Robert Shestack is the Chairman and CEO and Hall of Fame member of the Voluntary Benefits Association (“VBA”), the first national non-profit [501(c)(3)] trade association focused on Voluntary Benefits for employer groups and affinity groups. The VBA’s goal is to promote the education, implementation, product development, compliance, technology and enrollment of Voluntary Benefits in the workplace. In addition, Mr. Shestack is the Chief Strategy of Paylogix, the nation’s largest Insured, Bonded and Licensed Third Party Administrator focusing on Voluntary Benefits. Paylogix represents over 25 Fortune 1000 companies as manages close to $1 billion in annual voluntary benefits premium.

Mr. Shestack was the former EVP and National Practice Leader for The AmWINS Group, the largest insurance wholesaler in the United States, placing over $12 billion in annual premium. In his role he was responsible for all carrier relations, enrollment & implementation activity and communications, as well as the execution of the 5-year strategic business plan. Prior to joining AmWINS, Mr. Shestack was Managing Director and National Sales Leader of Corporate Benefits at Marsh & McLennan. Mr. Shestack’s experience working with voluntary benefits includes product development, insurer relations, strategic innovation, communication & enrollment strategies.

Mr. Shestack has been responsible for managing and developing high level sales talent and establishing client and partner relationships in the employer benefits arena. A 30+ year industry veteran, Mr. Shestack holds a Workplace Benefits Consultant certification, a Certified Voluntary Benefits Specialist designation as well as a degree in Actuarial Science & Rick Management. Also, he is certified in Health & Welfare and Cafeteria Plan Fundamentals through the American Academy of Actuaries. He is a Risk Management Capstone Course student advisor at Temple University’s Fox School of Business, his alma mater, where he and his wife have a $10,000 scholarship program for the Fox School of Business at Temple University.

In addition to his responsibilities at the VBA, Rob was also inducted into the Workplace Benefits Hall of Fame in July 2010, joining an elite group of voluntary benefit industry leaders. An accomplished author published in over 100 articles and white papers as well as an accomplished speaker, he wrote a chapter on critical illness in the 2008 book “Workplace Marketing — A Promise to Deliver” and is working on his next 2 books.

Mr. Shestack was featured as the cover story for Benefits Selling magazine in 2007 and he received the inaugural Voluntary Benefits Adviser of the Year award in 2011. The award recognizes outstanding service to group benefit plan sponsors by brokers and advisers, as well as overall contributions to the profession. In April 2013, he was honored with the prestigious H. Wayne Snider Distinguished Alumni Award from Temple University’s Fox School of Business recognizing Rob as someone who has distinguished himself or herself for at least 20 years in the field of Insurance, Risk Management and Actuarial Science.

Recently, Rob received the 2017 South Jersey community service volunteer of the year award recognizing his unselfish efforts and dedication in making his community a safe place to live and raise a family. Dedicated to his community, Rob is a 7-time elected official (Fire Commissioner) in his township representing over 60 career personnel and an annual budget exceeding $11 million.

Tony Pruitt has over 25 years of wealth

management and financial planning experience

and is the Founder and Senior Wealth Advisor at

Pruitt Wealth. Over the years, Tony has

developed a process that puts all the pieces of

the financial puzzle together as life unfolds and

needs evolve. By staying true to an enlightened

philosophy centered on helping clients work

towards financial independence, Tony uses a

personalized planning strategy that is designed

to help steer his clients towards a work-optional

lifestyle. Along the way, ultimately, he wants to

help his clients slow life down, restore liberation

and order and ensure they are enjoying the fruits

of their work ethic and sense of purpose.

Previously he served as Senior Vice President

and Investment Officer within Private Wealth

Management for Wells Fargo Advisors, and Vice

President within Private Wealth Management

with Deutsche Bank. Tony holds the

professional designation of AAMS and is a

member of the Financial Planning Association.

Steve Thurmond, CFF

Forward Financial, LLC

100 Cherokee Blvd. Suite 302

Chattanooga, TN. 37405

Phone: 800-431-8509

Website: www.forwardfi.com

Email: steve@forwardfi.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/forwardfinancial

Instagram: www.instagram.com/forwardfi

Steve is the owner and founder of Forward Financial, LLC, which specializes in insurance, financial planning and retirement income solutions for families and individuals at any stage of life. Steve is a graduate of the Middle Tennessee State University school of business and entered the financial services industry in 2012 after working in the recording industry for many years prior.

Steve works collaboratively with accountants, attorneys and estate planners to provide the best possible advice and service to his clients. He has a comprehensive, 21-step approach to advising clients on the many aspects of financial planning and insurance solutions. He is a Certified Financial Fiduciary and holds Life, Health, Property, Casualty and Legal Insurance licenses in 35 states from coast to coast.

Steve has offices in Chattanooga, TN. where he resides with his wife Jenny and their two daughters.

Laura K. Schilling, J.D., CPA, CFP™, CSA®, CFF®

FINANCIAL PLANNER

(404) 458-0065

(770) 804-2535

LAURA@FINANCIALINNOVATIONS.BIZ

Laura K. Schilling, J.D., CPA, CFP™, Certified Senior Advisor (CSA®), Certified Financial Fiduciary (CFF®), is principal and founder of Financial Innovations, LLC. She is licensed to practice law in Georgia and Florida. Laura was named by Georgia Trend Magazine as part of its Legal Elite for 2009 for her legal work in taxes, estates, and trusts. She has been named as a five-time “Five Star Wealth Manager Award” winner from Atlanta Magazine. Laura has been published in several magazines, including Forbes Magazine and Best Self Magazine. She also has taught a class for Bisk Education for CPAs.

Clients benefit from Laura’s legal, accounting, and financial planning expertise. Her diverse background enables her to review a client’s financial situation from many different perspectives. She can review and draft legal documents and tax returns. She enjoys being able to work with clients to create financial plans for them and their family, and she has a deep-rooted passion for helping others. She has adopted two children and is dedicated to serving others in multiple capacities.

Laura began her professional career as a Certified Public Accountant at Habif, Arogeti, & Wynne, an Atlanta based accounting and financial services firm. She later earned a law degree and established a legal practice specializing in estates, wills, and trusts. Prior to founding Financial Innovations, LLC, in 2003, Laura worked for another large Atlanta based financial planning firm. Laura holds a BBA degree in accounting from Emory University, and a J.D. from the Georgia State University College of Law, where she graduated cum laude.

Laura is currently acting as Treasurer on the Board of Directors for a charity, The Packaged Good.  The primary focus of this charity is to involve families with children of all ages to starting learning to give (www.thepackagedgood.org).  Laura has served on the board of directors of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Brookhaven and is active in numerous civic and community organizations. She is a member of the Georgia Society of CPAs, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), and the Georgia and Florida Bar Associations. 

Laura is well known for her active referral network of business professionals, enabling her to link clients, friends, and colleagues to valuable resources and services they need.

A native of Long Island, NY, Laura has lived in Atlanta for over 25 years. She is active in both her children’s lives, and enjoys museums, travel, and cultural events.

Mr. King has been helping investors protect, grow, and enjoy their assets for over 25 years.  His practice focuses on a holistic approach to financial well-being and quality of life.  Preparing families for ‘four generations’ is the basic tenant of the firm’s legacy planning paradigm.   Guiding families, utilizing a time allocation of money, commonly referred to as a “Bucket Plan” allows families to enjoy a superb quality of life while establishing generational wealth.

Mr. King has worked for some of the largest companies in the business, with tenures at Morgan Stanley Dean Witter, Aetna, and MassMutual before becoming an independent advisor. 

Mr. King also teaches financial soundness to pre-married, and newly married couples.  He is a part of the Dave Ramsey program, teacher at Financial Peace University, a SmartVestor Pro and an Expert Local Provider (ELP). He served as the youth director for his church for over 10 years and still runs a bible study for teens.

Mr. King received his B.A. from Louisiana State University and is a graduate of the Cannon Trust School. The American Banker Association awarded Mr. King with two designations: Certified Securities Operations Professional, (CSOP), and Certified Trust Financial Analysts (CTFA).

Mr. Gastl has over 44 years of experience driving business development, strategy, and revenue growth for companies in the financial service industry.  Bill Gastl current position is the Chief Operating Officer of a SEC Registered Register Investment Advisory Firm, Wealth Watch Advisors.  Prior to his current role, Mr. Gastl has held positions with various insurance companies, as a sales manager or field manager, as well as being the Chief Investment Officer and Corporate Secretary for a regional life insurance company.  Mr. Gastl has the Chief Executive Officer, for MediDigm Corporation.  In that role, he oversaw a company that was a leader in developing a debit card with a national bank and credit processor to access Health Savings Accounts. 

He has a track record of building solid client relationships, with the ability to provide expert advice on topics involving insurance products as the core structure in financial planning. I have a track record of supporting financial adviser in implementing financial strategies for their clients, assisting businesses in improving profitability and efficiency through process management and development. 

Lane G. Martinsen, is the author of “The Holistic Retirement Planning Revolution” available at Barnes & Noble and Amazon. He is a Certified Financial Fiduciary® and a Retirement Income Certified Professional (RICP®) as well as an independent Investment Advisor Representative (IAR). 

As a financial planning practitioner, Lane’s focus is on holistic retirement planning and investment strategies, utilizing a combination of techniques and experience gained from helping hundreds of clients successfully improve their finances and their lives. Lane is driven by his clients’ success – nothing is more rewarding than creating a successful plan for a client to help ease or eliminate their financial stress, worries and fears.

Lane is a licensed independent Representative of multiple annuity and insurance companies. Lane received his Bachelor of Science degree in Business from the University of Phoenix and post-undergraduate studies and certification at The American College of Financial Services. Lane is the Principal of Martinsen Wealth Management, LLC  and the President of MoneyPark, Inc. He is a member of the National Ethics Association (NEA) and an educational speaker for The Association of Financial Educators (AFE) as well as the Society of Financial Awareness (SOFA). Lane is also a proud member of the Ed Slott Elite IRA Advisor Group.

Robert “Bob” Ryerson entered the financial industry in 1984.  More recently, he became concerned about the epidemic of identity theft and became a Certified Identity Theft Risk Management Specialist (CITRMS), and recently wrote the book “What’s the Deal With Identity Theft-A plain English Look at Our Fastest Growing Crime”   Mr. Ryerson is a notary public and holds a BA in Economics from Rutgers University.  Robert is also certified for long-term care – CLTC®.  He is an experienced estate administrator and advises clients on various aspects of estate and legacy planning. 

Steven V. Wise MBA, IAR, Certified Financial Fiduciary (CFF)

For 23 years, the footprint of Steven Wise, and later Beacon Associates has been huge in the Northwest Ohio area.  Initially founded on healthcare for small business owners and those self-employed, a book of over 4000 clients and families were generated.  Later financial and benefit planning for Veterans and surviving spouses was added, over 3000 were assisted to help endure the cost of long-term care and still pass on a legacy.  The backdrop of Steven and Beacon Associates has always been education.  Steven educates families on retirement issues such as Medicare, Social Security Maximization, income planning and tax planning.  The client and their families, always come first in his world, beginning with education, which allows them to make the best choices for themselves and obtain long term individual and family goals.  Family has always been number one to Steven and his wife Rhonda.  She is Vice President of Beacon Associates and one half of the Medicare Diva’s.  Rhonda and Steven have 5 children and 10 grandchildren.  Their son Quinten, a licensed attorney is joining the firm as it continues to expand.

After spending 21 years in the Marine Corps defending his country, Ken Catledge embarked upon his career in the financial services industry, graduating with his first designation as a Fraternal Insurance Counselor Fellow (FICF) in 2005. He quickly discovered that working as a financial advisor tapped into the core values that he had dedicated his life to integrity, trust, and service. Rapidly expanded his education, adding a second designation as a Life Underwriter Training Council Fellow (LUTCF), third designation as a Retirement Income Certified Professional® (RICP®) in quick succession, and his fourth designation as a Certified Financial Fiduciary®.  He is a member of the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors and served as President from 2012-2014 in Knoxville, Tennessee, and a member of the Society of Financial Service Professionals, and National Association of Certified Financial Fiduciaries.

Ken believes that interpersonal communication and exceptional customer service is the foundation of a meaningful client-advisor relationship. He treasures the opportunity to get to know his clients over years of partnership and to celebrate with them as they hit significant life accomplishments: buying a home, expanding their family, and putting their hard-earned money to work to enjoy a fruitful retirement. He is excited to put his experience to work, helping more families pursue financial stability!

As a Certified Financial Fiduciary®, Ken will learn what makes you unique and work with you to tailor solutions based on your financial goals.

Ken lives in Maryville, Tennessee and is married to Angela, and they have three sons Adam, Ryan, and Cory, and two grandchildren Oliver and Boone.  He enjoys volunteering at the Blount County Children’s Advocacy and spending time with his family on the lakes of East Tennessee, traveling, golfing, cooking, and reading.