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NEWS AND TRENDS

CONNECTING YOUR BUSINESS SUCCESs

WITH PERSONAL WEALTH

For three decades, Scott Jones has specialized in helping Business Owners grow, protect and preserve their most important asset—their business—while integrating it with a plan to achieve the Owner’s personal financial objectives.

As financial planners who work with business owners as well as families, our purpose is to help you simplify your life, plan your financial journey, and reach your destination—whether you want to accumulate wealth for a specific goal, ensure the continuation of your business, minimize taxes, plan for retirement, or create an employee and executive benefit program to attract and retain your best employees.

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AN EMPHASIS ON

BUSINESS OWNER SOLUTIONS

Our integrated approach to Business Planning involves utilizing the business’s tax, legal and financial capabilities to efficiently fund the Owner’s long term strategies and goals—with a minimum impact on cash flow and the balance sheet.

DOES YOUR RIGHT HAND KNOW WHAT YOUR LEFT HAND IS DOING?
Business Owners face a myriad of choices and issues concerning their business and personal financial needs. Often, there has been significant planning completed for both areas, but it is rarely integrated effectively. At Scott Jones Financial, we help Owners integrate the pieces of their financial puzzle to achieve the optimum outcome based on their specific goals.

FIRST THINGS FIRST
Scott Jones Financial focuses the engagement on our client’s business first. We do this because most Owner’s business interests make up the majority of their personal net worth. The business is also where the majority of potential tax efficiencies reside. Yet, it is typically where the least amount of planning has been done to integrate the business with the Owner’s personal goals.

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A DISCIPLINED

PLANNING BASED APPROACH

To help facilitate the effective integration of business and personal planning, we created the Business of Life Process™. It involves working closely with you and your other advisors to identify issues, review alternatives, recommend solutions, and manage implementation with meticulous attention. The process focuses on the three key areas of a Business Owner’s financial life— Business Planning, Personal Planning and Wealth Transfer.

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Our Specialties

WE OFFER A BROAD RANGE OF BUSINESS & PERSONAL WEALTH PLANNING SERVICES

BUSINESS PLANNING

EXIT/SUCCESSION PLANNING

KEY PERSON INSURANCE

BUY‐SELL ARRANGEMENTS

EXECUTIVE BENEFITS

PERSONAL PLANNING

RETIREMENT PLANNING

RETIREMENT INCOME MANAGEMENT

PHYSICIAN FINANCIAL SERVICES

CUSTOMIZED & INTEGRATED

PLANNING STRATEGIES

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BUSINESS PLANNING

Our integrated approach to Business Planning involves utilizing the business’s tax, legal and financial capabilities to efficiently fund the Owner’s long-term strategies and goals with a minimum impact on cash flow and the balance sheet.

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PERSONAL PLANNING

We integrate the Owner’s Personal Planning into the process by utilizing assets and cash flow to provide the desired lifestyle at a point in the future. Our comprehensive process encompasses Wealth Accumulation, Retirement Planning and Wealth Transfer.

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PHYSICIAN PLANNING

If you are entering the end of your training or are a few years into practice, we would love to create and help you implement a customized Physician’s Financial Playbook to address the unique issues and challenges ahead.

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A TEAM APPROACH

FOR OPTIMIZING RESULTS

Successful Business Owners understand that the complexities of running a business require integrated support from a coordinated team to achieve the best results. Yet, many Owners rarely benefit from having all of their financial and legal advisors in the same room, working off the same page, discussing the issues and solutions to help them achieve both business and personal financial goals.

That’s why Scott Jones Financial takes a proactive team approach to coordinating with your other advisors. We work as part of your advisory team to develop, implement and manage the various processes affecting your business and personal finances.

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OUR PEOPLE

MAKE US WHO WE ARE

At Scott Jones Financial, you’ll find passionate people from a variety of financial disciplines working together to provide seamless, tax-efficient solutions for optimizing your business and personal financial affairs.

Scott M Jones

CFP®, CLU®, ChFC®

MANAGING PARTNER
Scott@SJonesfin.com

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Mark Rothwell

CFP®

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
DIRECTOR OF FINANCIAL PLANNING
Mark@SJonesfin.com

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Dorothy Barbee

OPERATIONS ASSOCIATE
Dorothy@SJonesfin.com

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Jennifer Desberg

CLIENT SERVICE ASSOCIATE
Jen@SJonesfin.com

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ONE SIMPLE RULE

GUIDES ALL WE DO

The Golden Rule Marble, encircled with a band bearing the inscription – “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” (Matthew 7:12) – was created by Jesse Shwayder in 1910 as a timeless symbol for living, upon which he founded the Samsonite Corporation.

Fifty years ago, the founder of our partner firm, Valmark Financial Group, was given the Golden Rule Marble which became an enduring touchstone guiding the firm toward the highest ethical standards in all of its dealings.

When Scott Jones Financial joined the Valmark family of firms, the Golden Rule Marble was presented to us as a guiding principle in all of our practices:

Serving as an industry model for relationships built on trust and mutual respect
Addressing the financial needs of our clients with innovative, collaborative solutions
Safeguarding clients’ best interests at all times

Watch this short video to learn how we “Bring the Golden Rule to Life”…in the lives of our clients and in all that we do.

OUR BACK OFFICE

TEAM

As a Member Firm of ValMark Financial Group, we work closely with an experienced support team with credentials spanning multiple financial disciplines—from legal, accounting, tax and financial advisory expertise to life insurance and retirement planning. This team of over 120 professionals serves as our back-office support staff and includes:

PLANNING SPECIALISTS AND ADVANCED CASE ADVISORS, including a team of attorneys, accountants, MBAs, Certified Financial Planners, Chartered Life Underwriters, and Chartered Financial Consultants, many of whom are FINRA Registered Principals who provide independent assessment and analysis of recommended product sets.

AN UNDERWRITING ADVOCACY TEAM with several former insurance company underwriting vice presidents, directors and medical directors, a licensed physician, and a staff of case management, business processing and policy service specialists.

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Tyler Denholm, CFA®, CMT

Vice President, Investment Management & Research

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CHRIS FINEFROCK, MBA, CFP®

Financial/Retirement Planning Specialist

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MICHAEL AMOIA, JD, LLM (TAX), CLU®, ChFC®

Vice President – Advanced Markets

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MICHAEL MICHLITSCH, MBA, CRPC®

Vice President, Inforce Insurance Solutions

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ERIC JOHNSON

Vice President, Underwriter

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Nicole Rigsby-Cheek, QKA, CPFA

Director Retirement Planning

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Get In Touch

Scott Jones Financial
5950 Fairview Road, Suite 402
Charlotte, NC 28210
Phone: 704-817-7324
service@sjonesfin.com

Securities offered through Valmark Securities, Inc., Member FINRA, SIPC. Advisory services offered through Valmark Advisers, Inc., a SEC Registered Investment Advisor. 130 Springside Drive, Akron, OH 44333. (800) 765- 5201. Scott Jones Financial is a separate entity from Valmark Securities, Inc. and Valmark Advisers, Inc.
Customer Relationship Summary (CRS)

Scott M. Jones, CFP®, CLU®, ChFC®

Managing Partner

Scott@SJonesFin.com

A life-long Charlottean, Scott has been providing financial services to business owners, key executives, and business advisors since 1988. A specialist in Business Continuity Planning, Executive Benefits, and Wealth Transfer Strategies, Scott has made a career of understanding the issues facing business owners, and incorporates that insight and client advocacy into every aspect of his service delivery and planning processes. He additionally emphasizes a team approach by proactively coordinating with other client advisors to ensure that his clients’ financial affairs are properly integrated.

Scott’s three-decade career in business planning began with an eight-year tenure with The Principal Financial Group where he was in charge of running the company’s Charlotte Agency Business Center. He subsequently founded his own firm, Executive Financial, which specialized in Exit Planning for Business Owners, design and implementation of Executive Benefit Plans and Wealth Transfer Strategies. After 12 years, he merged his firm with colleagues Barry, Evans, Josephs & Snipes (BEJS) and became a Partner before starting Scott Jones Financial in 2017.

Scott holds the designations of Certified Financial Planner (CFP®), Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU®), and Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC®). He is a member of the Association for Advanced Life Underwriting (AALU), the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA), the Financial Planning Association (FPA), the Society of Financial Services Professionals (SFSP), the Charlotte Estate Planning Council, and the Charlotte Benefits Forum.

Scott received his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. During his time there, Scott was a four-year letterman on the varsity swim team and earned the distinction of “ACC Honor Roll,” which recognizes scholar athletes for excellence in both academics and athletics.

Scott and his wife, Vicki, live in Charlotte with their daughter, Savannah, and son, Daniel. A sports enthusiast, Scott enjoys golfing, water-skiing, snow skiing, and working out. He and his family attend Carmel Baptist Church and are active in The Charlotte Leadership Forum and the Dowd YMCA.

Mark Rothwell, CFP®

Chief Operating Officer

Director of Financial Planning

Mark joined Scott Jones Financial in 2021 with 10 years of industry experience and a successful history of exceeding client expectations. He oversees the business operations and personal financial planning. As a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®) professional, he enjoys preparing and delivering comprehensive financial plans that are focused on helping clients achieve and exceed their financial goals. Mark is known for his ability to solve complex problems with a keen attention to detail and is energized by finding the best solutions for each client.

Mark was previously with State Street Corporation where he was a Vice President of private equity fund services. In that role, he was responsible for operational oversight and management of relationships with private equity clients. During his tenure, Mark helped build out a global operations team that leveraged different time zones to create a continuous workflow. In addition, he has been involved with re-engineering projects aimed to increase efficiency and reduce risk.

Mark grew up in Massachusetts and always had a golf club or hockey stick in his hands from the time he could walk. He attended Babson College where he studied finance and entrepreneurship. He and his wife, Victoria, live in Charlotte, NC where they enjoy spending time outdoors and are always looking for new hikes. He is getting used to the change from snow skiing to water skiing and appreciates no longer having to put his golf clubs away for the winter.

Dorothy Barbee

Operations Associate

Dorothy@SJonesfin.com

Dorothy joined Scott Jones Financial in 2024 with over 20 years of experience in the financial services industry. After spending much of her career as a research analyst at firms including Nuveen/TIAA-CREF, JP Morgan, and Neuberger Berman, Dorothy is now using her skills to support business operations and service clients at Scott Jones Financial. Her analytical background and attention to detail are invaluable assets as she works to ensure our workflows and processes run smoothly.

Dorothy earned her undergraduate degree from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, where she studied Finance. She later received her MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in Chicago.

When she's not having fun with spreadsheets, you'll find Dorothy hiking or traveling with her husband Joe, spoiling her two granddaughters, or enjoying a new restaurant or live music event with friends.

Jennifer Desberg

Client Service Associate

Jen@SJonesfin.com

Jen joined Scott Jones Financial in 2023 and provides white glove client service in assisting with the implementation of new business. She is always the first point of contact when a client has a service need.

Jen’s commitment to supporting clients and building lasting relationships has been a keystone throughout her career. Prior to joining the team, she supported an independent Financial Services Professional with Allstate for 4 years working with clients, agents, and carriers to ensure the smooth processing and delivery of life insurance policies and services. In the years between leaving a career in purchasing, and beginning one in financial services, Jen was primarily a full-time parent, with an eclectic collection of part time jobs in the fields of marketing, customer service, and retail.

Jen studied Theatre at first Bennington College in Vermont, and finally at Kent State University - after falling for an Ohio boy, Alex, who is now her husband of nearly 30 years. They reside in Akron Ohio where they raised their daughter Sasha, and sons Owen and Spencer. In her free time Jen enjoys hiking, gardening, photography, and travel.

TYLER DENHOLM, CFA®, CMTI

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®).

CHRIS FINEFROCK, MBA, CFP®

FINANCIAL & RETIREMENT PLANNING SPECIALIST

Chris Finefrock is the Senior Vice President of Financial Planning and Investments 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. He also oversees the practice management and financial technology area which assesses third-party vendor technology and assists Member Firms in the selection and implementation of processes within their practice. Lastly, he oversees the investment operations division including data processing, books and records retention, principal review and custodial platform relationships. In addition to his Series 7, 24 and 66 registrations and his Ohio Life, Health and Variable licenses, Mr. Finefrock holds a BSBA in Financial Services and an MBA in Finance from the University of Akron. He is also a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®) professional.

MICHAEL AMOIA, JD, LLM (TAX), CLU®, ChFC®

VICE PRESIDENT - ADVANCED MARKETS

As Vice President of Advanced Markets, Michael works primarily with a select group of Valmark member firms, their clients, and clients’ advisors to implement advanced wealth transfer and business planning techniques that leverage the use of life insurance. With over 28 years of experience and a deep understanding of complex estate planning techniques, Michael works closely with both our life insurance case design and financial planning teams to create client deliverables that help illustrate how these techniques and strategies can maximize the ability for clients to efficiently transfer intergenerational wealth.

MICHAEL MICHLITSCH, MBA, CRPC®

VICE PRESIDENT, INFORCE INSURANCE SOLUTIONS

As Vice President of In Force Insurance Solutions for our partner, Valmark Financial Group, Michael leads the Valmark Policy Management Company (PMC) and Life Settlement teams. Michael is responsible for integrating strategies and solutions to maximize in force insurance business to best serve our clients. 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℠ (CRPC®) and carries the following Financial Services Designations: CFS, CIS, CFF, 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.

ERIC JOHNSON

VICE PRESIDENT, UNDERWRITER

Eric Johnson is Vice President of Underwriting for our partner, Valmark Financial Group. He is responsible for risk assessment appraisal, consultation and negotiation on behalf of Valmark Financial Group Member Offices and clients. Mr. Johnson brings more than 30 years of experience in 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).

NICOLE RIGSBY-CHEEK, QKA, CPFA

PLANNING SPECIALIST

In her role as Director of Retirement Planning for our partner, Valmark Financial Group, Nicole is responsible for the management and support of our qualified plan business. She has over 18 years of experience in the financial services industry, with three of those years working for a Third Party Administrator (TPA). Nicole currently holds the QKA (Qualified 401(k) Administrator) and CPFA (Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor) designations from ASPPA. Nicole is a member of the American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries (ASPPA) and the National Association of Professional Agents (NAPA). In addition, Nicole holds her Series 7 securities registration as well as Ohio Life and Health License.