Cydney has a wide range of responsibilities, including answering technology questions, processing deposits and withdrawals, updating any account paperwork, processing charitable donations, and answering client questions.

Before Modern Wealth Management, she worked in service to U.S. veterans who were looking to obtain or increase their disability benefits. Her favorite thing about Modern Wealth is the firm’s community and family feel. She’s thankful that every person in the organization has the clients’ best interest at heart and are always looking on how they can make the client experience better.

Cydney loves going to Table Rock Lake with her family, traveling, hiking, surfing, and reading. She moved to the Pacific Northwest to be able to do my favorite hobbies when she’s not working.

Host of America’s Wealth Management Show and The Guided Retirement Show

Dean Barber is a managing director at Modern Wealth Management. After serving as the CEO and founder of Barber Financial Group, he was thrilled to team up with Modern Wealth co-founders Jason Gordo, Mike Capelle, and Gary Roth in effort to provide a full scope of wealth management services to people nationwide. 

Dean has always had the goal to help as many people as possible with getting them to and through retirement. He accomplished that and more with the team of CFP® Professionals, CPAs, estate planning specialists, insurance experts, and other professionals he built at Barber Financial Group.  

Under Barber’s leadership, the Barber Financial Group brand became a staple of the financial services industry in the Kansas City area. In 2009, Barber Financial Group took a big step forward Bud Kasper’s Lee’s Summit, Missouri-based team from Kasper Steck Wealth Management came aboard. Kasper and former Osiwala Financial Group President and CEO Ken Osiwala joined Barber as managing directors of Modern Wealth.  

Dean enjoys that his work quite literally has a family feel to it at Modern Wealth. His brother, Shane, is an executive advisor, two of his five children, Nic and Cydney, are on the client services team, and his nephew by marriage, Chad Webb, is the head of growth operations. One last fun act about Dean is that his career began with Waddell & Reed on October 19, 1987, also known as Black Monday, which marked the worst stock market crash in Wall Street’s history. 

Nic’s job duties range from completing the morning alerts every day to working on client paperwork for Required Minimum Distributions, Roth conversions and model changes, to assisting with servicing the annuity accounts. He really enjoys the small business and family atmosphere that Modern Wealth provides for its staff and clients. It’s rewarding for Nic to help people in a way that helps them feel more secure about their future.

Working at Modern Wealth has shown Nic that it is possible to work hard, do a good job, and have a great work-life balance. He enjoys spending time with loved ones and family, collecting records, cassettes, and movies, going to concerts, bowling, surfing, and working on cars. Nic is an avid heavy metal fan and will take almost any opportunity to see live music.

Shane dedicates himself to helping his clients achieve financial independence, allowing them to retire with more confidence that they’re doing the right things with their money, freedom from financial stress, and time to spend doing the things they love. As a father and a grandfather, Shane understands that there are far more important things in his clients’ lives than money, and he works diligently to ensure that they can focus on those things.

Having spent nearly 20 years behind the scenes in the manufacturing industry, he gained a deep and unbiased knowledge of how the real economy works. Because of that experience, he believes that understanding the complex relationship between the economy and the financial markets is paramount in managing risk, providing sound advice and implementing wise solutions. His approach, of building a well-crafted wealth management plan that integrates the four pillars of asset management, tax planning, risk management, and estate planning puts the focus where it should be, on the clients’ best interests.

For Shane, the saying “you only get one life, so you should live it the best way you can” is the driving force behind his work for his clients…helping them to live their lives, the best way they can. Shane holds the Registered Financial Consultant (RFC) designation and has passed his series 7 and 66 exams.

Experience: Human Resources since 2014

Education: Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies from Fontbonne University; Master’s degree Human Resources Management from Webster University.

Sadie’s core areas of responsibility are organizational development, change management, employee engagement, development and training, HR operations and compliance, and talent acquisition and retention. She joined the Modern Wealth team in March 2024—just under a year after the firm was founded. Sadie loves the process of designing, building, and integrating people programs, so the idea of joining the firm during its building phase was very appealing to her.

She has worked in human resources—supporting startup and growth stage companies—since 2014. After attaining her master’s, Sadie joined an outsourced HR firm and functioned as a fractional HR director for various small companies in the Kansas City area. She then moved to lead the HR department as one of her clients grew and was with them through their sale in 2020.

Following their successful transition, Sadie joined TVH Parts to lead the Americas Team on a three-year project. She helped to align their global HR processes and implement a new HRIS tool. Sadie worked with teams in EMEA and APAC to create a consistent employee experience across the company and modernize their People Practice. Following this project, Sadie joined Modern Wealth Management. She loves being back on a fast-paced and growth-oriented team.

Sadie’s family is the most important thing to her, especially her three sons. Her favorite hobbies include baking and spending time outdoors. She loves camping, fishing, going to the zoo, and traveling.

Education: Bachelor of Business Administration and Accounting; Master’s degree in Account with a tax focus

Experience: Tax since 1998

Suzanne enjoys meeting with clients to discuss their tax planning options. She has spent much of her career as a tax manager at regional CPA firms. Outside of work, Suzanne enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, walking, quilting, and volunteering.

Fun Fact

Maria can say the alphabet forwards AND backward.

In our industry, relationships matter more than ever. Juls believes that spending time with our clients and growing our relationships leaves a lasting impact—interactions that transform into memorable moments for each of us. She organizes a variety of social and professional events, including group travel for Modern Wealth clients to gather together locally and adventure around the world. Examples of client gatherings typically range from visiting art galleries that feature famous artists, sharing meals at great restaurants, experiencing museum exhibitions, and going on docent-led tours of presidential libraries.

Juls has a ton of fun with Modern Wealth clients during these events. She loves going behind the scenes of world-famous athletic stadiums, playing croquet, or gathering at a local pub while traveling the world with our clients. Spending time with them delivers Juls the opportunity to value the importance of keeping the lines of communication open and growing deep, lasting relationships. For 15 years, she has met the most beautiful people and made friendships that will last a lifetime, simply from spending time together.

In her free time, nothing has transformed Juls’s life more than world travel. No destination is too far to experience the cultures of other peoples in other countries around the globe. Juls is a foodie and loves trying great restaurants in Kansas City, growing flowers in her garden, traveling around on her scooter, camping on the weekends with friends, and a great book. Most of all, Juls enjoys people.

Experience: Financial Services since 2021 

Education: Bachelor’s degree in accounting and MBA from Western Governors University 

Daniel’s focus is on making first contact with leads and helping share how Modern Wealth can help them reach their financial retirement goals. He arrived at Modern Wealth in March 2024 after serving in a few accounting roles.  

The culture that has been created and supported at Modern Wealth immediately stuck out to Daniel. He also is passionate that financial planning should focus on more than investing and likes how Modern Wealth serves as a one-stop option for someone’s financial needs. 

Daniel and his wife spend a lot of their time going to sporting events, especially Kansas City Chiefs games. They enjoy spending time with family and playing with their nieces and nephews. They have a little French Bulldog named Patrick that they love taking to dog parks and going on walks with. 

Experience: Accounting since 2020

Education: B.S. Accounting from Rockhurst University

Adam enjoys the impact he can make for Modern Wealth clients through his tax planning and tax preparation knowledge. Out of college, Adam started working as a tax preparer at a small CPA firm that specialized in high net-worth families. After that, he joined a larger CPA firm (Armanino) and worked in their high net-worth tax group. He really likes the culture and atmosphere at Modern Wealth.

The most important thing to Adam is his family. He loves game nights, hiking, playing fetch with his dog (Mr. Finn), and getting together with friends.

Experience: Advisor since 2015

Education: B.S. Accounting from Baker University

Logan has spent his whole career with Modern Wealth, starting as an intern in 2012 and eventually becoming an advisor in 2015.  Helping other Modern Wealth advisors become as successful as possible with winning and keeping business is one of Logan’s main goals.

He enjoys helping clients accomplish financial goals/dreams they didn’t think were possible. Logan is thankful for all the other Modern Wealth team members that serve as “pillar experts” in their specific roles to help him serve our clients.

The most important thing to Logan is his family. Logan and his wife, Alex, have a daughter, Olivia; French bulldog, Gus; and golden retriever, Mac.

He also loves golfing, watching sports, traveling, working out, and finding new places to eat/drink with Alex.

Experience: Advisor since 2007

Education: B.S. Business Management

His favorite thing about Modern Wealth is working with great clients and co-workers.

Will is married and has three children. Prior to having kids, Will played a lot of golf and he also became a pilot in his 20s. One of Will’s favorite things to do is cook and smoke meat, especially for meals with friends and family.

Whenever Will gets the chance to support charities, he usually jumps at them. Some of the main charities he supports are Ronald McDonald House, Henson’s Heroes, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Shriners International.

As Modern Wealth’s content manager works alongside our Director of Marketing Paul Manger to publish much of the educational financial planning content that you’ll find within the education center page on our website. The articles, emails, and social posts that Chris composes cover a wide range of retirement planning topics, including tax planning, estate planning, risk management, asset management, and non-financial life planning.

Chris’s journalism background has featured a wide range of stops since he graduated from Baker University in 2013. He joined the Modern Wealth team in 2021 after serving as a sports reporter for the Lawrence Journal-World and Shawnee Dispatch newspapers and as a content manager for Pennington & Company, a Greek life fundraising and consulting firm.

Chris and his wife, Katherine, have a Great Pyrenees, Honey, and live in Mission, Kansas. He loves trying new places to eat with Katherine, attending sporting events (especially the Kansas City Chiefs, Kansas City Royals, and Kansas Jayhawks), spending time outdoors, and hanging out with friends and family.

Experience: Marketing since 2019

Education: B.B.A. in Marketing from the University of Missouri Kansas City (UMKC)

Prior to arriving at Modern Wealth Management in 2023, Jordan worked primarily as a marketing specialist across a few different industries, including education, healthcare, and manufacturing. His focus areas of marketing included social media, content curation, email marketing, ambassador marketing, campaign management, and data/analytics.

Jordan’s favorite thing to do with his family is going on vacations together, whether it’s northern Michigan on the lake or somewhere tropical. Some of his favorite hobbies are video games, hiking, working out, and trying new restaurants.

Experience: Started Career in 2014 

Education: B.S. in Finance 

Jeff meets with clients to make sure their retirement plan is successful so they can enjoy their non-working years. He feels fortunate that other Modern Wealth team members are more like family and cherishes the relationships he’s built with our clients.

Jeff and his wife, Kelsey, have three Shelties, Moose, Kali, and Rip. They’re both from Nebraska and moved to the Kansas City area in 2014. Jeff’s favorite hobbies include golfing, going to MLB and NFL games, and traveling to beaches and mountains

He’s passionate about supporting a variety of charitable causes, including cancer charities, Alzheimer’s charities, and animal shelters/rescues. Jeff loves to help people in any way he can.

Experience: Accounting since 2023

Education: B.S. Finance from the University of Kansas

Ashley’s job duties include tax planning, tax returns/preparation, and aiding our paraplanning, Angelica Mitchell, with various tasks. Her career prior to arriving at Modern Wealth Management was in payroll and billing. She set up uncertified CNAs with clients, billed through insurance portals, and ran accounts receivable reports.

Outside of work, Ashley enjoys working on puzzles, hiking, and spending time with family, especially since she doesn’t get to see her family very often since they live in a different state. One of the biggest things on Ashley’s bucket list is taking a trip to Europe.

Experience: Wealth Management since 2023 

Education: Associates of Arts in Liberal Arts and Associates of Science in General Sciences from Johnson County Community College; Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Kansas 

Zach’s focus is on reaching out to prospective clients, educating them on Modern Wealth’s services, and building sample plans for them. He has enjoyed the process of learning to become a financial planner.  

His favorite part of working at Modern Wealth Management is seeing the difference we make in the lives of our clients. Zach also likes the great culture that Modern Wealth maintains and the good our firm can do for people. 

Zach’s favorite things to do with his family include going to Florida to visit his mom and going snowboarding with his dad. His favorite hobbies are going to the gym, snowboarding, golfing, and watching the Kansas City Chiefs and Kansas Jayhawks.  

Jason joined the Modern Wealth Management team in March 2015 as an administrative assistant. He has a wide range of experience in the financial services industry, previously working in the banking venue before expanding his career into wealth management firms.

As a native Kansan, Jason attended Emporia State University after high school. He then worked at Disney World in Florida and started his career in wealth management in Houston before eventually finding his way back to Kansas City. In his spare time, Jason enjoys remodeling the interior of his house, landscaping, kayaking, and fishing.

Experience: Business Operations since 2015

Education: University of Missouri-Columbia

Jessica joined the Modern Wealth team in September 2024. Her primary responsibilities are overseeing the daily operations of our advisory, client services, and operations teams. She collaborates closely with Dean Barber and the executive leadership team to enhance processes, improve efficiencies, and drive growth at our Lenexa office.

Before entering the wealth management sector in 2015, Jessica proudly served as an Army medic for four years. She was intrigued about what Modern Wealth was building since she was familiar with Dean’s presence on America’s Wealth Management Show and the executive leadership’s previous experience with United Capital. When the opportunity to join the Modern Wealth team presented itself, Jessica jumped at the opportunity.

Outside of work, Jessica and her husband, Danny, are proud parents to four children: Isabella, Harrison, Oliver, and Reese. They are passionate sports enthusiasts, cheering on all of Kansas City’s professional teams. The family also has a friendly college rivalry, as they support both Mizzou and KU. On weekends, you can often find them at their kids’ sporting events, as well as enjoying family outings, fishing, golfing, and visits to the zoo.

Ben’s main job duties are trading, billing, and compliance. His favorite things about working at Modern Wealth are the people and the culture. Ben worked at American Century prior to working at Modern Wealth.

The most important thing in Ben’s life in family. He enjoys having meals with family, golf, and other sports. A fun fact about Ben is that his favorite movie is Uncle Buck.

Experience: Tax since April 2023

Education: Bachelor of Science in Accounting from UMKC

Masha joined Modern Wealth’s tax team in May 2024 and is based in the Lenexa, Kansas office. She likes that the tax team works closely with advisors and how everyone at Modern Wealth helps make the firm a laid back work environment.

Prior to coming onboard at Modern Wealth, Masha worked for a small family-owned firm in Liberty, Missouri. She worked on tax returns, monthly bookkeeping, payroll, audit, and financial reviews for clients for large corporations such as B&B Theaters and Shatto Milk and their merger with Betty Rae’s.

Masha enjoys getting together with her family, whether it’s going on large family vacations or getting together for celebrations big and small. Her mom even makes Easter baskets for all her grown kids. Masha loves her three dogs—Lucy, Juno, and Canelo—and her fiancé, Heisser, who is currently in the State Trooper Academy (due to graduate on December 20, 2024). Heisser is also a Sargent in the U.S. Army Reserve.

Masha is a gym rat and is passionate about health. She hopes to do a body building competition someday. A couple of other fun facts about Masha are that she was adopted from Russia and is certified in scuba diving.

Experience: Accounting since 2014

Education: B.S. Accounting

Before joining Modern Wealth in 2020, Corey’s background included seven years in public accounting, specializing in taxation for individuals and businesses.

As Modern Wealth’s Director of Tax, Corey manages the tax team, client relationships, and tax plans. He values the work culture and team cohesion. Corey enjoys that the Modern Wealth team  strives to solve everyday problems for everyday people, as it makes his work rewarding.

Faith, family, and friends take priority in his life. Corey enjoys golf, football, outdoor activities, and supports his local church.

He’s an unwavering Minnesota Vikings fan, originally from Northwest Iowa. Corey has two young daughters.

Paula does a variety of administrative tasks—greeting clients and prospects, offering beverages/and fresh-baked cookies. She loves to interact with clients/prospects/coworkers and build relationships with them.

Paula is an extrovert, so her job allows her to be herself. It’s so fun for her to get paid to do what comes naturally.

The most important thing in Paula’s life are her adult children, Simon and Emma. The best time with her family typically involves eating great food, drinking red wine, and having deep meaningful conversations. Paula also enjoys the arts—from abstract pour painting on canvas, live music, and decorating.

Nanette has been with Modern Wealth Management (previously Barber Financial Group) since 2000. Her knowledge and experience make a positive impact on our firm every single day. Today, she serves as an operations and marketing assistant, where her exceptional organizational skills are really able to shine.

Not only is Nanette OUR office mom in our Lenexa office, but she is also the proud mother to Dickie, Katie, Maggie, and Allie. Nanette and her husband, Richard, also love being grandparents. She enjoys spending time with family, taking vacations as often as possible, making t-shirt blankets for her children, and scrapbooking.

Angelica helps our advisors prepare for their upcoming client meetings by reaching out to our clients to collect the background information needed for analysis. She then meets with the advisor to go over the analysis and any updates needed to the financial plan. Angelica also build financial plans for our prospective clients.

Modern Wealth Management is the first company that Angelica has worked at within the financial sector. She started working at Modern Wealth immediately after graduating from her master’s program. Angelica’s favorite thing about her job is that every day is different. Every financial plan she works on is individualized to that specific client or prospect, so she has learned so much about different elements of the financial field through her role.

The most important thing in Angelica’s life is her faith, with her family being a close second. She loves traveling to new places with her family and enjoys drawing, reading, and writing in her free time.

Experience: Tax since 2019

Education: MBA, Accounting from Northwest Missouri State

Tamika conducts comprehensive tax reviews and prepares and reviews complex tax returns for individuals. Based out of the Lenexa, Kansas office, she collaborates with other members of the tax advisory team to share knowledge, best practices, and insights to enhance client outcomes. She also provides IRS representation to resolve client tax matters.

Tamika joined the Modern Wealth team in November 2023. Prior to arriving at Modern Wealth, Tamika worked as a tax examiner at the IRS, provided tech support at Wolters Kluwer for CCH, and served as a tax preparer at a small military spouse-owned accounting firm.

Outside of work, Tamika enjoys traveling, reading, hiking, and spending time with family. A couple of fun facts about Tamika is that she has lived in Korea, Spain, and Hong Kong, and speaks Spanish and Korean.

Experience: Financial Services since 2006  

Education: Bachelor of Applied Science from University of Missouri-Kansas City 

Experience: Started Career in 2021

Education: B.B.A. with emphasis in Finance from UMKC

Hayden works alongside our senior advisors, assisting them with paperwork, taking client calls when the advisor is out of the office or in a meeting, reaching out to clients with any questions we have before a meeting, or sitting in meetings and taking notes. He also handles his own book of business, assisting clients with investment management and retirement planning.

Hayden’s favorite aspect of Modern Wealth is the team culture. He likes that Modern Wealth prioritizes having multiple advisors and different specialists knowing our clients’ needs and wants.

Originally from Omaha, Nebraska, Hayden grew up as a middle child with two sisters. His parents are both public school educators, so he has a bit of a soft spot for educators. Hayden spends a lot of his free time playing golf, hanging out with friends and family, and watching his favorite sports teams (Iowa and the Kansas City Chiefs).

Experience: Started career in 2013 

Education: B.S. Economics 

Chris has already had a passion for figuring out how to provide better value for the client. Seeing that same passion from Modern Wealth’s other advisors and the commitment to providing people financial education has helped Modern Wealth a natural fit for Chris. 

Chris enjoys getting to introduce what Modern Wealth is all about to prospective clients and figuring out how our team can assist people with getting to and through retirement. His favorite thing about Modern Wealth is the people—the clients and Modern Wealth team members. 

 With growing up in a big family, family has always been everything to Chris. He and his wife, Christina, have a dog, Hootie. Chris loves golfing, reading, and following his favorite sports teams, specifically Detroit and Kansas City professional teams and his alma mater, Michigan State. 

Experience: Entered financial industry in 2005

Education: Bachelor’s degree in hotel and restaurant management

Wayne helps clients get clarification and confidence around their finances and future. The people are what Wayne enjoys most about Modern Wealth between getting to work for his clients and alongside Modern Wealth team members.

Wayne is married with two sons who make him proud every day. They also have a dog, Chewy, who is beloved in Modern Wealth’s Lenexa office.

Some of Wayne’s favorite hobbies include mountain biking, hiking, bird watching, and running. Wayne was born in South Africa and was there to experience the transition from the Apartheid South Africa to the new South Africa and to see Nelson Mandela do an amazing job of bringing a very divided country together.

Experience: Started career in 2005

Education: Attended UMKC

Craig simply enjoys helping in whatever way he can at Modern Wealth, whether it’s meeting with clients, conducting client reviews, or focusing on client retention. He believes that the family feel of Modern Wealth and the way the firm prioritizes taking care of clients is critical.

He began his career at Modern Wealth Management in 2016 as a paraplanner after previously working in the financial services industry for over 15 years helping clients get the most from their investment savings by focusing on tax strategies, investment management, and strategic financial planning. Craig’s decision to work for Modern Wealth Management came after working for several companies locally but sought to work for a company with extensive investment knowledge, well known throughout the community, and that had the same client-first mentality that was #1 on his priority list.

Craig has a son, Brady; stepson, Justen; and stepdaughter, Jesse. He enjoys watching Brady play sports and helping coach his teams as well. Faith is extremely important to Craig, and one of the ways he demonstrates that is by giving back to the United Methodist Church. 

Experience: Wealth Management since 2022 

Education: B.S. Business Administration and Entrepreneurship from Kansas State University 

Drew served as a business development and financial planning intern while attending Kansas State University and then returned to Modern Wealth after graduation as a concierge associate. He focuses on lead outreach and sample plan building. Drew enjoys getting to speak with people from different backgrounds every day who all have their respective wealth management goals. 

As Drew continues his path to becoming a financial advisor, he remains very active outside of the office as well. Drew likes playing golf, working out, spending time with family and friends, and going to Sporting KC games, movies, and Kansas City symphony performances around Christmas time.   

Melissa ensures the client experience is first class while coaching and mentoring a team that delivers the same type of service throughout the lifetime of the clients journey. She spent 21 years in banking prior to working at Modern Wealth. Twelve years of that was on the business development and sales side and nine years of it building and developing a client services department for a now $2 billion bank.

Her favorite thing about Modern Wealth is team aspect of the culture and how it feels like being a part of a family. Helping clients live out their financial dreams is a big motivating factor for Melissa.

The most important thing to Melissa is her faith. She enjoys watching sports (especially KU basketball) with a cold beer with her family, traveling, cooking, baking, and reading.

Experience: Accounting since 2018 

Education: Bachelor Degrees in Accounting and Marketing 

As a tax advisor, Mike prepares tax returns and tax plans, contacts clients, handles IRS notices, runs client meetings, and assists advisors with plans when it comes to tax information. While Mike is a pretty quiet guy, the culture at Modern Wealth has helped bring him out of his shell a little bit more. He enjoys being a part of a hard-working team.  

Mike likes how his role combines the things he likes to talk about—tax and finance—and showing people how they work together. Being able to bring that to a client under one roof is one of Mike’s favorite aspects of his job.  

The most important thing to Mike is his family, especially his wife, parents, sister, and pets. Mike loves going to different places together with his family and enjoying new cities or nature! He’s also an avid Michigan football fan and enjoys playing video games, base jumping, riding roller coasters, and attending sporting events! 

Experience: Investment/Wealth Management since 2017

Education: Bachelor of Arts in Physics from the University of Missouri-Kansas City

Dakota conducts investment research, designs Modern Wealth Management model portfolios, builds the firm’s open architecture platform, and provides ongoing analysis for Director of Investments Stephen Tuckwood, CFA and Modern Wealth’s advisors. His favorite thing about working at Modern Wealth is the potential to build out curated investment solutions alongside Tuck and the firm’s long-term growth prospects.

Prior to joining the Modern Wealth team in May 2024, Dakota managed assets for private clients and charitable trusts with Commerce Trust in Kansas City and served as a research analyst for Conway Investment Research in St. Louis.

Spending time with family is Dakota’s top priority. Dakota’s family will be growing very soon, as he and his wife are expecting a baby girl. Dakota loves family activities, including dinners with his parents, siblings, nieces and nephews, and playing golf with his brother-in-law and nephew.

He enjoys traveling, hiking, rafting, and snorkeling with his wife. Some of Dakota’s other hobbies include cooking, reading history books, wildlife photography, and playing guitar. Dakota is an avid outdoorsman who is passionate about conservation and wildlife. He hopes to travel to every continent except Antarctica. So far, he’s only been to Europe outside of North America.

Prior to joining Modern Wealth Management, Chad served for nearly 21 years in the United States Marine Corps as a senior executive advisor. Retiring from the Armed Forces in May of 2021, Chad joined the Modern Wealth Management family as Head of Growth Operations.

His education includes a Master of Business Administration and Master of Military Studies. When he is not working, Chad enjoys spending time with his family, going to the lake, hunting, and attending sporting events. A fun fact is that Chad knows every word to “We Didn’t Start the Fire” by Billy Joel.