Mark began his financial planning career with a stint in the commission-based broker/dealer industry, where he saw too many hard-working families falling prey to hidden costs and promotional product sales in lieu of the sound advice they deserved. After exploring the evidence on how to build and preserve wealth, he established Vertical Wealth Management as a Registered Investment Advisor firm, guided by a higher, fiduciary standard of care appropriate to his client's interests.
As the Founder of Vertical Wealth Management, Mark is dedicated to building client relationships marked by communication, commitment, and a keen ability to clarify complex decisions.
Mark’s career has spanned more than 20 years. Throughout that time, Mark has worked with many of the region’s largest families.  Mark focuses on assisting families with their asset management & estate planning.
Mark works closely with clients to develop customized financial strategies that incorporate asset allocation, financial management, retirement planning, and succession planning. Mark utilizes his team of CFP’s, CPAs, and estate planning attorneys to give clients a truly comprehensive, individual, and holistic financial plan.
From guiding baby boomers through to retirement, Mark has committed himself personally and professionally to helping others achieve their dreams.
During the formative years of his career, Mark was a  manager/owner for several Virginia-based enterprises. In college, he also was an academic tutor for financial mathematics and statistics and currently volunteers as a retirement & finance instructor through the College of William & Mary, Osher Institute. His solution-oriented acumen and educational coaching experiences contribute to Vertical Wealth’s emphasis on high-touch client care.
Mark has a bachelor’s degree in business administration with an emphasis in finance and economics.

Steven Smailes is President of Monarch Wealth & Retirement Strategies.  Over 25 years of professional sales and business management experience have helped Steve become extremely well rounded in the four domains of Financial Advice mastery – competency, empathy, management and service to help our clients.  Steve understands how to listen, create, plan and execute on our clients’ vision for their desired future.

Before Steve joined Monarch Wealth he had been a trusted advisor, executive and entrepreneur in a variety of industries, including technology, insurance, investment and lending.  Each of those roles has helped Steve develop a deep holistic view of finances. That deep view, along with the skills learned in those roles helps Steve ask clients the right questions as they look forward to successfully managing the integration of their personal and financial goals.

Steve currently holds a BFA™, Behavioral Finance Advisor certification as well as a Certified Financial Fiduciary®, as well as his Securities licenses Series 7, 66, and life and long term care insurance licenses in multiple states. 

His informal education includes being mentored by one of the co-founders of FedEx, several highly successful technology and retail entrepreneurs and one of the nation’s most successful financial services entrepreneurs.  Through these lessons, Steve has learned that financial advice is unique to you and based on your values and beliefs, and can be organized and multiplied for the betterment of family.

Steve has been married to his beautiful wife Carol for 24 years and has four wonderful children, ranging in ages from 16 to 23.  In his spare time Steve is an avid reader, works out regularly through SEALFIT and Spartan obstacle courses and enjoys spending time with family and friends.

Steve is a parishioner at St. Maximilian Kolbe in Westlake Village where he is actively involved in the High School Youth Group program, helping to prepare students for Confirmation.  He is also a member of the St. Paschal Baylon Men’s Club.              

Steven Smailes is the President at Monarch Wealth & Retirement Strategies. As an executive and trusted advisor for over 25 years Steve has raised capital, successfully managed several P&L’s for companies and led several projects that have created over $100M in direct investment or increases in revenue and valuation of those companies. Steve has learned the skills necessary to help clients ask the right questions as they look forward to successfully managing the integration of their personal and financial goals.

Steve’s education includes being a graduate of the Southern California Entrepreneurship Academy and the Santa Clara MyOwnBusiness initiative as well as being mentored by one of the founders of FedEx and one of the nation’s most successful financial services entrepreneurs. Steve currently holds a BFA™, Behavioral Finance Advisor certification, as well as his Securities licenses Series 7, 66, and life and long term care insurance licenses in multiple states. 

The Compounding Couple Specializing in Retirement Income Planning

Patrick Harkin retired from the U. S. Postal Service with nearly 35 years of government service in many different positions including five as Postmaster, numerous OIC/Acting Postmaster positions and other assignments to USPS Headquarters, Region & Area Headquarters, finishing his career as Manager, Operations Programs Support for the Greensboro District.

Patrick served in the U. S. Air Force and the Iowa Air National Guard.

Patrick studied Accounting and Business Law at Drake University and Iowa State University.

Patrick was born and raised in Iowa and moved to North Carolina in 2000 as a promotion to Postmaster of Shelby North Carolina.

Upon retiring from the Postal Service Patrick realized there is a huge gap of knowledge and understanding for postal employees, federal employees and veterans about their benefits and no one true source to get definitive answers.

Patrick specializes is federal benefits for current employees, retired employees and their family members.

Patrick has taken training and is a Certified Financial Fiduciary® and Federal Retirement Consultantsm .

Our Goal is simple: for over 22 years we have helped our clients make SMART investment and financial decisions through professional relationships based on uncompromising integrity, trust, and personalized service. We know that relationships are very important and that earning someone’s trust is Sacred.

Our sole Purpose is to help our clients arrange their financial affairs in such a way as to Preserve their Capital, maintain Financial Freedom and most importantly, enjoy Peace of Mind.

Because Education is at the Heart and Core of Life Financial Wealth Management, John has dedicated himself and his career to obtaining Specialized Knowledge by becoming an Investment Advisor Representative (IAR), a Certified Financial Fiduciary® (CFF) and has obtained distinction in his field by being appointed a Certified Financial Educator® (CFEd) through the esteemed Heartland Institute of Financial Education.

John is a native of Fort Wayne, Indiana. He has been married to his Bride, Christine for 29 years and is the Proud father of two daughters; Katherine who attends Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Indiana, and Grace, who attends Bishop Luers High School. When John is not in the Office, he enjoys time with his family, working on his “honey-do” list, and being outdoors; running, biking, or watching his grass grow.

Traveling is his passion! He loves dreaming, planning and/or taking trips, here in the USA or across oceans while learning about different cultures and monetary systems. He enjoys a good joke, a good book, and a good game of cards.

Samuel Price is the Founder of Price Financial Services. He has over 30 years’ experience in the Financial Services Industry. Prior to Securities America, Sam was an Investment Advisor with Voya Financial Advisors and Locust Street Securities. He      specializes in retirement planning and investment planning.        

Sam has a BA from the University of Colorado and a PhD from Washington State University.  His licenses include FINRA series 22, 63, 6, 7, and 65 as well as Life and Health.

While studying Geology at the University of Colorado, he become interested in the financial markets after investing in an oil & gas company that was exploring in the Western United States. Sam saw the results of good research into investment choices as well as patience in the markets.

It is this same approach he takes in working with clients by developing investment portfolios that both fit the client’s risk tolerance and time horizon. Clients receive a tailor-made investment portfolio based upon the results of a Risk Tolerance Questionnaire as well as meeting time taken in assessing investment choices that will best fit their personal risk assessment and timeframe.

Additionally, clients receive ongoing investment management as well as personal contact during each calendar year.

Securities offered through Securities America, Inc. member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory services offered through Securities America Advisors, Inc.

Price Financial Services and Securities America are separate entities.

I believe that your financial success should be the result of skill and a plan, not luck or an accident. successful financial planning is not just about money, but how your money can change your life. Through careful planning and meticulous implementation of your plan, you can achieve most, if not all, of your life goals.

I have been named to Forbes Best-In-State Wealth Advisors in 2020, Forbes America's Top Next-Gen Wealth Advisors every year since 2017. I have completed the Investment Specialization program at University of Geneva and I have obtained the AWMA (Accredited Wealth Management Advisor) from College for Financial Planning, CEPA (Certified Exit Planning Advisor) from Exit Planning Institute at University of Chicago and CFF (Certified Financial Fiduciary) through NACFF. I received my bachelor's degree from the University of Toledo in Financial Services and Economics.

I am an open networker and accept all invitations. However, if you are looking for a second opinion regarding your current situation, please feel free to contact me directly at tyler@truealphawm.com or 419-830-7045.

Jeff P. Vogan is the president and founder of Premiere Retirement Planning & Wealth Management, with offices in Tucson and Mesa, Arizona.

Jeff is a Registered Investment Advisor and regulated fiduciary. He holds the designations of Certified Estate Planner, Registered Financial Consultant, and Certified Financial Fiduciary®.

As a Certified Financial Fiduciary®, Jeff holds the highest moral, ethical and fiduciary standards of service when providing advice to potential and existing clients. 

Jeff can be seen regularly on TV and heard on his weekly radio show, Premiere Retirement Radio. Many of his articles can be seen in publications such as HuffPost, Kiplinger, and more. His recent book, Retirement... The Road Ahead, can be found on Amazon.

Liz uses financial planning as a means to guide investment decisions, not the other way around.

Capabilities to impact your life and wealth

Liz is a 19+- year Wealth Management Professional, head of the Financial Planning team for the firm and a Founding Partner. Liz previously held positions as a Vice President-Wealth Management with Merrill Lynch and worked as a Certified Public Accountant. 

Certified Financial Planner^TM

Liz is a Certified Financial Planner^TM, CFP® certificant, a designation awarded by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc.; she takes an inter-active approach with our clients to build a highly personalized Financial Plan. She believes that The Financial Plan is the roadmap that empowers clients to achieve the financial future they envision. This future could include sustainable retirement income, evaluating when and how to take Social Security, purchasing a dream home, saving for children’s or grandchildren’s education, legacy planning, charitable gifting or insurance needs.

Liz utilizes innovative financial planning software to break down complicated information into an easy to understand visual format helping simplify the complex financial decisions our clients face. Liz works very closely with our client’s advisors including CPAs, attorneys and insurance professionals to coordinate estate, insurance, and tax issues. Liz has the skill to provide personalized and thoughtful investment strategies based on each client’s risk tolerance while incorporating their overall financial goals. This is an on-going process as life and the investment climate are ever changing. Our firm is now working with third and fourth generation clients and as Liz likes to say, “We are here to help - from birth to the grave, and beyond.” She is often the first point of contact should a significant, often sudden, life change occur.

Todd has been passionate about educating and helping others throughout his life. He has been nationally recognized for carving new paths in teaching pre-engineering, computer science, design, and math across the country. During that time, Todd served as an adjunct professor in Digital Circuit Design at Duke, Iowa State University, the University of Minnesota, and other prestigious programs. He has also been a serial entrepreneur, writing books, developing learning platforms, creating community development programs, and providing ways to support the small business community in his hometown of Colorado Springs.

These ventures helped him realize his ideal life includes healthy and vibrant relationships, philanthropy, investment in the local community, technical challenges, problem-solving, and education. His background and passions, paired with a lifelong obsession with investing, have made a natural transition into being a skilled investment advisor. He prides himself in keeping client interests first and takes his designation as a Certified Financial Fiduciary seriously. He enjoys using his educational and entrepreneurial background to expand his clients’ financial knowledge and helping them make sound financial decisions. Todd understands and appreciates the complexity inherent in the entrepreneur lifestyle and strives to simplify the financial aspect of their lives. He creates impactful relationships and helps others solve their complex financial challenges by making complicated concepts understandable.

At Harvey Investment Management, Todd enjoys working with a select group of small business owners and high-net-worth families in a role as a personal wealth consultant. He works as a fiduciary in a virtual family office model in partnership with law and tax professionals to help his clients navigate the complexities of investment consulting (portfolio management and asset allocation, risk allocation), wealth enhancement (tax mitigation and cash flow ), wealth transfer (estate transfer), wealth protection, major liquidity events and charitable giving.

Todd enjoys golfing, pickleball, bouldering, traveling, and trying new foods with friends and family. He strongly supports his community by serving on the Peak Education Board, developing local mental health initiatives, and being an active member of the local church community.

Securities offered through HighTower Securities, LLC. Member FINRA/SIPC, HighTower Advisors, LLC is a SEC registered investment Adviser