Alpharetta, GA

Shelly is a retirement plan expert with over 27 years of experience devoted solely to working in retirement plan management. Over her career she has provided consulting and fiduciary advisory services to non-profits, private and public corporations in focused areas such as, fiduciary governance, plan design, investment consulting, compliance, employee education and communication. Shelly leads the team in Atlanta, G.A. and Washington, D.C. and works with clients all over the U.S. and Canada.

Shelly is a founding member of the National Association of Plan Advisors (NAPA) and a current member of the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) and the American Society for Association Executives (ASAE). She was named a 2024, Top 100 Retirement Plan Advisor by PLANSPONSOR and a Top Women All-Star in 2015-2023 by the National Association of Plan Advisors.

Shelly is a graduate of Elon University with a B.A. in Psychology and has earned the Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF®) from the Center of Fiduciary Studies (FI360) and the Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor (CFPA)TM from the National Association for Plan Advisors (NAPA) and is currently working towards her Certified Financial Planning (CFP) designation. She holds her FINRA Series 7 and 65 securities licenses, as well as Life, Annuities and Long-Term Care insurance licenses.

PLANADVISER is pleased to reveal the 2024 PLANADVISER Top Retirement Plan Advisers. Each year PLANADVISER magazine recognizes the top quantitative standouts from our Retirement Plan Adviser Survey according to the dollar value of qualified plan AUA as well as the number of plans under advisement.

The National Association of Plan Advisors, a branch of the American Retirement Association, has put out a list of women advisors who are making significant contributions to a male-dominated profession. The list includes 3 categories of advisors, all chosen based on qualitative and quantitative responses related to their retirement plan practice and their experience throughout their career in the industry. The three categories include:

Captains: All-stars who happen to be principals, owners, or team captains of their organizations.

All-Stars: Top producers who have their own practice.

Rising Stars: Top producers who have less than five years of experience with retirement plans as a Financial Advisor (some have been working with plans longer, but not as a plan advisor).

James Vanke has over 20 years of financial sector experience ranging from advising some of the world’s largest companies with a “Big 4” CPA firm to serving small- and mid-sized companies in a boutique environment.

At WIA, James is responsible for helping employers build and manage successful retirement benefits. He is an advocate and fiduciary partner who helps clients with fiduciary risk management, employee financial wellness, investment selection and monitoring, vendor relationships, plan operations, cost controls, and tax savings.

Financial stress is a major contributor to increased health care costs and absenteeism. As a behavioral finance and financial wellness specialist, James believes that we can help employees make positive financial decisions that lead to sustainable financial habits, and that it will pay dividends in the workplace.

James holds a Master’s Degree in Accounting and a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is a Certified Public Accountant and Accredited Investment Fiduciary.

Leah Manderson offers comprehensive financial planning for individuals at all stages of life. Starting with a client’s unique goals and preferences, she develops innovative strategies to meet client needs. These strategies can combine disciplines including budgeting, insurance assessment, investment management, retirement planning, annuity selection, business succession planning, and education savings approaches.

Leah believes that financial planning is a tool to give clients peace of mind in a financial system that can seem confusing or complicated. She enjoys empowering clients with the tools and knowledge to help them realize a successful financial future.

Leah Manderson holds the prestigious CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® designation requiring extensive education, testing, experience in addition to a commitment to the highest ethical standards in the profession.

She received her Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs from the University of Georgia. Leah holds her FINRA Series 7 and 66 securities registrations, as well as Life & Annuities licenses.

Rob brings over 20 years of relationship management, investment advisory and institutional industry experience. As Director of Investments and Client Services, Rob accesses and ensures plan sponsors’ fiduciary needs are met efficiently through the delivery of investment oversight and plan consulting solutions.

Rob earned his BA degree in Finance from the James M. Hull College of Business at Augusta University. In addition, he earned the Accredited Investment Fiduciary® (AIF®) designation from the Center for Fiduciary Studies (Fi360) and the Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor (CPFATM) designation from the National Association of Plan Advisors (NAPA).

Mandie has over 10 years of experience working with retirement plans in both administrative and relationship-focused roles. Mandie most recently was a senior implementation manager for one of the largest recordkeepers in the industry where she specialized in project management and coordinated all aspects of provider transitions. She has unique experience with Pooled Employer Plans (PEPs) and Multiple Employer Plans (MEPs). At WIA she uses her expertise to deliver high-quality service, effective communications, and customer service to plan sponsors and their participants.

Mandie earned her BA degree in Psychology from the University of Colorado. She currently has her FINRA Series 6 securities registered.

Amy has nearly 20 years of experience working with retirement plans, advisors and providing customer support. Prior to joining the team in 2021 she worked for two of the largest recordkeepers working in areas of support and services including plan reviews, participant and sponsor education, training and provider transitions and implementation.

Amy currently oversees provider conversions acting as both a plan consultant and liaison to clients. She works closely with clients, consultants, recordkeepers and third-party administrators to ensure a smooth and seamless plan transition and implementation. She works closely alongside Shelly Horwitz to manage retirement plan relationships ensuring that each retirement plan aligns with the sponsor’s goals and to set up plan participants for success in retirement.

Amy earned her BA degree in Psychology from the University of Northern Iowa.