Cheryl Smith
Managing Director / Wealth Management Advisor, Merrill Lynch Wealth Management
Cheryl grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and got her BA in Psychology and Business from UCLA. Instead of pursuing her MBA as planned, Cheryl found herself in a contract role acting on ABC’s television drama, “General Hospital”. She spent over a decade working in the entertainment industry, where she met her husband, Forrest. Having a passion for investments, she co-founded an online investment club, titled “Chicks Laying Nest Eggs”. A book soon followed along with a website of the same name. This began her advocacy of women taking hold of their financial futures and naturally led to her career in wealth management, beginning in 2004 at Morgan Stanley, then joining Merrill in 2008. Cheryl is a Senior Vice President, has the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® certificate, and has served on the board of the Diablo Valley National Charity League as well as the board of the Performers Peer Group of the Academy of Television where she remains an active member. Currently, she is serving on the board of Women in Leadership and Philanthropy at the University of San Francisco.
Barbara C. Archer, MBA, CFP®, CLU®, AEP®
Partner at Hightower Wealth Advisors
Barbara C. Archer is a consummate entrepreneur who sees her clients’ world through a creative financial lens. As a Partner of Hightower Wealth Advisors | St. Louis she and the team are resourceful problem solvers who deliver valuable advice and investment guidance.
Barbara has been honored by Forbes 2019- 2021 “Best-In-State Wealth Advisors” and “Top Women Wealth Advisors” lists and by Barron’s in 2016-2021 “Top 1,200 Financial Advisors by State.”
Barbara earned her BS and MBA degrees from the University of Dayton and has completed the Harvard Business School Executive Education Course Women on Boards: Succeeding as a Corporate Director. As an Investment Advisor Representative with HighTower Advisors, she holds the Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP™), Chartered Life Underwriter® (CLU®), Accredited Estate Planner® (AEP®) and Certified Family Business Specialist (CFBS) designations.
A passionate community volunteer, Barbara serves on several boards and advises the HighTower St. Louis Wealth Advisors Charitable Foundation.
Ali Flynn Phillips
Executive Vice President, Partner at Obermeyer Wood
Ali has worked in the financial industry for over 25 years, joining Obermeyer in 2005. As a vice president at Goldman Sachs, she worked in debt capital markets and corporate derivatives and on the Fixed Income division's internal strategy team. Earlier, at Salomon Brothers in the US and London, Ali advised corporate clients on strategic alliances, risk-management policies, and capital-raising transactions. Ali earned her BA, cum laude, from Middlebury College with honors in economics. She is a board member and treasurer for the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies Endowment Fund and for Theatre Aspen, and served on the advisory boards for Schwab Advisor Services and the Vanguard Leadership Group of the Aspen Institute. Ali is included on Barron's "Top 1200 Financial Advisors", Forbes' "Best-in-State Wealth Advisors" (2018-2021) and "Top Women Wealth Advisors" (2017-2021) lists. Working Mother/Shook Research also named her one of America's "Top Wealth Advisor Moms" (2017-2020). Read more about Ali in the Forbes Top Advisory Directory.