Nebraska's Premiere Conference for Financial Planning Professionals

Pending approvals, the conference will provide four hours of continuing education credits for CFP, NE & IA Insurance, CLE Legal (NE), CPE Accounting, and Professional Recertification (formerly PACE).  We hope you will join us!

click here for the conference agenda!

AGENDA (ALL TIMES LISTED ARE CENTRAL TIME)

8:15 AM - Registration Check-in, Networking (light breakfast items will be available)
9:00-10:00 - Keynote Presentation: "Turbulence, Tariffs, & Trends - a Toolkit for Navigating Market Volatility" Marlena Lee, Global Head of Investment Solutions, Dimensional
10:15-11:15 - Keynote Presentation: "Main Street Economics"  Ernie Goss, Jack MacAllister Chair in Economics, Heider College of Business, Creighton University
11:30-12:30 - Lunch & Networking
12:45 to 1:45 – Breakout Sessions:

Creating a Legacy Through Charitable Vehicles - Kathy Schubauer, Omaha Community Foundation

Artificial Intelligence Strategies for Deploying & Defending Your Business - Kirk Hulett, CEG Worldwide, Managing Principal of Teaming Solutions

LTC Planning: Beyond the Numbers - Austin Hultquist, Sr. Insurance Strategist, Collaborative Planning Group

Winning Marketing Strategies in Wealth Management - Kelly Krings, Partner, Elkhorn Marketing Group

2:00-3:00 - Keynote Presentation: Lessons in Life, Wealth & Transition: A Conversation with Nebraska's Heisman Trophy Winners - Johnny Rodgers, Mike Rozier & Eric Crouch

3:00-4:00 - Closing Reception & Networking with Sponsors & Husker Heisman Legends

speaker overview

Marlena Lee, Global Head of Investment Solutions, Dimensional

Marlena Lee is Dimensional’s Global Head of Investment Solutions. She leads a team dedicated to providing clients thought leadership, analysis, and education on a wide range of investment-related topics. In addition, she is a member of the Investment Research Committee.

Marlena previously served as Co-Head of Research, helping shape the firm’s global research agenda by working with clients to identify topics of interest and overseeing the creation of research papers.

Prior to joining Dimensional, Marlena worked as a teaching assistant for Nobel laureate Eugene Fama, a professor at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Marlena earned her PhD in finance and an MBA from the Chicago Booth School of Business. She also holds an MS in agricultural and resource economics and a BS in managerial economics from the University of California, Davis.

Ernie Goss, Jack MacAllister Chair in Economics, Heider College of Business, Creighton University

Join us for a timely and engaging session with Dr. Ernie Goss, economics professor at Creighton University, as he breaks down the key economic forces shaping 2026 and beyond. In plain-spoken, practical terms, this “Main Street Economics” session will explore how trends in inflation, interest rates, labor markets, and consumer behavior are likely to affect the financial services world — and your conversations with clients.  Whether you're helping individuals plan for retirement, guiding business owners, or managing wealth portfolios, this session will provide the economic context you need to offer sound, informed advice. Get ready for insights you can use immediately to align your strategies with the realities of today’s economy — and tomorrow’s.

Ernie Goss is the Jack MacAllister Chair in Regional Economics at Creighton University's Heider College of Business, principal of the Goss Institute in Denver, Colorado, and is a former faculty research fellow at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. He was a visiting scholar with the Congressional Budget Office for 2003-04, and has testified before the U.S. Congress, the Kansas Legislature, and the Nebraska Legislature. In the fall of 2005, the Nebraska Attorney General appointed Goss to head a task force examining gasoline pricing in the state.

Goss has published more than 100 research studies focusing primarily on economic forecasting and on the statistical analysis of business and economic data. His book, Changing Attitudes Toward Economic Reform During the Yeltsin Era was published by Praeger Press in 2003, and his book Governing Fortune: Casino Gambling in America was published by the University of Michigan Press in March 2007.

He is editor of Economic Trends, an economics newsletter published monthly with more than 11,000 subscribers. He is the past-president of the Omaha Association of Business Economics, and past-president of the Nebraska Purchasing Management Association.

Goss produces a monthly business conditions index for the nine-state Mid-American region and conducts a survey of bank CEOs in ten U.S. states. Survey and index results are cited each month in approximately 100 newspapers. Newspaper citations have included the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Investors Business Daily, The Christian Science Monitor, Chicago Sun Times and other national and regional newspapers and magazines. Each month 75-100 radio stations carry his Regional Economic Report.

kathy schubauer, director of donor services, omaha community foundation

Kathy Schubauer is a seasoned fundraising professional with a passion for connecting donors to meaningful causes. An Omaha native, she holds a finance degree from Texas Christian University and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Her career includes roles at TD Ameritrade Institutional and the University of Nebraska Foundation, where she helped lead a $115 million campaign for Kiewit Hall.

Kathy’s approach to donor engagement centers on trust-based relationships and community impact. Kathy and her husband live in Omaha with their three sons.

Kirk HuleTt, CEG Worldwide, Managing Principal of Teaming Solutions

For over three decades, Kirk Hulett has guided elite financial professionals to transform advisory teams into high-performance engines that drive 58% more revenue than traditional solo models. With a proven track record in coaching and consulting for top-tier wealth management firms, Kirk’s leadership at CEG Worldwide focuses on scalability, intentional leadership, and behavioral science. His methodologies have been featured in ThinkAdvisor, Wealth Management and Investment News.

Key Stats and Insights

• 58% More Revenue: Achieved by team-based practices versus solo advisors.
• 8.1% of Teams at Peak Performance: Most have untapped potential.
• 2.3x More Success in attracting HNW clients when teams are optimized.
• 43% of Advisors consider leaving the industry, highlighting the need for robust retention strategies.

Areas of Specialization

1. Team Performance Optimization: Proprietary framework that systematically elevates team productivity and develops next-generation leaders
2. Behavioral Finance Integration: Research-backed strategies that strengthen both client relationships and team dynamics
3. Succession and Culture Engineering: Custom blueprints for building sustainable, growth-oriented team cultures that attract and retain top talent

Approach

Kirk’s data-driven methodology has contributed to double-digit growth for the wealth management teams he supported. His systematic approach combines quarterly benchmarking, behavioral assessments, and practical implementation tools that deliver measurable results within 12 months.

Personal Note

Beyond his professional endeavors, Kirk always seeks new experiences and ideas – whether through travel, sampling new restaurants, reading thought-provoking books, engaging in provocative conversations and enjoying music and theatre.

austin hultquist, Sr. insurance strategist, Collaborative insurance solutions

Austin Hultquist is a Sr. Insurance Strategist at Collaborative Insurance Solutions. Austin joined the team as an intern in 2016. Growing up in a small town in Northwest Iowa, working in the family business, Austin learned to value hard work and the importance of good client-customer experience. Being raised in a small ag community, helping others was part of his upbringing and something he strives to do daily. Austin graduated from Iowa State University’s Ivy Collage of Business in 2018, earning a bachelor’s degree in both Finance and Management with a minor in Entrepreneurial Studies. Following his active college career, Austin moved to Omaha and joined Collaborative Insurance Solutions full-time, where he fulfills his passion of helping others.

Austin serves on the leadership team of NAIFA Omaha’s Young Advisor Team and is a member of Sing Omaha Choirs. With a passion for educating others on long-term care, he was asked to be a panelist at the 2024 Intercompany Long Term Care Insurance (ILTCI) with other thought leaders in the asset based (Hybrid) long-term care space. He holds the following designations: CLTC, RICP.

Austin stays active outside of the office exploring the outdoors, traveling, spending time with friends and family, and watching the Cyclones win (once and awhile).

Kelly Krings, Partner, Elkhorn Marketing Group

Kelly Krings is a founding partner of Elkhorn Marketing Group, which is a full-service marketing company located in Omaha, NE.  Previously he served as Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Growth Officer of the Northwestern Mutual Nebraska office where he helped the office grow in new policy holders from 57k to 88k and increase AUM from $1.2 Billion to $3 Billon during his tenure. He has earned his certification as a Client Wise master certified
 financial services coach in 2022. As an entrepreneur, Kelly previously owned a concert production company and two sports restaurants. A believer in continuous education, he has taught global brand management and marketing courses as an adjunct marketing professor at the MBA level at Bellevue University. Today, he owns a real estate business and two marketing firms. 

Krings’ true passion lies in community involvement. As the founder of the Shootout for Cancer charity golf tournament, the tournament has funded more than 100+ academic scholarships. He founded the board of directors for the NM Nebraska childhood cancer program, which has been recognized nationally for contributing more than 10,000 volunteer hours, hosting over 200+ fundraisers, and raising $1.2M+ for local cancer-related organizations. Krings also created the Nebraska Coalition to End Childhood Cancer, which brings together local organizations and key community stakeholders to make a bigger impact in Nebraska.

Kelly and his wife Melanie have been married for 15 years, they have 4 children - Trysten (13), Alivia (10), Kinley (6), and Jett (3)

sponsorship opportunities still available!

thank you to our confirmed sponsors!