REGAL FINANCIAL GROUP - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- FINANCIAL ADVISOR
- Adjunct Professor at New York University 's School of Business
Alan has lived in Hollywood for over 25 years. Born in Chicago, he grew up in NYC and is married to actor Suzanne Ford. They have a daughter, Caroline, who is Chair of the English Department at Montclair Kimberly Academy in New Jersey, and two grandchildren.
With an early career as a marketing and development executive at Lincoln Center, he realized then unequivocally the importance of knowing how vital predictable income from an endowment is in sustaining the vibrant future of a cultural institution. Later, working as an Internet and mobile entertainment executive in Silicon Valley during its "Wild West" days of the late 90s and early 2000s, he saw firsthand the effects of market volatility and unpredictability. And, most important, he saw how to mitigate them.
In 2010 Alan began his mission to serve his clients as their Financial Advisor and Insurance Broker by developing a comprehensive process to help individual clients create a realistic financial plan, protect and grow hard-earned assets, generate reliable income, ensure their health and build a lasting legacy. As a fiduciary, he serves to protect the best interests of his clients.
Alan's client relationships are exemplified by:
Individuals and families who want greater control over their assets, health and financial goals.
Referrals from friends and family members and others they care for.
People who want to enjoy life and have fun knowing that their future is secure.
Alan has served as an Adjunct Professor at New York University's School of Business and is author of The Marketing Workbook, published by The Funding Center, Washington D.C. He was Director of Marketing for New York City Opera and Lincoln Center Theatre Company and a member of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Alan enjoys sailing and is a member of the California Maritime Institute.
Bari Bell joined Regal in 2005. Bari is a graduate of Central Michigan University where he majored in Business Administration. Outside of work, Bari enjoys boating, hunting, fishing, hiking, and most importantly, spending time with his wife of 35 years, three children, and two grandchildren.
Whatever your financial situation is, Barry provides comprehensive planning, guiding you with clear, simple language, to help you make the best money decisions. He ensures you know where you stand for wealth growth and preservation.
As a financial advisor with over 25 years of experience, Barry puts your best interest first. He is a former vice president of Lee Financial Group Hawaii, where he advised high net-worth investors with at least $1 million in investable assets. Clients praise him for giving them peace of mind, being dependable, and reducing their money stress.
Barry is licensed in and serves Hawaii and Utah. He and his wife currently live in Provo, UT, and his 5 grown children and 1 grandchild live nearby. He enjoys surfing and snowboarding with his family.
Since 2015, Ben has specialized in helping seniors secure financial security with insurance and financial products. As a representative of Regulus Financial Group, I specialize in helping to protect my clients from the financial realities and risk of market fluctuation, health crisis, and Long-Term Care needs.
Carlos Guzman began his advising career over 2 decades ago. Over that time, he has been able to help hundreds of families (both English and Spanish speaking) achieve peace of mind by following a unique 4-step, goals-based process. He has taught financial planning and shared his process at local churches, on the radio and at local high schools. The 4 steps are:
Discovery (The What): Identifying "What" are your Goals and Concerns and "What" are the opportunities on which you would like to focus.
Evaluation/Recommendation (The How): Recommendations demonstrating "How" we will accomplish your goals and have you focus on your opportunities.
Implementation (The Why): Providing a customized written plan answering: What your goals are, how we will achieve them and "Why" recommendations are made.
Review (Accountability): Ongoing process that provides accountability and ensures we are up-to-date on any changes that may impact your plan's success.
This 4-step process provides his clients with Clarity, Balance, Focus and Confidence. This confidence gives his clients Peace of Mind to focus their attention and energy on doing what they love most with those they love.
Carlos has been married for over 25 years to his wife Kristina and they've raised 4 children. They call La Verne their home and it is where you can find them hiking the local trails. They love teaching and mentoring couples on marriage principles. They enjoy listening to live music, exercising, and reading non-fictional books that focus on self-improvement.
Daylen is a graduate of Western Michigan University and has been working in the financial services industry for over 20 years. Most recently as a Vice President for Fidelity Investments in their Private Client Group for 11 years. The move to Regal now provides his clients with the high touch, personal level of service that they deserve.
He performs discretionary investment advisory services for his clients and adheres to the following beliefs to provide the best overall experience.
Job Titles:
- EVP PARTNER / FINANCIAL ADVISOR
Ivan has served in the financial services industry since 1993, when he was recruited out of the construction and mortgage lending arenas. He loves being able to make a real difference in people's lives, and enjoys the opportunity to be the financial quarterback for their hopes and dreams. Ivan's expansive playbook contains a variety of strategies, including how you can fund your children's educational needs, accumulate wealth for your golden years, provide income to your loved ones in case of a death or disability, a strategy to convert your lifetime of savings into a lifetime of income that you won't outlive, and plans to leave a legacy to the ones that you care most deeply about. His biggest satisfaction comes when he can see that his efforts translate into successful solutions for you.
James White began his financial services career over three decades ago with Old Kent Financial after attending Aquinas College and Western Michigan University, graduating with a BA in business and an MBA. He has spent over 25 years working as a corporate finance officer and financial advisor at Fifth Third Bank where he developed the processes he now uses to help you reach your financial dreams and goals. To that end, James follows a six-step process that is customized to help you make a plan, guide you through it and then review your progress over time.
James and his partner Ardarius live on the west side of Grand Rapids, are members of 5th Street Hall, and enjoy the culture and great taste of the city. James enjoys swimming, playing classical piano, reading historical fiction; he is a member of the St. Adalbert Basilica Chamber choir and is a past President of St. Vincent de Paul.
Jordan began his finance career in 2016 after graduating from Central Michigan University with a B.S. in Financial Planning. Since entering the industry, he has gained experience in personal financial planning, distribution, and asset management. As a proponent of continuing education, Jordan has earned CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and Accredited Investment Fiduciary designations and he is CFA Level II Candidate.
Josh Darwin is passionate about helping families like yours grow and preserve wealth. Most recently, Josh was a Managing Director at Bank of America Merrill Lynch for 18 years. Josh ran the Boston Institutional Sales desk, which raised capital for corporations and provided research and management access to investors. Josh's professional network includes relationships with many of Boston's most sophisticated investors, which gives him some unique insights to help individuals and families generate investment ideas. Prior joining Merrill Lynch, Josh managed money for individuals and families at Smith Barney. Josh is a graduate of Tufts University and Tabor Academy and also studied at the University of London. Josh lives in Needham with his wife Ricki and sons George and Jack. Josh enjoys golf, boating, family time and the behavior of markets.
Kevin Berwald, CFP® began serving clients in the financial services industry over three decades ago after graduating from college receiving a BA in business with a marketing concentration. Over that time his focus has been centered on creating processes to help individuals, families and businesses establish and plan to achieve their personal and financial goals. Since obtaining his CFP® designation in 1997 and as a Certified Financial Planner Professional, Kevin follows a seven step process to help you make a plan designed to reach your goals, guide you through it and then review your progress over time. Kevin, his wife Heather, and two sons live in Grosse Ile, Michigan where they enjoy boating and fishing on the Detroit River and Lake Erie, playing golf and swimming as members of GIGCC, hunting and raising honey bees on their farm and are members of Church of the Way. Kevin attended Olivet University where he received four varsity wrestling awards and was co-captain his senior year.
Larry, one of the founding partners of Regal Financial Group, entered the financial services industry in 1982 and carries Series 6,7,24,26,53,62,63, & 65 Securities licenses as well as a Life & Health insurance licenses. He Graduated from Michigan State University in 1982 with a Business degree and has been recognized by the American College as a Certified Life Underwriter, Chartered Financial Consultant, and a Chartered Advisor in Senior Living. He is also certified by the CFP Board of Standards as a Certified Financial Planner.
Job Titles:
- ADVISOR ADVOCATE / FINANCIAL ADVISOR
Lee graduated in 2004 from Central Michigan University with a degree in Personal Financial Planning. Prior to joining Regal, he ran his own practice focused on high net worth clients and also spent time as a wholesaler with First Trust Portfolios.
Lee and his wife, Sarah, have two young sons and in his spare time he enjoys hunting, fishing, and being outdoors.
Job Titles:
- Retirement Income Specialist & Wealth Manager
Mario Ruiz's passion and love for helping clients develop, implement, and monitor an efficient plan emerged during The Great Recession as he witnessed many of his friends and family members suffer from the effects of poor or no planning for this historical economic downturn. While residing in Washington, DC in 2010, Mario began developing the investment philosophy and financial planning strategies he shares with you today, specializing in retirement income planning. He believes his clients are best served by helping to protect against losses due to poor market performance or inefficient planning. Now residing in Austin, TX, he holds a Retirement Income Certified Professional (RICP®) designation, leveraging his expertise for clients' diverse needs, including tax-efficient income planning, wealth management, social security optimization, health and long-term care planning, risk management, insurance, and more.
Dedicated to continuous professional development, Mario maintains a daily regimen of reading, podcasts, and live training on retirement income planning that equips him to effectively serve his clients in an ever-changing environment. Passionate about sharing his knowledge, he regularly gives free educational webinars and seminars to the public on topics such as social security, Medicare, and retirement income planning.
Away from work, Mario and his family of three, alongside their dog and two cats, enjoy the vibrant life Austin offers. You can find them exploring trails, enjoying local cuisine at places like KG BBQ or The Grove in Lakeway, and attending events such as the Austin Symphony Orchestra. Mario likes to invest his time into personal development; he enjoys reading about science and technology, exercising, and going to comedy shows.
Driven by the conviction that "The only way to do great work is to love what you do", Mario and Regal Financial Group excel in serving clients who:
Have concerns about the impact of taxes, market volatility, inflation, and healthcare costs on their retirement income.
Need a clear, tax-efficient plan to manage and withdraw from their savings and investments.
Seek custom retirement income plans based on individual goals, ranging from maximizing spending to ensuring a legacy.
Require help with decisions such as retirement timing and spending, pension payout options, Roth conversions, managing home equity, social security strategies, navigating Medicare, long-term care planning, and more.
Mario's best client relationships have been with those who:
Are retiring within 10 years or are already retired with significant savings, seeking tax-efficient wealth management.
Appreciate clear, consistent communication, and personalized attention.
Hold similar values of kindness, respect, and solution-oriented thinking.
Value the financial well-being of friends and family and provide introductions to help them strengthen their financial plans.
Phillip gets great satisfaction from helping families develop a solid financial plan. His mission is to always put their needs first and to be there for them when they need him.
He started in the financial business at Trilogy Financial Services where he learned to do complete financial planning. Prior to this career, Phillip worked for twenty years as a district manager and marketing manager. Working with the public has always been one of the most enjoyable experiences for him.
Phillip was born and raised in the Midwest where he learned the value of hard work. He studied business at the University of Nebraska Omaha and at Glendale College in Phoenix. He currently resides in Thousand Oaks, California with his fiancée, Brigitte. Fishing, golfing, swimming and spending time reading about the financial markets is how he enjoys his free time. Phillip also spends a lot of his time working with senior citizens, helping them to have a great retirement with a legacy to pass on.
Job Titles:
- REGISTERED REPRESENTATIVE
Robert started in the financial industry in 1979 and joined the Regal family in 2000. Robert was born and raised in Rogers City.
Robert enjoys hunting and wildlife photography, as well as hobby farming. Travis enjoys hunting, kayaking, paddle boarding, hiking, and outdoor photography.
Skip Dufresne has been working in the financial services industry for more than 30 years. In his spare time, Skip enjoys golf, fishing, and rooting for the LSU Tigers and New Orleans Saints.
To meet Steve for the first time is to feel like you've been reunited with an old friend. Whether he's taking you on a behind-the-scenes tour of the Fort Worth Stockyards, explaining the ins and outs of local politics or quickly throwing on SCUBA gear to retrieve a client's wallet from the bottom of a lake, "service" is a word that accurately sums him up in one word. While he's served in the financial services industry since 1997, his primary profession for 28 years was firefighting. Visit him at his office, and you'll sit in physical proof of those years, as he has the unique opportunity to work out of a building he once personally helped save from a fire - the fire hydrant he used is even the centerpiece of a water feature in the back yard.
His financial services career began after watching an entire one of his classes of firefighter trainees get signed up for an inadequate life insurance policy payroll deduction. His complaint to the provider resulted in an offer for him to take over their services to fire and police departments in the area, which he accepted. As a result, most of Steve's clients are firefighters, police officers and their extended families. The fact that Steve understands their pension system, 457 plans and Deferred Retirement Option Plans (DROP plans) and doesn't speak to them in "financialese" makes him a natural fit to partner with in their financial journeys. Firefighters and police officers serve the public in their worst of moments - not for the money, but for the sense of pride and intrinsic reward. As a financial advisor, Steve is able to get that same sense when he is able to help his client avoid financial pitfalls.
Like Ernest Hemingway's famous fisherman from The Old Man and the Sea, Santiago, Steve realizes that success is not just a measure of the value of a person, but more a reflection of the journey he took to get there with integrity. He was named Firefighter of the Year for Battalion 3 in 1990, and then Firefighter of the Year citywide for Fort Worth in 1991. He was also later awarded the first ever Fire Department Visionary Award for developing and implementing a Total Quality Management initiative mandated by the mayor and city council. Steve is a Certified Estate Planner® (CEP®). He holds a degree in education from North Texas State University, and an MBA from the University of Dallas.
Tom Kish graduated from Saginaw Valley State University. Prior to joining Regal he spent 12 years at the Kmart Corporation, working in seven different stores and the corporate headquarters. He and his beautiful wife, Buffy, have been married for 33 years and have three sons; Andrew, Robert, and Steven. He loves all sports, especially golf, and enjoys running 5K and 10K races with his wife throughout Michigan.
Travis was born and raised in the Rogers City area. After graduating from Rogers City High School, Travis studied Business Management and Marketing at Baker College. He followed his father's footsteps and joined the Regal family in early 2015.
Travis and his wife, Megan, live in Rogers City with their two dogs Lexi & Lily. When not at the office, Travis enjoys paddle boarding, kayaking, hunting, fishing, and any other activity that takes place outdoors.