2022
FINANCIAL PROFILES SPECIAL FEATURE PRESENTED BY
WORDS Dwain Hebda and Catherine Frederick some interviews have been edited for length and clarity
Do South® Magazine is proud to recognize the expertise and contributions of local banks, financial advisors, and wealth managers in our community. They set the bar for excellence and are committed to providing financial confidence for their clients. Join us as we discover how they help their clients reach their financial goals.
DOSOUTHMAGAZINE.COM
2022
FINANCIAL PROFILES SPECIAL FEATURE PRESENTED BY
WORDS Dwain Hebda and Catherine Frederick some interviews have been edited for length and clarity
Do South® Magazine is proud to recognize the expertise and contributions of local banks, financial advisors, and wealth managers in our community. They set the bar for excellence and are committed to providing financial confidence for their clients. Join us as we discover how they help their clients reach their financial goals.
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LIBBY MEYER E D WA R D J O N E S Libby Meyer has built a thriving financial advising practice on
A graduate of Alma High School and the University of Tulsa, Libby
the time-honored principles of expert advice and the ultimate in
has been in the financial service business for nearly a decade. She
customer service. Building on the firm foundation put down before
said her favorite part of the job is seeing people work toward their
her by her father, the late Mike Gurlen, Libby’s fundamental element
dreams, no matter at what stage.
of success lies in the bond she creates with every single client to craft a strategy that’s right for them.
“A lot of times people hesitate to visit with a financial advisor because they think they don’t have enough money or they’re not
“I have a desire to help others plan for what’s important,” she says.
sure what that financial advisor is going to do,” she says.
“I believe it is important to help people understand their financial situation in order to set a plan to achieve realistic dreams and goals."
“I don’t look to serve just the clients who have a lot of money. I look to form relationships with people who have goals and ambitions and
"Relationships are key, so we meet face-to-face with clients to build
maybe don’t know where to get started. That’s where I can open up
strong, lifelong partnerships.”
opportunities and help people start to reach those goals.”
edwardjones.com
Libby R Meyer, CRPC®
Member SIPC
IRT-1848G-A
Financial Advisor
106 N 9th Street Fort Smith, AR 72901 479-494-7119
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Ann Kinder K i n d e r F i n a n c i a l S t r at e g i e s Fort Smith native Ann Kinder began her financial planning career in 1986 and has seen many things come and go in the financial planning industry. One thing that has remained consistent throughout that time is her commitment to serving each client as an individual, with a unique set of needs and goals for their future. “I’m the biggest caretaker-type person in the world, down to the DNA level,” she says with a laugh. “I literally want to help everybody with everything. I am at my heart and core a teacher in the way I approach everything. I do what I do in this business because I genuinely enjoy taking care of people.” Ann has built a sterling reputation for integrity and customer service over many years. She serves clients of all ages and stages of financial literacy, taking time to explain to each the fundamentals of saving and investing to meet various goals. It’s this hands-on approach that she likes best about her business. “ That is exactly what I do, and that relationship-building is, I think, one thing that sets me apart,” she says. “If you’re someone who wants to randomly buy and sell stocks and bonds, I’m not your best option. I want us to define dreams and goals and, then, help you form a plan to pursue them. And, most importantly, I want you to understand and be comfortable with the risk you take.” “We’ve summarized that in our slogan ‘Direction Defined,’ and we really try to live by that.” Transparency is another of Ann’s critical operational principles. In fact, she’s gone so far as to produce a pamphlet that outlines her payment structure in plain English, a personal touch that starts out any client relationship from a position of trust. And she reinforces that trust at every stage of the client's financial journey. “Clients’ goals change as their lives change,” she says. “As a financial planner, I have to be able to pivot as their needs evolve. Ultimately, I’m trying to get every client to what I call their ‘walk-away money,’ which is the amount they need to live their dream on their own terms, whatever that might be.” “I’ve had the great privilege of helping many people reach that point over the years. The feeling I get from being part of that process is indescribable.”
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www.directiondefined.net
farm Credit o f w e s t e r n a r k a n sas Farming is a complex business. As a farmer, you rely heavily on the tools of your trade, daily, to ensure success. Tools keep the tractor running, fencing repaired and your truck on the road. What’s the one tool you refuse to farm without? If you didn’t answer good financing, Farm Credit wants to change your mind. As a producer good financing is, by far, your most valuable tool. Good, reliable financing with a lender you trust, and who understands your operational needs, can impact your balance sheet in a big way. From interest rates and loan terms tailored to your operation’s needs to structuring a payment schedule that matches your cash flow cycle, good financing can impact your bottom line. Financing is a tool, and you should be utilizing it as such. With interest rates on the rise, look at your current bank note. Is your loan on a variable, adjustable or balloon rate? If so, your loan will be repricing as interest rates rise. This means your payments will increase, too. Are you prepared to put more of your profit toward loan payments? Farm Credit can help you lock-in a long-term, fixed interest rate today. Use financing as a tool to protect your farm’s cash flow. Locking-in a long-term rate now will protect you from rising rates. Since your rate never increases, your payment never increases. Locking-in a rate now will provide peace of mind when it comes to your operational costs. That’s a valuable tool in uncertain economic times. Trusted for more than one hundred years, Farm Credit understands Arkansas agriculture and the rural lifestyle. Farm Credit’s lending staff understands your needs and can tailor loans to fit those needs everyday – for farmers just like you. With locations in Fort Smith, Alma and across western Arkansas, there’s a Farm Credit lender near you. A lender will be happy to listen and show you how good financing may very well be the most valuable tool for your operation.
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Brad lewis United Financial Advisors With decades of expertise under his belt, Brad Lewis, owner of United Financial Advisors, could be content to merely rest on his laurels in the local financial planning market. But that’s not the code by which the longtime entrepreneur and Navy veteran lives his life or runs his practice. Brad continues to deepen his knowledge and expand his presence to serve families throughout the region as they pursue their financial dreams and reach their goals. Licensed to practice in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Texas and Oklahoma, Brad recently earned his license to be a Wealth Management Certified Professional (WMCP). He also partnered with an office in Conway, bringing the same attentive service and personal touch to central Arkansas as he’s been known for in Fort Smith for years. “Our motto is ‘Providing Financial Confidence and Dignity Through Every Stage of Life,’ ” he says. “ That doesn’t always happen between nine and five. It takes commitment on the part of a financial professional to be truly available to clients, that’s something we take great pride in through our firm, helping clients feel confident in a strategy that will allow them to retire and live with dignity.” One of Brad’s not-so-secret weapons in his practice is his focus on educating the client. He and his staff go to great lengths to explain the finer points of financial planning, not only in one-on-one consultations, but in his popular lunch-and-learn series and other events. Brad says the valuable community resource was inspired by his mother, especially as it applied to women. “I created a booklet titled, ‘WOMEN: What You Need to Know,’ that has inspirational stories, including my mother ’s, plus financial guidance and an estate planning checklist,” he says. “And I give copies of this booklet away to every woman who comes through the door of our various events.” Brad is equally committed to the community outside of financial planning. He founded an annual Women’s Celebration Dinner, celebrating International Women’s Day with local vendors, a guest speaker and a locally catered dinner. He’s served on the boards of several nonprofit organizations in town and is a member of the Fort Smith Chamber, Grand Avenue Baptist Church and Gideons International. It’s little wonder the firm was awarded “Best Wealth Management” in the annual Best of the River Valley rankings. “There are people who want you to know how much they know, and there are people who want you to know what they know,” Brad says. “I’ve made a lot of new friends through this business. I work very hard to be a blessing to them.”
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clients that we only focus in one area. We’re set up to where the client has access to anybody,” says Marc Lux, owner. “We allow our staff to communicate with the clients in order to resolve things quickly and provide that continuity as we’re working on their stuff For more than three decades, companies and individuals in western Arkansas have turned to Przybysz & Associates, CPAs for unsurpassed expertise in attestation services. Founded in 1991 by John Przybysz, the firm quickly became known for quality and service in individual and business tax services, bookkeeping and payroll services, and auditing services with an emphasis on nonprofit and governmental entities. And while the company’s reach has grown from serving just Fort Smith to building a highly satisfied clientele from Bella Vista to Texarkana, eastern Oklahoma to central Arkansas, Przybysz & Associates, CPAs still does business according to the same small-town values upon which it was built. In other ways, the firm has changed. Przybysz & Associates, CPAs only works in the attestation field, for instance. “It is better for the
from one year to the next.” Marc says the company’s expansion over the years grew out of its desire to be as accessible to customers as possible. The firm’s highly qualified staff of professionals is dispersed among three offices in Bentonville, Fayetteville and Fort Smith. “We try to provide the value that big firms can’t do,” Lux says. “That doesn’t mean big firms don’t do good work, but they’ve got a lot of overhead they must cover. We typically don’t charge to answer questions and we have several pro bono engagements for organizations that provide a good service to the community.” “That’s what has driven customer loyalty. This is a small town. We’ve had some clients who have been doing business with us for twentyplus years, because they know we’re here to serve.”
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