Shelby Jennings

Michelle Vargas, Certified Financial Planner™ is the President of Waymaker Financial Planning, a Fee-Only firm that provides transparent and accessible financial guidance. She enjoys helping clients navigate and plan all aspects of their financial life so that they will worry less about their future and free up more time to spend doing what they love. After earning a degree in Finance from the University of Southwestern Louisiana in 1990, she moved to Florida and started her career with Harcourt Brace Publishing. Her journey into personal finance began when she signed up for her 401K and wanted to learn about additional options to plan for retirement. This eventually led to working as a financial advisor and completing the extensive education requirements for becoming a CFP® in 1998. She believes her experience as a young professional searching for unbiased advice enables her to better serve Gen XY professionals because she remembers what it was like being in their shoes. As a former homeschool parent and the wife of a federal employee, she is passionate about helping women, homeschool families, and federal workers plan wisely for a comfortable financial future. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking in Colorado, barbecuing with family, and working in her garden.

Ben is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® PROFESSIONAL specializing in helping (pre)retirees preserve their wealth over the long-term. Brenda is the Operations Manager and specializes in making things happen at the firm. Together, we’ve made it our life’s work to help (pre)retirees enjoy and preserve the payoff from their life’s work. We save our clients time, money, and stress as they mitigate retirement risks and answer THE critical retirement income question. We're going beyond the financial industry's traditional framing of "wealth preservation" with a straightforward approach to your retirement income plan and long-term investing.

You deserve simple, straightforward financial advice that you understand and trust. I’m the son of two master plumbers. When it came to plumbing, “master” is the right word. They were good at what they did. And, like all contractors and tradesmen, their business went through highs and lows. When times were good, we took amazing vacations and enjoyed life together. When times were tough, like going through bankruptcy to avoid losing everything, we had to bear the burden. This is a story told all too often, and it’s why I started Forthright Financial Services. I received a Bachelors Degree in Accounting, Masters Degree in Taxation, and a Certification in Financial Planning on my way to becoming a Certified Financial Planner® professional. I worked for 4 years at a CPA firm, where I became the lead tax associate for individuals and small partnerships. I switched careers to my original passion and worked for a great financial planning firm for 5 years. While there I became the director of financial planning and helped create and implement the entire financial planning process. Throughout my journey, I helped my dad in many different ways. After my dad passed away, I left my job and started my business with the mission to help other hard-working business owners, like him, understand their finances in order to minimize taxes, maximize cashflows, increase profits, and grow their business efficiently. As a contractor, your business and your personal financial situations are so connected that I believe you need special advice to address both of those areas simultaneously. That special guidance is exactly what we provide. Straightforward advice for all circumstances, goals, and seasons of life – that’s always a phone call away. If you’re ready to offload the stress and worry around your money and your business, now and for when your working days are done, let’s talk. Also help with: Small Business help Family Business Planning Self-Employed Individuals & Consultants planning Tax Planning Charitable Giving Business Planning Holistic Financial Planning Entrepreneurs Startup Founders Retirement Planning Cryptocurrency Financial Life Planning & Financial Coaching Family Financial Planning Social Security Optimization Baby Boomers, Gen X, Gen Y/Millenials, Gen Z Christian Business Owners

Joshua Brooks doesn't just manage money—he orchestrates financial victories. As founder and lead Certified Financial Planner® at Exponential Advisors, he's built his practice on a simple premise: veterans deserve financial strategies as disciplined and effective as their military training. With over two decades of military service and now serving as an Army Reserve chaplain in the 490th Civil Affairs Battalion, Joshua understands both spreadsheets and sacrifice. He's counseled soldiers through deployment stress and guided families through financial storms, discovering that the same tactical thinking that wins missions can demolish debt and build lasting wealth. At Exponential Advisors, Joshua deploys AI-enhanced financial artillery to hit every target: investment growth, risk management, tax efficiency, and legacy planning. He treats market volatility like enemy fire—anticipated, analyzed, and neutralized through superior positioning. His blockchain expertise and analytical prowess transform chaotic markets into navigable terrain. Joshua's communication cuts through financial fog like tracer rounds through darkness. He translates complex concepts into crystal-clear action plans, whether he's explaining why a Roth IRA beats traditional savings like air support beats ground assault, or demonstrating how Bitcoin fits into a diversified portfolio like special forces complement regular infantry. Every financial plan becomes a strategic operation with defined objectives, measurable outcomes, and adaptive protocols.