process that emphasizes low-cost indexing and buy-and-hold strategies, supplemented by tax-loss harvesting, direct indexing, and other tactical approaches.

Elizabeth Haynes is a financial advisor with Kestra Advisory who holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 17 years of industry experience. She previously worked at Edward Jones and UMB Financial Services Inc before joining Kestra Advisory and Kestra Investment Services, LLC in 2022. Haynes serves as finance chairman for the Board of Trustees of BOTAR, where she helps oversee the organization’s fiscal budget. Kestra Advisory Services provides investment advisory and retirement-plan consulting to plan sponsors and a diverse range of institutional and individual clients. The firm offers a variety of services including fiduciary consulting, plan design, investment advice, and employee education, and manages approximately $79.8 billion in assets with access to multiple management platforms and third-party solutions.