Facebook Linkedin

Our Back Office Specialists

Through our relationship with Valmark Financial Group, we work with a team of over 100 professionals, who serve as a back office support staff for Good Financial Group. A sample representation of the team’s credentials include:

AN UNDERWRITING ADVOCACY TEAM with a former insurance company Underwriting Vice President, a Medical Director who is a licensed physician, and a senior staff of case management, business processing and policy service specialists.

PLANNING SPECIALISTS AND ADVANCED CASE ADVISORS, including attorneys, accountants, MBAs, Chartered Financial Analysts, Certified Financial Planners, Chartered Life Underwriters, and Chartered Financial Consultants. Many are FINRA Registered Principals who provide independent assessment and analysis of recommended products and services.

STATE-OF-THE-ART INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DIVISION that is fully integrated with many of our profession’s top providers as well as world-class custodians such as Schwab Institutional, and Pershing.

Investment Management and Advisory

Michael McClary

MBA
Chief Investment Officer

View Bio

Tyler Denholm

CFA®
Vice President, Investment Management & Research

View Bio

Insurance Underwriting

Michael Noss

FALU®
Director, Underwriting

View Bio

Mindy Shaffer

New Business Specialist

View Bio

Eric Johnson

Vice President, Underwriting

View Bio

Insurance Services and Design

Chris Bottaro

MBA
Senior Vice President, Insurance Services

View Bio

Phil Jackson

MBA, CLU®, CFP®
Director, Insurance Planning

View Bio

Michael Michlitsch

MBA, CRPC®
VP, In Force Insurance Solutions

View Bio

Financial Planning

Zach Hurst

CFP®
Director, Financial Planning

View Bio

FinTech

Jessica Rorar

CFP®
Director, Financial Technology and Investments

View Bio

Communications/Social Media

Jamie Summerville

MBA
Vice President of Communications

View Bio

Executive Leadership

Larry Rybka

JD, CFP®
Chairman and CEO

View Bio

Caleb J Callahan

CFP®
President and Chief Operating Officer

View Bio

Compliance

Doug Wilburn

Chief Compliance Officer and General Counsel

View Bio

Contact Us Today

Securities offered through Valmark Securities, Inc. Member FINRA, SIPC. Investment advisory services offered through Valmark Advisers, Inc., an SEC Registered Investment Advisor, 130 Springside Drive, Akron, OH 44333-2431 * 800-765-5201. Good Financial Group, LLC is a separate entity from Valmark Securities, Inc. and Valmark Advisers, Inc.

© 2024 Good Financial Group, LLC. All rights reserved

Crafted and Cared for by Rybka Design

FINRA BROKER CHECK

Michael McClary

MBA

Chief Investment Officer

Michael McClary is the Chief Investment Officer of Valmark Advisers, Inc. and Valmark Financial Group, LLC. His primary responsibility is coordinating all investment management solutions for Valmark Advisers and Valmark Institutional, including TOPS®, TOPS® Strategic Allocation Portfolios, TOPS® Managed Risk ETF Portfolios and Valmark ACCESS™, and ACCESS™ Plus solutions. Mr. McClary was named by EFTReport as one of “10 Rising Stars” in 2012 and one of “10 All Stars” in 2014. He is nationally recognized as one of the first three memebrs of the IMN/Research Magazine “ETF Advisors Hall of Fame” in 2007 and is regularly published on ETF.com. In addition, he has collaborated with the Wall Street Journal, Kiplinger’s, Financial Advisor, and Research Magazine, to name a few, on ETF-related topics and has been a featured speaker for organizations such as the S&P and the Financial Planning Association. Mr. McClary holds FINRA series 7, 24 and 66 securities registrations, is a Member of the Cleveland Society of Chartered Financial Analysts®, and is a Registered Investment Advisor. He earned an MBA in Financial Management and a BBA in Finance in Financial Services, Magna Cum Laude, both from the University of Akron.

Tyler Denholm

CFA®

Vice President, Investment Management & Research

Tyler Denholm is the Vice President of Investment Management and Research for our partner, Valmark Financial Group. His primary responsibility includes overseeing the investment management process and conducting research for TOPS®, TOPS® Strategic Allocation Portfolios and TOPS® Variable Insurance Trust. Specifically, he is responsible for portfolio design and portfolio management. Mr. Denholm regularly analyzes the TOPS® Portfolios and is heavily involved in the day-to-day operations of portfolio management. He also helps analyze our prospective portfolios, and we work directly with Tyler to determine which of the various Wealth Solutions would be the best fit for our clients. He earned his BSBA in Finance and Real Estate from the University of Akron, graduating Summa Cum Laude. In addition to his Series 7 and 24 registrations, Mr. Denholm is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA®).

Michael Noss

FALU®

Director, Underwriting

As a Senior Underwriter for our partner, Valmark Financial Group, Michael Noss is responsible for the technical assessment and negotiation of underwriting offers and serves as a contact for any new business or underwriting issues. He is a national presenter for the Valmark School of Excellence in addition to various industry conferences. Mr. Noss earned his BA in Philosophy and Communication from Saint John’s University. He is a member of the Association of Home Office Underwriters (AHOU) and a Fellow of the Academy of Life Underwriting (FALU).

Mindy Shaffer

New Business Specialist

As a New Business Specialist for our partner, Valmark Financial Group’s Underwriting team, Mindy Shaffer works with Member Firms to provide excellent customer service and to make sure their life insurance cases get submitted, issued, and placed in a timely manner. She has more than 20 years of experience in the financial services industry, with 13 of those years being in life insurance. Ms. Shaffer previously worked for a core carrier of Valmark’s on their indexing, submit and issue team, while also filling in on their 1035 team before transitioning to policy administration. In her spare time, she enjoys camping, hiking, and fishing with her husband and son.

Eric Johnson

Vice President, Underwriting

Eric Johnson is Vice President of Underwriting for our partner, Valmark Financial Group. He is responsible for risk assessment appraisal, consultation and negotiation on the behalf of Valmark Financial Group member offices and clients. Mr. Johnson brings more than 30 years of experience with impaired risk and jumbo case underwriting, reinsurance, sales and brokerage operations. He is a presenter at numerous industry seminars and workshops speaking on topics such as Challenging Underwriting Impairments, Jumbo Business and Brokerage Underwriting. Mr. Johnson earned his BA from Luther College and holds Minnesota Life, Accident and Health Insurance licenses. He is a member of the Association of Home Office Underwriters (AHOU) and the Twin Cities Association of Home Office Life Underwriters (TCAHOLU).

Chris Bottaro

MBA

Senior Vice President, Insurance Services

Chris Bottaro is the Senior Vice President of Insurance Services for our partner, Valmark Financial Group. He is responsible for the vision, strategy, and execution of life insurance marketing, underwriting, new business and in force insurance solutions initiatives. Formerly, Mr. Bottaro was an Underwriting Account Executive at Lincoln Financial Group where he led a team of 25 underwriters and new business associates through strategic initiatives aimed at making the life insurance process simpler and more efficient for advisors and their clients. He has an MBA from the Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts and holds Series 6 and 26 registrations.

Phil Jackson

MBA, CLU®, CFP®

Director, Insurance Planning

Phil Jackson is the Director of Insurance Planning for our partner, Valmark Financial Group, with a focus on insurance solutions. In his role, he analyzes estate, business and retirement planning strategies specializing in life and long term care insurance. In addition to his Series 7 and 24 registrations, as well as Ohio Life, Health and Variable licenses, Mr. Jackson is a Chartered Life Underwriter® and a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Marketing and Business Administration from Indiana Wesleyan University, an MBA from Palm Beach Atlantic University.

Michael Michlitsch

MBA, CRPC®

VP, In Force Insurance Solutions

As the VP of In Force Insurance Solutions for our partner, Valmark Financial Group, Michael Michlitsch is responsible for integrating strategies and solutions for in force life insurance business. Michael is responsible for the Valmark Policy Management Company and Valmark’s Life Settlement Advocacy division. Previously, he was Manager of Practice Management at Securian Financial Services, Inc., a Senior Training Manager for Woodbury Financial Services, Inc., and Sales Manager for Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. Mr. Michlitsch earned his MBA from the Opus College of Business at the University of St. Thomas and his BA in Management and Marketing from Bethany Lutheran College. He is a Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor℠ and carries the following Financial Services Designations: CFS, CIS, CES, CAS and CTS. In addition, he holds Series 7, 24 and 66 registrations as well as Life, Health, and Variable Life and Annuity licenses.

Zach Hurst

CFP®

Director, Financial Planning

Zach Hurst is a Director of Financial Planning for our partner, Valmark Financial Group. In his role, he is responsible for aspects of design, marketing and implementation of Valmark’s unique financial planning processes. He oversees a team that assists member offices with accumulation, income distribution, and legacy planning through various processes designed to best meet the unique needs of each of our clients. Mr. Hurst earned a BSBA in Financial Services from the University of Akron, is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional, and holds Series 7, 24 and 66 registrations. In addition, he is licensed for Ohio Life, Health, Accident and Variable Life Insurance and is a Chartered Life Underwriter®. He has been recognized for Outstanding Work and Accomplishment in the Field of Financial Planning from the University of Akron’s Finance Advisory Board (2014) and has presented on financial planning topics at Valmark’s Member Summit (formerly School of Life) as well as at various College of Business courses and panels with the University of Akron.

Jessica Rorar

CFP®

Director, Financial Technology and Investments

Jessica Rorar is the Director of Financial Technology and Investments for our partner, Valmark Financial Group. Jessica focuses on assisting Member Firms to enhance existing practice management workflow. She is primarily responsible for auditing Financial Technology (FinTech) solutions. This includes reviewing integration capabilities and obtaining group pricing discounts with different Fintech vendors. She also leads the annuity product line, assisting with case design and policy reviews within clients’ retirement and estate plans. Mrs. Rorar earned a BSBA in Financial Services from the University of Akron with a Minor in Spanish and graduated with Honors. Mrs. Rorar also holds Series 7, 24 and 66 registrations as well as Ohio Life, Health and Variable licenses and is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional.

Chris Finefrock

MBA, CFP®

Senior Vice President, Investments and Financial Planning

Chris Finefrock is the Senior Vice President of Investments and Financial Planning for our partner, Valmark Financial Group. In his role, he oversees and is a resource for the team responsible for all aspects of design and implementation of various brokerage, insurance, and advisory solutions intended to assist investors with risk management and reaching their accumulation and/or distribution goals. In addition to his Series 7, 24 and 66 registrations and his Ohio Life, Health and Variable licenses, Mr. Finefrock holds a bachelor’s degree in Financial Services and an MBA in Finance from the University of Akron. He is also a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional.

Judson Forner

CFP®, CRPC®

Vice President, Investment Operations

Judson Forner is the Vice President of Investment Operations for our partner, Valmark Financial Group. In his role, leads the teams directly responsible for processing all investment related business submitted through Valmark. In addition, he oversees the trading and RIA teams, manages relations with Valmark’s three custodial platforms and participates on the Product, DOL and Star Ranking™ committees. Mr. Forner has presented on topics such as Money Management, Financial Planning and Annuities at Valmark Member Summit (formerly School of Life) and School of Excellence conferences, as well as higher education institutions such as Ursuline College and The Ohio State University. He has been quoted in industry publications including Barron’s, Bloomberg, CNBC, Financial Advisor Magazine, and Investment News. In addition to his Series 6, 7, 24, 53 and 66 registrations and his Ohio Life, Health and Variable Insurance licenses, Mr. Forner earned a BSBA from The Ohio State University with a focus in Finance. He is also a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional and a CHARTERED RETIREMENT PLANNING COUNSELORSM.

Karen Whittington

Practice Manager

Karen began her career with Good Financial Group, LLC in May 2006 after 14 years managing the bookstore for a prominent local private school. She is responsible for the day to day operations of the office and is usually the first person you’ll come in contact with. Together, Karen & Debra oversee all aspects of client services. With more than 30 years of combined experience in both private & non-profit sectors, they are experts at managing details and follow up communications with care and professionalism. Our firm focuses on service and being a trusted resource to the clients and advisors we work with. We are all passionate about our work and do so with a sense of urgency. You are number one and our mission is to make you feel like family, because you are.