Our Team

Glen A. Ladau, President of The Matrix Financial Group, is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and Chartered Life Underwriter®. After graduating from the Wharton School of Finance at the University of Pennsylvania, Glen spent five years as a senior accountant in the entrepreneurial service group of Ernst & Young’s New York office. In 1989, he moved to Florida to become a partner in the certified public accounting firm of Ladau & Vitale.

In August of 1994, Glen founded The Matrix Financial Group where he incorporates not only his experience in estate planning, tax planning, financial and business consulting, but also incorporates a very unique, personal approach to working with clients. As Glen describes it, “What we do best is listen.”

Glen and his wife Lisa have 5 children. Even with all the time Glen spends with his family, he manages to find time to train for and run in marathons.

William (Bill) Becker joined the Matrix Financial Group in 1997. As Vice President and Director of Operations, Bill is responsible for making sure clients financial strategies are being implemented properly.
Bill and his wife, Brenda, have 4 grandchildren and 4 dogs. In his time away from the office, Bill trains dogs and competes with them in American Kennel Club (AKC) Agility competitions, where he has been nationally ranked.

Aron holds an MBA from the prestigious Kellogg School of Management and has over 25 years of entrepreneurial business experience. Aron is a high energy, results driven professional with extensive leadership experience in multiple business disciplines. He appreciates the complexities of balancing business and individual needs, and how the utilization of Matrix Financials’ best-in-practice tools meet and exceed personal and business planning expectations. Aron and his wife, Rica, have 3 children.

Aron enjoys sea kayaking, surf skiing, golfing and hiking.

Since 1977, Jeff has been the principal of the public accounting firm, Jeffrey Lutin CPA, PA. Jeff has also been affiliated with The Matrix Financial Group since 1996. As part of Matrix’s team, Jeff provides added insight into matters of tax and estate tax planning.

Michele joined the Matrix Financial Group in May of 2000. She is responsible for all administrative and service issues involving clients’ accounts, as well as preparation and distribution of consolidated account statements.

Caleb Nitz is the Vice President of Business Development for our partner, Valmark Financial Group. His primary responsibility includes working with existing and potential Member Firms to integrate Valmark’s unique tools, resources and people to help them grow. Previously, Mr. Nitz led Valmark’s Insurance Marketing team, enhancing Member Firm services and delivering on key insurance offerings such as Life Assurance 360™. In addition to his FINRA series 7, 24 and 66 securities registrations, Mr. Nitz is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional and carries Ohio Life, Health and Variable Insurance licenses. He earned his BBA in Finance and Financial Planning from the University of Akron, Magna Cum Laude, with a Minor in Business Entrepreneurship. Mr. Nitz is a graduate of the Focus Leadership Institute [2008] and is a member of the Association of Advances Life Underwriting. In his free time, he enjoys skiing, bicycling and volunteering with his wife, Hannah.

Chris Finefrock is the Vice President of Financial Planning 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. In addition to his FINRA series 7, 24 and 66 securities registrations and his Ohio Life, Health and Variable licenses, Mr. Finefrock holds a bachelor’s degree in Financial Services and an MBA in Finance from the University of Akron. He is also a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional.

Judson Forner is the Vice President of Investment Operations for our partner, Valmark Financial Group. In his role, leads the teams directly responsible for processing all investment related business submitted through Valmark. In addition, he oversees the trading and RIA teams, manages relations with Valmark’s three custodial platforms and participates on the Product, DOL and Star RankingTM committees. Mr. Forner has presented on topics such as Money Management, Financial Planning and Annuities at Valmark Member Summit (formerly School of Life) and School of Excellence conferences, as well as higher education institutions such as Ursuline College and The Ohio State University. He has been quoted in industry publications including Barron’s, Bloomberg, CNBC, Financial Advisor Magazine, and Investment News. In addition to his FINRA Series 6, 7, 24, 53 and 66 securities registrations and his Ohio Life, Health and Variable Insurance licenses, Mr. Forner earned a BBA from The Ohio State University with a focus in Finance. He is also a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional and a CHARTERED RETIREMENT PLANNING COUNSELOR℠).

Tyler Denholm is the Vice President of Investment Management and Research for our partner, ValMark Financial Group. His primary responsibility is overseeing the investment management process and conducting research for TOPS^®, TOPS^® Strategic Allocation Portfolios, and TOPS^® Variable Insurance Trust. He earned a BBA in Finance and Real Estate from the University of Akron, Summa Cum Laude. In addition to his FINRA series 7 and 24 securities registrations, Mr. Denholm has earned the elite distinction of holding the right to use the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation.

Eric Johnson is Vice President of Underwriting for our partner, ValMark Financial Group. He is responsible for risk assessment appraisal, consultation and negotiation on the behalf of ValMark Financial Group member offices and clients. Mr. Johnson brings more than 30 years of experience with 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).

As the Managing Director of Insurance Marketing for our partner, Valmark Financial Group, He is responsible for managing and mentoring a team of associate analysts and interns to equip the next generation of insurance experts. He serves as an escalation point for Members assisting with challenging case designs and troubleshooting insurance carrier issues. In addition to his Series 7 and 24 registrations as well as Ohio Life, Health and Variable licenses, Mr. Jackson is a Chartered Life Underwriter® (CLU®) and a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®) professional. He holds a BA in Marketing and Business Administration from Indiana Wesleyan University and an MBA from Palm Beach Atlantic University.