(front row, left to right)
Ken Eaton, Stepp & Rothwell
David Neihart, Wells Fargo Advisors

Dana Abraham, UMB Private Wealth Management (co-chair and co-sponsor)
Matt Melton, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Advisor (co-chair, co-sponsor and host)

Tracy Van Dyke, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Advisor (co-sponsor and host)

(back row, left to right)

Tommy Taylor, Polsinelli P.C.

Scott Fletcher, Vantage Investment & Wealth Management

Nick Karabas, Creative Planning

Scott Holsopple, The Mutual Fund Store

Bob Rippy, Robert W. Baird & Co.

KC Mathews, UMB Bank (co-sponsor)

Lynn Mayabb, BKD Wealth Advisors

Brian Kaufman, Prairie Capital Management

Scott Boswell, Commerce Trust Company

Bill Koehler, Tower Wealth Managers

Wealth Managers Are Dialed in to New Opportunities

After years of low interest rates, the bond market is being roiled by upward moves, even as the Dow Jones Industrial Average flirts with figures that, although not inflation-adjusted, are near all-time highs. In a climate like that, what’s an investor to do? Plenty, say area wealth managers.

Nearly a score of executives from leading wealth advisory firms in the Kansas City region gathered Aug. 6, for a ninth straight year, to take part in Ingram’s Wealth Management Industry Outlook assembly. The meeting took place at the offices of Northwestern Mutual in Leawood, Kan. Serving as co-chairs were Matt Melton of the host firm and Dana Abraham of UMB Private Wealth Management. They collaborated to steer a two-hour discussion exploring factors that are keeping clients both up at night and fully engaged in addressing their financial services needs.

Participants also weighed in on emerging opportunities—and yes, there are many—but also noted that investments are but one piece of what should be a comprehensive wealth plan entailing debt management, insurance, guidance on estate planning and gifting, and other aspects that make holistic advice a must for the modern investor.