Kerry Lawing is president and CEO of Lawing Financial. He is responsible for directing the senior management team by offering continued mentoring and developing support for all Lawing Financial associates. He has led the company to its leadership position as one of the largest independent financial firms in the Midwest, specializing in estate planning and advanced business strategies.
Despite turbulent times in the financial markets and many firms downsizing, Lawing Financial has continued to thrive and provide value-added services for its clients. Early on, Kerry identified three concepts – communication, collaboration, credibility, and made them the critical values on which he would build and grow Lawing Financial. Since its launch in the mid-80s, Kerry has developed a unique client service niche by assembling an expert team of 50+ highly-qualified financial advisors, each with a distinct area of industry experience. This concept has proven to be an advantage for both the firm and its clients.
Prior to building Lawing Financial, Kerry spent eight years working for a national financial services firm where he advanced from an advisor to district manager. His responsibilities included managing a team of financial advisors and helping them grow profitable businesses. In addition, he played a key role in identifying, recruiting, and training new advisors.
Kerry is a recipient of the GAMA National Management Award (1996-2004), a consistent Qualifying member of the Million Dollar Round Table, and a contributor to the Million Dollar Round Table Foundation. He is also a member of the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors.
He currently holds FINRA Series 6, 7, 24, 63, and 65 securities licenses. He continually furthers his education by completing industry courses relating to business development, management, and estate tax planning. He is a member of the Kansas City Chamber of Commerce and General Agents Management Association.
In his spare time, Kerry enjoys flying and spending time with his wife and children.
*Honorees of Million Dollar Round Table must achieve a sales goal predetermined by the MDRT organization. and maintain this level throughout the course of one year. Qualified individuals must pay a membership fee in order to participate. Sales amounts are independently verified by the MDRT organization through certifying letters. Qualification for recognition is based on the amount of premium/commission dollars produced over the previous year. This recognition is not representative of any investment performance or returns.
Qualification for the National Management Award, requires one to be a head of an agency or firm, sales manager and personally supervise at least eight full-time career agents, advisors, or sales representatives in an agency or firm. Recipients of the award, must achieve minimum sales goal predetermined by GAMA International. Qualified individuals must pay a membership fee in order to participate. Qualification for recognition is based on the amount of premium/commission dollars produced over the previous year. This recognition is not representative of any investment performance or returns.
Tim Hakes is vice president of Lawing Financial. He joined the firm in 1997 as Director of Equity Products and currently oversees several aspects of business development including market research, management operations, client development, and asset management strategies.
As the founding member and president of the Lawing Financial Investment Advisory Committee, Tim is charged with reviewing market conditions, asset allocation models, and overall economic factors affecting investment returns. The majority of his time is spent educating clients and Lawing Financial representatives on the various strategies that the firm uses to invest clients’ assets.
Tim earned a Bachelor of Science degree in finance from Southwest Missouri State University. He has furthered his education by obtaining FINRA Series 7, 24, and 63 securities licenses. Tim has received several industry awards and is a Qualifying member of the Million Dollar Round Table, where he qualified for Court of the Table, and the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors.
Tim is married and has four children.
*Honorees of Million Dollar Round Table must achieve a sales goal predetermined by the MDRT organization. and maintain this level throughout the course of one year. Qualified individuals must pay a membership fee in order to participate. Sales amounts are independently verified by the MDRT organization through certifying letters. Qualification for recognition is based on the amount of premium/commission dollars produced over the previous year. This recognition is not representative of any investment performance or returns.
Scott Colangelo is vice president of Lawing Financial’s Retirement Plan Division and an integral member of the management team. He actively participates in the Lawing Financial Investment Advisory Committee, which reviews and implements processes and procedures used by the firm, and he contributes to the review and reallocation recommendation of the portfolios on a monthly basis.
Scott offers over 16 years of experience in the financial services industry and specializes in qualified retirement plans and private asset management. Prior to joining Lawing Financial, he managed an office for a local brokerage firm where he was responsible for the daily operations, management, recruiting, training, and profitability of the office.
He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in marketing with a minor in finance from Kansas State University. He has furthered his education by obtaining the Accredited Investment Fiduciary® (AIF®) designation and FINRA Series 6, 7, and 66 licenses. Scott has received several industry awards and is a Qualifying member of the Million Dollar Round Table and the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors.
Scott enjoys spending time with his wife Stacy, son Mason, and daughter Morgan. He coaches various youth sports teams and also stays active in basketball.
*Honorees of Million Dollar Round Table must achieve a sales goal predetermined by the MDRT organization. and maintain this level throughout the course of one year. Qualified individuals must pay a membership fee in order to participate. Sales amounts are independently verified by the MDRT organization through certifying letters. Qualification for recognition is based on the amount of premium/commission dollars produced over the previous year. This recognition is not representative of any investment performance or returns.
Scott Liggett is an attorney with Lawing Financial’s Qualified Plan Division. As a member of the 401(k) team, Scott offers over 20 years of financial services legal experience and provides legal and consulting services for 401(k), profit sharing, pension, ESOP, KSOP, cash balance, and non-qualified executive benefit retirement programs nationwide. Scott’s retirement plan clientele have ranged from 1 to 2,500 participants, with plan asset sizes ranging from a start up plan to those with over $300 million in assets.
Scott’s experience includes preparing and presenting quarterly and annual retirement plan reviews together with plan modification studies and recommendations; negotiating and preparing plan documentation, including trust documents, adoption agreements, resolutions, amendments, and related correspondence; reviewing nondiscrimination testing results and making applicable recommendations to plan sponsors; researching and interpreting IRS, DOL, and ERISA statutes, regulations, and precedent; presenting annual actuarial valuation study results to defined benefit pension plan sponsors; conducting enrollment and educational meetings with plan sponsors and participants; and preparing and reviewing requests for proposal submissions (RFPs). In addition, Scott has made numerous retirement plan related presentations at trade conventions, conferences, seminars, and working groups.
His areas of experience beyond retirement programs include business continuity issues such as corporate structure, succession plans, and mergers and acquisitions. He has successfully worked with a variety of business entities on various legal and financial matters.
Scott earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in business from Chadron State College and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Nebraska College of Law. He currently holds FINRA Series 6, 63, and 65 securities licenses and the American Association of Pension Actuaries PA-1 and PA-2 designations. In addition, Scott is a member of the Kansas Bar Association.
Scott and his wife Maureen are active with their three children, Maggie, Nolan, and Carly. In his free time, he enjoys following college sports.
Anthony Woodard serves as chief compliance officer for Lawing Financial. As CCO, Anthony is responsible for ensuring that Lawing Financial is compliant with all regulatory and industry requirements. He is the Supervisor of Trading Operations and is a member of the Lawing Financial Executive Committee and the Investment Advisory Committee.
Throughout his tenure with Lawing Financial, Anthony has implemented numerous tax leveraged discriminatory benefit plans for business owners and was integral in the formulation of several succession plans for small and medium-sized businesses.
Prior to entering the financial services industry in early 2002, Anthony owned a small software development and IT services corporation, where among other things he gained personal insight into the particular needs and concerns of small business owners. He is a published author and developer of financial and tax planning software used in the financial services industry (TaxAlyzer® Pro, IRA Optimizer(TM)). His unique background has provided him with experience not only in the quantitative aspects of finance, but also in marketing. In turn, Anthony also lends his expertise to our firm as an active member of Lawing Financial’s Marketing Committee.
Anthony earned an Associate in Arts degree from Longview Community College in Lee’s Summit, Missouri, and graduated with Distinction from the University of Missouri – Kansas City with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree. In recognition of his academic achievement, Anthony was inducted into Beta Gamma Sigma, the honor society for collegiate schools of business. He currently holds FINRA Series 7, 24, and 66 securities licenses and is an insurance agent with Ohio National Financial Services. Anthony’s educational experience and diverse background enable him to provide multi-faceted solutions for clients and the firm.
Anthony has several hobbies and interests including playing guitar and soccer. Most of all, he enjoys spending time with his wife and children