Life Insurance 10X – About the Authors

Lawrence J. Rybka, JD, CFP®

Lawrence (Larry) J. Rybka is President and CEO of Valmark Financial Group which includes a national independent broker dealer, a RIA, and a high-end insurance agency (founded in 1963) serving 120 independently-owned wealth management /transfer firms in 30+ states. Larry’s 30-year career leading Valmark and serving as a thought leader in the life insurance industry has emphasized working with advisors to create innovative solutions to better serve clients and proactively anticipate difficult regulatory challenges impacting how those services are delivered.

Larry’s industry leadership includes terms on the boards of AALU and the MDRT Foundation.* He twice served as AALU Chair of the Regulatory Reform Committee and is active in lobbying on behalf of the industry. He has authored numerous trend articles in professional journals and is a frequent platform speaker at national industry meetings.

David A. Rasch, RFC®, LIC

Plan. Grow. Harvest. Working on his family’s apple farm, David Rasch, President of Harvest Wealth Advisors, learned that careful planning, attention to detail and adaptability were the keys to success. Employing these tools throughout his 30 years as a securities-registered wealth manager, David crafts personalized financial solutions for a broad spectrum of individual and corporate clients including executives, professionals, business owners and generations of families. Working in concert with a client’s advisory team, David creates a holistic wealth management strategy encompassing all aspects of the client’s financial interests. A graduate of Michigan State University, David is a Registered Financial Consultant (RFC®), a Licensed Insurance Consultant (LIC) and has been recognized as a member of the Million Dollar Round Table’s Top of the Table.* David and his wife Nancy live in Grand Rapids, MI and have two adult children.

Tom Fay, ChFC®, CLU®, LUTCF

Tom Fay has over two decades of experience working with affluent clients and their advisors developing estate and business protection strategies using insurance-based solutions. As Founder and Managing Partner of Stone Point Financial Group in Chicago, Tom has a longstanding reputation for helping business owners and individuals create, preserve and protect their wealth with customized plans. He has presented nationally on the topics of wealth planning strategies, executive benefits and life settlements, and holds the designations of Chartered Financial Consultant and Chartered Life Underwriter from the American College.* He is a member of the Chicago Estate Planning Council and active with several national industry organizations. A graduate of Kansas State University, Tom lives in the suburbs of Chicago with his wife and two sons.

David S. McKechnie, CLU®

As Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer of Beauport Financial Services in Gloucester, Massachusetts, David has provided financial and insurance services for over 30 years, specializing in investment, estate, and retirement planning. He holds the Chartered Life Underwriter designation from The American College in Bryn Mawr, PA and has been a qualifying member of the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT) several times over the last three decades.* Most recently, David was named to the MDRT’s highest designation of achievement, Top of the Table, in 2015*. David and his wife, Elaine, reside in Gloucester and have two adult children, Connor and Ryan.

Thomas P. Olexa, CFP®, CLU®, ChFC®

Thomas (Tom) Olexa is a Principal at EFG Advisors, a Chicago-based planning firm with roots dating back to 1965. Tom joined EFG in 1987 and began to develop wealth planning and transfer solutions for affluent business owners, families and individuals. His greatest satisfaction comes from showing clients a path to help them achieve financial freedom. Tom is a Certified Financial Planner, Chartered Life Underwriter and Chartered Financial Consultant.* He received a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin and is a member of several industry organizations.

Philip E. Harriman, CLU®, ChFC®

Philip (Phil) Harriman is co-founder of Lebel & Harriman, LLP and has delivered advice on life insurance to businesses, families, and non-profit organizations for over 40 years. He earned his undergraduate degree in Insurance from Husson University and is accredited with the Chartered Life Underwriter and Chartered Financial Consultant designations from The American College.* Phil serves his profession with distinction, having been on the boards for the Life Insurance Foundation for Education and the Association for Advanced Life Underwriting, a former Trustee of The American College Foundation and a former Executive Committee Member for the Million Dollar Round Table, where he also served as the international president in 2007.* Phil’s civic duties include four terms in the Maine State Senate where he served on the State Budget, Health and Human Services, and Business and Economic Development Senate committees.

Fred W. Churchley III, CLU®

Fred W. Churchley III has four decades of experience working with affluent clients and their advisors throughout the U.S. in the design, implementation and management of life insurance strategies. As founder and president of Churchley Financial Group, Fred has designed tax reduction and wealth maximization strategies for some of the largest cable and media families in the country. He has presented nationally at industry meetings and is active in several national professional associations and numerous charitable organizations in Denver. Mr. Churchley is a graduate of Michigan State University and holds the designation of Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU®) from The American College.* He and his wife, Laura, have six children and eight grandchildren and live in Evergreen, Colorado.

John D. Williams, ChFC®, CLU®, TEP

John Williams is a 35-year veteran of the financial services industry and a co-founder of Capital Formation Group in Wellesley, MA. His specialization is in evaluating, designing, implementing and servicing sophisticated life insurance plans for affluent clients and their advisors. John holds ChFC®, CLU® and TEP designations from The American College and The Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners, a BA from Creighton University and an MA in Theological Studies from the Boston College School of Theology.* He is a member of the Boston Estate Planning Council, The American Society of Financial Service Professionals and The Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners. Between 2005 and 2014, John was elected to three terms as a Selectman in his hometown of Carlisle, MA.

Chuck Banker, CPA, CFP®, ChFC®, CLU®, JD

Chuck Banker is the founder of Chuck Banker Consulting Services, Inc., an independent life insurance advisory firm specializing in helping high net worth advisors address the complex life insurance challenges facing their affluent clients. After a three-decade career at Merrill Lynch as a Senior Officer and the firm’s leading Life Insurance Specialist, Chuck has consulted on life insurance issues for some of the nation’s wealthiest entrepreneurs, executives and families. Chuck is a former attorney who has earned the designations of Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Financial Planner (CFP®), Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC®) and Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU®).* He is the author of the book, “Understanding Generation Skipping Trusts” and “The Plain English™ Video Series.” He has appeared on CNN and in numerous interviews with publications such as Fortune, BusinessWeek and Time, and is a frequent speaker at professional meetings as well as private client events.

Tony Martin, MBA, MTax, CFP®

Tony Martin is a Principal at M3 Advisors, a second-generation wealth planning firm in Savannah, GA which specializes in helping business owners integrate the tax and financial aspects of their business with their personal financial needs. Tony applies his background in taxation, finance, risk management and corporate structures to assist business owners and their advisors with sophisticated estate planning, closely-held business counseling, business succession planning, structuring of business entities and the acquisition and sale of business interests. Tony is a Certified Financial Planner® and received a Bachelor’s degree from Rhodes College, an MBA from the University of Georgia and a Masters of Taxation from the University of Tulsa.* He is a frequent speaker on the topics of exit and succession planning.

Frederick V. McNair IV

Frederick (Fred) V. McNair IV specializes in developing strategies for preserving and transferring wealth through insurance-based solutions. As President of McNair & Company, a third-generation estate planning firm founded by his grandfather in 1931, Fred evaluates, designs, implements and services sophisticated life insurance arrangements for affluent clients and their advisors. In fact, Fred was one of the original architects of Valmark’s Life Assurance 360™ process for evaluating, assessing and implementing life insurance plans for clients. A frequent lecturer at professional and industry meetings, Fred has authored numerous articles for industry periodicals, such as The Journal of Practical Estate Planning and National Underwriter. Before joining the family’s firm, Fred was the #1 ranked World Doubles Tennis Champion in 1976 and served on the U.S. team that won the Davis Cup in 1978.

Michael B. Dranoff

Michael Dranoff is the Principal of New Jersey Life and Casualty Associates, LLC in Livingston, New Jersey, which was established in 1948. After joining the firm in 1992 as an estate planning and business succession specialist, Michael applied his knowledge of taxation, business structuring and estate planning to help extend the firm’s legacy. His professional background and ability to convey complex legal and tax issues in layperson’s language has helped high net worth families, entrepreneurs and their advisors throughout the U.S. maximize and preserve wealth through customized estate planning and tax-efficient life insurance strategies. Michael received a B.A. degree in Economics from Rutgers University. He is active in several national estate and insurance planning organizations and is a frequent speaker at professional and industry meetings.

Fulcrum Partners, LLC

Founded in 2007 by financial industry executives who average more than 25 years’ experience in executive compensation and benefits consulting, Fulcrum Partners is headquartered in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, with 13 nationwide offices from Washington D.C. to Honolulu, HI. Fulcrum is wholly member-owned and provides services for medium to large, publicly and privately-held companies, as well as their senior executives. Managing Directors Bruce Brownell, CFP® (Ponte Vedra Beach), Scott Cahill (Orlando) and Andrew Hart (Washington D.C.) are all senior planning specialists who employ life insurance strategies in their design of executive benefit plans, tax-deferred executive compensation arrangements, supplemental retirement strategies, business succession plans as well as multi-generational estate plans for wealthy families.*

Koss Olinger

Since its founding in 1969 by William F. Koss and William D. Olinger, Koss Olinger has helped thousands of families, individuals and their advisors throughout the country develop individually tailored financial plans for each unique situation. This emphasis on objectivity and serving a client’s fiduciary best interest is the cornerstone of the firm’s business model. Located in Gainesville, Florida, the advisors at Koss Olinger provide financial guidance and wealth transfer planning to help their clients build sustainable wealth and preserve the multi-generational culture of their clients’ core values. Koss Olinger is the product of over 50 years of planning experience and the firm’s infrastructure incorporates multiple financial and estate planning disciplines.

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