Andy Landis is one of the nation’s foremost authorities on Social Security and Medicare, in demand nationwide as an author, speaker, and consultant.
Andy has guided tens of thousands to abundant retirements while working at the Social Security Administration, AARP, multi-national corporations, and his own practice, Thinking Retirement.
Through Thinking Retirement, Andy educates both individuals and financial professionals through live workshops, books, articles, webinars, and professional education courses.
He is the author of the books Social Security: The Inside Story and When I Retire, available from Amazon. He is a regular blogger for the Wall Street Journal’s “MarketWatch” site. On TV, he has appeared on Fox Business News and PBS, and is a frequent guest on radio.
Andy lives in Seattle with Kay, keyboards, camper, computers, cars, and sometimes kids!
Mary Eileen Williams, M.A., NCCC, is a job search expert, author, blogger, speaker and radio host. As a Nationally Board Certified Career Counselor with a Master’s Degree in Career Development, she has over twenty years’ experience as a career strategist working with job seekers and career changers.
Her book, Land the Job You Love: 10 Surefire Strategies for Jobseekers Over 50 provides mature applicants with the critical information they’ll need to successfully navigate today’s competitive job market.
Eileen is an active contributor to the Huffington Post, writing job search articles for Huff/Post 50 (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/eileen-williams/). She also makes frequent appearances on both radio and TV and has been interviewed for Market Watch, Money Magazine, Kiplinger and several other national and international publications. Eileen is the host/founder of the popular boomer blog and radio show called Feisty Side of Fifty. (http://feistysideoffifty.com/).
Nancy Bearg has had a long career in international security policy, including as National Security Advisor to the Vice President of the United States.
Today she is a consultant focusing on national security reform, conflict prevention and post-conflict peace building, and teaches a university graduate course on leadership. She lives in Washington, DC.
JDavid McKnight graduated from Brigham Young University with Honors in 1997. David is a nationally recognized speaker and his popular workshop “The Power of Zero” has been seen by thousands of Americans from coast to coast. This workshop was recently showcased on the main platform at Forum 400, an annual gathering of the top 1% of financial advisors in the nation. In 2014, David was a Focus Speaker at the world wide annual conference for Million Dollar Roundtable in Toronto, Canada. He is also a Top of the Table qualifier.
David is the author of two #1 Amazon best-selling books, “The Power of Zero” and “Look Before You LIRP” and contributes regularly to a number of national magazines on the subject of tax-free retirement.
David has trained thousands of financial advisors on his tax-free paradigm and currently serves as mentor to an exclusive group of financial advisors from across the country.
Mary Sterk, CFP ®, is the owner of Sterk Financial Services in Dakota Dunes, SD. Mary’s inspirational story of fighting her way from Welfare to Wealth Management has motivated many people to believe that anything is possible. She built a better future despite a teenage pregnancy, living in low-income housing, and raising two small children without child support and while subsisting on food stamps. Her quote, “If I can achieve this, anyone can!”, has inspired women throughout the country to strive for their own bright future.
Sterk Financial Services (www.sterkfinancialservices.com) specializes in providing strategic direction and personal meaning for client’s financial decisions through their unique planning programs. Their radio show, Money Guide With Mary Sterk, educates and inspires listeners to create their best financial future.
Mary has been in the investment and insurance industry since 1994, and earned her Certified Financial Planner ™ certification through the American College in Bryn Mawr, PA. Mary also has an artistic side, and has created uplifting messages of hope through her art via Just Mary Designs (www.justmarydesigns.com). In her down time, Mary enjoys spending time with her three children and one grandson, and flying her Piper Cherokee.
In 2006 Mary was the winner of Woodbury Financial’s Lewis and Clark Explorer award*. This honor is awarded to a financial advisor who has demonstrated tremendous business success and growth, and provided excellent client care and service in the financial planning industry. Based on feedback she received after receiving this award, Mary created and hosted the first annual National Woodbury Women’s Forum held in Dallas, TX in February 2007. Many independent female financial advisors attended the event to learn how Mary runs her practice and to discuss topics including staffing issues, acquisitions, client service, and sales. Mary now sits on the national board of Women Forward, promoting financial literacy and encouraging the growth of women in the financial industry.
Over time, Sterk Financial Services has grown, in part by acquiring five financial planning practices. Mary has become an industry specialist in the acquisition space, authoring her book, Buy It! The Practical Guide to Buying a Financial Services Practice. Mary does private consulting with advisors who need assistance during the acquisition process.
Mary was named one of Wealth Magazine’s Top 50 Women in Wealth in 2008*. In 2011, Mary was given the Siouxland Women of Excellence Award for Women Taking Risks*. Following that, she was honored as one of the 2012 Top 10 Under 40 in her community*. In 2015, Mary was featured on the cover of Siouxland Women Magazine, as well as in the Wall Street Journal for her high-level estate planning*. In March of 2016 the prestigious President’s Award was bestowed upon Mary by Woodbury Financial Services for long-time exemplary service and contributions to clients, community, and the financial industry.
Finally, Mary developed and has taught a class at a local college entitled “Financial Planning for Women.” Mary is a member of the Siouxland Estate Planning Council, is a past Financial Services Institute board member, and the past chairperson of the Woodbury Financial Services Representative Advisory Council. Her community involvement includes being the past Chair of Women United, past President of the Western Iowa Tech College Foundation Board, current board member of the Sioux City Art Center, and former membership as a Sioux Trails Girl Scout Leader, Siouxland Professional Women’s Organization, The Greater Dakota Valley Jaycees, and staffing Premier Education’s Family Values Focus seminars.
Connect with Mary at marysterk@sterkfinancialservices.com.
Dr. Carolee Duckworth has worked with thousands of career changers over the past 30 years, including displaced industrial workers, homemakers re-entering the workforce, retraining adults, technology students, and 55+ individuals preparing for new careers. Her current focus is on assisting retiring Baby Boomers (of which she is one) with their next great career change. An idea person and life-long learner, Carolee lives her life as though all things are possible.
The way she lives is her strongest statement to others that “the sky’s the limit”–or is there any limit after all?
Wendy Walleigh
Before making the transition into the non-profit sector in 2002, the majority of Wendy Walleigh’s career was in high-technology marketing and sales. Over 20 years, she held numerous positions in computer networking hardware and software companies including Director of OEM Marketing at 3Com Corporation. Her responsibilities included product marketing and management, branding, marketing communications, sales and sales support.
In 2002, Ms. Walleigh left the high-technology world and joined Junior Achievement of Silicon Valley where she held the position of Vice President of Marketing and Development until 2006 when she and her husband moved to Africa to do volunteer work for TechnoServe, an international economic development NGO (non-governmental organization).
From July to December 2006 in Swaziland and all of 2007 in Kenya, she helped develop entrepreneurship programs for TechnoServe supporting youth, women, micro-enterprises and business plan competitions, including helping to establish Junior Achievement youth programs in Swaziland. While living again in California, Ms. Walleigh returned to Africa in 2008 and 2009 to travel informally as well as to visit TechnoServe clients in Ghana, Swaziland and Kenya and document their success stories. She returned to Junior Achievement of Silicon Valley as a Board Member and continues to serve in that role.
Ms. Walleigh holds an M.S. in Communications from Boston University and a B.S. in Psychology from Tufts University.
Richard C. (Rick) Walleigh
In 2005, Rick Walleigh left a 30-year career in the high-technology industry. During this time he held executive roles in high-technology companies and was a Partner in management consulting at Ernst & Young for twelve years. During his career, he frequently gave executive presentations and wrote a number of articles on business topics. Two of his articles were published in The Harvard Business Review.
After what he calls “commercially retiring” in 2005, Rick began exploring opportunities to use his skills and give back to society. He discovered the volunteer consulting program at TechnoServe and went to Africa, with his wife Wendy, to work on reducing poverty. Now back in the US, he continues to work part-time for TechnoServe as a Senior Advisor to the Chief Operating Officer and other members of TechnoServe’s senior management team.
Because of his transition from high technology executive to volunteer in Africa, Rick was featured in a Wall Street Journal online edition article titled “Second Acts: Career Paths For Worn-Out Executives” available at http://walleigh.com/africa/ricks-15-minutes-of-fame-in-wall-street-journal.
In addition to Ernst & Young, Rick is an alumnus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the Harvard Business School.
Greg Sullivan is the president and CEO of Sullivan, Bruyette, Speros & Blayney, and is a Certified Financial PlannerTM professional and a certified public accountant (CPA) with more than 35 years of business, investment management, and financial planning experience. Barron’s, a national financial publication, has recognized Greg as one of the nation’s Top 100 Independent Financial Advisors and Washingtonian magazine named him as one of the Top Wealth Advisors in Washington, DC.
After earning his degree in accounting from the Pennsylvania State University, Greg started his career with Ernst & Whinney (now Ernst & Young). In 1991 he cofounded SBSB, a wealth management firm providing financial planning and investment advice to high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth clients. He and his partners later sold to Harris Bank, a subsidiary of Bank of Montreal, and partnering with these banks allowed Sullivan and his cofounders to expand their business. In early 2016, the SBSB partners repurchased the company from Bank of Montreal. The firm currently provides holistic financial planning for nearly 900 clients and tax preparation for approximately 500 clients and manages over $3.5 billion in assets.
Greg’s involvement in the financial planning and wealth management communities is well established. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the Financial Planning Association (FPA). In addition, he is a founding member of both the Alpha Group and Blind Squirrels, national consortia of wealth managers and business owners. He served as chairman (1996–1997), president (1995–1996), and on the board of directors (1989–1997) of the International Association for Financial Planning (now called the Financial Planning Association).
An avid skier, cyclist, and triathlete, Greg is the father of two grown children. He and his wife live in Alexandria, Virginia.
Hans E. Scheil, CFP®, is the CEO of North Carolina-based Cardinal Retirement Planning, Inc., and the author of “The Complete Cardinal Guide to Planning for and Living in Retirement.”
Throughout his 40 years in the financial services industry, Scheil has worked with clients age 65+ to help provide them with the financial solutions they need to live a long and successful retirement. In his book, “The Complete Cardinal Guide to Planning for and Living in Retirement,” Scheil addresses the major problems retirees can face and provides simple strategies that can be put in place with the help of a qualified professional.
Scheil is a Certified Financial Planner™ professional as well as a Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU®), Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC®) and Chartered Advisor for Senior Living (CASL®). He also holds life and health insurance licenses in all 50 states and the District of Columbia and is an investment advisor representative. For more information on Scheil, please call (919) 535-8261 or visit www.PlanWithCardinal.com.
Maria Leonard Olsen graduated from Boston College and the University of Virginia School of Law. She is an attorney, radio talk show host, podcaster (“Becoming Your Best Version”), writing and women’s empowerment retreat instructor, editor, and public speaker on diversity issues and living a life authentic to one’s values.
Her work has been published by The Washington Post, Washingtonian Magazine, Bethesda Magazine, among others. She served in the Clinton Justice Department prior to having children, and recently returned to practicing law now that she is an empty-nester. “Mommy, Why’s Your Skin So Brown?” about being mistaken as the brown-skinned nanny of her lighter-skinned children, is her first children’s book. “Healing for Hallie,” about the importance of expressing feelings, is her second.
Her first adult non-fiction book, “Not the Cleaver Family–The New Normal in Modern American Families,” was released in 2016. “50 After 50–Reframing the Next Chapter of Your Life,” was published in hardcover by Rowman & Littlefield in June 2018, and in paperback/audio in October 2019. Book review by The Boston Globe:
https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/2018/08/22/trying-new-things-after/wxhTLovNpXkqpoUSvHBu7L/story.html?event=event25
She is available for book talks on any or all of her titles. See www.MariaLeonardOlsen.com and C-Span coverage of recent presentation www.c-span.org/video/?427995-2/cleaver-family