Bringing Retirement Dreams To Life
Monarch Financial Planning Partners
Tom Morris
Principal and Co-Founder|CFP®, MBA, RICP®, WMCP®, CASL®
Our Team
Each of us is committed to providing exceptional service. If you need to schedule an appointment, request service, or have a question about a policy or account, please don't hesitate to contact us.
Tom Morris
CFP®, MBA, RICP®, WMCP®, CASL®
Principal and Founder
Tom earned an undergraduate degree in Economics, Business, and Psychology from UNC Chapel Hill and an MBA from Duke's Fuqua School of Business. Unaware that would be a perfect background for financial planning, he stubbornly kept reinventing himself as an executive in 14 high-growth startups.
Finally, in 2005 Tom started his financial planning practice and obtained his CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ designation three years later. He's since acquired several more planning designations and regularly attends over 15 industry events annually to stay updated on research, policy changes, and thought leadership-ensuring optimal outcomes for his clients.
Tom lives in Durham, North Carolina, in the heart of the Research Triangle. He has a wonderful wife of 40 years, Lynn, and 2 grown children, both educators. His favorite activities involve spending time with friends and family, golfing, fly-fishing, skiing, and keeping up with the latest movies.
Daniel Arteaga
Planning Manager
A former U.S. Marine, Daniel has been a Northwestern Mutual representative and is now our rockstar financial planning analyst. He is a familiar face in meetings with clients and is always available to lend a helping hand or walk alongside our clients as they discover their most amazing future through planning. In his free time, he enjoys hiking, relaxing in his backyard pool, and always has a couple of home improvement projects underway. He lives in Raleigh with his fiancé, Karla, and their three dogs.
Kate Elander Samuel
APMA®, RICP®
Director of Investments and Operations
Kate Elander Samuel comes to Northwestern Mutual with 20 years of experience in the financial industry up and down the East coast. Along with her substantial experience in the mutual fund industry, she brings an expertise in portfolio construction, proposal generation, trading, investment research and investment operations.
Kate received her BA in psychology from Gordon College in Massachusetts and spent time abroad studying at Lancaster University in England as well.
In her free time, Kate enjoys spending time with her two sons, friends, and family; running, traveling, volunteering, and being involved in church.
- APMA™ Accredited Portfolio Management Advisor™
- RICP® Retirement Income Certified Professional®
- FINRA Series 7, 65, 63, 6 & SIE
- NC Insurance Producer - Accident, Health, Life, Variable Life & Variable Annuities
Leanne Meserve
Director of Insurance Services and Operations
Leanne received a Bachelor’s in Communications Studies and minors in Psychology and Sustainable Development from Appalachian State University. Her role is to guide clients effectively and efficiently through the insurance process. In her free time, she enjoys rock climbing, spending time with her partner Sam, taking care of her plants, and fiber arts.
Jennifer McCullough
Relationship Manager
Jenny has served as our Director of Client Relations and Marketing since 2018. A graduate of UNC Chapel Hill with a degree in European History, Jenny took a slight detour through the world of foodservice and fine dining before finding herself at Northwestern Mutual. She answers questions and handles client requests, manages Tom's calendar, and brainstorms new ways to provide the best service for our clients.
Outside of the office, Jenny enjoys hiking, visiting historical landmarks, spending time with family and friends, and advocating for bees, butterflies, and the Mycorrhizal network of her backyard.
Dare Jones
Client Events & Experience Manager
Dare has lived in Raleigh for over 20 years and attended North Carolina State University, graduating in 2006 with a degree in Business Management.
She is the mastermind behind the fantastic events we host, and enjoys connecting with our clients on the phone.
Her hobbies include competing her basset hounds in sports, tending to her many plants, and keeping up her property.
Paul Baerman
Marketing Associate
A friend of Tom's from their time at Duke's Fuqua School of Business, Paul joined our team in 2021 to lend his expertise in marketing. An erstwhile executive speechwriter and journalist, he loves to interview clients to learn what we're doing right and where we can be even better.
The team teases him about using words like "erstwhile".
PS...Curious about what all those letters mean?
CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® Professional certification refers to the certification owned and awarded by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc., which is awarded to individuals who successfully complete the CFP® Board's initial and ongoing certification requirements.
CASL® - The Chartered Advisor for Senior Living designation, from The American College of Financial Services, is the professional credential for persons who cater to the unique needs of senior clients. This designation provides advisors with the comprehensive skills to address the main concerns of this demographic, covering such items as financial, health, psychological and sociological issues.
ChFC® - Chartered Financial Consultant is the "Advanced Financial Planning" designation awarded by The American College of Financial Services. Charter holders are qualified to provide comprehensive advanced financial planning for individuals, professionals, and small business owners.
CLU® - A Chartered Life Underwriter is a professional designation from the American College of Financial Services for individuals who wish to specialize in life insurance and estate planning. To receive the designation, individuals must complete five core courses and three elective courses, successfully passing all eight two-hour, 100-question examinations.
RICP® - The Retirement Income Certified Professional designation, awarded by The American College of Financial Services, equips advisors with the knowledge to effectively manage the transition from asset accumulation during a client's working years to asset decumulation in retirement.
WMCP ® - The Wealth Management Certified Professional program, also from the American College of Financial Services, delivers evidence-based strategies that equip financial professionals with the knowledge to develop sophisticated plans that meet a range of client goals.
APMA ® - Accredited Portfolio Management Advisor program, from the College of Financial Planning, delivers a graduate-level program covering the finer points of portfolio creation, augmentation, and maintenance. Topics covered include client assessment and suitability, risk/return, investment objectives, bond and equity portfolios, modern portfolio theory, investor psychology, and other topics germane to building appropriate client portfolios.