Savant Expands its Tax and Wealth Transfer Team

Addition of seasoned professional Andrew Welp further positions Savant as industry leader in building and transferring wealth

• With more than a decade of experience and expertise, Andrew J. Welp, CPA, JD, further enhances firm’s comprehensive financial planning services
• Growing wealth transfer and tax team bridges gap between building wealth and transferring wealth
• Increases support team to five attorneys and 13 certified public accountants

MADISON, WI (October 30, 2017) – Savant Capital Management, a nationally-recognized fee-only wealth management firm headquartered in Rockford, IL, with 11 additional offices in three states, including Madison and Park Falls, WI, announced that Andrew J. Welp, JD, CPA has been hired as its third dedicated wealth transfer advisor. He joins the firm’s growing tax and wealth transfer team that is led by Michael Cyrs, director of wealth advisory.

Welp is a member of the firm’s Planning Team and is responsible for overseeing the new in-house trust and estate settlement officers who were added to the team in 2017 and coordinating the necessary legal and tax matters in the estate and wealth transfer process for clients. He also maintains responsibility to act as a direct liaison with Savant’s affiliated trust company, Savant Private Trust, a division of National Advisors Trust Company.

“Savant is about the creation of wealth and, as importantly, the transfer of wealth,” said Brent Brodeski, CEO of Savant. “Andy will further enhance our ability to act as a conduit to help bridge the gap between our clients’ wealth accumulation and leaving the legacy they desire. We are thrilled to have Andy on the Savant team.”

The addition of Welp represents the firm’s commitment to meeting the comprehensive financial planning needs of its clients via a hand-on support team, which now has five attorneys and 13 certified public accountants who serve as advisor support within Savant and its affiliate, Savant Tax and Consulting.

“Savant drew me in because of the team’s broad range of disciplines that enable it to help more people build their ideal futures,” said Welp. “I value the team approach, the diversity of team members, and the strong relationships they have with clients and the communities we serve.”

Prior to joining Savant, Welp worked as head of finance, compliance, and operations for a financial planning firm. He earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Bradley University and a juris doctorate degree from Northern Illinois University College of Law. Welp is a Certified Public Accountant and a member of the American Bar Association, the Illinois State Bar Association, the Chicago Bar Association, and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Savant manages more than $5 billion in assets and employs more than 150 team members. Headquartered in Rockford, IL, Savant also has 11 offices in Chicago, Freeport, Geneva, Hoffman Estates, Naperville, Peoria, Sterling, and Wilmette, IL; McLean, VA; and Madison and Park Falls, WI.

About Savant Capital Management

Savant Capital Management is a leading independent, nationally-recognized, fee-only firm, serving clients for 30 years with more than $5 billion in assets under management. As a trusted advisor, Savant Capital Management offers investment management, financial planning, retirement plan and family office services to financially established individuals and institutions. Savant also offers corporate accounting, tax preparation, payroll and consulting through its affiliate, Savant Tax & Consulting.

Savant is regularly recognized among the top wealth managers in the United States. Savant was the recipient of the 2015 Best-in-Business IMPACT Award™, part of Schwab’s IMPACT Awards® program to recognize excellence in the business of independent financial advice. Savant has consistently received other industry recognitions including recently being included on the Forbes top 200 financial advisors list, the Barron’s top 20 independent advisory firms list, being named the #9 rated RIA firm by Financial Planning magazine, and included in additional top advisors lists by Financial Advisor magazine and InvestmentNews.

Savant Capital Management is a Registered Investment Advisor. Savant’s marketing material should not be construed by any existing or prospective client as a guarantee that they will experience a certain level of results if they engage Savant’s services and may include lists or rankings published by magazines and other sources which are generally based exclusively on information prepared and submitted by the recognized advisor. Click here for more information about Savant or to view our Important Disclosures.

Savant Capital Management and its employees are independent of and are not employees or agents of Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. (“Schwab”). Schwab does not prepare, verify or endorse information distributed by Savant Capital Management. The Best-in-Business IMPACT Award™ is not an endorsement, testimonial endorsement, recommendation or referral to Savant Capital Management with respect to its investment advisory and other services.

Things Many Business Owners and Leaders Don’t Know About 401(k) Plans

CONTACT: Doug Giageos, RMR Advisors, 608-663-7676, dkgiageos@rmradvisors.com

Things Many Business Owners and Leaders Don’t Know About 401(k) Plans

1. Legal obligations: As a fiduciary to your company’s plan (and therefore, your employees), you can potentially be sued for breach of fiduciary interest if your plan allows for unreasonably high fees, inappropriate fund choices or conflicts of interest.
2. Cost: Often there are multiple layers of fees within plans and the available investment options. The impact on your employees’ retirement savings can be dramatic.
3. Complexity: Most plans are overly complicated when they don’t need to be, taking up too much of your time that could be better spent on building your business
4. Recently, many of the biggest 401(k) plan providers have been named in lawsuits for excessive fees and self-dealing, including Voya, UBS, and Transamerica.

A thoughtful solution

Dr. Kambitsi Joins The Alliance as VP, Business Development & Member Services

MADISON, WIS., Oct. 25, 2017 –Dr. Melina Kambitsi has joined The Alliance^® as vice president of business development and member services. The Alliance is an employer-owned not-for-profit cooperative of more than 240 self-funded employers and not for profit insurance trusts.

In this role, Dr. Kambitsi will lead the team responsible for membership growth and retention of the cooperative.

Dr. Kambitsi comes to The Alliance from Network Health in Milwaukee and Menasha, Wis. where she was chief sales and strategy officer. In this role, she was responsible for sales and underwriting, strategic planning, product development and risk-based contract analytics. Earlier she was senior vice president of sales at Blue Cross Blue Shield in Honolulu, Hawaii and the vice president of sales, marketing and product development at Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania.

Dr. Kambitsi received her bachelors in international studies and her masters and doctorate degrees in economic geography at The Ohio State University. She speaks Greek fluently as well as four other languages (Spanish, French, Romanian and Russian).

“Melina’s background and previous experience with health systems and insurance carriers from different regions of the country will add an important new perspective to the work of The Alliance,” said Cheryl DeMars, Alliance President and CEO. “We are eager to have her join our team.”

More than a provider network, The Alliance moves health care forward by controlling costs, improving quality and engaging individuals in their health. Members of the employer-owned, not-for-profit cooperative provide coverage to more than 80,000 individuals in Wisconsin, Illinois and Iowa. The Alliance uses its purchasing power as a cooperative to negotiate with and provide access to an extensive network of doctors and hospitals paid to improve quality by performing better not doing more

Speakers and Their Real-life Stories at Women’s Entrepreneurship Day Wisconsin will Celebrate, Support and Equip Women in Business

Madison, WI – The inaugural Women’s Entrepreneurship Day Wisconsin (WEDWisconsin) is setting the stage to celebrate, empower, and support women entrepreneurs in all types of businesses, at all stages, and all ages. The first-of-its-kind conference on Tuesday, November 14, 2017 at Monona Terrace will also present powerful speakers sharing their real-life stories to help every woman build her dream, by linking learning to action.

“Life Under Construction” will be the moving Keynote Address from Allison Liddle who has been building her life since she started her first business as an entrepreneur at the age of twenty-three. She then went on to found the national, award-winning financial planning firm, Prosper Wealth Management, and has been featured in Forbes, USA Today, and many other national media outlets.

Other featured speakers include:

Christina Outlay, a UW-Whitewater Associate Professor, and creator of colorcoded who is on a panel about social entrepreneurship moderated by Madison Community Foundation’s Brennan Nardi.

Jan Eddy, a Board Chair at Kilo, Inc., and successful Angel Investor who is on a panel with the SBA, WWBIC and Monika Wingate, about funding at any stage and any age.

Sarada, a PhD and entrepreneurial economist from the UW-Madison’s Weinert Center for Entrepreneurship will be doing a live “think tank” exercise.

Mary Burke, Founder of Building Brave

Corinne Neil, Co-Founder of the Jills of All Trades about solo-preneurship.

Anna Stern, President of Tri-North Builders, a nationwide home grown construction company about making it in a man’s world.

Dina Nina Martinez, founder of Lady Laughs Comedy Festival and Artemis Bow Productions talking about the Success Matrix

Jenny Herritz, Principal at SVA on using data to move your ideas forward, building confidence and trust.

Plus many others. It will be a full day focused on building something new beginning with you. Whether you’re starting a company, running a business, working for a business or in non-profit leadership, having an entrepreneurial mindset will help you grow right where you’re at.

The WEDWisconsin Conference is part of a week-long celebration of entrepreneurship in Wisconsin, and culminates in the global recognition of Women’s Entrepreneurship Day on November 19th.

“When women are empowered in business, they have self-confidence and dignity and are more capable of standing up for one another’s basic human rights,” Women’s Entrepreneurship Day founder Wendy Diamond says. “These types of returns are life-changing for entire communities. The more people understand the impact of empowering women in business, the more they will get involved and encourage others to do so, too.”

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About Women’s Entrepreneurship Day Wisconsin
Women’s Entrepreneurship Day Wisconsin (WEDWisconsin) is the first-of-its-kind day meant to empower, celebrate, inspire, and support women in business and leadership by igniting women leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs to initiate startups, drive economic expansion and advance communities. More at: WEDWisconsin.

About Laura Gallagher, Ambassador and Chairman of the Board for WEDWisconsin
Laura Gallagher is a community, local and national business leader serving successful entrepreneurial companies and nonprofit organizations primarily in Wisconsin. In 2016, she was recognized by the Governor as a Trailblazer in Wisconsin. She is the founder and CEO of The Creative Company and is a 2017 Alumni of Babson College’s 10,000 Businesses Program with a Certificate of Entrepreneurship and a 2016 graduate of Harvard Professor Michael Porter’s Initiative for a Competitive Inner City. The Creative Company is certified by the State of Wisconsin as a Woman-Owned Business Enterprise.

About Women’s Entrepreneurship Day
Women’s Entrepreneurship Day (WED) is the world’s largest entrepreneurial and financial empowerment initiative dedicated to celebrating, supporting and empowering women worldwide. WED encourages four billion women worldwide to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams, with the goal of bringing hope and alleviating poverty. More at:  http://www.womenseday.org/

Naviant Announces Intent to Acquire CASNET’s Software Division

VERONA WI & AKRON OH –– Naviant, Inc., a leading OnBase by Hyland solution provider based in Verona WI, today announced they have entered into a definitive agreement to acquire CASNET’s software division based in Akron OH by November 1^st, 2017.

The acquisition is structured so Naviant will acquire CASNET’s software division, which includes all OnBase and ApplicationXtender clients, as well as CASNET’s professional support and account management teams. CASNET will retain ownership of the CASNET service bureau and eWIX solution.

As a top Hyland partner, Naviant has been consistently named an OnBase Platinum and Diamond Support partner year after year with a thriving and happy client base. “We are committed to providing the same excellent support and delivery of services our clients have grown to expect, and we look forward to personally welcoming CASNET clients and staff into the Naviant Community,” said Liz Skolaski, EVP & COO, at Naviant.

“Coming together with Naviant is a tremendous opportunity for our existing and prospective OnBase and ApplicationXtender customers,” said Brad Bowers, President & CEO at CASNET. “The acquisition will enable our OnBase clients to be even better served by the combined teams, and allow CASNET to remain focused on our core conversion and eWIX offerings.”

Since 1986, Naviant has partnered with clients to help them do more with less and reach their business goals. The acquisition positions Naviant to further lead the industry-wide evolution from managing content to managing information and make an even bigger impact.

“This acquisition will further strengthen our services and support talent, and allow us to expand our footprint to serve a new region with a satellite office in Akron OH,” said Michael Carr, EVP & CFO of Naviant.

“Hyland fully supports this acquisition, and we believe Naviant is a shining example of an OnBase partner that provides exemplary delivery and support to their clients,” said Eric Miller, Director of Channel Sales at Hyland.

Naviant looks forward to extending a strong culture of support and partnership to CASNET’s staff, clients, and partners. To learn more about Naviant, please visit naviant.com.

About Naviant

Naviant is a Platinum & Diamond Support partner for OnBase, an award-winning global enterprise content management (ECM) solution platform. Since 1986, Naviant has helped organizations maximize productivity and reduce operational costs by streamlining document, data and workflow business processes. Naviant’s “process-first” approach brings focus to the importance of process improvement prior to implementing best-in-class ECM solutions and technology. To learn more about Naviant, please visit www.naviant.com.

About CASNET

CASNET provides world class business process services and enterprise content management (ECM) solutions to private and public sector organizations across Ohio. Since 1992 when the company was founded by Brad Bowers, CASNET has helped organizations with high volume transactional environments, streamline processes and improve productivity to improve the way business is done. With its document conversion service bureau and eWIX solution, CASNET is the chosen partner of 100’s of companies and agencies. Visit www.casnet.com to learn more.

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Media contact:

Jen Barnum

608-843-5222

jbarnum@naviant.com