Speakers:

Brad Kasper

President, CFO

LSA Portfolio Analytics

Brad helped create Life Strategies Analytics in 2006 and has also been a part of the Kasper Steck Wealth Management team since 2004. His experience includes extensive work in personal financial analysis, asset allocation, and retirement planning. Brad is a licensed and practicing financial advisor and holds the Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF®). As a graduate of the University of Maryland – College Park, with a BA in Economics, Brad is now pursuing the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.

Brad's name and financial commentaries have appeared in Investment News, Financial Planning Magazine, The Kansas City Star, and is a frequent guest of America’s Wealth Management Show, a national radio show designed to help investors in retirement.

Often asked to speak on subjects related to retirement planning and investment management, Brad has addressed many corporations, organizations and the public at large on topics such as, "How to prepare for Retirement?", "How to invest in volatile markets?" and "Retirement Income and Money Management: How does it all work?"

Major General Spider Marks
(USA, Retired, USMA 1975)

Chief Executive, Leadership, organizational vision and design, media consultant and communications, public speaking, board director and advisor 

Experience: 

General Marks has over 42 years of leadership experience in both the Army and industry. He commanded Soldiers at every level from 2d Lieutenant to Major General. He served as both an infantryman and intelligence officer in some of the most storied and decorated units in our Army to include the 101st Airborne Division, the 82d Airborne Division, 7th Infantry Division, and 6th Infantry Division. He commanded an Infantry company in the 101st, a battalion in the 7th Infantry Division, and was the Commanding General of the Army Intelligence Center, Ft Huachuca, Arizona. As a staff officer he served as the Aide-de-Camp to the Commander in Chief, Pacific (a four star Admiral), was a battalion executive officer in the 82d Airborne Division, and was a Special Assistant to the Chief of Staff, Army. He served as the Senior Intelligence Officer at the Battalion, Division, Army, and Theater levels which included duty in Los Angeles during the LA Riots, Alaska, Haiti, Bosnia and Kosovo, Korea, Kuwait, and Iraq. Since retiring from the Army, Marks has been a business leader and entrepreneur. He was the CEO of Global Linguist Solutions, a privately held company that provides linguistics services to the U.S. military in Iraq and was the largest employer of native Iraqis and was the CEO, InVisM, a firm that develops training and simulation tools for commercial and government clients. He is the President of the Marks Collaborative, an advisory firm dedicated to the development and transformation of corporate leaders and their organizations. In this role, he has been a consultant in primary research, energy, and national security and was the co-founder of Willowdale Services, LLC, a boutique private advisory firm based in northern Virginia. 

Scholarly Work/Publications/Awards: 

General Marks was the Executive Dean (President) College of Security and Criminal Justice, University of Phoenix and is an adjunct professor at Georgetown University. He is an on-air military and national security contributor to CNN, having worked with Fox News, CBS, MSNBC, and BBC. He is a routine keynote speaker at corporate engagements and is the geo-strategic advisor for an investment bank, Academy Securities, a Service Disabled Veteran Owned financial services investment bank. He sits on several boards to include the Call of Duty Endowment that facilitates veterans’ employment. He is an author having contributed to and edited a book on leadership in International Relations and published several articles in military publications. He is an Honor Graduate of the US Army’s Ranger School, a Master parachutist authorized to wear Canadian and Korean Airborne wings, and has been awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, and multiple combat, expeditionary, and service ribbons. 

Education: 

M.S., Theater Operations, School of Advanced Military Studies, US Command and General Staff College 
M.A., International Affairs, University of Virginia 
B.S., US Military Academy

Bud Kasper, CFP, AIF

Barber Financial Group

Dean Barber, RFC, AIF

President, CEO - Barber Financial Group

Bud Kasper has been a fixture in the financial world of Kansas City area for nearly 30 years, offering targeted investment and planning solutions based on his clients specific and personal objectives. His goal is to create trust with each client by educating them about financial solutions based on his experience and in-depth knowledge of products, strategies and current economic conditions.

Bud, a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) and Accredited Investment Fiduciary(AIF®) with his insurance and Series 7 and 63 securities licenses, is dedicated to creating effective solutions in the areas of asset management, estate planning, retirement planning, insurance and annuities. Bud is also the co-host of the national syndicated show “America’s Wealth Management Show”.

Dean Barber, founder and president of Barber Financial Group, began his career in the financial service industry over two decades ago. It didn’t take him long to realize that the answer to financial planning doesn’t lay in how much money a person makes; it’s in how much they save.

Over the past twenty years, Dean, a Registered Financial Consultant (RFC) andAccredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF®), has built one of Kansas City’s premier financial management firms, specializing in assisting retirees, pre-retirees and business owners in building and preserving their wealth through the concepts of asset management, tax strategies and estate planning. Every weekend you can also hear Dean be the host to the national syndicated show “America’s Wealth Management Show”.

David Lebovitz

Global Market Strategist

Ignacio Sosa

Director, Product Solutions Group

Mr. Sosa joined DoubleLine in 2014 where he is responsible for new product development and working with DoubleLine's sales team, clients and advisors in support of the firm's existing product offerings. Mr. Sosa also oversees DoubleLine’s consultant relationships group as part of his management responsibilities. He is also a member of DoubleLine's Executive Management and Fixed Income Asset Allocation Committees. The latter serves as the firm’s investment committee. Previously, Mr. Sosa was an Executive Vice President at PIMCO and the product manager for that firm's emerging market debt business. Prior to joining PIMCO, Mr. Sosa spent more than twenty years managing portfolios of emerging market securities and currencies, primarily at his own asset management firm and Bankers Trust Company in New York and Tokyo. Mr. Sosa received his MBA from Babson College and his BBA from the University of Miami.

 David Young, CFA

Anfield Group, LLC

David Young is the Founder of Anfield Group, LLC and the Chief Investment Officer at Anfield Capital Management. With 25 years of investment experience, David has worked with many of the largest and most sophisticated institutional and private investors in investment strategy, portfolio management and asset allocation.  At the end of 2008, he retired as Executive Vice President with Pacific Investment Management Company to rejoin the U.C. Irvine Merage School of Business as Adjunct Professor of Finance, and form his own investment advisory practice – Anfield Capital Management, LLC.  From 1999 to 2006, David was head of PIMCO’s account management group in London where he built a team of 25 investment professionals managing over 200 client accounts  and approximately $50 billion in assets across the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Prior to joining PIMCO in 1994, David was a portfolio manager with Analytic Investment Management and an account manager at Smith Barney and Harris Upham.

David holds the Chartered Financial Analyst Designation, an MBA with a concentration in finance from the Paul Merage School of Business at the University of California, Irvine, and degrees in Economics and Political Science from the University of California, Irvine. He has taught finance and investments courses at the Paul Merage School, the Financial Times Knowledge programs (UK), and CFA exam preparation courses sponsored by the CFA society of Orange County, the USC / Los Angeles CFA Society, and U.K. CFA societies.  Mr. Young sits on several non-profit Investment Committees and Boards of Directors including the Chartered Financial Analyst Society of Orange County Board of Directors where he also chairs the Investment Committee, The Paul Merage School of Business (University of California, Irvine) Center for Investment & Wealth Management Executive Committee, The County of Orange (California) Healthcare System "CalOptima", and the Achievement Rewards For College Scientists Foundation (ARCS) 

Jessica Bush, CFA

Portfolio Manager at Principal

“What’s next” isn’t a new question for Principal. In fact, we’re seeing industry-leading growth and differentiating capabilities result from asking almost a decade ago “what’s next” for portfolio design.

Jessica Bush, CFA, Jessica is a Portfolio Manager for Principal Portfolio Strategies, a specialized boutique that engages in the creation of asset allocation solutions. She is responsible for the manager selection and asset allocation modeling for the Dynamic Outcome strategies. Jessica is a member of the Investment Risk and Oversight Committee. Prior to her dedicated role on these strategies, she served as a Senior Research Analyst on the Manager Research team responsible for the evaluation and monitoring of the sub-advisors under the due diligence program used by Principal Funds. Jessica has over 13 years of industry experience. Prior to joining Principal® in 2006, she was a Senior Portfolio Analyst on the fixed-income team at Putnam Investments. Jessica earned a B.A. in Business Administration from the University of Michigan. She has earned the right to use the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation.

MIT AgeLab Research

Managing Investor Anxiety:

Michael Lynch Vice President Strategic Markets Michael Lynch is vice president of strategic markets for Hartford Funds. In his current role, Mike is responsible for engaging and educating both financial advisors and their clients about current and emerging opportunities in the financial-services marketplace. These opportunities range from tactical strategies in areas such as retirement-income planning, investment planning, and charitable planning, to anticipating and preparing for long-term demographic and lifestyle changes.

Mike joined the organization in 1993 as an annuity client service specialist. In 1997, he joined the advanced product marketing department, where he developed an extensive knowledge of estate and retirement planning. In 2004, Mike became a regional sales director. In 2006, he became vice president and national director of The Hartford’s Retirement and Wealth Consulting Group, which provided thought leadership and financial education focused on retirement and small-business planning. In 2012, he joined Hartford Funds.

Mike has been quoted in prestigious publications such as Fox Business, Today.com, US News & World Report, The Washington Post, and MarketWatch.

Mike earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Eastern Connecticut State University. He is a registered representative of Hartford Funds Distributors and is FINRA Series 6, 63, and 26 registered and holds a life, health, and variable insurance license. Mike currently lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, with his wife and children.

Robert Fross

Cofounder & CEO

Platinum Advisor Strategies

Robert and Thomas Fross founded Fross & Fross Wealth Management with the shared vision of creating a truly world-class experience for their clients. In the years leading up to its founding, Thomas and Robert shared careers in the financial services industry that are remarkably similar and equally impressive. Prior to starting their own firm, they both held executive management positions at a renowned wealth management group - Robert as Vice President and Thomas as Senior Vice President. Earlier, Robert and Thomas worked at Bankers Life and Casualty Company where both held management positions, and Thomas distinguished himself as one of the Top Five agents in the nation. Until the Spring of 2004 Thomas co-hosted a radio talk show discussing financial matters which aired on AM 1370, WOCA.

Their professional registrations include their Series 6 and Series 7. Robert also holds his Series 66 registration, while Thomas holds his Series 65 and 63 registrations. They both hold Life, Health, and Variable Annuity licenses with the state of Florida and are registered in 25 other states collectively. Robert and Thomas are both Top Ten Representatives with their broker dealer, SII Investments, Inc. They attribute their success to the high priority they place on being good stewards of the assets entrusted to their care. 

Due to their outstanding success, Thomas and Robert cofounded Platinum Advisor Strategies in 2009 - a consulting company that helps over 750 other financial advisors serve their clients in an exemplary fashion. As financial industry thought leaders, they regularly keynote industry conferences, and have spoken for companies. They have been quoted in numerous publications, and their work has appeared in industry journals.

Bob Thomas

Deutsche Asset Management

Co-Head of Americas Real Estate Securities, Alternatives: Chicago, IL

Joined the Company in 2017 with 15 years of industry experience. Prior to joining, Bob served as lead portfolio manager of North America for global listed property funds at Henderson Global Investors. Before that, he was co-lead portfolio manager of North America for global listed property funds at AMP Capital. Previously, he served as an analyst at Nuveen Asset Management, at BNP Paribas Asset Management and at Security Capital Research & Management. Bob started his career as an investment banking analyst in the Real Estate group at KeyBanc Capital Markets

BA in Economics From Duke University; MBA in Finance, Management & Strategy from BOB THOMAS Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University 

Mike Scarborough, President, CEO

Retirement Management Systems

J. Michael Scarborough, President and CEO of Retirement Management Systems (RMS), is known for innovating the industry of managing monies for individuals in qualified plans, and over the course of thirty years having built one of the largest grossing Registered Investment Advisory (RIA) firms in the Nation.

In 2008 Mike separated his RIA, Scarborough Capital Management (SCM) from the asset management function of the company. While Mike sold SCM with $1.3 billion in assets under management, he continues to operate RMS as a leading professional in the 401(k) industry.

Mike has appeared on virtually every television network and has been featured in print media and national publications, including Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Magazine, Money Magazine, Pensions & Investments, USA Today, and The Wall Street Journal. Mike has written two books available on Amazon.com – The Scarborough Plan: Maximizing the Power of Your 401(k) and 401(k)nowledge: Practical Advice for Retiring on your Own Terms, which offer insights into company sponsored savings plans. His books provide easy to understand recommendations on strategies to improve the performance of hard-earned savings.

Mike is active on the Board of Trustees at Salisbury University Foundation where he created an endowment establishing the Scarborough Student Leadership Center. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Finance at Salisbury University and his MBA in Finance from Baldwin-Wallace College. In 2005, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate for Public Service from Salisbury University. In 2011, Mike was inducted into the Salisbury University Hall of Fame for wrestling and football.

Jeff Manry, CFP

Founder

BetaVest

BetaVest™ is an investment technology firm founded in 2000 by registered financial advisors and IT professionals that is dedicated to streamlining the process of client management and of dynamic asset allocation utilizing advanced financial simulation systems.

Unlike other software firms, BetaVest™ bases all of its products on the reality of investing rather than the misconceptions that have come to be accepted as fact in the financial industry.

We have modeled our products on a combination of years of industry experience both in the financial and software development industries, and we have gathered input and feedback from financial advisors and product managers at every level. The response is clear, BetaVest™ products not only make sense, but fill a huge void between the Advisor's ability and the Client's expectation.

We encourage you to try out our products or attend one of our seminars and see how BetaVest™ can help you close more business and retain more satisfied clients.

Steven Wruble, CFA

LSA/InvestBetter

Steve is the founder of InvestBetter Consulting, a collaborative resource for advisory firms navigating the financial services ecosystem. Built on a vast network of industry relationships, InvestBetter helps firms with custody solutions, advisory platforms, investment programs and products, and has a major focus on optimizing the advisor client experience. InvestBetter currently works with broker-dealers, hybrids, and RIA firms across the united states and now Latin America.

Steve entered the industry as a registered representative and spent a number of years as an advisor, selling insurance, client relationship management, and managing portfolios at a planning firm. Prior to starting InvestBetter in 2016, Steve was the Chief Investment Officer at RiskX Investments, where he developed a research platform to identify and evaluate professional money managers, distributed through a series of mutual funds. A major part of this role was helping advisors implement turnkey, risk-managed portfolios in the most streamlined manner possible.

Steve is a CFA Charterholder, AAMS designee, has an undergraduate degree from the University of Nebraska, and a Master of Security Analysis and Portfolio Management from Creighton University. Steve lives in Omaha with his wife and dog and is active in the community and his country club. Steve has been a contributor to InvestmentNews, Bloomberg, ThinkAdvisor.com, and several other publications.

Mike Murphy

FiduciaryShield

Vice President of FiduciaryShield, an ERISA consulting firm that helps brokers and advisors compete in the 401k market place. His early recognition of the changing 401(k) industry has been the driving force behind FiduciaryShield.

Mike is a long-time resident of the Tampa Bay area. He is an alumnus of the University of Florida with a Business degree in Finance. Following college, he entered the banking industry but quickly discovered a passion for Securities, Investments and Financial Services. This started a successful 27 year career that included the creation of a proprietary IRS-approved business succession plan. Prior to his position at FiduciaryShield, Mike owned his own advisory firm and has held senior level positions including International Trainer and Content Developer for STC and National Training Manager at Commerce Clearing House(CCH) Wall Street.

His time at CCH helping to create a start-up division lead to his future involvement in several prosperous start-ups culminating with FiduciaryShield and its cutting-edge offering.

When Mike is not working, he volunteers his time coaching a girls fastpitch softball team to back to back world series runner up titles.

You can follow the informative articles he publishes on 401(k)s and the changing fiduciary regulations at http://fiduciaryshield401k.com/a-better-401k-news/

Thom Hall

CFP ChFC President Advisor Metrix

Thom is a financial professional who founded Thom K. Hall Financial Group in 2000 and has been advising clients on how to preserve and manage wealth for over 20 years. Thom excels at developing a uniquely customized approach for each client’s planning needs, objectives and goals. With Thom, the entire process revolves around the client.

Thom believes that financial planning is about a person’s values and not just their money. His focus is on protecting someone’s purchasing power, not simply their principal. He feels it is important to develop the right retirement plan for an individual’s situation by utilizing tools that help manage taxes, market volatility, and risk. He has taught sound financial principles to a wealth of individuals over the years and currently teaches educational seminars to corporations and federal agencies. He shares strategies that assist his clients in overcoming emotional decisions and helping to ensure his clients’ income in their retirement years.

He successfully completed the demanding requirements to become a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional through the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. In an effort to provide timely advice to his clients, Thom regularly consults with leading experts including Ed Slott, CPA, who Mutual Funds Magazine called “America’s IRA expert,” and Harry Dent, one of the leading economists in the U.S. A resident of Draper, Thom devotes his free

John Q. Frank

QQQ Equity Product Strategiest

PowerShares

John Frank is the QQQ Equity Product Strategist that represents the PowerShares family of exchange-traded funds (ETFs). In his role, John works on researching, developing productspecific strategies and creating thought leadership to position and promote the PowerShares QQQ.

Prior to joining PowerShares, John was an Assistant Portfolio Manager at RS Core Capital, a multi-asset class investment firm. In this role, John’s primary responsibilities included research, risk management and asset allocation with a focus on the equity and hedge portfolios. Before RS Core Capital, John spent six years at J.P. Morgan Asset Management advising institutional investors on asset/liability management, asset allocation and pension regulation and worked across the Defined Benefit, Defined Contribution, Endowment and Foundation segments. John began his career at General Electric in a leadership development program where he was placed within the GE Energy division.

John has a BSE in Industrial & Operations Engineering from the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor and an MBA with Honors from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business with concentrations in Analytic Finance, Econometrics, and Statistics. He is a CFA charterholder.

Janson Evans

TradeWarrior

Joe Elsasser

Director - Analytics Group

Covisum

Ron Piccinini

Director of Product Development

Covisum