Financial Services Consulting Archives

Brooke Walker with Transamerica

October 10, 2017 by Karen

Phoenix Business Radio

Brooke Walker with Transamerica

00:00 /

Brooke Walker with Transamerica spent decades successfully working in law firms, medical offices and the beauty industry for established and growing firms before launching her career as a Financial Representative. It was her time in various fields that drove her to the financial industry. Brooke knows what truly drives people—and it’s the desire to see them grow and succeed. It’s how well you connect with the people you’re trying to help and communicate your ability to help them reach their goals.

Brooke graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor’s in Psychology which she attained while raising two children as a single mother.

Her passion is to inspire other women and help them to reach financial success. She is very active in volunteering in the community.

Transamerica / World Financial Group

In 1904, a young entrepreneur named Amadeo Giannini created the Bank of Italy in a converted San Francisco saloon. His goal was to make financial services available to everyone — not just the wealthy few. And so he did; after the 1906 quake and fire, Giannini set up a makeshift bank on the San Francisco docks, giving residents loans to rebuild, secured with only a handshake .

In the mid-1980s, Transamerica refocused its core business on its founding mission of making insurance and financial tools available to more people. And in July 1999, Transamerica began a new chapter in its history when it became part of one of the world’s leading international financial organizations: Aegon N.V.

Today, the Transamerica companies are as committed to helping people as we were 100 years ago. Customers now have access to an even wider range of services, from life insurance to retirement plans, to secure their financial futures.

From our very beginning we’ve been committed to helping you build a solid financial foundation for now and the future. And we’ll continue to do so with insurance and financial products that are as affordable as they are exceptional.

For more information about Transamerica/World Financial Group and to connect with Brooke:

BROOKE WALKER
Financial Representative
Direct: 480-586-5018
1839 S. Alma School Road, #380
Mesa, Arizona 85210
Offic480-262-8102
howmoneyworks.com/brooke
joinwealthwave.com/brooke
www.facebook.com/bswalker10

AGLCC

March 3, 2016 by angishields

Midtown Business Radio

AGLCC

00:00 /

AGLCC

I recently hosted Susanne Baugh, of Q&A Events on Midtown Business Radio. As we got to talking, she mentioned that I should meet Emma Foulkes, Presidnt of the Atlanta Gay Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. Because the respective missions of the chambers of commerce and Business Radio X have such overlap in the business environments we serve, I was pleased to reach out to her.

As the AGLCC’s website explains, “The AGLCC exists to promote the economic growth and advancement of our LGBT and allied business members, our non-profit organizational members as well as our corporate partners and their employees, through advocacy, leadership, education and support.”

When not overseeing AGLCC activities, Emma is Managing Partner at Commonwealth Business & Retirement Services. She’s a Certified Financial Planner, and has been advising entrepreneurs and high income earners in the Atlanta area since 2001. She provides retirement and business transition planning services in addition to others.

Bruce Logue is Director of Networking for AGLCC, and Managing Partner/Realtor at The Corbel Group at Keller Williams. The firm is comprised of a team of residential real estate specialists who use a unique combination of technology, creative and effective marketing, and tailored customer service to help their clients buy, sell, and invest in real estate. The Corbel Group offers a boutique style approach to real estate services while providing world class results.

Jan Stepp has been in the promotional products business for many years, and is the founder of Pizazzz Promotions. She shared how she takes a consultative approach with her clients to determine who they are trying to reach, the mission of their brand, and makes recommendations for how to best position themselves in front of prospects most effectively. She is also actively involved in AGLCC, hosting the chamber’s Vinings networking events.

Pizazzz is your one stop source for creative advertising specialty, promotional items and printed materials! The company can provide literally any item you can imagine with a logo on it! They have the perfect idea for: customer appreciation, trade show giveaways, sales meetings, grand openings, sales incentives, safety programs, open house, mail enclosures, event promotions, political campaign items, fund raising promotions, banners, table covers, labels, forms, stationary, brochures, holiday gifts, food gift items, non-profit donor gifts, embroidered and screen printed items, cards for any occasion, calendars…if it can be logoed, they have it 🙂

Pizazzz Promotions prides themselves on creative ideas, personal service, competitive pricing and on-time delivery! They work within your guidelines and budget to provide the perfect marketing and promotional items to fit your needs.

Alicyn McLeod is a CPA and Tax Partner with FinLogic, a tax and business advisory firm focused on growing service-based enterprises. She’s an ambassador for the AGLCC as well as a corporate partner. FinLogic employs a forward-thinking approach and their experts focus not just on where your company has been, but rather where you want your company to go.

The firm assists businesses in becoming more profitable, more streamlined and helps them resolve technical issues associated with financial reporting, taxation, debt acquisition and capital acquisition strategies. Whether you are in the process of starting your own business, selling your business or are somewhere in between, the professionals at FinLogic have the experience you need to navigate the issues faced in today’s business world.

David Olt is a doctor of chiropractic and the clinical director of Integrated Chiropractic Center, a Buckhead‐Atlanta practice he founded in 2000. A Georgia‐licensed chiropractor certified by the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners, Dr. Olt has been in practice for 21 years. He has provided pain and wellness care to thousands of patients.

He applies an integrated approach to pain care and health care that combines the effectiveness of several disciplines to support “whole person” care including chiropractic care, spinal and postural screening, corrective exercise instruction, nutritional counseling and massage therapy. His practice offers a one‐to‐one approach to spine and extremity pain relief that is non‐surgical, non‐pharmaceutical and focused on long‐term health and wellness.

Dr. Olt is a frequent speaker at lunch and learns and hosts the AGLCC Buckhead business builder luncheon. He has earned recognition for chiropractic care (Top 10 Chiropractors in Atlanta) and for business and community involvement (Four Avenues of Service, AGLCC Member of the Year 2014). Dr. Olt also serves as an examiner for the Chiropractic National Boards.

Special Guests:

Emma Foulkes, Managing Partner, Commonwealth Business & Retirement Services

BA, Information Systems, University of Phoenix–San Diego
Executive Program in Financial Planning, University of Georgia
Atlanta Business Chronicle/NAIFA – Top Female Financial Advisor in Atlanta, 2013 & 2014
Advocacy Chair, Financial Planning Association of Georgia

Bruce Logue, Managing Partner, The Corbel Group at Keller Williams

Previous Fulfillment Account Manager, Palm Coast Data
Former Methods/Procedures Training Manager, AT&T/CitiBank Universal Card Services
Previous Graphic Designer, Westinghouse Electric Company
Active volunteer, Atlanta Pet Rescue and Adoption

Jan Stepp, President/Founder, Pizazzz Promotions

Former Board of Directors, Atlanta Gay Lesbian Chamber of Commerce
Previous Sales Account Manager, Freight Forwarders
Former VP Sales/Marketing, Gunold & Stickma

Alicyn McLeod, Tax Partner, FinLogic LLC

CPA, University of Georgia
CGMA
Previous Tax Manager, Moore Colson
Former Tax Senior, Bennett Thrasher

David Olt, DC, Integrated Chiropractic Center

DC, Life University
BS, Marketing & Management, Miami University

Buying or Selling a Business

October 6, 2015 by angishields

Midtown Business Radio

Buying or Selling a Business

00:00 /

Dave Ragland and Joe Schum talk Buying/Selling Businesses

Buying or Selling a Business

We continued our monthly series with IRC Wealth, talking about buying or selling a business. Dave Ragland and Joe Schum came by with Chet Burgess of Burgess & Associates to share some expertise regarding how to approach choices that arise when coming into a large sum of money through the sale of a business. An example of this was an IRC Wealth client company that was an Employee Stock Option Plan (ESOP) that sold.

In this case, the employees were seeing pretty sizable amounts of money coming their way from 5 figures to as much as $500,000-1,000,000 or more. Dave and Joe talked about the importance of sitting down with a financial expert to identify the best plan for what to do with those funds to get the greatest value for the employee’s needs.

The group also talked about the importance of establishing a sound operating agreement for partners in a young business that will accommodate the various possibilities for separation for the partners, whether it’s a sale, or a partner opting to leave, or other potential situations.

Chet, a CPA and tax expert, shared how important it is to select a corporate structure that provides the greatest long-term flexibility for a business that will facilitate selling later or transitioning a business to heirs or other partners.

We also discussed options for the business owner who would like to offer rewarding compensation plans that inspire a sense of ownership and increased productivity, without having to give away shares of stock in the privately-held company.

Special Guests:

David Ragland, CEO/Founder of IRC Wealth

Masters of Accounting, University of Georgia, Terry College of Business
Former Manager–Tax, Ernst & Young
Previous CFO, Allied Foods, Inc
Previous CFO, Afterburner

Joe Schum, VP of Business Development of IRC Wealth

Bachelor’s of Science, Economics/Commerce, Niagara University
Previous VP of Sales, Midwest Medical Enterprises, DVT/Lite
Board of Advisors, Safe Haven Museum & Education Center
Board Member, Visions Anew Institute

Chet Burge, Founder of Burge & Associates

BS Accounting, Bob Jones University
Previous Senior Accountant, Price Waterhouse
Former P/T CFO/Partner, Three Taverns Brewery

The Ice Box and Encore Recycling

September 29, 2015 by angishields

Midtown Business Radio

The Ice Box and Encore Recycling

00:00 / 00:58:30

Business Radio — Gary Blase and Jordy Gamson talk shredding autos and effective brand marketing

The Ice Box and Encore Recycling

Guest co-host, Bo Wilkins from SoundRiver Advisors sat in with me as we interviewed one of the founders of The Ice Box, Jordy Gamson, and his good friend, Gary Blase, of Encore Recycling. Learn how valuable the right promotional product can be for keeping your company top-of-mind for your customers. And, learn about technology that can grind a car—yes, a CAR, into bits in 8 seconds.

Check back soon for more info!

Special Guests:

Bo Wilkins, Partner, SoundRiver Advisors

Former Executive Managing Director, Wealth Management, Reliance Trust Company
Former Partner, Nease, Lagana, Eden, & Culley
BA, History & German, Hampden-Sydney College
CLU – Chartered Life Underwriter; ChFC – Chartered Financial Consultant; CAP – Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy

Jordy Gamson, CEO/Co-founder, The Ice Box

Gary Blase, Managing Member of Encore Recycling

Reinventing Yourself

September 3, 2015 by angishields

Midtown Business Radio

Reinventing Yourself

00:00 /

Reinventing Yourself

On this week’s episode we continued our monthly series with IRC Wealth. CEO, Dave Ragland, and VP Business Development, Joe Schum, joined me in studio along with Debi Buckland, a certified therapist and professional coach. Our topic was reinventing yourself.

Many of us adults know the feeling of, “I need to make a change,” when it comes to thinking about one’s job. It’s hard to truly know what your true self is/wants when you’re graduating from high school and selecting an academic and professional path. That means that for a lot of us, we find ourselves wanting to transition to something else that will be more in line with our spirit and personal values.

With his background as a financial planner and wealth adviser, David talked about how important it is for individuals to consider their personal values and wants relating to their quality of life and standard of living when thinking about making changes that will affect their income. Clearly, leaving one’s job to pursue a dream, whether that’s a new career move or retirement will involve a measure of financial risk.

By sitting down with experts such as David when in the planning phase, risk can be mitigated by understanding obligations, getting a plan for debt elimination, potentially making changes in standard of living expenses, and developing a time line that will facilitate addressing these issues as well as allowing the individual to enjoy their new pursuits.

As a therapist who spends much time speaking with individuals who are wanting to make a change in their lives, she talked about how important it is to be moving toward something more than running away from something. We also discussed how important it is to talk to one’s partner about the changes they’re contemplating since they will also affect their life as well.

As we talked through the show, it was clear that all our experts agree–it can be a great thing for us to find The Thing that allows us to be more authentic, more who we really are. And it was also obvious that sitting down with an expert to craft a plan isn’t simply going to end in being told, “No, you shouldn’t do that.” With some diligence and some planning with qualified pros, you might find you can make that transition to the new you sooner (and more safely) than you think.

David Ragland, CEO/Founder, IRC Wealth

Joe Schum, VP Business Development, IRC Wealth

Debi Buckland, LMFT, LPC, CPCS

IRC Wealth 1

August 4, 2015 by angishields

Midtown Business Radio

IRC Wealth 1

00:00 / 01:01:50

IRC Wealth and 3 Female Entrepreneurs

This week marked the first of a monthly series we’re running with the folks from IRC Wealth. Vice President of Business Development, Joe Schum, co-hosted the show with me. He introduced us to three highly-successful female entrepreneurs from the Atlanta area who, while accomplished in their own rights, are also clients of IRC Wealth.

Jodi Hersh founded Orange Star Design, a firm specializing in graphic and web design and social media content creation. For over 20 years, Jodi has worked with small businesses, Fortune 500 companies, indie artists, and even rock stars, helping them craft and improve their brands. Jodi has been providing her services to the IRC Wealth team for a number of years.

Sarah Huie Coleman, an Atlanta native, founded Huie Design, Inc. in 1996 after completing design and implementation of the “Look Of The Games” for the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Centennial Games for Copeland Hirthler / Iconologic.

Huie Design has been working with municipalities, architects, developers, and owners on public spaces to create entire signage and wayfinding systems that function effectively, entice interaction, and inspire joy. Feeling lost or confused when navigating is frustrating and stressful. Their work achieves project goals, puts patrons and visitors at ease, and makes a lasting impression. In fact, their quality of work and attention to customer service and detail has allowed the firm to grow, heavily through referral and repeat business.

Founded in 1999, Giant Studios offered filmmakers capabilities that simply cant be done anywhere else, from Gollum in Lord of the Rings to Avatar. With a home office in Atlanta, state-of-the art studio facilities in Los Angeles, and To Go capabilities around the world, Giant was the recognized leader in motion capture and virtual environments for even the most demanding film requirements.

Candice Algers joined us to talk about the genesis of Giant Studios and how they leveraged innovative technology to become a sought-after partner in some of the film and gaming industries’ most highly-acclaimed productions.

In 2014, Giant Studios, Inc. sold the rights to its performance capture technology for entertainment applications to Lightstorm Entertainment. The Giant R&D team will continue developing the software under the Lightstorm umbrella. Lightstorm will continue developing and leveraging the technology during the production of the next three Avatar sequels.

Giant was able to demonstrate the robustness of the technology over the past fifteen years on numerous films including, but not limited to: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, The Polar Express, The Lion the Witch and The Wardrobe, Iron Man, Real Steel, Avatar, The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret Unicorn, and Jack the Giant Slayer. Video Game credits include many highly acclaimed titles such as Halo 4, Call of Duty 3, Devil May Cry, Fable II, and Jade Empire.

Special Guests:

Joe Schum, VP of Business Development, IRC Wealth

BS, Economics/Commerce, Niagara University
Founder, The Niagara Group
Board of Advisors, Safe Haven Museum and Education Center
Board Member, Visions Anew Institute

Jodi Hersh, Founder, Orange Star Design

BFA, Graphic Design & Photography, University of Michigan
Previous Graphic Designer, Tom Graboski & Associates
Former Art Director, Dynamic Press

Sarah Huie Coleman, Founder, Huie Design

BA, Graphic Design/Packaging, Art Center College of Design
BA, Psychology, Sweet Briar College
Previous Managing Director of Environmental Design, Iconologic
Former Senior Graphics Designer/Manager, RTKL

Candice Algers, CEO, Giant Studios

ABJ, Journalism/Minor in Marketing, University of Georgia
Previous Executive Vice President, Crawford Communications

IRC Wealth

June 2, 2015 by angishields

Midtown Business Radio

IRC Wealth

00:00 / 00:58:07

IRC Wealth

This week I sat down with financial experts, David Ragland and Joe Schum, of IRC Wealth. David shared his story about how he has spent his career helping businesses and individuals navigate their financial decisions and planning. We talked about how he gained valuable experience as a consultant with Ernst & Young then as a CFO of a troubled company that helped him bring a high level of strategic advice to companies as an outsourced CFO.

He, along with his team, including Joe, continues to help people develop an effective, simple plan to achieve their financial goals. That may be getting a business on a track that will allow the owners to eventually sell it or transition it to heirs, depending on their particular plan. Or, it may be helping an individual get their family out of craft an effective budget, eliminate debt, develop cash reserves, and even know what they need to do to actually retire safely one day.

We talked about how Dave had experienced a period where he let his fitness decline, ultimately becoming ~75 pounds overweight. He decided to address that by training for an Ironman triathlon, when he had previously been doing little to no physical training. He set a goal to complete a full Ironman in 18 months. By setting a defined time goal, he was able to develop a training strategy that allowed him to evaluate his progress and keep himself on a schedule that continually moved him closer to his goal.

He realized that there are parallels between the way one must approach training for such an event and developing a plan and timeline for achieving financial freedom. He decided to write a book in which he could talk about those analogies to help readers understand they CAN achieve financial freedom, even though it initially seems impossible—much like it can seem impossible to go from not being physically active to completing a full-length Ironman triathlon.

I had the opportunity to read the book, “Wealth Made Simple (Yes, Really)”. It’s a quick read and the comparisons between a training regimen and the mindset needed to achieve an athletic goal and getting out of debt/becoming financially free are easy to understand. He provides several tools to give the reader the chance to develop an understanding of where they are now along with some measure of what to expect over time, given their goals.

After reading the book and meeting these two experts I can say I would easily recommend speaking to them to see how they can help you or your business develop an effective, simple to implement plan to achieve a strong financial position.

Special Guests:

David Ragland, CEO, IRC Wealth

Joe Schum

Humor Wins

May 5, 2015 by angishields

Midtown Business Radio

Humor Wins

00:00 /

Humor Wins

This week I sat down with Marshall Chiles, Founder and Dudeman of Humor Wins, a business that helps companies looking to improve team dynamics among their staff. As the owner of one of the first comedy clubs in Atlanta, Laughing Skull Lounge, he has been in the humor business for years. He decided to take his knowledge of comedy to help business people learn to add an element of humor to their client interactions and sales presentations. Humor Wins’ team also provides corporate roast services, adding a memorable, interesting element to company events.

Marshall talked about how they take their clients through the process of learning how to develop some humorous comments or jokes that help disarm prospective customers, facilitating relationship building that can lead to a sale. His team also facilitates team building by teaching self-deprecating humor that can foster better communication and reduce tension among the business’s staff.

He brought along Jeremy Wing, Co-CEO of Payscape Advisors, a merchant services and financial technology company. Payscape Advisors provides an array of services and technologies for companies ranging from online invoicing, an online registration platform for schools and camps, access to AR capital, payment processing, and more. Jeremy shared how he came to know Marshall through providing their payment processing services, ultimately becoming a client of Humor Wins.

I met Kimyung Kim, a comedian and word smith who uses improvisational free-style rapping to provide entertainment services for corporate events. We got a demonstration of his skill with him rapping while we gave him random words he integrated into his lyrics.

If your company is looking to attract young, motivated millennials, reduce turnover, and help build closer relationships among your sales force, executives, and administrative staff, you need to get to know these innovative experts.

Special Guests:

Marshall Chiles, Founder/Dudeman Laughing Skull Lounge and Humor Wins

Bachelor of Business Administration, Management Information Services, University of Georgia
Founder of Southern Fried Supernova
Founder of the the world’s smallest comedy club (Laughing Skull Lounge)

Jeremy Wing, Co-CEO of Payscape Advisors

Previous Director, MTV
Director, RegPoint Solutions
Investor in numerous businesses such as FINSYNC, KidsLink Inc., Bayan Investment Group
Recipient of numerous business awards including Top 40 Innovative Company, Atlanta, Top Workplace, AJC, Inc 500/5000 Fastest Growing Companies, and others

Kimyung Kim, Speaker/Rapper Kimyung Kim Speaks

Former teacher, Social Studies, Magnolia Science Academy
BA, History, Georgia State University
National Speakers Association volunteer
Active comedian

Payscape Advisors

December 2, 2014 by angishields

Midtown Business Radio

Payscape Advisors

00:00 /

Payscape Advisors

According to the Atlanta Metro Chamber, “Georgia is 3^rd in the nation, just behind New York and California in FinTech revenue. Georgia FinTech companies have produced more than $83 billion of shareholder value since 1995 and revenues are more than $34 billion annually. Wages in Atlanta’s financial and IT industry are lower than competitive markets. Here, there is a convergence of three key sectors: finance, IT, and software, all of which have a strong presence in Atlanta, along with an abundant IT, software and financial labor force.”

Today I got to sit down with 3 of the folks on the team from Payscape Advisors, an Atlanta company through and through that is an important player in those amazing statistics. I was joined by Rachel Lawrence, Technology Integration Specialists, Hunter Hudson, Director of Business Development, and Zach Wing, Product Manager. Hunter Hudson has been with Payscape Advisors for a number of years and he shared the story of how Payscape Advisors was started and launched by two Atlanta residents, Jeremy Wing and Adam Bloomston. They have since grown the company to include offices in 13 cities nationwide that also has clients and partners around the globe. The company initially focused on payment processing but saw opportunities to expand their suite of services to include point-of-sale processing, access to working capital, SaaS services including Reg Point and Billing Orchard, international payment processing, web development for eCommerce sites (including compliant payment features) and more. The company has striven to provide the gamut of services to merchants

As Hunter described why they’re different than many of the other merchant services companies out there, “We do have those feet on the street. We have a team. We have somebody you can call. You’re gonna call their cellphone and you’ll have their email address. We’re not just a 1-800 number. You’re gonna have someone who’s going to be there for you.” He went on to talk about the different service options they provide and how they collaborate with SaaS developers to provide the payment interface for their applications, enabling them to provide a more desirable, robust product to their users.

We talked about the innovative user registration software they make available to groups such as camps and other large events that provides a secure way for attendees to sign up and enter sensitive information and provide payment. The company also offers several avenues for companies to access working capital when bank loans are not readily available.

As I sat with these 3 experts it was clear that they all share a passion for what they’re doing and take pride in engaging their clients and partners with a personable, professional approach with the goal of forging long-term, mutually-beneficial relationships.

Special Guests: Payscape Advisors