Putting Clients First

KRISTI MORROW NAVIGATES THE FINANCIAL WATERS

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski

risti Morrow likens her job as a financial adviser to a puzzle. She and her partner in InReach Wealth Advisors, Jason Ayala, help clients make sense of their financial situation using pieces of their lives. “I like to do puzzles and play games in my free time,” Morrow says. “I take a million little pieces and see how they fit together. A lot of creativity goes into being a financial planner.”

InReach Wealth Advisors is a comprehensive financial planning practice that works with individuals to help them create a plan for their short- and longterm financial goals. The team helps clients accumulate and preserve wealth, in addition to managing their emotions through the ups and downs of life and the market.

A private wealth advisory practice of Ameriprise Financial Services LLC, InReach Wealth Advisors puts its clients first. Morrow and Ayala strive to understand what’s truly important to their clients through their Confident Retirement Approach. Confidence and financial control are the goals.

Morrow, a Minnesota native who graduated from ASU with a marketing degree in 1998, began working in the field shortly thereafter, when she and Ayala’s company was part of American Express Financial Advisors. She left the field to raise her two daughters, Natalie, 16, and Emily, 13, but returned to work after eight years.

Kristi Morrow is a certified financial planner, accredited portfolio management adviser, certified divorce financial analyst and certified long-term care specialist. (Submitted photo)

Putting Clients First

“I love being a mom, but getting back to work was a priority for me, for sure,” the DC Ranch resident says.

Reteaming with Ayala, Morrow wanted to come up with a strong name to represent their philosophy. InReach Wealth Advisors just made sense.

“It took a lot of thought between my partner Jason and I,” Morrow says.

“It was really the one name we kept coming back to. It just resonated with us. Clients would sit with us and say, ‘These are our dreams. We just don’t feel we’ll ever be able to accomplish this in this lifetime.’

“All your dreams are in reach. You just have to put a plan together. I say that in meetings with our clients.”

Morrow and Ayala work with clients of all ages—it’s never too early or too late to formulate a financial plan.

“It’s always a good time to come in for an initial meeting,” Morrow says. “It’s a little exposing for people. We’ll always be encouraging. We’re never negative about where they are. We’ll tell them if they don’t need a financial adviser at that moment.”

Morrow is a certified financial planner, accredited portfolio management adviser, certified divorce financial analyst and certified long-term care specialist.

She enjoys helping folks who are in transition—transitioning into a retirement home or going through a divorce or death.

“That’s why I chose my designations— mostly for women in transition,” she says.

Meanwhile, Ayala handles retirement planning and wealth preservation strategies, investment management, financial strategies for LGBTQ couples and families, charitable giving, taxplanning strategies and estate-planning strategies.

“We work as a team,” she says. “If you’re hiring us, you get both of us and the entire team. We have four people, and we really enjoy keeping our company small. We don’t want our clients to feel like they’re being lost, that they’re just another number.”

InReach Wealth Advisors is a comprehensive financial planning practice that works with individuals to help them create a plan for their short- and long-term financial goals. (Submitted photo)

Clients sometimes feel slightly uncomfortable talking finances with the team, but Morrow and Ayala do their best to put them at ease.

“They know we are there strictly to help them achieve their goals,” she says. “It’s their money. It’s their decision. They’re their ideas. We just suggest how to get there.

“We bring all the pieces together. It’s like having a road map. The plan breaks it down for them, step by step. Finance may not be their strength, so they get overwhelmed and don’t know how to lay it all out. That’s what we’re here for.”

Charity is important to InReach Wealth Advisors, which has 100% client retention. Each quarter, the team is involved in charity or volunteer work that involves its clients.

Most recently, it teamed to raise funds for St. Mary’s Food Bank. Morrow saw this project as vital.

“The food banks are overrun with people who have lost their jobs due to the pandemic,” she says.

In August, InReach Wealth Advisors will host a water drive tied with free, 15-minute financial advice. (Call the number below for more information.) Every year, Ayala, Morrow and their team assemble food and gift baskets for families through Los Ojos de la Familia AZ, which means “eyes of the family.”

“We’re looking to help local families in need any way we can, based on the need in the world,” Morrow says. “We always invite our clients, and our clients are so wonderful in participating. It makes them feel like they’re part of the family as well.”

InReachWealth Advisors 14500 N. Northsight Boulevard, Suite 213, Scottsdale 602-825-3212, inreachwealth.com kristi.morrow@ampf.com

Naturally Life. Change.

placed under the skin, the AGING GRACEFULLY FROM THE INSIDE OUT WITH SOTTOPELLE heart regulates it. At rest, everything’s great. Your blood isn’t rushing through you as much. But when you’re By Carol Pener stressed, your blood goes faster. There’s a need for more hormones. Your body is taking t age 42, CarolAnn Tutera felt she exactly what it needs 24/7. had the insides of a 92-year-old “The body’s a beautiful tool, and we’re woman. She had all the classic helping the body regulate and function.” signs of menopause. Tutera has held steadfast in supporting “I don’t know how I was the mission, determination and dedication putting one foot in front of the to the only thing that matters—helping other,” she says. people. She turned to her nowCommon sense, coupled with naturally late husband, Dr. Gino based bioidentical hormone replacement Tutera, for help with therapy delivered via a medically based and feeling better. She proven protocol, has elevated SottoPelle to wanted to get her life back as where all success with its patients and as a corporate others who were receiving pellet therapy. entity.

She is now the co-founder and CEO Notably, Tutera has led the charge of SottoPelle Therapy, an international in advancing the healthy and balanced company that trains medical providers on approach to authentic aging. What sets the product’s proprietary methodology of Tutera apart as a leader and influencer is her working with bioidentical pellet hormones. dedication and persistence. The next step As a medical entrepreneur, she has won and evolution for SottoPelle is to support numerous awards and recognition for her the growth of empowerment in the 50-andability to succeed in a male-dominated older demographic. industry. Tutera advocates that “you can be the best

She has become the “leading lady you want to be at any age.” of authentic aging” and someone who Ageism and the negative connotations commands respect in the bioidentical associated with getting older are slowly hormone therapy field. dissipating under Tutera’s careful watch.

The pellet is the size of a grain of rice, and “Adventures in Aging” is her way of life. it is slipped under the skin. Tutera supports regular meditation,

“The pellets offer a nice, steady stream exercise, eating nutritiously and balanced of hormones,” Tutera says. “When it’s hormones. She found inspiration in LifeFit, a program of low-intensity formative exercises for integrated transformation. This method focuses on biomechanics and utilizes the innate strength within each person’s complete biostructure to maximize his/her strength physically and mentally.

“Everyone has to find their preferred medium to maximize their lifestyle and achieve overall balance; anything that keeps you active, happy and healthy is the ultimate goal,” Tutera says.

“Your way of life is typically established by a pattern of habits or behaviors over time. As we age, how we use our time and energy becomes a topic of focus and concern for many. It is never too late to refocus and redirect your energy to have the life you want at any age.”

As a 60-something, Tutera says she has never felt more vibrant and happy.

“I strive every day to learn something new and direct my life toward positive energy through my work and helping people,” Tutera says. “I have discovered there is no one panacea for aging, but finding a healthy lifestyle and balance puts you on the right path.

“As the old cliche says: Age is just a number. Don’t let yourself be defined by how old you are but how young you feel.”

SottoPelle 8412 E. Shea Boulevard, Suite 101, Scottsdale 323-986-5100, info@sottopelletherapy.com

Naturally

CarolAnn Tutera has become the “leading lady of authentic aging” and someone who commands respect in the bioidentical hormone therapy field. (Photo courtesy SottoPelle)

Creative Care

DR. JULIE LAM GOES BEYOND TYPICAL EYE CARE NEEDS

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski

Dr. Julie Lam shadowed an optometrist as a youngster and one thing struck her: Patients aren’t afraid to see their eye doctor.

“I’m a people person, and that fits with the profession,” Lam says. “I communicate with people. It’s a rewarding profession, and that was my goal.”

In 2013, Lam founded Eye Care North in Cave Creek to treat patients like her grandfather, who suffered from eye disease. She specializes in ocular disease management, dry eye treatment and Neurovisual Medicine.

Lam is the only optometrist in Arizona currently practicing Neurovisual Medicine. As a consequence, many patients travel a distance, including outside of the state, to see her.

“Neurovisual Medicine is a new subspecialty,” she says. “It helps people who have misalignment of the eye muscles. On a routine exam, when you get your regular eye exam, it might not be detected. Most people have compensated for it, but when you’re constantly doing it all day long, every day, it can cause dizziness, headache, nausea and anxiety.”

Many patients who suffer from those symptoms get frustrated due to lack of a proper diagnosis. Lam treats that with glasses with prism, and she has had up to 90% to 100% improvement in people who have gone through a gamut of specialists.

“Most people are familiar with prism,” she explains, “What we work with is microprism, which is a lot more accurate with smaller increments. It’s a different technique than what we were taught traditionally in optometry school. I like doing this type of treatment. It’s

School House Road is memorialized on these frames from the Cave Creek Eyewear line founded by Dr. Julie Lam and her husband, Bryan Barber. (Photo courtesy Dr. Julie Lam)

Dr. Julie Lam is the only optometrist in Arizona practicing Neurovisual Medicine, which helps patients who have a misalignment of their eye muscles. (Photo courtesy Dr. Julie Lam)

integrative, as we work with different specialists. You have to look at the whole picture—balance and how the ears play a role with how we see as well.”

Born in San Diego, Lam moved to North Scottsdale in middle school. She attended ASU, where she earned her Bachelor of Science degree and graduated summa cum laude. At the Southern California College of Optometry in Fullerton, California, she earned her Doctor of Optometry degree and was also awarded honors for academic excellence. She studied optometry in California because, at the time, Arizona colleges didn’t offer the field of study.

Lam completed externships at the Center for the Partially Sighted in Los Angeles, Hu Hu Kam Memorial Hospital in Sacaton and Southern Arizona Veterans Hospital in Tucson.

Following college graduation, Lam returned to the Grand Canyon State— right in the heart of the recession.

“That was challenging, because there weren’t too many job opportunities,” she says. “I was lucky enough to find a job filling in at first at retail places like Walmart and Costco.”

She then landed a position at a large medical clinic in Sun City, where she was inspired to work with geriatric patients. There she treated and managed complex eye diseases such as macular degeneration, glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy.

When it came time to open her own practice, she found the perfect spot in a former yogurt shop.

“We started from scratch,” she says. “It was all orange. We had to tear down the dispensers and things. My dad did the buildout. That’s why I wanted to have my own practice. My parents have always been self-employed. That was set in my head since I was young.

“We really like our patients in Cave Creek. We get a broad range from young to old.”

At Eye Care North, Lam and her husband, Bryan Barber, created Cave Creek Eyewear with frames named after hotspots around town—Foothills Food Bank (to benefit the nonprofit), local schools, hiking trails and streets.

“We tried to get creative with it,” she says. “My husband and I, when we were creating the line, went around town and took photos of the frames with their namesakes. We hiked up to the top of Black Mountain and took photos, too. The patients have really liked the frames.”

Eye Care North Dr. Julie Lam 29605 N. Cave Creek Road, Suite 102, Cave Creek 480-361-7040, eycarenorth.com

Dual

CAREERS

KERRIE DROBAN FINDS WRITING AND LAW FULFILLING

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski

hether it was through her work as an attorney or as a true crime author, Kerrie Droban has made her mark. As a former Maricopa County attorney, Droban has been a criminal defense attorney for 27 years, litigating major felonies, complex white-collar fraud cases and death penalty matters. Her capital appeal, State v. Timothy Ring, was heard before the U.S. Supreme Court. Th e decision resulted in the remand of more than 180 death row cases nationwide.

“Th at’s why we have jury sentencing for capital cases,” she says. “We’re one of several states now that do jury sentencing.”

In addition to criminal law, Droban also specializes in family law—specifi cally divorce cases—helping people in crisis, through her fi rm KBUNITED. It’s her forte.

“Helping people navigate the worst times of their lives is rewarding work.”

Droban keeps her practice small so she can devote her attention to her clients.

“People in crisis need to talk to their lawyer, not a middleman like a paralegal or a secretary,” she says. “Being a lawyer is not a 9-to-5 job. When I was a criminal lawyer, clients in custody reached out sometimes at midnight and on weekends. It became part of the way I like to practice law.”

Droban parlayed her experiences into a career writing true crime books, specifi cally “Th e Last Chicago Boss: My Life with the Chicago Outlaws Motorcycle Club”; “Vagos, Mongols and Outlaws: My

Kerrie Droban practi ces law four days a week and dedicates the weekends to writi ng. (Photo courtesy Kerrie Droban)

Infi ltration of America’s Deadliest Biker Gangs”; “Prodigal Father, Pagan Son”; “Running with the Devil: Th e True Story of ATF’s Infi ltration of the Arizona Hells Angels”; and “A Socialite Scorned.”

She has also appeared on national television on CNBC’s “American Greed,” “A Widow’s Web,” A&E’s “Gangland” “Behind Enemy Lines,” the American Heroes Channel, “Codes and Conspiracies,” Investigation ID and the Discovery Channel’s “Deadly Devotion.”

“It dovetailed really nicely into criminal law,” she says. “Both careers are pretty involved. I can’t say that one is less than the other. I get clients asking me to write their story, or they worry that I won’t be able to devote enough time to their case.

“I’m able to do both pretty well. Th at’s my passion.”

Droban says her dual career is exciting and sees a commonality between the two.

“Writing is a passion,” she says. “It makes me a well-rounded lawyer. I’m not just about crime or divorce. I bring a lot of experience to the table. My strength is navigating crises and helping clients see the bigger picture.”

She balances the two well. Droban practices law four days a week and dedicates the weekends to writing.

“I don’t fi nd my projects,” she says. “People have approached me to write their stories. And though at times, on deadline, I’ve written for 20 hours at a time, I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything.”

Kerrie Droban KBUNITED 480-612-3058, kdrobanlaw.com