THE COLONY GROUP - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the Kansas City Chamber of Commerce 's Centurions Leadership Program
Becca believes her role as a Wealth Advisor extends far beyond the numbers - for her, it's all about relationships. Trust and transparency are central to her approach and partnership with clients to create financial plans offering peace of mind and a clear sense of direction for their future.
Embracing a holistic, collaborative approach, she makes it a priority to fully understand each client's unique circumstances - from the concerns that keep them awake at night to the goals they're eager to achieve. What fuels her passion is seeing the positive impact these plans have on her clients' lives.
Becca loves empowering her clients in making well-informed financial decisions to "get things done," especially during times of transition. Whether it's the excitement of a new career path, the anticipation of a well-deserved retirement, navigating the difficulties of divorce or losing a spouse, Becca is there to guide clients through the financial choices these life events require. She takes pride in being a steady resource, helping her clients feel secure and resolved in all areas of their financial affairs.
With 15 years of experience in the industry, Becca joined the team in 2019. She is passionate about sharing her knowledge, providing insights and articles for the company as well as frequently contributing to national publications, including TheStreet, Retirement Daily, CNBC, MSNBC, NPR and Forbes. She has been a featured speaker at national conferences such as AICPA ENGAGE and XYPN LIVE. In 2024, Becca was honored to be listed in AdvisorHub's Top 200 "Advisors to Watch" issue spotlighting the industry's rising stars.
Becca is a member of the Kansas City Chamber of Commerce's Centurions Leadership Program (class of 2025) and serves on the Board of Missouri Appleseed, a non-profit advocating for the health, safety and dignity of Missouri's women, children and most vulnerable populations through research and policy reform. An animal lover at heart, Becca also volunteers at Lakeside Nature Center, assisting in their wildlife rehabilitation hospital. Becca loves staying active with strength training, yoga, traveling and hiking National Park trails. Although she's often on the move, Becca always makes sure to dedicate ample time to enjoying the company of her two feline companions, Godric and Calliope.
Job Titles:
- Manager of Learning & Development
Brendan's extensive experience in the learning and development field has taught him that you want learners to stay engaged and create content that is particularly relevant to them. He always strives to keep an open line of communication with anyone taking his courses. What motivates him is creating an experience that allows individuals to learn and be desired to come back for more.
As the manager of learning and development, he is responsible for creating engaging and effective learning experiences for advisors and clients. His primary focus is ensuring continuous learning for advisors that allows them to further develop their skills. He wants to ensure that learning journeys are carefully tailored to areas where advisors would like to gain more knowledge and experience.
Previously, Brendan worked as a senior curriculum designer for Charter Communications. Most recently, he was a senior industrial designer for Clearent, developing content for multiple teams to create full learning experiences. He joined Buckingham in 2021. He holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia.
A St. Louis native, he and his wife, Carla, have two children. He fills his free time with his passion for music, playing guitar and currently learning to play piano. He also enjoys sports, cheering on his local teams and playing various ones with his kids.
Job Titles:
- Buckingham 's Director of Business Solutions
- Director, Business Solutions
As Buckingham's Director of Business Solutions, Charles "Chuck" Laverty works in tandem with the firm's advisory teams to help business owner clients understand and enhance the value of their businesses. He also consults with clients to help them design a plan for properly transitioning from their business, based on their specific financial life goals and when the time is right.
Job Titles:
- Client Relationship Specialist
In her role, Cheryl assists clients with their incoming requests and provides support to her team of advisors in Rochester Hills. When you call their team, you are likely to be welcomed by Cheryl, whose dedication to getting you answers is top of mind.
Before joining Buckingham Strategic Wealth, Cheryl was a client support liaison and general office manager at LifePlan Financial Advisory Group, which she joined in early 2011 after spending more than 20 years in office management in the legal and medical fields. LifePlan joined Buckingham in 2023. She graduated from Pontiac Business Institute with an associate degree in secretarial science.
Cheryl and her husband live in Shelby Township. They have two children and two grandchildren. In their free time, they enjoy watching their grandchildren play sports and spending time at their "happy place" near Traverse City.
For more than 30 years, Keith has been dedicated to helping individuals, families and small business owners achieve their financial goals through sound planning and investment management solutions. He has extensive experience guiding individuals through their transition into retirement and mapping out the financial considerations to ensure they can retire comfortably. When working with clients, Keith covers all aspects of financial planning to help them make good decisions that support their goals.
Keith began his career in an advisory role at a national firm specializing in comprehensive financial planning. He enjoyed that the profession allowed him to take his knowledge of finance and use it to help people work toward their ideal lifestyle. That led Keith to start his own financial planning firm, LifePlan Financial Advisory Group, in Rochester Hills, Michigan, in 2000. Keith became a wealth advisor for Buckingham Strategic Wealth when LifePlan joined Buckingham in 2023.
Having served as a financial advisor for three decades, the thing that Keith loves the most is having the ability to make a positive impact on his clients' lives and work alongside them over many years, through all the twists and turns of life. Keith received a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting from Grand Valley State University. He has also earned the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, Chartered Financial Consultant and Chartered Life Underwriter designations.
Keith and his wife, Michelle, live in Metamora with their five children. In his spare time, you can find him doing all his favorite activities with family, including cooking a meal together, enjoying the great outdoors and tinkering at their old house built in 1853. They are also active members of their local church.
Kevin Grogan - Chief Investment Officer
Job Titles:
- Chief Investment Officer
- Chief Investment Officer for Buckingham Wealth Partners
Kevin Grogan is Chief Investment Officer for Buckingham Wealth Partners, which is comprised of Buckingham Strategic Wealth and Buckingham Strategic Partners. And while it sounds like his job is all about the numbers, what he likes most about his role is the opportunity for him to collaborate every day with advisors, clients and prospects, helping others better understand the complicated concepts that will have a tangible effect on their financial lives. He is a member of the firm's Investment Policy Committee and helps lead the firm's investment strategy, portfolio management and fixed income teams.
Kevin has co-authored three books. His most recent book, "Your Complete Guide to a Successful & Secure Retirement" with Larry Swedroe, was named by The Wall Street Journal as the best retirement book of 2019. His first book was "The Only Guide You'll Ever Need for the Right Financial Plan," co-authored with Larry Swedroe and Tiya Lim, and his second book was "Reducing the Risk of Black Swans: Using the Science of Investing to Capture Returns with Less Volatility," co-authored with Larry Swedroe. He has also published an article in the Journal of Investing.
Kevin began his career at Buckingham in 2007. He holds a bachelor's of science in finance from Missouri State University in Springfield and an MBA from Saint Louis University. He is also a Chartered Financial Analyst® charterholder and a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional.
Kevin lives in St. Louis with his wife Julie and son Ryan.
Job Titles:
- Director of Family Budget Services
Rob helps busy families save more and argue less so that they can confidently accelerate toward their financial goals while maintaining the lifestyle they love. Through a collaborative process, he helps clients design a simple and flexible budgeting system while providing the support and accountability they need to make this happen.
Rob partners with clients who are trying to build their wealth while raising a family, those who are close to retirement and want to get clear on if they can do it with confidence, and those going through significant life transitions. Rob loves seeing both the financial improvement and the relationship transformation that comes from working together through the Family Budget Services process. He enjoys seeing clients have those "Aha!" moments when they realize that they can keep spending on what they enjoy and still reduce their expenses.
Prior to joining Buckingham in 2024, Rob founded a family budgeting services firm, Family Budget Expert, in 2015 with a mission to help clients save more, argue less and keep having fun. He's worked with hundreds of clients over the eight years since its founding. Rob was also a senior consultant and lead trainer at Student Loan Planner, where he advised 1,200 clients on managing over $300 million in student loan debt. Before that, Rob was a partner at Eidelman Virant Capital for over 10 years where he held roles as research analyst, co-portfolio manager, head of sales & client service, and chief compliance officer. Rob graduated from the University of Michigan in 2001 with a Bachelor of Science in organizational studies with a minor in mathematics. He has also obtained his Chartered Financial Analyst® designation, and he is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and a Certified Student Loan Professional.
Rob grew up in Canton, Ohio, as the youngest of four children and has lived in New York, Chicago and Las Vegas before settling in St. Louis with his wife, Anna, and three kids. Rob loves being involved in the community, and he currently serves on the Clayton Sports, Recreation, and Wellness Commission. His past roles include president of University City Children's Center, member of the Philanthropic Institute for Professional Advisors' class of 2023, and board member of the Jewish Federation of St. Louis. He enjoys playing pickup basketball, surfing, singing a cappella music, playing jazz piano and coaching his daughter's basketball team.
Tracey's educational background complements her practical experience. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications arts from Oakland University. She currently holds a Financial Paraplanner Qualified Professional (FPQP) designation.