What is your role at Stavis Wealth and what does it entail?

My title is Manager of Advisory, Insurance and Investment Operations, but if I'm being honest, the role encompasses a little bit of everything. My responsibilities include billing, trading, insurance servicing, and creating and refining processes and procedures, along with countless other operational functions that help keep the firm running smoothly. When Deb sent me the job description, it was three pages long and she said it included everything but the kitchen sink. She wasn't kidding! I see myself as someone who wears many hats and is always willing to jump in wherever needed. I enjoy being a resource for both our team and our clients, and I love that every day brings a new challenge and opportunity to make a difference.

You've spent more than 25 years in financial planning, across estate planning, insurance, and corporate benefits. What drew you to this work, and what has kept it interesting?

I've always enjoyed working with numbers, but I didn't fully understand everything that financial planning encompassed until a friend introduced me to Deb when she was launching her first financial planning firm. As I began working with her, I quickly discovered that financial planning was about so much more than numbers. It was about helping people make important decisions, achieve their goals, and navigate life's transitions. The more I learned, the more I loved it, which led me to pursue my CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® certification so I could deepen my knowledge and better serve clients.

What has kept me passionate about this work for more than 25 years is the opportunity to build relationships with clients and their families. I enjoy hearing each client's story, understanding how they've achieved their success, and helping them create a plan for the future. Every family is different, which means every situation presents new opportunities to learn and make a meaningful impact.

One experience that really stands out involved a widow who had suddenly lost her husband. He had always managed the family's finances, and she felt overwhelmed and uncertain about where to begin. I wanted to help her navigate each step of the process, ease her concerns, and provide reassurance during a very difficult time. Being able to guide someone through a major life transition and help them feel confident about their future is incredibly rewarding.

At its core, that's what has kept this work interesting and fulfilling for me. Financial planning isn't just about investments, insurance, or estate planning. It's about helping people make important decisions, achieve peace of mind, and feel supported through every stage of life.

Corporate benefit planning is a specialty most wealth advisors don't have. How does that 
work connect to what a family needs on the personal side?

Corporate benefits are often one of the most overlooked pieces of a family's financial picture. During our working years, these benefits can provide valuable opportunities for retirement savings, wealth accumulation, insurance protection, and tax-efficient planning. We help clients understand what is available through their employer and ensure those benefits are being fully utilized in a way that supports their broader financial goals. When coordinated with investments, estate planning, and tax strategies, corporate benefits can become a powerful part of a family's overall financial plan.

A financial plan can look like a document. What do clients usually not see about what it takes to build one that actually holds up?

A financial plan is much more than a document. What clients don't always see is the amount of coordination, analysis, and ongoing monitoring that goes into making sure the plan actually works in real life. We spend a lot of time gathering information, understanding a family's goals, evaluating investments, insurance, estate planning documents, tax considerations, and cash flow needs. Then we work closely with the client's other advisors, such as CPAs and attorneys, to ensure everything fits together. The real value comes from continually revisiting the plan and adapting it as life changes. A financial plan is not something you create once and put on a shelf. It's a living roadmap that evolves alongside the client and their family.

Insurance at Stavis Wealth is considered alongside investments, estate planning, and the rest of a family's picture. Why does that context change how you evaluate an insurance strategy

Insurance is just one piece of a family's overall financial picture, which is why we evaluate it within the context of their broader goals, investments, estate plan, tax situation, and legacy objectives. The role insurance plays can vary significantly from one client to another. For some families, it's about providing income replacement and financial security in the event of an unexpected loss. For ultra-high-net-worth families, insurance can be a valuable tool for estate planning and helping provide liquidity to address future estate tax obligations. Other clients may utilize strategies such as private placement life insurance as part of a tax-efficient wealth transfer plan.

Because every client's circumstances, goals, and priorities are different, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Our role is to understand the complete picture and determine whether insurance is needed, what type of coverage is appropriate, and how it fits within the overall financial plan. By looking at insurance alongside investments, tax planning, and estate planning, we can ensure it serves a specific purpose and supports the family's long-term objectives rather than existing in a silo.

These relationships often run for decades, and the family, the tax law, and the plan itself all change along the way. What have you learned about the work that happens after a plan is in place?

One of the biggest things I've learned is that the financial plan is really just the beginning. Once the initial plan is developed, there is often a significant amount of follow-up work needed to implement the recommendations. We work closely with clients and their other trusted advisors, such as CPAs and attorneys, to coordinate strategies and ensure all the pieces fit together in a way that supports their overall goals.

Life doesn't stand still, and neither should a financial plan. Families grow, careers change, businesses evolve, markets fluctuate, and tax laws are updated. That's why we meet with clients regularly, at least annually and often more frequently, to review their financial plan, evaluate their investments, and make any necessary adjustments. The plan must evolve as their lives evolve.
What makes this work so rewarding is the opportunity to build lasting relationships. We want our clients to think of us as a resource for any financial decision, whether it's a major life event or a day-to-day question. The work is never truly done because we're committed to walking alongside our clients throughout their lives, and often across multiple generations. Some of the most meaningful relationships are those where we've had the opportunity to serve not only the client, but also their children and grandchildren. That's when you realize you're not just managing wealth, you're helping families build a legacy.

What do you hope to build here over the next few years?

My hope is to be an integral part of the continued growth of Stavis Wealth. I want to help build strong partnerships with our clients while providing innovative financial planning solutions and exceptional client service. Internally, I hope to establish and refine workflows, processes, and operational efficiencies that support our team and allow us to scale while maintaining the high level of personalized service our clients expect. Ultimately, I want to contribute to a culture of collaboration, excellence, and continuous improvement that benefits both our clients and our team.

Enough about work. Tell us a little about your life outside the office.
Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with family and friends. Although I work remotely, I always look forward to visiting the Houston office, catching up with my coworkers, and enjoying dinners with friends who live in the area.

In my free time, I love to read and spend time gardening. I like to think I have a green thumb, although my husband might disagree! Thankfully, my plants seem to be living longer these days, so I think I'm making progress.

My two children are my greatest joy and the center of my world. My daughter earned her undergraduate degree in Biomedical Engineering from Texas A&M and is currently pursuing her MBA. My son is a junior at Texas A&M's Mays Business School studying business. We're a proud Aggie family and love attending Texas A&M football games whenever we can.

I also enjoy traveling and experiencing new places. There are still many destinations on my bucket list, and I'm hoping to make more time for travel in the years ahead. Whether it's spending time with family and friends, cheering on the Aggies, tending to my plants, or planning the next adventure, I try to make the most of the time outside the office.

What's something you find yourself telling clients that has nothing to do with the numbers?

I'm a firm believer that financial planning should help you enjoy life, not just prepare for someday. You need to live for today because none of us know what tomorrow holds. Both of my parents worked incredibly hard their entire lives, retired at age 70, and within a year were diagnosed with terminal illnesses. They had dreams of traveling, spending more time with their grandchildren, and enjoying retirement, and unfortunately much of that was taken away from them. I've also worked with many clients who have the financial means to pursue their passions but continue to put them off for another day. My advice is to plan wisely, save responsibly, but don't forget to enjoy the life you've worked so hard to build. Some opportunities don't come around twice.

What's something about you that your teammates might be surprised to learn?

That's a tough one because I've never been much of a thrill-seeker. I've never done anything particularly wild or adventurous, and I've never met anyone famous. One thing people are often surprised to learn is that I'm from a small Texas town called Cuero, where our high school mascot is the Cuero Gobbler, a turkey! They may also be surprised to know that I absolutely do not like onions or tomatoes, which my husband thinks is completely crazy.