Ben Kunes | Retirement & Income Planning Advisor

As host of the Retirement & Income Radio Show and President of Safe Money Retirement Group LLC, Ben enjoys assisting his clients of all walks of life, with securing their financial future as they prepare for, and enter retirement. 

Calling on his over 32 years as a licensed professional, Ben specializes in strategies that assist his clients in achieving safety, security, growth without stock market risk and lifetime income.

Ben and his wife of 27 years, Fanny, reside in St. Louis, Missouri.  Ben and Fanny are blessed with four children, eight beautiful grandchildren, and two dogs.  In their free time they enjoy St. Louis Cardinals baseball, St. Louis Blues hockey, and vacationing in Florida.

Ben looks forward to meeting with you to share ideas about protecting your retirement money and securing a guaranteed retirement income. 

 I understood the value and importance of financial planning early in life after experiencing the loss of my father at age 8. We lived in an affluent community, and I watched idly as my family quickly deteriorated after this sudden loss. He was not only a loved one but the family's primary source of income. Although my father was extremely skilled in his field, there was a lack of financial planning coupled with no life insurance.

In the years following, my mother was desperate to stabilize the family and partnered with an investment advisor. He promised her excessively high returns knowing she was a widow in an unsteady position. She refinanced the estate and invested with him. We ultimately lost 1.7 million and learned he was leading a $61 million dollar Ponzi scheme.

I was abruptly thrown into the role of an adult, charged with repairing these financial hardships.
This crisis cultivated a desire in me to not only correct my family's situation but to ensure that I would never be in such a vulnerable state again.

I launched my professional career over 7 years ago, when I had the opportunity to gain mentorship from multiple knowledgeable Financial Advisors. I was able to gain knowledge under the counsel and direction of a well-respected and successful guides in the industry.

Eventually through years of experience and knowledge, I founded Essential Trust Financial which is a  company aligned with my goals of serving my community with not only trust  and integrity but with the savvy required to provide distinguished financial services. We believe in long-lasting relationships and the key component of trust. We understand the importance and value trust as we feel it is the baseline to a strong long-lasting relationship

Areas of Expertise include the following:

✔Traditional & SEP IRA
✔ Roth IRA
✔ Tax-Free Retirement Income Strategies
✔ Defined Benefits & 401(K) Profit-Sharing Plans
✔ Life Insurance -- Temporary & Cash Value
✔ Premium Finance & Kai-Zen
✔ 401(K) 403(b) & TSA Rollovers
✔ Defined Contribution Plans
✔ Corporate Level Pension Design & Administration
✔ Buy-Sell Agreements between partners
✔ Advanced Retirement Planning (Individual & Corporate)
✔ Estate Planning
✔ IRA Legacy Planning
✔ Charitable Giving
✔ Annuities
✔ College Funding
✔ Asset Protection
✔ Disability Insurance
✔ Long Term Care
✔ Investments

*As a Certified Financial Fiduciary, we ensure our clients are well-informed and fully understand the lifecycle of their investments.

Rancho Santa Margarita (RSM) Chamber of Commerce
Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce

Edward Malekan, Founder, and CEO of Eternity Financial Alliance brings over 15 years of

combined executive leadership, financial advising and team-building experience to his role

as leader of this industry-changing company.

His path to leadership is marked by his lifelong mission to be a trusted financial resource

responsible for helping individuals, families, and businesses understand and plan for their

financial futures.

Edward’s love of numbers, interest in business and understanding that financial decisions

should be holistic, started at a young age. Following in the footsteps of his parents,

business owners themselves, he embraced the concept of ethical business practices. He

saw how his parents were able to build a business based on trust, with word of mouth as

their primary advertising vehicle. It was also through his parents’ experience with financial

advising that he saw first hand how destructive “one size fits all” advice could be to families.

He vowed to change how business is done in the financial industry by making lifelong

learning, integrity, and honesty his core values.

As a Certified Financial Fiduciary he is held to the utmost standards when working with

clients. His commitment to ethical business practices has served Edward well throughout

his career. In his early professional life, he earned the position of Senior Director in his firm

with responsibility for recruiting and building teams. He was the youngest individual to

successfully open up new offices.

As a keen observer of his business environment, he determined the only way to do

business in a way that benefited the people he wanted to serve would be to open his own

firm. Once he set his mind on the goal, with dedication and determination, he created an

action plan and executed purposefully.

Today, Edward has changed the status quo of the financial and insurance services industry

by providing unprecedented value to his clients, almost acting like their CFO. Edward

believes that the relationship between him and his clients are sacrosanct and the quality of

those relationships matter.

To Edward, honesty is just as important for his team as it is for clients – he does not sell his

team on pipe dreams. “Success has a price and you won’t get it easily,” he’ll tell his team.

For financial professionals who join his team, Edward provides support and a pathway to

self-determination. He considers his team as family on a collective journey of success.

Edward can best be described as bold, fearless and focused. As a passionate, powerful,

and motivated force in the financial industry, Edward creates impenetrable alliances with

like-minded professionals within finance and across industries – bringing his dream full

circle.

Power Alliances

Our clients come first – always. We understand that many individuals, families and

businesses we serve are in need of assistance in completing extensive planning. Needing

attention in areas such as: assets under management, tax-planning, estate planning, real

estate lending and asset protection.

For that, we have our “Power Alliances” that are committed to working together,

collaborating when needed. “You’re only as strong as your missing link” and at time, your

plan is missing that link. Due to that matter, we look to solidify the plan by providing our

proven and trusted professionals in the areas needed for our valued clients, if and when

needed by our client’s request.

We are keen in collaborating with like-minded professionals who share the same beliefs and

principles as we do while still providing the most prestigious, competitive and “white glove”

service to our valued clientele.

We’re here guiding you through every turn of your financial plan towards prosperity. With

Eternity Financial Alliance, you’re not just a client – you’re one of us.

Zachary is a Senior Wealth Manager at Corbett Road and has many years of experience in the financial services industry. He prefers to take a comprehensive financial planning approach when working with clients and places an emphasis on examining a client’s investments, taxes, risk management, goal setting, and estate planning. Prior to coming to Corbett Road, Zachary was the Director of Financial Planning at a wealth management firm in the St. Louis area and worked with individuals, families, and business owners. He is a Certified Financial Planner™ and holds a FINRA Series 66 license. Zachary graduated from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with an emphasis in Finance. Zach enjoys donating time to St. Louis Children’s Hospital and is a member of their Ambassador Committee.

Michael Clanin has been helping clients for over 20 years and is the founder of Safe Money Solutions.  His expertise is in retirement planning, growing tax-free wealth, providing lifetime income, and legacy planning.  Michael is an advocate for the safety and protection of his client’s assets.  He offers a holistic approach to building relationships through education and learning about his client’s current situation and then providing individualized solutions that help mitigate or eliminate future issues.  He delivers outstanding professional services based on honesty and integrity.  Michael takes great pride in building long-term relationships with his clients to achieve their financial goals.

Michael’s mission is to educate his clients on how to avoid losing money in the market.  The Safe Money Solutions he provides focuses on building wealth safely, securely, providing lifetime income and passing assets onto loved one’s most tax efficiently. 

Michael is a former educator, so naturally his approach in working with clients is through guidance and education.  He enjoys spending time with family, traveling, hiking, biking, and reading.

Ryan is an experienced Financial Advisor with AJT Wealth Consultants. Driven by an intense need for knowledge, he takes pride in providing the best advice possible. As a Certified Financial Fiduciary®, his goal is to equip his clients, friends, and family with the tools and knowledge necessary to become financially secure. He is an Eagle Scout, Rotarian, and Toastmaster, who believes we should all leave the world a little bit better than when we arrived.

For fun, Ryan can either be found 100 feet under the ocean or with his nose stuck in a book. He has his Bachelor of Arts degree from Whittier College, holds his Series 7 & 66 Securities Registrations, and is a registered life insurance agent with the state of California.

Over the span of more than two decades, I’ve established myself as a trusted financial advisor and investment specialist. I’ve worked for big NYC firms including Guardian and Park Avenue Securities and served as Branch Manager for Integrated Wealth Management. Co-founding JohnstonRogers has allowed me to create an entire team of financial experts whose primary focus is to work in the best interest of our clients.

At JohnstonRogers, I guide people who find themselves in the midst of major life changes. Whether it’s someone starting out on their own once again due to divorce or death or a couple trying to coordinate today’s resources into a predictable retirement income for the not-so-distant future, I am there to help navigate the unknown and uncover potential opportunities.

JohnstonRogers is a branch office of DFPG Investments, Inc. Investment Advisory Services offered through TownSquare Capital, LLC., an SEC registered investment advisor. Securities offered through DFPG Investments, Inc., Member FINRA / SIPC. DFPG Investments, Inc. and TownSquare Capital, LLC. are not affiliated.

Lillian Meyers is both the founder and president of Meyers Financial Services, Inc. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Finance and has a keen focus on matters of taxation, and business taxation. Ms. Meyers is a graduate of the College for Financial Planning and has often spoken at Sonoma Valley company meetings, student workshops, Women in Business seminars, seniors' organizations, church groups, and more. In addition, she has appeared for interviews with newspapers, radio, and magazines, sharing her insight as a financial planning specialist.

Ms. Meyers has earned the following titles and certifications:

• CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Professional
• Certified Divorce Financial Analyst™
• Enrolled Agent
• Pension consultant
• Licensed insurance agent
• Registered Investment Advisor

Ms. Meyers also is a proud member of the following associations and organizations:

• The Financial Planning Association
• California Society of Enrolled Agents
• National Association of Enrolled Agents
• DAR Daughters of the American Revolution
• Soroptimist International of Sonoma Valley
• Soroptimist International of the Americas
• IMPAC100 Sonoma 

Brent M Weisenborn CFF is the founding partner, President, and CEO of Fiduciary Trust Private Wealth Counsel.

Brent has been in the investment management business for over 37 years and is a Certified Financial Fiduciary. His practice focuses on high net worth clients and Trust.

He managed $2 Billion in Trust Assets for nine years. In that capacity, he served as Chief Investment Officer, member of the Trust and Investment Policy Committee as well as Head of the Trust Department.

Brent served as Vice President of NASDAQ Group in New York and London as well as President and CEO of its subsidiary Agora-X LLC.

In 1987 Brent founded and was CEO of Security Investment Company of Kansas City, an institutional and high net worth Broker-Dealer and NASDAQ Market Maker.

In 1998 he was elected to the NASDR (now called FINRA) District NO. 4 Committee and served as Chairman from 1999-to 2000. He also was elected to the National Small Firm Advisory Board.

In response to the 2009 financial crisis, Brent was asked to testify before the US Congress and help draft legislation to promulgate new rules designed to bring more transparency to the markets.

Brent Weisenborn received a BBA in Finance and Economics from the Hankamer School of Business at Baylor University.

After Baylor Brent was with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Brent is an FAA multi-engine, instrument-rated Commercial Pilot.

Industry Positions

• Testified before US Congress for FINREG Bill
• Lobbied for Dodd-Frank, US Senate - co-wrote derivatives section
• Recommended to the President by US Senators Bond and Roberts for CFTC Commissioner

Past Memberships:

• Board Member - Bankers & Investors.
• Member - Chicago Board of Trade.
• Member - Kansas City Board of Trade.
• Board of Directors of The Kansas City Board of Trade from 1996 to 1998.
• Director of the Kansas City Securities Association.
• President of the Kansas City Traders Association.
• Member - Securities Industry Association’s Trading Committee.

Julia Andrews is a Certified Financial Fiduciary^® and a Behavior Financial™ Advisor with Monarch Wealth & Retirement Strategies.  Although new to the advisory world, she brings with her over 20 years of experience in the Financial Services Industry. As financial professionals, Julia and her team are committed to helping people create solutions for their retirement assets by holistically creating a financial plan to understand risk tolerance, time horizon and goals, together they work to develop a program that carefully balances investment strategies with preserving principal.