In-House Team

Scott Underwood first found his passion for financial planning through an internship with Northwestern Mutual in 1991. After being a Top 10 Intern for three consecutive years with one year as the top intern in the entire company, Scott began his full-time career with an insurance-focused business. As the industry evolved, so did his vision for the future. Today, as CEO of Socium Advisors, Scott leads a large team to develop comprehensive financial plans for individuals, families, and businesses all over the country.

Over and over, he has proven his dedication to delivering industry-leading services for his clients, and he has been recognized for his ceaseless efforts to navigate the complexity of each person’s unique situation. Throughout his career, Scott has had numerous things to consider accomplishments, but none so much as the trust and partnership he has built with his team and clients. Scott continues to earn the Barron’s Top 1200 Advisors award year after year.

When he’s not working, you could find Scott and his two boys, Billy and Peter, anywhere from the mountains of St. Lucia to riding four-wheelers around their farmland in Missouri.

As a Partner at Socium, Tripp Kelly specializes in solution-based planning through aggregating clients’ needs with high level resources.  While his perceptivity is innate, he first found his aptitude for problem-solving and finance with the hobby of stock trading in high school and a short stint working with a civil engineer in college. After graduating from Hampden-Sydney College with a Bachelor of Science in Applied Mathematics, he served a tenure as an accountant for a small local business until starting with Northwestern Mutual in 2008 as a Financial Advisor. Tripp is originally from Newport News, Virginia, where he comes from four generations of individuals dedicated to professional service and considers his career a full embodiment of that tradition.

Tripp and his wife Sarah reside in Arlington, Virginia, where their house is filled not only with sounds of chaos from their three boys: Ford, Beau, and Quinn, but also sweet smells of barbeque from his Big Green Egg.

As Partner of Socium Advisors, Michelle Magner specializes in solution-based planning through aggregating clients’ needs with high level resources. Prior to joining the firm in2010, she was a Portfolio Manager with a regional bank & trust company, where she handled investment portfolio design and implementation. In 2021, Michelle became the first ever non-contracted equity Partner at Northwestern Mutual.

Today, Michelle’s breadth of knowledge in investment management continues to serve her in her efforts to help clients decipher their financial portfolios and oversee Socium’s Investment Committee. She’s proud of her team, but she’s even more excited for what the future holds.

Away from the office, Michelle moves quickly. Whether she’s chasing her three boys, Walter, Hank and Max with her husband John, or running a marathon, she rarely sits still. While she enjoys a nice, long jog in her free-time, Michelle has bridged her love running with an organization close to her heart: St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. She has raised money for and participated in St. Jude’s Marathon several times and describes running through the hospital’s campus seeing patients and their families in the surrounding area as one of the most moving experiences of her life. Most recently Michelle added a Boston Marathon Qualification under her belt.

Justin serves as Partner at Socium Advisors and Founder of Athletes Advantage Financial. After joining Northwestern Mutual through the internship program in 2007, Justin built a successful career by narrowing his focus and becoming one of the foremost experts in financial planning for collegiate and professional (NFL, NBA, MLB, and Olympic) athletes. 

Throughout his career as a wealth management advisor, Justin has been awarded several prestigious internal awards at Northwestern Mutual while also earning the #2 spot on the 2022 Forbes Financial Security Professionals Best-In-State list in the state of Arkansas. He is passionate about providing innovative solutions to help clients accomplish their personal, professional, and financial objectives.

He attended Assumption College in Worcester, MA for two years where he played middle linebacker and earned his bachelors from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. It was here that he met his wife, Megan. Justin and Megan reside in Fayetteville with their 3 children. Justin and Megan are members of The Grove Church in Fayetteville and their passions include supporting their charities of choice, The Arkansas Children's Hospital and St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital.

Jodi joined Northwestern Mutual in 2006 and has loved working with clients ever since. In 2021, she joined Athletes Advantage Financial as the Director of Insurance. While Jodi is new to Socium, she brings decades worth of experience and expertise and is thrilled to be a part of Socium Advisors. Jodi joins as a Client Service Associate.

She and her husband Todd, live in Prairie Grove, Arkansas and have 3 children, 7 grandchildren and 2 on the way! They enjoy biking, camping, hiking and spending time with family.

With a diverse background in insurance, Emily is thrilled to join Socium Advisors as Client Service Administrator.  

Soon after graduating with a bachelor’s degree in history in 2010, Emily began her career learning the complexities of Medicare and how to serve customers compassionately with the Allsup Medicare Advisor team at Allsup Inc. After returning to school to pursue a paralegal certificate, Emily landed a position as Legal and Operations Assistant at Automated Installment Systems (AIS). Over the course of eight years, Emily strove to learn AIS’ multi-faceted servicing of their premium finance clients. Having no previous background in property/casualty lines or premium financing, Emily worked diligently to provide exceptional service from both a paralegal and operational standpoint. By 2022, her duties consisted of filing license applications and annual reports with state insurance departments, overseeing the customer service department, and onboarding and training new clients. Now at Socium Advisors, Emily is eager to learn, to build new relationships, and to support the team in providing exceptional service.

Emily enjoys serving within various ministries at St. Matthew United Methodist Church, including the children’s ministry, youth group, and college age ministry. In her free time, Emily also loves spending time with her immediate and extended families. 
 

Sarah is Executive Assistant to Partners Tripp Kelly and Michelle Magner. Sarah enjoys working with others and building a team comradery in order to achieve results.

Prior to joining Socium, Sarah worked in Administration in a University hospital setting supporting high level physicians and multiple specialty divisions. Her experience in Administration and Management in the fields of banking and retail have helped her learn a high sense of responsibility and attention to detail.

Sarah earned her bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts from the Southeast Missouri State University. Sarah lives in the greater Affton area and enjoys weight training, a great show on TV and spending time with her large family and church community.

Since joining the Socium team in November of 2019, Madelaine Archie brings a high attention to detail to the operations team. While she didn’t always see herself working in finance, her desire to interact directly with people led her to her current role.

Madelaine is responsible for assisting clients with a variety of day-to-day needs and helps onboard new clients. She demonstrates her commitment to good service and transparency by providing clients with efficient and effective solutions as well as being open to continuous learning.

Madelaine is a graduate from the University of Arizona, and currently lives in St. Louis. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with friends and family and reading.

As Socium’s Operations Associate, Jackie Ayala demonstrates her dedication to matchless customer service daily under the philosophy that every client is unique and deserves a tailored experience. She started working in the insurance industry for a major company in 2011, and her depth of product knowledge as well as her priority for client convenience has been directly reflected in her work since joining Northwestern Mutual in 2016. Jackie was born and raised in El Salvador but moved to America when she was twelve years old. While today she considers the Washington D.C. area home, she is frequently reminded of her roots through her work with Spanish clients and is fluent in both English and Spanish.

When she’s out of the office, she could be found at the beach, on the dance-floor, or spending time with her family.

DJ is a business development specialist with Socium Advisors. As a former Division I and Pro Athlete turned coach, DJ understands the importance of setting goals and working diligently to achieve success. DJ emerged as leader among his peers, both on and off the field. His transformational leadership style allows him to relate to the other coaches and players to inspire them to become the best version of themselves.

DJ found his passion for analytics and attention to detail through the game of baseball and these qualities translate into all aspects of his professional career. Recognizing the importance of education, DJ returned to college after an eight-year career in Minor League baseball and earned his Bachelor of Science in Communications from the University of Arkansas. 

DJ resides in Northwest Arkansas with his wife, Kaley, and their two boys, Griffin and Noah. With the boys being only 21 months apart, the sounds of giggles and Bluey fill the house daily. His family enjoys eating at Las Fajitas, getting Crumbl cookies, and going on walks after dinner. 
  
 

As a Client Service Associate for Socium Advisors, Darin Clark assists in managing client requests and account maintenance. Originally from Lake St. Louis, Clark holds a Master’s in Finance from New England College of Business. He initially started working in corporate finance, but soon found that his interest in behavioral finance aligned better with personal financial planning. His passion for self-improvement, commitment to lifelong learning, and persistent effort to keep his word are not only what he lives by, but also are integral to the high level of service he provides to clients.

Outside of the office, he enjoys working out, catching a St. Louis blue’s hockey game, as well as spending quality time with his daughter Calista and dog, Wiley.

Heather’s experience in financial services stretches over two decades. As a part of Sociums Advisors’ operations team, she helps to ensure clients’ needs are met and helps them through the onboarding process. Along with her extensive industry experience, she brings strong organizational skills as well as an ability to multitask that is unparalleled. Heather’s combination of proficiencies is not only beneficial for Socium Advisors' clients but also internally for the team. She spends her free time with her husband Colin, her stepchildren, or with her 3 grandchildren. In addition to spending time with her family, Heather is a dog-lover and helps her husband train them for competition shows as a hobby. She is keen on traveling whether that’s to her next dog event or her favorite vacation spot.

Stamo joined Northwestern Mutual in 2019. She schedules client appointments, assists client with questions regarding their policies, accounts, online access and is responsible for marketing, bookkeeping and team wide projects. She is insurance licensed and holds the series 6 and 63.

Prior to Northwestern Mutual, Stamo was an Assistant Vice President at Citicorp Credit Services in  the Business Planning & Analysis division.  She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Socium’s newest team member, Adam, hails from Chapel Hill, North Carolina. He attended Elon University and received a Bachelor’s of Science in Finance. As a student, he interned for Edward Jones and Merrill Lynch, where he gained both an appreciation and passion for the impact advisors could have on the lives of their clients. After school he landed a job with Northwestern Mutual in Washington, DC to follow the ambition to make a difference in peoples’ lives. In his current role at Socium, Adam works closely with the team to ensure clients’ financial plans are tailored to their goals and needs.

His passion for positively influencing other people not only motivates him professionally, but also his involvement in the World Pediatric Project. This organization works to heal critically ill children and build healthcare capacity in the world to those who would not receive care otherwise. He also serves on the Rock N Heal Committee, which supports their annual fundraiser event. In his free-time, you may find Adam with his friends, on the golf course, or wedding planning with his fiancé, Jessica.

As a Client Relations Associate, Bevan Gourley ensures clients’ needs are met by strategic and focused follow through. After graduation from Humboldt State University with a bachelor’s in economics, he started his professional career working at a private school as the Director of Extended Care and camps.

In this position, he developed a passion for building lasting relationships. His interest in finance and ability to work well directly with people led him to a wealth management firm in Long Beach, California, and eventually to Socium Advisors in January of 2020. Bevan enjoys helping others navigate the complexities of financial planning as well as forming genuine partnership.

In his leisure time, Bevan enjoys time spent at the golf course, walking his dog, or with his fiancé, Cheyenne.

Webster University with a Bachelor’s of Science in Business and Computer Science, he interned with AG Edwards, which eventually turned into a full-time position. After ten years, he joined Socium Advisors and currently is a Director of Financial Planning for the team. As a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional, Adam continues to utilize his industry experience and team-oriented approach to create comprehensive financial plans for clients. Out of the office, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Laura, and children: Chase, Addyson, Olivia, Hannah, and Morgan, as well as golfing and cycling.

Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the certification marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and CFP® (with flame design) in the U.S., which it awards to individuals who successfully complete CFP Board's initial and ongoing certification requirements.

Alec Heywood is a Financial Planning Analyst. He takes the most pride in his role by being able to help people with something complicated such as investing and breaking it down to make a positive impact on client’s lives.

Prior to Socium, Alec worked as a Trader at Wells Fargo. Alec earned his bachelor’s degree in Marketing and Management from Missouri State University’s College of Business. He also earned his Juris Doctorate from Southern Illinois University. Alec resides in Creve Coeur, MO.

Lewis Hodge joined Socium Advisors in December of 2019. Originally from a small Caribbean island called Anguilla, he moved to St. Louis to attend Lindenwood University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in finance in hopes of working in financial services one day. Upon graduating, he fulfilled this desire and began his career as a Financial Services Representative at a nationally recognized firm.

Today, as an Investment Associate with Socium Advisors, he is responsible for case preparation as well as account maintenance, and holds his Series 7 and 63 licenses. Lewis’s extensive product knowledge and expertise in financial modeling makes him not only a great resource for clients, but also a unique asset to Socium’s investment team.

Out of the office, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Kiya, and their three children: L’Oree, Parker, and Zuri.

Haig is a Wealth Management Advisor with Northwestern Mutual. His favorite part about what he does is cherishing the relationships of his clients to bring them one step further in achieving their legacies. Haig holds the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®) professional and Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU®) designations in order to provide the expertise needed for his clients.

Haig earned his Bachelor’s Degree from the Centre College of Kentucky and his M.B.A. from the University of Baltimore.

Hailing from Reston, Virgina, Haig enjoys playing tennis, road and mountain biking, independent movies and fine arts.  He loves to travel to Costa Rica, India and Europe as his favorite destinations.  Haig is passionate about supporting various charitable organizations and spending time with friends and family.

Broc serves as an Investment Associate.

Broc grew up in Mid-Missouri and moved to Springfield, MO following high school. He studied and graduated from Missouri State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Administrative Management. His passion for finance led him to work at a community bank where he was a Branch Manager. He soon learned that he wanted to make a larger impact on helping others with their finances and became a Investment Associate. Broc is grateful to be able to combine his passion, hobbies, and work, all in one by continuing to learn about investments and portfolio management.  

He recently moved to St. Louis to be closer to friends and family and explore a new city. When Broc is not at work, he enjoys traveling the country with his fiancé, Sarah. He also enjoys watching sports, visiting natural parks, and attending concerts. 

Marlene Lupas first found her love for the financial services industry when she took a part time job at a brokerage firm in college. She then went on to a brokerage position trading equities and options, and eventually moved into a Director position at national firm where she was part of a fixed income sales team covering primarily states, corporations, municipalities and commercial real estate accounts.

Today, she works closely with Tripp Kelly in client relations. Marlene is first and foremost a people person and believes that work with clients is done best with empathy and a genuine desire to serve others.

She holds a bachelor’s degree from Boston College, and an MBA from the University of Richmond.

In her free time, you can find her in the gym, most likely in a cycling class, walking her dog, trying new recipes, or reading and spending time with her family.

Joshua has been with Northwestern Mutual for over two decades. He helps our clients with insurance policies, investment accounts and the underwriting process, and assists the team in preparing and implementing financial solutions.

He has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Harvard College and also has Series 6, 7 and 63 licenses.

Katherine Mustain serves as Client Service Associate with Socium Advisors. As a master of organizational process and data management, Katherine enjoys preparing and perfecting a seamless process for Socium’s clients. Keen on problem solving, Katherine is always finding a faster and more efficient way to accomplish a result.

Tommy is a Financial Planning Associate. He finds great joy in helping clients understand what’s possible and helping them achieve their goals through the work he does at Socium Advisors. Tommy began his career as an intern with Northwestern Mutual before going into a Financial Advisor role. In 2021, he joined Socium Advisors.

Tommy graduated from University Missouri – Saint Louis.  He and his wife Anna reside in St. Louis and enjoy golf, running and the great outdoors.

Kennedy is an Executive Assistant and enjoys working with an amazing team who she finds to always be supportive. As a student at the University of Arkansas, Kennedy appreciates the amount of personal growth and development she has received from working with Athletes Advantage Financial and Socium Advisors. 

When she’s not learning about Wealth Management and Finance, Kennedy is earning her degree in Business Management. Kennedy resides in Fayetteville, Arkansas but home for her is Edwardsville, Illinois. 

Bill is a seasoned Retirement Plan Strategist with over 25 years in the industry.  He has experience in sales, consulting, investment education and relationship management.  Companies he's worked for include Fidelity, Principal Financial Group, PNC Financial Services and Pacific Life Insurance Company.

Bill’s passions includes assisting plan sponsors with managing their fiduciary duties and helping participants save for retirement.

In his spare time, he enjoys college football and basketball as well as playing golf most weekends when the weather is good!

As the Chief Operating Officer, Maura has her hands on almost every aspect of Socium Advisors' business procedures. While she began her career in finance after graduating college, her aspiration to work in the industry dates back much earlier. When asked her sophomore year of high school what she thought she would be doing in 10 years for a time capsule video, she answered, “working at a large international investment company,” and that’s exactly what she did. Upon graduating from Fairfield University in Connecticut with a Bachelor’s of Science in Finance and Management, Maura joined UBS Investment Bank’s Analyst Training Program. Developing a prowess for investment operations took her to London to lead an international assignment and then eventually back home in St. Louis to her current role at Socium Advisors. She currently has her Six Sigma Green belt, a certification earned by those who are well-versed in solving quality problems and have a proven ability to improve business efficiency.

Maura volunteers as the Treasurer for the Red Shoe Society of St. Louis, which is an extension of Ronald McDonald House. As a former member of her college equestrian team and a Certified Yoga Instructor, she enjoys riding horses and practicing yoga in her free time.

As an Associate Advisor, Sid values developing relationships with his clients. After starting his career in finance through internship, Sid spent 14 years with Northwestern Mutual as an Associate Advisor, Wealth Management Advisor and within leadership as a College Unit Director. During this time Sid received several notable accomplishments within Northwestern Mutual. In 2019, Sid went on to expand his leadership experience within the industry before returning back to Northwestern Mutual and Socium Advisors in November 2021.

Sid co-founded The Dental Advisory Group which serves as a resource to dental practices around the country. As the President of the Gainesville, VA Chapter of Nexco National, Sid works to network and uplift others.

Sid earned his Bachelors in Finance from George Mason University School of Business to which he still sits on the Alumni Board today.

Sid and his wife Deepika reside in the McLean, VA area and enjoy travel.

Justin serves as Socium’s Financial Planning Analyst. He joins Socium with 15 years of Wealth Management and Investment banking experience. His former roles include VP of Private Wealth Management for Regions Bank, VP Middle Market for BBVA and as a Physical Natural Gas Trader for BP. He got his start out of college with A.G. Edwards and Sons as a Stock Broker.

After receiving his undergrad at the University of West Florida, Justin attended Graduate School of Banking at Louisiana State University.

Justin has served as Chairman since 2016 and remains to today for the Community Foundation of Northwest Florida. With a passion for the Early Learning Coalition, he served as Governor Appointee Executive Committee from 2016-2018 and served as Honorary Squadron Commander from 2014-2015 for the 85th Test and Evaluation Squadron at Eglin Air Force Base.

Justin was born and raised in Destin, Florida. He recently relocated to St. Louis, MO. Justin has two children, Abbey Leigh and Justin Jr., and his hobbies include snow skiing, golf and triathlon.

Dan Trgovich serves as Lead Research Analyst with Socium Advisors, and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation. Previous to Socium, Dan spent 10 years at UMB Financial as a Senior Equity Analyst in which his department managed over 10B in assets. During this time, Dan was a member of the Asset Allocation Committee, a member of UMB’s Economic Team and member of the MERC committee. 

Dan earned his Masters in Finance from Tampa University after receiving his Bachelors Degree in Economics from Indiana University. He serves on the board of the Kansas City CFA Society.

He and his wife Quelita have one daughter, Sophia and they enjoy spending time with family and watching and playing sports.

As a Client Service Associate for Socium Advisors, Bethany Walmer assists in managing client requests and account maintenance. Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Bethany graduates with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business from Urshan College this spring.

Bethany joins Socium with insurance expertise and experience from within the industry having previously worked for several large insurance companies. Her passion for helping clients protect what matters most to them and diligence in providing world class service in financial services shine through. Out of the office, Bethany loves to cook and travel the globe with her husband Christian.