On Thursday, May 22nd Visionary Wealth Advisors celebrated its grand opening.  Thank you to all that came and we look forward to building relationships and helping our clients achieve their financial goals.

Co-Founders Brett Gilliland and Tim Hammett brought a combined 34 years of experience in the financial industry to Visionary Wealth Advisors. As an independent registered investment advisory firm, the Visionaries at Visionary Wealth Advisors have the industry’s best products at their fingertips. Brett and Tim’s vision of building a platform in which clients’ dreams are realized through utilizing these products while being delivered with first-class service has become a reality.

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EDWARDSVILLE – Visionary Wealth Advisors, a newly formed financial planning and wealth management firm, with offices in Edwardsville and St. Louis, is rapidly growing and has plans to go national within one year. Since its founding in March 2014, the firm has added 16 advisors and reached over $230 million in assets under management.

The firm was founded by Brett Gilliland of Edwardsville and Tim Hammett of Fenton. Both Gilliland and Hammett are seasoned wealth advisors who previously led financial teams at Northwestern Mutual, a Fortune 500 company. Gilliland is CEO & Founder, heading the Edwardsville office; Hammett is President & Founder, heading the St. Louis office.

Visionary was formed as an independent Registered Investment Advisor, which allows it to provide unbiased investment advice, with no pressure or incentive to recommend any proprietary investment or insurance products. The firm provides a visionary approach to all aspects of financial planning and wealth management including retirement, college and estate planning, life, health and disability insurance and small business retirement plans.

“The idea to form Visionary Wealth Advisors came out the heartfelt desire to do more for our clients than was possible when limited to a defined pool of investments,” said Gilliland. “We wanted to open up the whole world of investment options to our clients, and be able to recommend any investment we believe will be in their best interest.”

The Visionary team, hand selected by Gilliland and Hammett, all share the same values, energy, integrity, and passion for inspiring their clients to dream bigger and accomplish more than they thought possible. The advisors serve as personal Visionaries, helping clients see what possibilities their future could hold, define life goals and dreams, then encourage them to stay on track, by making decisions that support their goals.

Visionary Wealth Advisors is also providing financial concierge services, which initially involves facilitating a client’s complex tasks necessary for smart financial moves. Gilliland and Hammett have plans to expand their concierge services to include a range of amenities to enrich the client’s life.

The Founders plan to grow the firm rapidly by recruiting like-minded advisors, and acquiring firms that want to share the Visionary mission. Visionary seeks to recruit advisors from all experience levels, and use that broad mix of talent to benefit clients and strengthen their team internally.

“This is a relationship business and clients want to work with advisors they can relate to,” Hammett explained. “We want young advisors with fresh ideas, all the way up to guys like me who have decades of life experience. There’s strength on both ends of the spectrum and we value that. We use that for our advisors’ personal and professional growth, and especially to help our clients.”

The Leadership Team and the majority of current Visionaries worked under Gilliland’s or Hammett’s leadership at their previous practices. Visionary’s Leadership Team consists of Managing Directors and Wealth Management Advisors, Mark Allaria, Jason Baldus, Roger Lewis and Chad Opel, along with Kate Sollberger, MBA, Chief Operating Officer and Kate Allaria, MBA, Chief Marketing Director.

Visionaries serving as Wealth Management Advisors out of the Edwardsville office in addition to the leadership team are Joe Allaria, MBA, Ron Jones, Tyler Niermann, Joe Reininger, David Sink, Chelsey Sullivan, Mia Vieregge and Scott Vieregge. Serving out of the St. Louis office are Wealth Management Advisors, Daniel Clinard, CFP^®, CLU^®, Jay Fox, and Portfolio Manager, Dan Harden, CFP^®, ChFC^®.

New offices will be added in the cities in which newly acquired Visionaries currently live. Visionary Wealth Advisors will function as a single unified team, serving in various offices across the country. The Edwardsville office will be the home office for the foreseeable future.

For more information about Visionary Wealth Advisors, visit visionaryweatlhadvisors.com, call 618-659-5151.

Contact:
Kate Allaria, MBA
Chief Marketing Officer
618-659-5166

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Scott Carson, Principal & Wealth Management Advisor

EDWARDSVILLE, IL – Visionary Wealth Advisors, a wealth management firm founded in March of this year, is merging with Meridian Financial Group, a company that has served Edwardsville and surrounding areas for 15 years. Meridian’s founder, Scott Carson, and his team will be moving to Visionary’s Edwardsville office, and continuing their business under the Visionary name.

Visionary Wealth Advisors, founded by Brett Gilliland and Tim Hammett, is a new and rapidly growing firm with a one-year goal of going national. Visionary plans to grow by hiring exceptionally qualified advisors, and acquire or merge with firms that share the same mission, vision and values of integrity and client service. The firm has been steadily adding advisors since its founding, beginning with the six who serve on the Leadership Team, to 18 advisors prior to the merger. Meridian Financial Group is the first merger, which is official as of August 1, 2014, just four months after Visionary’s launch.

Both firms are Registered Investment Advisors who provide clients unbiased financial advice. Registered Investment Advisors operate on a fee structure, based on assets under management, creating the incentive to provide advice purely in the client’s best interest.

Bradley Keene, CFP, Wealth Management Advisor & Portfolio Manager

Carson built up a large client base at Meridian Financial Group, and works with advisors, Bradley Keene, CFP, Partner & Vice President, and Dan Browne, AIF, Vice President. Carson’s business model was and is to manage wealth for high net worth individuals, especially local business owners, professionals, widowed spouses and retirees, with a focus on managing and organizing their financial life, and preserving their wealth into future generations. He is known for providing client service above and beyond what is normally performed by a wealth advisor.

The merger combines key strengths from each firm: Meridian Financial Group brings Carson’s 25 years of wealth management experience, a solid team, and eMoney, a web-based financial management and organizational tool that simplifies his clients’ financial lives. Visionary Wealth Advisors brings the vision, culture, technology, support staff, and other infrastructure that allows advisors to provide exceptional service to clients.

Dan Browne, AIF, Wealth Management Advisor

Growth has been rapid as the existing clients of both the Founders and Leadership Team decided to transition to Visionary. The initial transition resulted in $80 million in assets under management, and that number has been growing. The Meridian merger will add nearly $140 million, putting Visionary at $220 million in assets under management.

Almost simultaneous to the merger, Visionary is finalizing a partnership with First Clover Leaf Bank, providing wealth management services to bank customers under the name First Clover Leaf Wealth Management. A dedicated wealth advisor will be working with clients at the bank’s branches, under the guidance and support of Visionary. This partnership will open up a new and ongoing source for growth for Visionary.

“The bigger we become, the more we can provide to our clients,” said Gilliland. “We have invested heavily in our infrastructure, which includes a highly educated staff and $125,000 per year in software, so our advisors can provide the best possible investment advice, strategies and management to their clients. None of that is possible for small shop with just a few advisors.”

This support structure is one of the key reasons Carson decided to merge. He will recognize operational efficiency, virtually eliminate time spent running a business, and can focus almost exclusively on advising clients.

“I like to think that combining our two firms brings a very sound moral and ethical group of people together who are eager to deliver solid financial planning solutions,” Carson said of the merger. “Clients should be first and foremost in any decision-making at the firm level. I believe Brett and Tim are doing a good job globally to develop the firm the right way, doing the right thing for clients in a competitive landscape. Our level of experience, and our technology, added to Visionary’s culture and support, will deliver sound solutions and better communication for all of our clients.”

Carson’s title will be Principal & Wealth Management Advisor, and he’ll serve as a mentor for the younger advisors in the firm, especially with retirement and estate planning. Bradley Keene, CFP® will be a Wealth Management Advisor and Portfolio Manager. Dan Browne, AIF will be a Wealth Management Advisor. Vicky Dietsch, who served as Meridian’s Administrative Services Manager, will be a Director of Client Services at Visionary. It will be business as usual for all Meridian clients, other than seeing their advisors in a different office, on the same street, just a few miles north on Route 157.

Gilliland and Hammett believe the merger is a win-win for the firm, the clients and especially the community. Visionary Wealth Advisors wants to help the communities they serve, currently Edwardsville and St. Louis, be financially independent. “Without vision, people perish,” Brett quoted from Proverbs. “People are attracted to us because we work not just as advisors but as Visionaries, helping people to dream bigger and achieve what they may not have thought was possible.”

Visionary Wealth Advisors is an independent Registered Investment Advisor, founded in March 2014 by Brett Gilliland and Tim Hammett. Visionary Wealth Advisors provides a visionary approach to all aspects of financial planning and wealth management including retirement, college and estate planning, life, health and disability insurance and small business retirement plans. Visionary Wealth Advisors is based in the St. Louis area, with the home office located in Edwardsville, Illinois.

For more information, visit visionarywealthadvisors.com.

Contact:
Kate Allaria, MBA
Chief Marketing Officer
618-659-5166

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First Cloverleaf Bank, Goshen Office

EDWARDSVILLE, IL – First Clover Leaf Bank today announced an affiliation with Visionary Wealth Advisors to provide bank customers with financial planning and wealth management services. The new services will be offered under the name First Clover Leaf Wealth Management, and will be available to clients at each of its six branches, under the guidance, management and support of Visionary Wealth Advisors.

First Clover Leaf Wealth Management, through Visionary, will operate as a Registered Investment Advisor, offering independent advice, with no proprietary funds and no pressure or incentive to recommend any specific funds. Typically community banks and national banks offer financial planning services under a broker/dealer platform, selling proprietary funds to customers on a commission basis.

“We chose Visionary Wealth Advisors as our partner because we prefer the RIA model, and want our customers to have unbiased financial advice.  We feel that follows the spirit of our community bank and is in our customers’ best interest,” said David Kuhl, First Clover Leaf Bank CEO.

Visionary Wealth Advisors was founded in March 2014 by Brett Gilliland and Tim Hammett, both seasoned veterans in the financial planning industry.  They founded Visionary largely because clients at their previous broker/dealer practices were wanting more options, and the RIA model opened up virtually unlimited investment opportunities. Visionary Wealth Advisors has $220 million in assets under management, 21 advisors, and offices in Edwardsville and St. Louis.

“This arrangement is a natural fit,” said Gilliland. “I’ve always had a passion for helping people. I grew up in banking – my father, uncle and grandfather were all bankers. I had a vision for how we could make our services work for banking customers. First Clover Leaf Bank wanted to provide financial planning and advising, but wanted to do it in the right way. We met and realized very quickly that we would be ideal partners.”

Clients of First Clover Leaf Wealth Management will have access to all the services and amenities of Visionary Wealth Advisors, including retirement and estate planning, investment management, small business retirement plans and college planning. Visionary provides the decision-making process on all investments, support staff, investment software, handles compliance, and all back office services. First Clover Leaf Wealth Management advisors will offer advisory services under the Visionary model of challenging clients to dream big and achieve beyond what seems possible.

“First Clover Leaf Wealth Management makes financial planning services more convenient and accessible to our customers,” said Bill Barlow, Executive Vice President and Chief Lending Officer. “Our Business Banking customers and any customer with significant assets to invest will benefit from having this level of wealth management services at their own bank. But even people who just want to start a retirement fund or want to set some financial goals, can receive sound financial advice and invest wisely.”

Several members of the bank’s management team were already long-time clients of Scott Carson, who was the founder of Meridian Financial Group before his recent merge with Visionary Wealth Advisors. And, many First Clover Leaf Business Banking customers were already clients of other advisors at Visionary. While the bank met with and considered several wealth management firms in the area, the RIA platform and real knowledge of Visionary’s principles and ethics guided the final decision.  “Many of us at the bank have already experienced the benefits of working with Visionary advisors. That made us very excited to work with this firm and it gives us great confidence in recommending them to our customers,” said Barlow. “We know from personal experience they’re good people and will do an excellent job for our customers.”

For more information visit VisionaryWealthAdvisors.com and FirstCloverLeafBank.com.

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Our Visionaries teamed up to support the fight against ALS.  Not only did we raise over $2000, we also accepted the Ice Bucket Challenge.  We challenged some great friends and colleagues of ours – First Clover Leaf Bank, Ryan O’Day and Wang Gang, and our new Visionary Miami office!

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Chuck Downs, CFP

MIAMI, FL – Chuck Downs, CFP and Ricardo Ludert, both well-established local financial advisors, announced a merger of their practices with newly-formed Visionary Wealth Advisors, headquartered in Edwardsville, Illinois, a community in the St. Louis, Missouri metro area. Downs and Ludert were Managing Directors at Northwestern Mutual offices in Miami and Coral Gables respectively, and will continue serving clients in their existing Miami office at 2200 One Biscayne Tower.

Visionary Wealth Advisors is an independent Registered Investment Advisor (RIA), founded in March 2014 by Brett Gilliland and Tim Hammett.

“We wanted the ability to be more independent, and more objective with the type of planning and services we bring to our clients,” said Downs. “Brett and I worked together as Managing Directors for almost a decade and we were both in the same stages of wanting to be independent of a large corporation. Tim had a great reputation nationally while guiding the St Louis Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management firm for almost 20 years. We all share a very similar vision and goals for the type of firm we wanted to create on a local and national level. When Ricardo and I were exploring our options, we knew we’d be duplicating Visionary if we started our own firm. It was clear that we’d be stronger as collaborators rather than competitors.”

Ricardo Ludert

As an RIA firm, Visionary has no proprietary funds and therefore is able to provide unbiased financial advice. RIAs operate on a fee structure, based on assets under management, creating the incentive to provide advice purely in the client’s best interest.

The merger will provide significant benefits to new and existing clients in South Florida, as well as financial advisors seeking to work in the independent RIA platform. Visionary Wealth Advisors can offer clients virtually unlimited investment opportunities, generally at a lower cost, under the guidance of seasoned Certified Financial Planners and Portfolio Managers. As an RIA, Ludert and Downs are now able to provide a far broader range of financial services to clients, including those who have international interests.

“About half of our clients are either first or second generation Americans, who have family or assets in other countries. Or, they are citizens of other countries, but visit Miami often, and have assets here,” explained Ludert. “We have a unique handle on international assets and tax laws, and were previously limited in the products and services we could offer these clients. As Visionary Wealth Advisors, we are virtually unlimited in the range of financial planning and wealth management services we can provide our clients – both domestic and international.”

The merger with Visionary is also intended to attract advisors. In their previous roles as Managing Directors at Northwestern Mutual, Downs and Ludert had established a long track record of developing very successful advisors. “Our Miami office has been a national leader in providing an infrastructure of professional staff and support to increase the impact an advisor can have on clients,” Downs said. “Our vision is to take those services and expand them to a broader range of advisors.”

Visionary Wealth Advisors has an ambitious plan to grow by hiring exceptionally qualified advisors, and acquire or merge with firms that share the same mission, vision and values of integrity and client service. The firm has been steadily adding advisors since its founding, beginning with the six who serve on the Leadership Team, to 22 advisors prior to this merger. Downs’ and Ludert’s practices will add six advisors for a total of 28.  Four other advisors, Juan Neuman, Jose Zubillaga, Jorge Andrade and Carlos Machado joined them in the merger.

“We have invested heavily in our infrastructure, which includes a highly educated staff and $125,000 per year in robust planning software, equipping our advisors with to tools to offer the best possible investment advice, strategies and management to their clients,” said Brett Gilliland, Founder & CEO.

Miami is the first city outside the St. Louis area to have a Visionary office, and it’s the firm’s second merger. Earlier this month, Visionary merged with Meridian Financial Advisors, a highly successful firm that had served high net worth clients in the St. Louis area for 15 years. Additional mergers are planned for the near future.

Founders Gilliland and Hammett believe the merger is a win-win-win for all parties involved – the clients, the Miami community and the firm. Visionary Wealth Advisors wants to help the communities they serve be financially independent. “People are attracted to us because we work not just as advisors but as Visionaries, helping people to dream bigger and achieve what they may not have thought was possible,” Gilliland said.

Visionary Wealth Advisors is an independent Registered Investment Advisor, founded in March 2014 by Brett Gilliland and Tim Hammett. Visionary Wealth Advisors provides a visionary approach to all aspects of financial planning and wealth management including retirement, college and estate planning, life, health and disability insurance and small business retirement plans. Visionary Wealth Advisors is based in the St. Louis area, with the home office located in Edwardsville, Illinois.

For more information, visit visionarywealthadvisors.com.

Contact:
Kate Allaria, MBA
Chief Marketing Officer
618-659-5166

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Edwardsville, IL – Visionary Wealth Advisors announced today their first expansion outside the greater St. Louis area. The firm, founded in March 2014, by Brett Gilliland of Edwardsville and Tim Hammett of Fenton, Missouri, added Miami advisors, Chuck Downs and Ricardo Ludert, both of whom have long-established practices in South Florida. Downs and Ludert were Managing Directors at Northwestern Mutual offices in Miami and Coral Gables respectively, and had recently partnered to form an independent firm, when they made the decision to join Visionary.

Chuck Downs, CFP

“We wanted the ability to be more independent, and more objective with the type of planning and services we bring to our clients,” said Downs. “I’ve known Brett for years and we were both in the same stages of wanting to be independent of a large corporation. We had a very similar vision and goals for the type of firm we wanted to open. When Brett and Tim founded Visionary, Ricardo and I realized we’d just be duplicating their efforts if we started our own firm. It became clear that we’d be stronger as collaborators rather than competitors.”

As an RIA firm, Visionary has no proprietary funds and therefore is able to provide unbiased financial advice. RIAs operate on a fee structure, based on assets under management, creating the incentive to provide advice purely in the client’s best interest.

Ricardo Ludert

Visionary launched with the ambitious goal of going national within one year, and doing so by hiring exceptionally qualified advisors, and acquiring or merging with firms that share the same mission, vision and values of integrity and client service. Miami is Visionary’s first expansion outside the St. Louis area, and it’s the firm’s second major addition. Earlier this month, Visionary added Meridian Financial Advisors, a well-established Edwardsville firm founded by Scott Carson, that had served high net worth clients in the area for 15 years.

At the same time, Visionary and First Clover Leaf Bank formed an affiliation to provide financial planning and wealth management services at the bank’s branches under the name First Clover Leaf Wealth Management.

Since founding five months ago with six advisors on the Leadership Team, the firm has now grown to 26 advisors with the opening of the Miami office.

Visionary Wealth Advisors has invested heavily in infrastructure to recruit and support advisors, who can in turn, provide innovative financial opportunities for their clients. Gilliland and Hammett invest $125,000 per year in software alone, and have a highly educated and experienced support staff to help advisors manage their practices.

In addition to the RIA platform and infrastructure, part of the appeal of Visionary to both clients and advisors is the values and culture Gilliland and Hammett establish for the firm.  The core values of faith, integrity, excellence, growth and community, as well as a supportive, collaborative work environment and a client-first focus are the foundation of the Visionary brand. With the opening of the Miami office, Gilliland will travel there frequently to develop that team in creating the same culture.

“Expanding outside of Edwardsville and St. Louis was part of our long-term vision,” Gilliland said. “I am absolutely excited about it, and I would not have believed it could happen in just five months. We see the state of Florida as a major growth opportunity and want to add Wealth Management Advisors in more communities.”

Visionary Wealth Advisors is an independent Registered Investment Advisor, founded in March 2014 by Brett Gilliland and Tim Hammett. Visionary Wealth Advisors provides a visionary approach to all aspects of financial planning and wealth management including retirement, college and estate planning, life, disability insurance and small business retirement plans. Visionary Wealth Advisors is based in the St. Louis area, with the home office located in Edwardsville, Illinois.

For more information, visit visionarywealthadvisors.com.

Contact:
Kate Allaria, MBA
Chief Marketing Officer
618-659-5166

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ST LOUIS, MO – Visionary Wealth Advisors announced today the opening of their newest office location in the St. Louis area, conveniently located in the Magna building at 1401 S. Brentwood Boulevard. The office officially opened on October 20.

Visionary Wealth Advisors is an independent Registered Investment Advisor, founded in March 2014 by Brett Gilliland and Tim Hammett. Visionary Wealth Advisors provides a visionary approach to all aspects of financial planning and wealth management including retirement, college and estate planning, life, health and disability insurance and small business retirement plans. Visionary Wealth Advisors is based in the St. Louis area, with the home office located in Edwardsville, Illinois.

Since launching in March 2014 with just the six advisors that make up the Leadership Team, the firm has now grown to 26 advisors. Visionary’s St. Louis office serves 750 clients and has four Wealth Advisors, Tim Hammett, Daniel Clinard, Rich Collop and Jay Fox. They also have an attorney, an insurance consultant and four supporting associates.

“Our new location is ideal for our clients,” said Tim Hammett, Founder & President. “Most of our St. Louis clients live in West County or work downtown, so we’re right on their way to or from work, or to come in for a lunch meeting.”

The office space is set for client comfort, innovative technology and growth. “We’ve created an inviting client experience here,” said Hammett. “Clients can meet with their advisors in private offices, and see their portfolios, financial plans, and retirement projections on flat screen monitors.”

For more information, visit visionarywealthadvisors.com.

Contact:
Kate Allaria, MBA
Chief Marketing Officer
618-659-5166

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Visionary advisor Joe Allaria, MBA is scheduled to provide a free educational seminar on Wednesday, January 21^st at 7 pm. Joe will present “Get A Grip on Your Financial Health” and divulge the five easy steps to make sure your financial plan is on track for success.  This is the next presentation in the health series he is providing as a community health-improvement effort with Upper Cervical Chiropractors. The event will take place at the Upper Cervical office located at #20 Ginger Creek Parkway in Glen Carbon, Illinois. To reserve a seat, call Visionary Chief Marketing Officer, Kate Allaria, at (618) 659-5166.

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When you’re looking for a Financial Planner, someone to help you plan for your future, you want someone who understands your concerns, ambitions and dreams – someone who has been there. Our Visionaries understand and can relate to your situation because chances are either they’ve been there themselves or they have worked with a client who has.

Check out our DreamCenter video featuring Kiefer Sutherland called Walk in Our Shoes.

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We are excited to announce that registration is now open for the 2015 Swing Fore Hope Golf Tournament! It will be held Monday June 22nd at Sunset Hills Country Club in Edwardsville, IL with a shotgun start at noon. Click here to register.

Swing Fore Hope was founded by Visionary CEO, Brett Gilliland, and his wife Julie. The charity raises money for cancer research and to help families through the financial hardship that comes with battling cancer. They help with mortgage payments, medical bills, transportation to and from treatments, medical equipment, Christmas gifts and other needs.

Since 2007, Swing Fore Hope has raised over $300,000 for cancer research for Siteman Cancer Center, and to directly help local families. For more information about Swing Fore Hope, visit SwingForeHope.org.

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EDWARDSVILLE, IL – Visionary Wealth Advisors, a wealth management firm founded in Edwardsville just over a year ago, is breaking ground on a 65,000-square-foot office building on May 5, at 1405 Green Mount Road in O’Fallon, IL. The building will have five floors, and most of the 5^th floor will become Visionary Wealth Advisor’s O’Fallon office.

The rest of the 5^th floor will become a beautiful meeting and entertainment venue that can seat 55 for dinner, and accommodate 100 guests outdoors. The outdoor area promises a spectacular view, which could include fireworks at night, and the Arch on a clear day. It will be the only penthouse-style venue in O’Fallon.

“We wanted to build something for the community that would be different,” explained Visionary Founder, Brett Gilliland. “This is a place where people can entertain clients, or have a wedding reception, and enjoy a unique venue right here in O’Fallon.”

Plans for the first floor of the building are for a restaurant, a bank, and possibly medical practices. The second floor will have office space for lease. The third and fourth floors will become the new home of Kurowski & Shultz, LLC, one of the areas most prominent law firms.

Gilliland, a long-time resident of O’Fallon, has had his eye on this property for 14 years. “I always thought it was a great opportunity. My wife and I have a passion for giving back to our community and we wanted to add to the landscape of O’Fallon.”

Gilliland believes that his investment into a professional office building on this property will attract similar structures and developments in the future. It’s in a convenient location, very accessible from I-64. O’Fallon Mayor Gary Graham anticipates this world-class facility will attract more professionals to the area, create new businesses and jobs, which in turn, will generate more revenue for the city. It will make O’Fallon a nicer place to live and work.

The O’Fallon professional building will be Visionary’s fourth location since its founding in March 2014, and its first facility to be built from the ground up. The other offices are in St. Louis, MO (Brentwood) and Miami, FL, with their headquarters in Edwardsville, IL.

The expansion of offices has been to accommodate the rapid growth of the company, and to make it more convenient for clients and advisors to meet each other. Many of Visionary’s advisors in the St. Louis Metro Area have clients on both sides of the river, and are able to meet with them closest to where they live or work. Six to seven advisors from the Edwardsville office will relocate to the O’Fallon office when the facility opens in June 2016.

Visionary currently has 27 advisors and $320 million in assets. Three new hires are planned within the next 60 days. The O’Fallon office is designed to accommodate the firm’s future growth in the O’Fallon, Mascoutah and Lebanon areas.

“Our growth has tripled what we anticipated when we first opened our doors,” said Gilliland. “We’ve been blessed.”

The new facility will be jointly owned by Brett Gilliland and Scott Plocher, owner of Plocher Construction in Highland, IL.  Plocher Construction did the finish on Visionary’s headquarters in Edwardsville. “Plocher has been doing this for a long time and they’re committed to community involvement,” Gilliland said. “I’ve never seen people in the construction business deliver like they deliver.”

Visionary Wealth Advisors is an independent Registered Investment Advisor, founded in March 2014 by Brett Gilliland and Tim Hammett. Visionary Wealth Advisors provides a visionary approach to all aspects of financial planning and wealth management including retirement, college and estate planning, life, disability and long term care insurance and small business retirement plans.

For more information, visit visionarywealthadvisors.com.

Contact:
Kate Allaria, MBA
Chief Marketing Officer
618-659-5166

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O’FALLON, IL – Visionary Wealth Advisors, a wealth management firm founded in Edwardsville just over a year ago, broke ground on a 65,000-square-foot office building on May 5, at 1405 Green Mount Road in O’Fallon, IL.

The building will have five floors, and most of the 5^th floor will become Visionary Wealth Advisor’s O’Fallon office.

The rest of the 5^th floor will become a beautiful meeting and entertainment venue that can seat 55 for dinner, and accommodate 100 guests outdoors. The outdoor area promises a spectacular view, which could include fireworks at night, and the Arch on a clear day. It will be the only penthouse-style venue in O’Fallon.

Attending Tuesday’s groundbreaking ceremony was Visionary Wealth Advisors founder, Brett Gilliland, along with most of the Visionary team; the Plocher Construction team, including its owner, Scott Plocher; Hurford Architects, as well as the building’s engineers, representative from the City of O’Fallon, and the O’Fallon Chamber of Commerce.

“We wanted to build something for the community that would be different,” explained Visionary’s Founder, Brett Gilliland. “This is a place where people can entertain clients, or have a wedding reception, and enjoy a unique venue right here in O’Fallon.”

Plans for the first floor of the building are for a restaurant, a bank, and possibly medical practices. The second floor will have office space for lease. The third and fourth floors will become the new home of Kurowski & Shultz, LLC, one of the area’s most prominent law firms.

Gilliland, a long-time resident of O’Fallon, has had his eye on this property for 14 years. “I always thought it was a great opportunity. My wife and I have a passion for giving back to our community and we wanted to add to the landscape of O’Fallon.”

Gilliland believes that his investment into a professional office building on this property will attract similar structures and developments in the future. It’s in a convenient location, very accessible from I-64. O’Fallon Mayor Gary Graham anticipates this world-class facility will attract more professionals to the area, create new businesses and jobs, which in turn, will generate more revenue for the city. It will make O’Fallon a nicer place to live and work.

The O’Fallon professional building will be Visionary’s fourth location since its founding in March 2014, and its first facility to be built from the ground up. The other offices are in St. Louis, MO (Brentwood) and Miami, FL, with their headquarters in Edwardsville, IL.

The expansion of offices has been to accommodate the rapid growth of the company, and to make it more convenient for clients and advisors to meet each other. Many of Visionary’s advisors in the St. Louis Metro Area have clients on both sides of the river, and are able to meet with them closest to where they live or work. Six to seven advisors from the Edwardsville office will relocate to the O’Fallon office when the facility opens in June 2016.

Visionary currently has 27 advisors and $320 million in assets. Eight new hires are planned within the next 60 days. The O’Fallon office is designed to accommodate the firm’s future growth in the O’Fallon, Mascoutah and Lebanon areas.

“Our growth has tripled what we anticipated when we first opened our doors,” said Gilliland. “We’ve been blessed.

The new facility will be jointly owned by Brett and Julie Gilliland, Scott Plocher, owner of Plocher Construction in Highland, IL, and Dr. Jim Powell, an anesthesiologist in Maryville, IL.  Plocher Construction did the finish on Visionary’s headquarters in Edwardsville. “Plocher has been doing this for a long time and they’re committed to community involvement,” Gilliland said. “I’ve never seen people in the construction business deliver like they deliver.”

For more information, visit visionarywealthadvisors.com.

Contact:
Kate Allaria, MBA
Chief Marketing Officer
618-659-5166

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Scott Carson, Principal & Wealth Management Advisor

EDWARDSVILLE, IL – Visionary Wealth Advisors, a wealth management firm founded in March of this year, is merging with Meridian Financial Group, a company that has served Edwardsville and surrounding areas for 15 years. Meridian’s founder, Scott Carson, and his team will be moving to Visionary’s Edwardsville office, and continuing their business under the Visionary name.

Visionary Wealth Advisors, founded by Brett Gilliland and Tim Hammett, is a new and rapidly growing firm with a one-year goal of going national. Visionary plans to grow by hiring exceptionally qualified advisors, and acquire or merge with firms that share the same mission, vision and values of integrity and client service. The firm has been steadily adding advisors since its founding, beginning with the six who serve on the Leadership Team, to 18 advisors prior to the merger. Meridian Financial Group is the first merger, which is official as of August 1, 2014, just four months after Visionary’s launch.

Both firms are Registered Investment Advisors who provide clients unbiased financial advice. Registered Investment Advisors operate on a fee structure, based on assets under management, creating the incentive to provide advice purely in the client’s best interest.

Bradley Keene, CFP, Wealth Management Advisor & Portfolio Manager

Carson built up a large client base at Meridian Financial Group, and works with advisors, Bradley Keene, CFP, Partner & Vice President, and Dan Browne, AIF, Vice President. Carson’s business model was and is to manage wealth for high net worth individuals, especially local business owners, professionals, widowed spouses and retirees, with a focus on managing and organizing their financial life, and preserving their wealth into future generations. He is known for providing client service above and beyond what is normally performed by a wealth advisor.

The merger combines key strengths from each firm: Meridian Financial Group brings Carson’s 25 years of wealth management experience, a solid team, and eMoney, a web-based financial management and organizational tool that simplifies his clients’ financial lives. Visionary Wealth Advisors brings the vision, culture, technology, support staff, and other infrastructure that allows advisors to provide exceptional service to clients.

Dan Browne, AIF, Wealth Management Advisor

Growth has been rapid as the existing clients of both the Founders and Leadership Team decided to transition to Visionary. The initial transition resulted in $80 million in assets under management, and that number has been growing. The Meridian merger will add nearly $140 million, putting Visionary at $220 million in assets under management.

Almost simultaneous to the merger, Visionary is finalizing a partnership with First Clover Leaf Bank, providing wealth management services to bank customers under the name First Clover Leaf Wealth Management. A dedicated wealth advisor will be working with clients at the bank’s branches, under the guidance and support of Visionary. This partnership will open up a new and ongoing source for growth for Visionary.

“The bigger we become, the more we can provide to our clients,” said Gilliland. “We have invested heavily in our infrastructure, which includes a highly educated staff and $125,000 per year in software, so our advisors can provide the best possible investment advice, strategies and management to their clients. None of that is possible for small shop with just a few advisors.”

This support structure is one of the key reasons Carson decided to merge. He will recognize operational efficiency, virtually eliminate time spent running a business, and can focus almost exclusively on advising clients.

“I like to think that combining our two firms brings a very sound moral and ethical group of people together who are eager to deliver solid financial planning solutions,” Carson said of the merger. “Clients should be first and foremost in any decision-making at the firm level. I believe Brett and Tim are doing a good job globally to develop the firm the right way, doing the right thing for clients in a competitive landscape. Our level of experience, and our technology, added to Visionary’s culture and support, will deliver sound solutions and better communication for all of our clients.”

Carson’s title will be Principal & Wealth Management Advisor, and he’ll serve as a mentor for the younger advisors in the firm, especially with retirement and estate planning. Bradley Keene, CFP® will be a Wealth Management Advisor and Portfolio Manager. Dan Browne, AIF will be a Wealth Management Advisor. Vicky Dietsch, who served as Meridian’s Administrative Services Manager, will be a Director of Client Services at Visionary. It will be business as usual for all Meridian clients, other than seeing their advisors in a different office, on the same street, just a few miles north on Route 157.

Gilliland and Hammett believe the merger is a win-win for the firm, the clients and especially the community. Visionary Wealth Advisors wants to help the communities they serve, currently Edwardsville and St. Louis, be financially independent. “Without vision, people perish,” Brett quoted from Proverbs. “People are attracted to us because we work not just as advisors but as Visionaries, helping people to dream bigger and achieve what they may not have thought was possible.”

Visionary Wealth Advisors is an independent Registered Investment Advisor, founded in March 2014 by Brett Gilliland and Tim Hammett. Visionary Wealth Advisors provides a visionary approach to all aspects of financial planning and wealth management including retirement, college and estate planning, life, health and disability insurance and small business retirement plans. Visionary Wealth Advisors is based in the St. Louis area, with the home office located in Edwardsville, Illinois.

For more information, visit visionarywealthadvisors.com.

Contact:
Kate Allaria, MBA
Chief Marketing Officer
618-659-5166

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EDWARDSVILLE, IL – Visionary Wealth Advisors, a wealth management firm founded in March 2014, just announced a strategic alliance with Greenway Family Office, a Clayton-based firm serving families nationwide. The new alliance is called Visionary Family Office, powered by Greenway Family Office.

Visionary founders Brett Gilliland and Tim Hammett, and Greenway founder, Joan Malloy formed the alliance based on their shared mission, vision, values and philosophies regarding client service. “We believe this alliance is a big win for our clients and their families.  We look forward to continuing our world-class client experience at the forefront of everything we do,” explained Gilliland. Both firms are independent and embrace their fiduciary responsibility to always operate in their clients’ best interest.

Visionary Wealth Advisors serves a broad range of high-net worth clients, primarily professionals, business owners and physicians. Greenway Family Office clients have unique and intricate financial needs in the areas of tax, estate planning, private investments and family governance; Greenway provides a team of highly knowledgeable and experienced professionals to confidentially address each family’s individual circumstances.

“Our clients lead complex lives, with competing demands for their time and resources. Many are buying and selling businesses, raising a family, and engaging in philanthropy, all with big goals and aspirations,” said Malloy. “We bring these extraordinary individuals and their families the unique services they need, so they can be free to follow their passions.”

Visionary’s current and future clients will now have access to family office services. “The average wealth advisor’s client has $1 million to $10 million and is concerned primarily with matters of sufficiency. Those requiring the service of a Family Office traditionally have excess capital which results in the opportunity and responsibility to plan for multi-generational, hundred year capital,” explained Gilliland.

Visionary Wealth Advisors currently has offices in Edwardsville, IL, St. Louis, MO and Miami, FL, with a new office under construction in O’Fallon, IL. Greenway Family Office is based in Clayton, MO.  Visionary Family Office, powered by Greenway Family Office, will serve their shared clients out of these locations. Plans are in the works to open additional offices throughout the US.

Visionary Wealth Advisors is an independent Registered Investment Advisor, founded in March 2014 by Brett Gilliland and Tim Hammett. Visionary Wealth Advisors provides a visionary approach to all aspects of financial planning and wealth management including retirement, investment and estate planning, insurance planning and small business retirement plans. The addition of the family office allows for an additional breadth of service.  Hammett explained,   “While most planners focus on getting the money ready for the next generation (implementing trusts, minimizing taxes, etc.), the Family Office helps to ensure the next generation is ready for the money.”

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EDWARDSVILLE, IL – Visionary Wealth Advisors, a wealth management firm founded just over a year ago, is rapidly growing and has just added a new Managing Director, Selden K. Martin, who is now serving out of the firm’s St. Louis office in Brentwood.

Martin has over 30 years of experience as a financial advisor and senior executive in the wealth management industry, much of that with Merrill Lynch. Martin joined the Visionary team from Altius Learning where he worked with some former Merrill Lynch colleagues as a Partner and Principal to deliver evidence-based training to industry advisors and managers.

Martin will serve a dual role at Visionary. As a Managing Director, he will help guide the continued growth and direction of the firm and train advisors. He will also return to his roots as a Senior Wealth Advisor, working directly with clients to develop goals-based wealth management plans.

“After many years with larger, traditional financial services firms, I believe that clients are now better served in an environment that is free of the conflicts and sales pressures that are associated with firms that originate proprietary product,” Martin explained. “After much due diligence, I have found that Visionary Wealth Advisors is aligned with my personal and professional values to include delivering objective, goals-based advice. With their current growth plans and trajectory including the addition of family office capabilities for the affluent, I am confident in our ability to deliver best in class, wealth management solutions to clients.”

Visionary Wealth Advisors is an independent Registered Investment Advisor, founded in March 2014 by Brett Gilliland and Tim Hammett. Visionary Wealth Advisors provides a visionary approach to all aspects of financial planning and wealth management including retirement, family office services, college and estate planning, life, health and disability insurance and small business retirement plans. Visionary Wealth Advisors’ home office is in Edwardsville, IL, and has offices in St. Louis, MO and Miami, FL. Visionary has broken ground on an office in O’Fallon, IL, which is scheduled to open in summer 2016.

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EDWARDSVILLE, IL – Visionary Wealth Advisors, a wealth management firm founded in March 2014, just announced a strategic alliance with Turning Point Advisors, a St. Louis based merger and acquisition firm. The alliance will provide a more holistic level of professional services for Visionary clients needing advice and expertise in selling their businesses. The new alliance will be called Visionary Mergers & Acquisitions.

Visionary founders Brett Gilliland, Tim Hammett, and Turning Point Advisors principal, Barbara Hartung formed the alliance based on overall benefits to their respective clients, their shared mission, values, and philosophies on client service. Both firms are independent, with no ties to any financial entity, and take a fiduciary responsibility to always operate in their clients’ best interest.

Barbara Hartung has 25 years of experience in buying and selling businesses. She is an attorney, practiced as a CPA, and is an area expert in mergers and acquisitions. Although she no longer practices law or accounting, these backgrounds give her an understanding of the business sale process that is unique in the industry. She will join Visionary as a Managing Director.

“This alliance is unique to the St. Louis area,” Hartung said. “Business owners can now have their trusted wealth advisor to plan and manage their financial life, and when they want to sell their business, they have that expertise on the same team, who can see the whole picture.”

Visionary Wealth Advisors focuses on the personal and financial position of the client who is considering selling their business. “We look at our client’s goals, the makeup of the business, the management team, current and future sales, etc. We also look at the emotional side – are they ready to step away from a business that’s been a major part of their life?” Gilliland explained.

“Most business owners are lost when selling their business,” said Hartung. “They don’t know how to get the best value or find the right buyer. We have the expertise to know when an offer is right, and we’ll never advise a client to accept an offer that we don’t feel is in their best interest.”

The strategic alliance brings Visionary closer to their ultimate goal of having a full suite of financial services in one place.

“Most business owners have spent their lives re-investing in their business, but not for their own retirement and financial situation,” said Gilliland. “Now with Visionary Mergers & Acquisitions helping them sell that business, we can utilize our strengths with Visionary Wealth Advisors and Visionary Family Office to help that client plan for the next chapter of their life. We help with investment planning, estate planning, tax planning, and family governance – which is very important to a client who just sold a business. That client wants to make sure the family is ready for the increase in wealth. They want to provide for the next generation, but also make sure the recipients become productive members of society. Our team can help them from a 360° view – before, during and long after the sale of that business.”

Visionary Mergers & Acquisitions will serve clients anywhere in the United States, who own private, closely held businesses valued at $5 million to $200 million. Visionary Wealth Advisors currently has offices in Edwardsville, IL, St. Louis, MO and Miami, FL, with a new office under construction in O’Fallon, IL. Plans are in the works to open additional offices throughout the United States.

Visionary Wealth Advisors is an independent Registered Investment Advisor, founded in March 2014 by Brett Gilliland and Tim Hammett. Visionary Wealth Advisors provides a visionary approach to all aspects of financial planning and wealth management including retirement, college and estate planning, life, disability and long term care insurance and small business retirement plans.

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United Kingdom votes to leave the European Union

John Fischer, CFA®, CFP®  | Chief Investment Officer

John Fischer, CFA®, CFP®

What we know – Early last Friday morning, final votes were tabulated in the United Kingdom (UK) confirming that voters had surprisingly chosen to leave the European Union (EU) by a narrow margin of 52% in favor of leaving versus 48% opposed.  Shortly thereafter, British Prime Minister David Cameron announced his resignation.  It should be noted that the referendum that passed is not legally binding.  Parliament must still pass the referendum.  Additionally, the process for the UK to leave the EU may take up to two years, which leaves the door open for negotiation between the two sides to find resolution without the UK leaving the EU.

What is the European Union?  The EU is a collection of 28 independent countries in Europe that formed a political and economic agreement which allows free movement of goods, capital, services, and people between member states.  Simply put, it is an agreement between the member countries that is designed to make each country better off as part of the group than they are individually.  The UK was the second largest member country in the EU as measured by gross domestic product (GDP).

Why the UK voted to leave the EU?  There were several reasons voters cast their ballot in favor of leaving the EU.  The three largest catalysts for voting to leave the EU were:

• The political agreements that form the EU had pulled the UK too far away from their political beliefs and ideology, which materially impacted their own political independence
• There was concern that the influx of immigrants into the EU from Middle East and Africa would put unsustainable pressure on the UK’s social services and labor market
• Some Britons believed that the strong regulatory structure of the EU and the annual payment that the country was required to make to be part of the EU created more of a burden to the UK economy and its growth prospects than a benefit

How have markets reacted?  The market has had a swift and strong reaction to the news.  Over the past week, equity markets rallied on the belief that the UK would vote to stay in the EU.  The market had priced in a vote by the UK to stay.  With that vote not coming to fruition, investors are now repositioning themselves in light of the results of the vote that came as a surprise.  The result is investors are buying perceived quality, or safe haven, investments like bonds and commodities (i.e – gold) and selling riskier assets like equities and emerging market investments.

What will we see in the market moving forward?  In the short-term, investors can expect to see more market fluctuations given how many investors were caught off guard by the results of the vote.  This volatility is likely to be exacerbated by the uncertainty that comes with this type of decision, namely that it could take up to two years to restructure all of the trade and political agreements for both the UK and the EU.  How that process will go and what it will mean for the UK, the rest of the EU, and all of their respective trading partners across the world cannot be known right now.  This type of uncertainty causes investors to sell risky assets now and ask questions later.

What does this mean for the EU and rest of global economy?  For the EU, the immediate question is how will it function after losing its second largest member in terms of GDP.  This vote has been coming for many months so one would expect the leaders of the EU to have discussed this exact possibility and what steps they would take if the vote was for the UK to leave the EU.  Additionally, investors will be watching to see if this vote causes factions in other countries in the EU to consider holding a similar referendum to vote on staying in the EU, which would call into question the long-term viability of the EU and possibly the euro currency.  For the rest of the global economy including the US, the impact of this decision centers on how business agreements will change between companies in the EU, the UK, and outside of Europe once the divorce takes place.  This uncertainty of what the new world will look like will likely hamper business investment in the near term, which would hurt economic growth and as a result put continued pressure on global equity markets.  At this point, it’s too early for anyone to definitively say what effect the UK’s decision to leave the EU will ultimately have on the UK, the EU, and the global economy.  It’s this uncertainty that is causing investors to sell risky assets and buy higher quality assets.

Recommendations for Clients – For clients with concerns about what this news means to their portfolio, now is a good time to speak with your financial advisor to review your financial plan including investment objectives, risk tolerance, and time horizon.  It’s important to remember that panic is not an investment strategy.  For clients with a long-term time horizon, this news should not alter your financial plan.  It is in fact these types of market surprises that serve as a reminder why it is important for investors to own portfolios that are well diversified among different asset classes.

Market uncertainty creates opportunity for investors.  For clients looking for an opportunistic time to invest, this may be a good time to set up a dollar cost averaging program.  If the market drops further, your next investment will be at an even better price.  As investors, we cannot predict the future so we must plan for that uncertainty and focus on what we can control.  That means making sure your financial plan is appropriately aligned with your personal investment objectives, risk tolerance, and time horizon.

This Article is provided by Visionary Wealth Advisors (“VWA” or the “Firm”) for informational purposes only. By accessing or otherwise using this Article, you agree to be bound by the terms and conditions set forth below.  Investing involves the risk of loss and investors should be prepared to bear potential losses. Past performance may not be indicative of future results and may have been impacted by events and economic conditions that will not prevail in the future. Therefore, it should not be assumed that future performance of any specific security, investment product or investment strategy referenced in the Article, either directly or indirectly, will be profitable or equal to the corresponding indicated performance level(s). No portion of the Article shall be construed as a solicitation to buy or sell any specific security or investment product or to engage in any particular investment strategy. In addition, this Article shall not constitute the provision of personalized investment, tax or legal advice, and investors shall not assume this Article serves as a substitute for personalized individual advice. Information contained in this Article may have been derived from third-party sources that VWA believes to be reliable; however VWA does not control such information and does not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of such information and disclaims all liability for damages resulting from such sources. Links or references to third-party websites are provided as a convenience and do not constitute an endorsement by VWA, and the Firm is not responsible for the content of any such websites.  Any reference to a market index is included for illustrative purposes only, as it is not possible to directly invest in an index. Indices are unmanaged, hypothetical vehicles that serve as market indicators and do not account for the deduction of management fees or transaction costs generally associated with investable products, which otherwise have the effect of reducing the performance of an actual investment portfolio.

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John Fischer, CFA®, CFP®  | Chief Investment Officer

John Fischer, CFA®, CFP®

The second quarter began with a focus on the Fed and how many interest rate hikes we would see in 2016.  At the time, the Fed was still forecasting two additional rate increases this year.   But a very disappointing employment number in early June quickly cast significant doubt on the Fed’s forecast.  Shortly thereafter, the United Kingdom (UK) voted to leave the European Union (EU) in an event termed the Brexit.  The outcome of this vote caught many investors by surprise and as a result stirred global markets.  Suddenly, a quarter that began with all eyes on the Fed shifted to investors wondering what the impact of the Brexit would be to their portfolios.

Despite the market volatility that followed the Brexit vote, many asset classes finished the second quarter with solid results.  The S&P 500 index finished the quarter up 2.46%, less than 2% below its all-time high set last year.  Stock market returns had a volatile end to the quarter as the S&P 500 dipped more than 5% in the two days following the Brexit vote before making a solid recovery to close the quarter.  U.S. small and mid-cap stocks also posted gains in the second quarter, each finishing up more than 3%.  The MSCI EAFE index, which tracks international mid and large cap stocks, ended the quarter down only 1% after falling by 10% in the two-day selloff following the Brexit vote.  Emerging market stocks finished up 0.66% for the quarter.

Energy, telecom, and utilities led all sectors in the second quarter, each posting a return above 6% for the quarter.  The combination of increased demand and supply shortages helped bolster the energy sector while investors continued to aggressively purchase stocks with stable, attractive dividends in the telecom and utility sectors.  The financial sector has been the worst performing sector year-to-date down over 4% as bank profit margins continue to be squeezed by the persistent low interest rate environment.

The Brexit news and its accompanying uncertainty provided a boost to bonds as investors piled into high quality bonds as a safe haven to riskier asset classes. 10 year treasury yields finished the quarter near historical lows at 1.49%, down from 1.83% to start the quarter.  The Barclay’s U.S. Aggregate Bond Index, which is comprised of higher quality investment grade bonds, finished up 2.21% for the quarter.  High yield bonds, which carry greater risk than investment grade bonds, also finished up 3.6% despite pressure from the Brexit event.

Some investors may be tempted to speculate that U.S. interest rates cannot go much lower.  Bond yields in Switzerland, Germany, and Japan (just to name a few) would suggest that to be a false assumption as interest rates in these countries are either near 0% or negative.  Bonds with negative yields will return less money to the investor at maturity than what the investor originally invested.  As of June 30^th, an astounding 77% of global sovereign debt yielded less than 1% with almost half of that debt carrying a negative yield.  Central banks across the globe continue to use all the levers at their disposal to keep interest rates low (or negative) in hopes of igniting their respective economies and avoiding recessions.  These accommodative policies have also served as catalysts of support for the equity markets, at least to this point.  Ultimately, these low rates continue to make U.S. interest rates attractive to global investors, which puts continued pressure on U.S. bond yields.

The quarter that began with a question of how soon the Fed would move to raise interest rates again finished with renewed uncertainty that has the market expecting the Fed to keep rates unchanged into 2017.  While equity markets have recovered nicely following the Brexit turmoil, there is still considerable uncertainty among investors as illustrated by the continued outperformance of so-called safe haven assets such as treasury bonds, commodities, and Japanese yen.  As the third quarter begins, investors will turn their attention to second quarter earnings season.  Despite improved consumer strength on the heels of stronger wages and declining energy prices, the market will be seeking to break a string of four consecutive quarters of declining corporate profits.  Meanwhile, investors will continue to pay close attention to the uncertainty surrounding Brexit and how it may impact future growth and corporate earnings in the EU, the UK, and their trading partners across the globe.

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EDWARDSVILLE, IL – Visionary Wealth Advisors further expanded its growth in July with the addition of industry veterans Mike Clark, CMFC® and Troy Hedman, CMFC®, CRPC® as Senior Wealth Management Advisors.

Mike and Troy have a combined 39 years of experience in the financial services industry. Both joined Visionary from The Mutual Fund Store where they each served as a Senior Vice President – Investments. Together, they have formed The Servant Financial Group within Visionary Wealth Advisors and will provide investment management and financial planning, with an emphasis on retirement planning and post-retirement income strategies.

Visionary CEO and Founder, Brett Gilliland describes the addition of Clark and Hedman, “Mike and Troy are great people through and through. Their values are perfectly aligned with our firm’s values of faith, integrity, excellence, growth, and community. We are incredibly excited to have them join the Visionary family and watch them serve their clients with their experience and in-depth knowledge.”

Visionary Wealth Advisors currently has offices in Edwardsville, IL, St. Louis, MO and Miami, FL, with a new office just constructed in O’Fallon, IL. Plans are underway to open additional offices throughout the US.

Visionary Wealth Advisors is an independent Registered Investment Advisor, founded in March 2014 by Brett Gilliland and Tim Hammett. Visionary Wealth Advisors provides a visionary approach to all aspects of financial planning and wealth management including retirement, college and estate planning, life, disability and long term care insurance and small business retirement plans.

For more information, visit VisionaryWealthAdvisors.com.

xxx

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