In|Vest West 2018 Direct

Chris Hall is senior tax officer at Vertex Inc. He has over 30 years of experience managing all aspects of both direct and indirect tax matters including tax compliance, audits, planning, litigation management and systems implementations.

Melissa Loudon is a BenefitsVIP® team lead at Corporate Synergies, bringing extensive experience in employee benefits, health insurance and customer service. Since joining Corporate Synergies in 2009, Melissa has built deep expertise in benefits administration and employee support. In her current role, she helps guide the BenefitsVIP team while assisting employees and clients with benefits-related questions and service needs.

Jennifer Hui is a Senior BenefitsVIP® Representative at Corporate Synergies, where she draws on her extensive experience in employee benefits and customer support to deliver concierge-level service to plan participants. After earning her degree in Risk Management and Finance from Temple University in 1995, Jennifer launched her career at Independence Blue Cross, where she spent over a decade. She joined Corporate Synergies in 2006, where she continues to serve as a dedicated resource for employees and their dependents navigating their benefit programs.

The firm isn't discussing the news reports suggesting it's for sale. Here's how it has built such a close relationship with so many planners over the years.

Advisors have a role to play in facilitating the great wealth transfer, and some wealth owners are uncertain about whether heirs are ready.

Even more than access to alternative assets and simplified platforms, advisors are looking to outside account providers to help them manage clients' taxes.

Michael Podgortsev is a Director of Data & AI Strategy at a technology advisory firm, and a former CTO with 15 years of building data and AI systems that assess and serve customers. He writes about how systems optimized for an 'average' quietly fail the people who don't fit it.

Norm Hudson is CEO and co-founder at Staff Boom. Norm Hudson is an accomplished insurance executive with over two decades of industry expertise, has a proven record in leadership and management. Previously, as principal owner and CEO of Inszone Insurance Services, Norm Hudson led a team across 40 locations, propelling Inszone into the top 100 national insurance agencies. His commitment to an open, transparent, and accountable company culture played a pivotal role in Inszone's success.

With roles such as COO of Confie Seguros and president/CEO of Cost U Less Insurance, Norm demonstrated expertise in strategic leadership, sales optimization, and achieving significant revenue growth. Norm's legacy in the insurance industry is defined by innovation, leadership, and success, notably exemplified in creating Staff Boom to meet industry-specific needs.

Two-thirds of Americans fear running out of money in retirement. Advisors who aren't planning for a 40- to 50-year horizon may not be planning far enough.

Lilia is SVP of Product Management for the Property & Casualty and Reinsurance division at Sapiens International. With close to 25 years at IDIT/Sapiens, she has shaped the product direction of one of the insurance industry's most established core platforms — from policy administration and claims through to digital transformation and AI-driven automation.