We begin by seeking to understand the people, activities, and causes that bring you energy and life. This information can’t be found in your portfolio, and it’s not always easy to put into words.
That’s why we get to know you through a series of meetings, listening intently. We start by working together to clarify what matters most to you. Before getting deeply into projections and strategies, we need to understand what is most precious to you.
As our process continues, planning opportunities and questions and tradeoffs begin to emerge. We educate you about tax strategies, estate planning, investment allocation, health insurance, Social Security benefits, identity theft prevention, and more.
Most importantly, we simplify your financial life by bringing all those elements together into a thoughtful plan in simple, human terms and by helping you thoroughly implement each step in the plan. Our Family Office LiteTM offering is the deepest level of simplification and coordination that we provide.
Tell us the things that are most important in your life—and we’ll get to work building your future around them.
Meet Your Team
Spencer S. Hall, CFP®, RLP, CKA, MBA, MDiv
President
“What I love most about this work is being able to help my clients enjoy life. When people’s resources are aligned with their core values, they are free to engage in the activities that they enjoy with the people they love most.”
Spencer S. Hall, CFP®, RLP, CKA, MBA, MDiv
President
“What I love most about this work is being able to help my clients enjoy life. When people’s resources are aligned with their core values, they are free to engage in the activities that they enjoy with the people they love most.”
As an experienced wealth manager and a humanitarian with years of service experience, Spencer has held onto his passion for helping his clients “live and give” in each season of life. Spencer’s focus, warm personality, and analytical skills are the cornerstones of his ability to serve as a trusted financial advisor. For Spencer, fulfillment comes from family time—whether it’s date night tapas with his wife Emily or kickball in the backyard with his kids. He also finds meaning in being part of the fabric of the community—playing early morning basketball, ensuring the area’s economic future, protecting the region’s open lands, and serving as a local church leader.
Austin McLaughlin
Operations Specialist
“Helping clients feel confident by making complex ideas easier to understand is something that I enjoy. I want people to feel a sense of rest that empowers them to live generously with those around them.”
Austin McLaughlin
Operations Specialist
“Helping clients feel confident by making complex ideas easier to understand is something that I enjoy. I want people to feel a sense of rest that empowers them to live generously with those around them.”
After working in the non-profit sector with college aged students for a decade, Austin joined RPS as an operations specialist in 2021. His broad experiences of mentoring college students, leading classes as a CrossFit Level 2 Trainer, and working as a data analyst help him think critically about how to care for clients. Austin loves spending time with his wife Kayla and their three children, Malacai, William, and Sofia. They enjoy camping, travelling, reading with a good cup of coffee, and serving at their church.
Beth Blair
Director of Client Services
“I enjoy helping clients transform any uncertainties they may have about their financial future into confidence they can make the most of their retirement years.”
Beth Blair
Director of Client Services
“I enjoy helping clients transform any uncertainties they may have about their financial future into confidence so they can make the most of their retirement years.”
Beth embodies one of our firm’s key assets—the skill of being fully attentive to every client with warmth, compassion, and exemplary service. As the overseer of our firm’s administrative details, she ensures the smooth functioning of all operations, thus enabling our financial advisors to optimally serve our clients. After achieving a BS degree in Education with a major in Human Services, Beth joined RPS as Director of Client Services in 1999, bringing with her a wealth of wisdom and experience. Her greatest joys are traveling and adventuring with her husband, Michael, and her 2 children, Jordan & Carson. She also enjoys spending quality time with family and friends and serving in her community.
Melissa Christopher
Registered Client Services Manager
“It’s a great day when I can ease a client’s financial concerns while providing the services that will help establish a new course for their lives.”
Melissa Christopher
Registered Client Services Manager
“It’s a great day when I can ease a client’s financial concerns while providing the services that will help establish a new course for their lives.”
Having spent the majority of her professional life in the financial services industry, Melissa joined RPS in April 2014. Her in-depth experience in the areas of compliance and regulatory requirements combined with her exceptional customer care has made her a key player on the RPS team. As a graduate of the University of Tennessee, she began a mortgage lending career followed by 4 years in the operations department of our current broker/dealer, Securities Service Network, and over a decade as a registered principal for a small independent firm. Melissa, her husband, Brian of 25 years and their two children love going to movies and spending time on Norris Lake.
Vicki Humphreys
Client Services and Marketing Specialist
“My continual goal is to create a welcoming atmosphere. I enjoy connecting with our clients, hearing about their lives and being a helpful resource.”
Vicki Humphreys
Client Services and Marketing Specialist
“My continual goal is to create a welcoming atmosphere. I enjoy connecting with our clients, hearing about their lives and being a helpful resource.”
Vicki is our queen of client communications. Daily, she is focused on providing warm hospitality to our clients, scheduling appointments and meetings, planning and overseeing events as well as initiating follow up. Vicki began her career with a B.S. in Computer Science and worked in the areas of software engineering and operations. She later recognized her interests and talents were more people-oriented, especially when organizing and leading events. A committed humanitarian volunteer, Vicki and her husband, Brian are recent empty nesters after raising three children. They are avid tennis fans and enjoy concerts and musical theatre.
Steven S. Hall
Founder, Retired
“I enjoy the people that I’ve had the privilege of serving for many years, hearing their life stories, and knowing that I may have played—even a small part—in their financial security.”
Steven S. Hall
Founder, Retired
“I enjoy the people who I’ve had the privilege of serving for many years, hearing their life stories, and knowing that I may have played—even a small part—in their financial security.”
Steve worked as an advisor for over forty years before retiring in 2020. He garnered numerous industry accolades, served on many community and non-profit boards, and promoted financial literacy by teaching adult financial education classes at several non-profit institutions. Steve founded Retirement Planning Services in 1985, with the goal of bringing confidence and rest to his clients so that they can focus on the people, causes, and activities that bring them energy and life. These days you might find him on an early morning bike ride at Cades Cove or bump into him at future RPS Client Appreciation events.