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12 InvestmentNews June 18, 2018393434RYANCALDWELLTESSDOWNINGMICHAEL J.HARTCEO,Wacker Wealth PartnersSenior financial adviser,FJY FinancialFirst vice president andresident director,Merrill Lynch WealthManagementRyan Caldwell is clear aboutit: “My most impassionedcontribution has been throughteaching financial literacy classesto high school students throughUnited Way and to other groupslocally that cannot afford professional financial advice.”Mr. Caldwell has been atWacker Wealth Partners for morethan 10 years, and was selectedas the firm’s CEO by its partners,all senior to him. Prior to joiningthe firm, he was with FisherInvestments, where he helpedcreate the company’s clients-onlyprivate alternative funds.He was a member of the 2016class of the Schwab ExecutiveLeadership Program, which hesaid “has been instrumental in mydevelopment as a next-generationleader of our firm.”Mr. Caldwell is a strong believer and “torchbearer” for thefee-only model. “It puts me onthe same side of the table as myclients,” he said.He has served on the board forthe regional Financial PlanningAssociation chapter and was aregional coordinator.— Dan SmithAt Texas Tech University,financial planning was a“hidden program,” Tess Downingsaid. But when she found it, it resonated with her desire to work in afield that was analytical, detail-oriented and had a direct, personalconnection with clients.Ms. Downing took a jobwith FJY in Washington, DC,upon graduation. But she’s stillattached to her alma mater,serving on the Texas Tech Personal Financial Planning AlumniAdvisory Board for six years. Shealso works with the mentorshipprogram for alumni and financialplanning students, being a mentor to eight students so far.“If students understand therelationship, they can blossomand it can be fruitful,” she said.After 10 years with FJY, shenow chairs its Financial PlanningCommittee, which is focused onfurthering the knowledge of allthe advisers in the office, and isdirector of technology.Ms. Downing also speaks atlocal and national events, and isinvolved in FPA and FPA NexGen,as well as NAPFA.— Dan SmithHis father has worked atMerrill Lynch for years, butwhen Michael Hart graduated fromthe University of Florida in 2006,he didn’t join the Thundering Herd.“My father . wouldn’t hire mebecause he said I didn’t knowanything that could help him,” Mr.Hart recalled.He got a job in the customerservice center of T. Rowe Priceduring the 2008 financial crisis.“It sent shockwaves throughme, and it was something thatan MBA or a certification doesn’thelp you with,” Mr. Hart said.He joined Merrill Lynch in 2011,and the following year his fatherasked him to join his team.Mr. Hart’s work resulted in afocus on helping the adult childrenof many of his father’s clients.That, combined with streamlinedprocesses, produced gains ofmore than 120% in key areas.It led to Merrill Lynch seniormanagement becoming aware ofMr. Hart’s talents and asking himto serve on its millennialadvisory board.— Evan Cooper39RANDYBRUNSFounder,Model WealthAfter Randy Bruns had worked at a big bank for 10years, he “started to understand how simple financialplanning is and how complex the industry makes it seem.”As a result, Mr. Bruns decided to design his firm, ModelWealth, to make sense to the average consumer, be funand remove stress. He is trying “to raise the bar for whatclients should expect from us as a financial planning firm.”His efforts have led him to become president and a boardmember of the Financial Planning Association of Illinois andto serve on this year’s advisory task force for FPA’s nationalconference in Chicago.“My primary agenda [as president] has been to significantly improve financial literacy among consumers, andto build up a community of educated professionals thatbelieves objective financial planning should serve as thebackdrop to everything we do,” Mr. Bruns said.He also helps the Chicago Federal Reserve in organizingits Money Smart Week, a campaign to educate the public tobetter manage their finances.Mr. Bruns believes the profession is improving.“That’s why I am so involved,” he said. “It is not a highlyrespected profession and there are valid reasons why it isnot respected as a whole.” He wants to change that.— Dan Smith29KAYLAKENNELLYVice president of businessdevelopment and adviser solutions,BNY Mellon’s PershingPershing CEO Mark Tibergien has mentored probably thousands of financialadvisers over the years, through his prolific writing, speaking engagementsand personal contacts. But who mentored him? Kayla Kennelly.Ms. Kennelly co-founded Connect, Pershing’s reverse-mentoring program in whichmillennials provide advice and insights to senior executives.While she prefers the term “co-mentoring” because she has learned so much herselfin the process, the idea for mentoring upward sprang from a comment by an executivethat the firm’s leadership didn’t represent the firm’s future constituents, she said.“Because I had sent articles about millennials to that executive, he asked me to dosomething, and a group of us did a lot of research to find out what others had done,”she said. “We proposed a program to our CEO and he backed it.”So far, about 60 executives and 90 millennials have participated.“The program has taught me a lot about leadership and management, and for thecompany it’s had an unexpected positive effect on retention, largely because I thinkit gives younger people a sense they are being listened to,” she said.Ms. Kennelly learned about working hard and of the importance of strong teamsfrom her days as captain of the crew team at Iona College. “I learned you have togive feedback, and a small error can throw off the whole boat.”— Evan CooperReverse-mentoring“gives youngerpeople a sensethey are beinglistened to.”

14 InvestmentNews June 18, 201837VICTORIABOGNERCEO and CIO,McDaniel KnutsonFinancial PartnersIt simply never occurred to Victoria Bogner that shewould become a financial planner. She majored inmath at Kansas State, with minors in computer scienceand Japanese.Ms. Bogner was encouraged into the profession bythe owners of McDaniel Knutson after doing some31DESMONDHENRYFounder and financial planner,Afflora Financial Life PlanningFrom the time he was inhigh school, DesmondHenry knew he wanted a careerin financial advice. The day aftergraduation, he started working atUS Bancorp. At the same time,he attended Washburn Universityfor a bachelor’s degree, and laterKansas State University, where hework for them. She is now the CEO — selected eventhough she was the youngest member of the investment committee.She is also past president of her local chapter of the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors, andis founder and current CFO of the Johnson County Business Partners, a networking group for building businesses.Her mission “is to get every financial advisory firmto add a budget line of 1% to charity,” she said.McDaniel Knutson contributes 5% of gross revenues.As part of that commitment, the firm partners with anindigenous Indian nonprofit that is committed to bringingopportunity to rural villages in India, and every year sincethe beginning of the partnership Ms. Bogner’s firm hasgiven staff and their family members the opportunity tosee and serve the villages it supports with a trip to India.“By involving our staff and their families, it not only bringsus closer together as a team, it demonstrates to our staffand our clients that we stand behind our words of wanting tomake this world a better place,” Ms. Bogner said.— Dan Smithreceived a graduate certificate inpersonal financial planning.Mr. Henry earned the certifiedfinancial planner designation andtwo years ago decided to start hisown financial planning firm.“To serve clients’ best interests, I felt I would have to be afee-only adviser,” he said.His firm — an acronym for “afinancially fit life offers real abundance” — specializes in retirementplanning and helping widows.“I like to be their advocatebecause too often they get takenadvantage of,” he said.Mr. Henry teaches financialliteracy to high school and collegestudents and has given more than 15,000 over the past two yearsto local charities.“Giving back is a big part of myfirm culture,” he said.— Evan Cooper32KATIEHAMMERDirector of developmentand communications,Foundation for FinancialPlanningKatie Hammer admits shedidn’t know much about theprofession when she joined theFoundation for Financial Planningtwo years ago.Today Ms. Hammer leads itscommunications efforts and givingprograms, with the intent of raisingawareness for pro bono financialplanning.She is perhaps most proud ofhaving created the organization’sfirst issue-based fundraising effort,the Pro Bono Cancer Campaign.“It began last September, andincludes a website, messaging,collateral material and videos,” shesaid. “We’ve raised 1.2 million,mostly from CFP professionals,and continue to fundraise.”Many families coping withcancer struggle financially, and arealmost three times more likely togo bankrupt than others, despitealmost 86% of them having hadinsurance, she said.“Our volunteers help familiesget organized, prioritize debt andbudget,” said Ms. Hammer, notingthere is still much to do.— Evan Cooper29MAGDALENAG. JOHNDROWFinancial adviser,Farmington RiverFinancial GroupThe boss and mentor ofMagdalena “Maggie”Johndrow is none other than hermother-in-law.“We work incredibly welltogether, and when we took apredictive exam to measure ourstyles, the results were almost

InvestmentNews.comWHEREOUR 40sLIVENORTHEASTMIDWEST27.5%WEST30%15%My mission“is to get everyfinancial advisoryfirm to add abudget line of 1%to charity.”identical,” she said.An adviser for the past twoyears at a small, all-woman firm,Ms. Johndrow helps retired andpre-retiree clients. But her teamfound that the children and grandchildren of clients also soughtadvice, but had most of theirassets tied up in 401(k) plans.“We were looking for a way toprovide advice without the AUM,”she said.In response, they created asubscription service that runsgoals analyses, provides adviceon insurance and paying off student loans, and advises on assetsin 401(k) plans.“We work with a lot of youngdoctors and become the CFOsof their life,” said Ms. Johndrow,who is currently completing workon her CFP certification.— Evan CooperSOUTH27.5%28IANHARVEYFinancial adviser,Financial AssetManagement Corp.The 2018 FPA NextGen president has definite ideas about what he wantsto accomplish.“There's no question about our direction,” Ian Harvey said. “We want tomake sure that planners with lots of experience are working with plannershaving less experience so that a transfer of wisdom happens.”In the six years since he graduated from Virginia Tech University with adegree in financial planning, Mr. Harvey said he has personally benefited fromworking alongside experienced advisers.First at Rockwood Wealth Management and from 2015 until earlier this month atSontag Advisory, he said he has learned a lot from fellow advisers with different areas of expertise. He also hopes to learn as much from Scott Kahan,who is the incoming president of the Financial Planning Association's NewYork chapter and whose Chappaqua, N.Y.-based firm Mr. Harvey is joining.But involvement and leadership are two areas the young adviseralready seems to have mastered. He started one of the nation's mostsuccessful student FPA chapters while in college and then went on toserve as his local chapter's NextGen liaison.Given his hopes of eventually becoming an equity owner in his newfirm, the financial planning community is likely to be seeing a lot moreof Mr. Harvey in the future.— Evan Cooper

16 InvestmentNews June 18, 2018InvestmentNews.com“Youth is oneof the greatestassets youcan have asan adviser.”CHRISTOPHERGRIFFITHAt age 38, Christopher Griffith is already a 17-year veteran ofthe industry. He didn't waste any time getting started.Mr. Griffith earned his first license while in college, continuing an interest in investing from his high school years. Upongraduation in 2001, he and his college roommate Henry J.Wheelwright started their own wealth management practice.They are still partners, running a six-person team and managing about 400 million in client assets.Mr. Griffith attributes his success at such an early age toworking long hours, earning a CFP and a CPWA in his 20s, anddoing a tremendous amount of outreach. The business tookabout five years to take off, he said.Having a partner who was a peer was important."It was very helpful that I had someone in the trenches withme; it wasn't a senior-junior thing," he said.As an established professional, Mr. Griffith gives back tothe industry by providing pro bono planning for low-incomefamilies, teaching classes on financial literacy, and mentoringinterns and new hires.There's a big opportunity in the industry for younger people,he said."Youth is one of the greatest assets you can have as an adviser.[Especially] if you've got some experience, a CFP and existingclients," Mr. Griffith said. "The single biggest concern from clientsin our favor is that they worry they'll outlive their advisers."— Deborah Nason27KATHLEENKENEALYRUSSELLKROEGERManaging director andsenior wealth adviser,Boston Private WealthFounder and financialplanner,Paradigm Wealth ArchitectsKathleen Kenealy'scolleagues view her as astable, reliable hard worker — somuch so that they presented herwith a celebrity-roast-like "SilentAssassin" award at their annualemployee dinner, noting that she"quietly killed it" all year.Ms. Kenealy majored in financebut had no idea what she wantedto do. Her first job was in wealthmanagement, and thereafter shewas part of the inaugural class ofthe Schwab Executive LeadershipProgram.In addition to her role as awealth adviser and planner, Ms.Kenealy helped create and deliveran internal wealth-managementtraining curriculum, led an initiativeto implement new financial planning tools to deepen the adviceprovided, and advocated for thefirm's membership in the FinancialPlanning Association, in which shehas been active since 2005.Ms. Kenealy gives back to hercommunity by providing pro bonofinancial advice at local events.— Evan Cooper38Senior vice president wealth management,Griffith WheelwrightGroup at Morgan Stanley37Russell Kroeger learned ahard lesson at age 16, whenhis father died of cancer and leftthe family without a financial plan— or any money to speak of.He grew up in Appalachia, wherehis family was involved in "takingcare of people who didn't havemuch." Both of his parents werecollege-educated and worked multiple jobs to support the family.These days, Mr. Kroeger's goalscenter on educating people aroundthe philosophy of money and smartfinancial behavior."I want to make financialplanning accessible," especially tothose who traditionally have beenunderserved, he said, which is whyhe launched Paradigm Wealth.He is a graduate of the FinancialPlanning Association's ResidencyProgram and is director of advocacyfor the San Francisco chapter ofFPA.Mr. Kroeger is also on theResearch and Education Task Forcefor Money Quotient and is pursuinga master’s in advanced financialplanning at Golden Gate University.— Dan SmithPETS OF THE 40sCats: 4Chickens: 4Dogs: 22Fish: 2Horses: 2Bunny: 1Gekko: 1Hamster: 1

InvestmentNews.comJune 18, 2018 InvestmentNews 1739PETERLEEFounding partner,Summit Trail Advisors“If you looklike you’ll havea good future,we’ll take youon regardlessof your currentassets.”Excelling through teamworkhas been Peter Lee’s hallmark, regardless of the enterprise.Mr. Lee, a college football player(and Academic All-American), usedthat teamwork model three yearsago to start his own company withfive partners. Today, Summit TrailAdvisors has 6.5 billion in assetsunder management. About 15% ofits clients are professional athletes.“I have always enjoyed connecting with fellow athletes and beinga resource to them and their families,” Mr. Lee said. “We typically engage with our athlete clients whenthey are making the transition fromcollege (or sometimes high school)to the professional ranks.”Earlier in his career, Mr. Leeworked on Barclays’ wealth andinvestment management team, aswell as for Lehman Brothers.Mr. Lee is a member of the Economic Club of Chicago and serveson a number of charitable boards.— Dan Smith39SHEILA C.LAWRENCEPartner and senior clientadviser,Ballentine PartnersSheila C. Lawrence'sphilosophy revolves arounddoing the next right thing. Soundssimple enough, but it requiresthought and effort.She joined Ballentine Partnersin Waltham, Mass., in 2007, afterattaining a master's degree in lawand diplomacy at Tufts University'sFletcher School, and became intenton advocating “for significant useof philanthropy, impact investing,values-based estate planning andmeasuring success based on long,multigenerational time-horizons.”Ms. Lawrence has donated anaverage 17% of her gross incomeover the last five years to variouscauses and mentors students fromlow-income families.Ms. Lawrence loves what shedoes because she has the opportunity to "tangibly make people'slives better."— Dan Smith39DANILOKAWASAKIVice president and chiefoperating officer,Gerber Kawasaki WealthManagementAt age 17, on his way to his first class in English inPalo Alto, Calif., Brazilian immigrant Danilo Kawasaki remembers being thrown off a bus because hecouldn’t understand how to pay the fare and then havingto walk three miles. That incident and other challengeshe has faced never stopped Mr. Kawasaki, who learnedenough English to pass a proficiency test one monthlater and be admitted to Foothill College.“My mother, who is a doctor, sent me to the UnitedStates because she wanted me to get out of an unstablecountry,” he said.After transferring to the University of Redlands, Mr. Kawasaki joined SunAmerica Securities in 2002. He turnedto the families of his tennis-playing friends in college tostart a business, and his hard work paid off when he wasmade a branch manager at age 24. The financial crisis,however, confirmed his desire to be his own boss.In 2010, he and partner Ross Gerber founded theirfirm, with Mr. Kawasaki in charge of operations, compliance and training. He said the firm’s client criteria aresomewhat unusual: “If you look like you’ll have agood future, we’ll take you on regardless of yourcurrent assets; we have no minimums.”— Evan Cooper39SETH A.MILLERSenior vice president,general counsel andchief risk officer,Cambridge InvestmentResearchSeth Miller grew up on afarm outside a tiny Iowatown of 300, cultivating rural values. He has since settled down inthe nearby metropolis of Fairfield,with a population of 10,000, andworks for an 800-employee independent broker-dealer.Mr. Miller has a degree infinance and management and is aninvestment adviser representative.But as general counsel, he does notfinancially advise clients. He is onCambridge’s board of directors and,in a decade, has helped the firmdouble in size.In 2016-17, Mr. Miller was anattorney working with severaltrade organizations challengingthe Department of Labor’s fiduciary rule. The rule has since beenvacated by the 5th U.S. CircuitCourt of Appeals.— Dan Smith

InvestmentNews June201818 18InvestmentNews June18,18,2018“Collegestudents arestarving forfinancialeducation.”35CHRISTOPHERM. MOOREDirector of financial readiness,Texas A&M UniversityFollowing his intuition through a chain of events ledChristopher M. Moore to find his calling as the director offinancial readiness for Texas A&M University.Mr. Moore, a second-generation financial planner and EagleScout, was in the middle of his eight-year stint with a wirehouse in 2011 when he fulfilled a lifelong desire to serve in themilitary and enlisted in the U.S. Navy Reserve.He soon realized that graduate school would benefit his parttime career in the service and earned an MBA in 2013. Continuing his professional education, he earned his CFP in 2014.In 2015, the director of the Texas A&M financial planningprogram got in touch with Mr. Moore about a new financialliteracy program for students entering the military.“We need someone who looks just like you,” she told Mr.Moore. He heeded the call and left the wirehouse to lead thenew program and teach.Moving ever forward, he is pursuing a Ph.D. in financialplanning to get the academic training to conduct research andvalidate his teaching.Mr. Moore’s three-part class empowers students to learnfinancial literacy topics, apply their knowledge to projectsand present information to their peers. Within two years, theelective course proved so popular that the university rolled outa version for nonmilitary students. Enrollment has zoomed tomore than 300. Other universities have shown interest, too.“College students are starving for financial education,” Mr.Moore said.— Deborah NasonInvestmentNews.com3737JASON B.MIYASHITADENNIS J.MOOREManaging director,Raymond JamesChief operating officer,Quest CapitalManagement Inc.Many advisers get to workearly. But probably not asearly as Jason B. Miyashita. Anative of Guam, his day starts 14hours ahead.Managing 1.5 billion in assetswith his team members, Mr. Miyashita’s clients include government organizations, endowmentsand wealthy individuals in the Pacific protectorates and territories, aswell as nearby independent nationssuch as Palau. He regularly visitsthem all, as well as those on theU.S. mainland, flying to Tokyo (threehours away) rather than to Hawaii(eight hours) to take shorter flightsto major American cities.“My passion is connecting withlocal people,” said Mr. Miyashita,who speaks Palauan, as well as Japanese and Chamorro, the language ofGuam and the Mariana Islands.After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, Mr. Miyashitaworked at a major accounting firm inNew York for three yearsbefore becoming afinancial adviser atSmith Barney in Hawaii.He returned home toGuam in 2007 and stayedat the firm, which was acquiredby Morgan Stanley, until moving toRaymond James in 2015.The father of two says he is“always looking for business,” andplans to continue seeking out “U.S.expatriates in Asia looking for a U.S.firm.” He sees opportunities in Thailand, the Philippines and elsewherein Southeast Asia.“With today’s technology, I can doanything from anywhere,” he said.— Evan CooperOperations may be an atypicalcareer path in the advisory business, but it suits Dennis J. Moore.The Blanco, Texas, native decidedto become an adviser after taking anintroductory financial planning courseat Texas Tech University. An internshipat Quest turned into a full-time jobupon graduation, and after a yearand a half at the firm, Mr. Moorerealized there was value to be addedon the business side. To prepare for amanagement role, the firm permittedhim to work remotely from Lubbockso he could return to Texas Tech for agraduate degree.“A lot of people questioned meabout getting an MBA and concentrating on operations,” he said. “Iwondered about it myself, but I reallysaw how running a business effectively can make a big difference.”Mr. Moore returned to Dallas,and in 2011 became chief operatingofficer of the 1 billion, 24-personfirm, where he helps create capacityfor the teams that serve clients, aswell as handling the firm’s otheroperational issues.He has been active in the FinancialPlanning Association since collegeand has served as president at two ofits chapters. Currently, Mr. Moore isone of the youngest members of thenational FPA board and chairs its probono advisory committee. He is alsoa founding member and former president of the Alumni Advisory Boardof Texas Tech’s financial planningprogram and former chairman of itsmentor committee.“When I talk to new planners andstudents, I try to encourage them tolook at all the career paths in financialplanning,” he said.— Evan CooperLess than 30 0%HOURS30-39WORKEDPER10%WEEK 70 or more40-493%45%18%60-6925

At Texas Tech University, nancial planning was a "hidden program," Tess Downing said. But when she found it, it res-onated with her desire to work in a eld that was analytical, detail-ori-ented and had a direct, personal connection with clients. Ms. Downing took a job with FJY in Washington, DC, upon graduation. But she's still