WIIIN Virtual Event: A Candid Conversation on Planning for Retirement and Achieving Financial Wellness

*This is a complimentary WIIIN Members Only Event*

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Biographies:

Veronica Karas, CFP®, CDFA®, AEP®

Principal, Financial Advisor, CAPTRUST

Veronica joined CAPTRUST in 2018 and serves as a Principal, Financial Advisor. She has extensive experience working with high-net-worth individuals and small businesses in all areas of financial planning, including estate planning, retirement planning, tax planning, education planning, and insurance. Veronica previously worked at FCE Group, Merrill Lynch, and at Circle Advisors Inc. Veronica is the author of the ‘Money Matters’ series of books which includes: Money Matters: Everything You Should Have Learned in School, but Didn’t; Money Matters: Merging Lives, Merging Finances; and Money Matters: Avoid Getting ‘Sandwiched’ out of Retirement. Veronica graduated from Baruch College, received her MBA from Pace University, and just completed her Master of Science in Taxation. When she is not in the office or with a client, Veronica enjoys helping people through transformational life coaching, volunteering at Rescue City, and spending time with her husband, two sons, and their three rescued pets.

Debra Gates, Ed. D, CRPC®, CFEI

Manager, CAPTRUST at Work, CAPTRUST

Debra joined CAPTRUST in 2017 and serves as a Manager on the CAPTRUST At Work team. She brings deep industry experience and a passion for service to her work with financial advisors across the firm. She leads a team of Webinar Specialists who deliver engaging, high quality content which supports client education and firm initiatives—helping employees nationwide feel informed and empowered about their financial futures. Debra also serves as on camera talent for CAPTRUST videos and supports firmwide presentations, programs, and strategic initiatives that enhance the client experience and support business growth. Before CAPTRUST, she worked as a retirement planning consultant at Transamerica and has been in the financial services industry since 1991. She holds a BS in Business Management, an MBA, and a Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership, as well as the CRPC and CFEI designations, plus FINRA Series 6 and 63 and her Life and Health Insurance License. Outside of work, Debra is an avid reader and a lover of live music. She enjoys a wide range of genres, but gospel and jazz hold a special place in her heart.

Melissa McGrane

Partner and Portfolio Manager, GlobeFlex Capital; Director, WIIIN

Melissa McGrane is a Director of WIIIN, and a Partner and Portfolio Manager at GlobeFlex Capital where she is responsible for US and International institutional equity strategies with more than $4 billion in AUM. Prior to joining GlobeFlex in 2020, Melissa spent 15 years at William Blair where her career spanned fixed income, fundamental equity, and systematic equity research and portfolio management. She spent four years as a strategist in the division’s London office, providing thought leadership supporting institutional global equity strategies with $60 billion in AUM. In 2016, Melissa was recruited by her former boss to lead a team of William Blair alumni launching a family office and hedge with $150 million in AUM.

Melissa earned her MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business with concentrations in Finance, Economics, and Econometrics & Statistics and graduated Magna Cum Laude from Coe College with a BA in Economics and Business Administration. She is a CFP® Professional and a CFA Charterholder. She served as President for the CFA Society of San Diego for three years and remains and active board member. She also serves on the board of Chicago Quantitative Alliance (CQA).