Travis Franks

John Clark is a CFP® and CFA® with three years of experience at Wolf Bay Wealth Partners, where he is the sole advisor. He also serves as an Associate Professor of Finance at the University of Missouri - Kansas City and supervises the university's Student Fund. Wolf Bay Wealth Partners provides investment management, financial planning, and educational seminars to institutions, pooled vehicles, nonprofit and corporate clients, as well as individual investors. The firm combines modern portfolio theory with fundamental, technical, cyclical, and factor analysis, offering discretionary portfolio management and periodic reviews, and is notable for its academic leadership and focus on client education.

Mark Nasche is the sole advisor at Nasche Asset Management LLC in Overland Park, KS, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials with 41 years of industry experience. He previously worked at Oppenheimer & Co for 11 years before founding his current firm in 2020. Nasche Asset Management LLC provides asset management and investment advisory services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, families, and small businesses using separately custodied accounts. The firm employs a value-oriented, primarily long-term investment approach with tactical flexibility and manages accounts on a non-discretionary basis, requiring client approval before trades.

Kenneth Gilpin is a CFP® professional with 26 years of industry experience and has been the principal advisor at Sound Investments Inc. in Overland Park, KS since 1999. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and operates as a sole advisor at his independent firm. Sound Investments Inc. provides comprehensive financial planning and discretionary investment management to individuals, trusts, estates, and retirement plan clients, including pension, 401(k), and profit-sharing plans. The firm manages approximately $16.3 million for about 65 clients, tailoring portfolios based on client net worth and investment profiles, and primarily uses no-load mutual funds, low-cost ETFs, and individual stocks with a trend-following selection process.

James Byrne is a financial advisor at Grand Street Advisors, LLC in Kansas City, MO, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses with 26 years of industry experience. He has worked at Grand Street Advisors since 2004 and has been affiliated with Sanwa Universal Securities Co., LLC since 1991. Grand Street Advisors is a small, independent advisory firm serving individuals, retirement plans, trusts, banks, and other business entities. The firm manages approximately $9 million across about 16 clients, providing non-discretionary portfolio management, one-time advisory consulting, and pension consulting services with customized asset allocations based on fundamental, technical, and charting analysis.

Stephen Lyddon is a CFP® professional with 18 years of experience, serving clients through Opine Financial Advisors in Kansas City, MO. He has been the owner and general manager of a Jackson Hewitt Tax Service franchise since 1992. His roles include overseeing operations and client relations at the tax preparation business alongside his financial advisory work. Opine Financial Advisors provides fee-only, hourly financial planning and investment advice to individuals, families, and small tax-exempt organizations. The firm employs a strategic asset allocation approach using a core-and-satellite design and does not take custody of client assets, allowing clients to retain control of their investments.

Growing up I had always dreamed of owning my own business. I was first inspired by my grandparents who owned an insurance business in a small Kansas town. I grew up in Manhattan, Kansas and attended Kansas State University where I studied Business Administration and Leadership Studies. Upon graduation, I moved to Kansas City and married my college sweetheart. I decided to enter the banking industry because I wanted to help people achieve financial life milestones. The bank I worked at was located in a disadvantaged neighborhood with high rates of poverty. It was this job that reinforced lessons I had been taught early in life on empathy, compassion, and the importance of financial independence. After gaining new perspectives in banking, I joined a wealth management firm where I spent six years in the investment world. It was at this time that my wife and I went through Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University, a class that forever changed my perspective on personal finance and altered my life trajectory. I went on to earn a Master of Science in Finance and the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®) certification. When completing my studies I remember thinking to myself, “Why isn’t anyone working with my generation?”. I was routinely told that it could not be done because young people lacked the amount of investable assets needed to be desirable clients. In other words, most financial advisors considered working with young people a waste of their time. This narrative continued to weigh on my mind until I discovered XY Planning Network (XYPN), a network for financial planners catering to younger clients in an objective, fee-only capacity. I have since become a member of XYPN to define my vision of helping younger generations develop a plan to succeed financially so that they may live a great life and do good in the world. Monthly Fee Starting @: $109/mo (Singles) & $159/mo (Couples) Quarterly Fee Starting @: $327/qt (Singles) & $477/qt (Couples) Flat Fee: $600+/One Time Engagement AUM: 0.50% ($300 min/annual) I continue to call Kansas City home with my wife, our two young sons, and our dog Charlie. When I am not drawing up financial plans for clients, I enjoy coaching my sons in sports (baseball), cheering on the K-State Wildcats, the Kansas City Royals, and the Kansas City Chiefs, and participating in my fantasy football leagues (This year is the year baby!).