Financial planning and beyond

KC Skyline

Your financial life is unique. The same should be true of your financial plan. We take the time to get to know you, your family and all your most important priorities. As your circumstances change over time and as new opportunities arise, we'll work with you to adjust your plan to help keep you on track. When you look to the future, you should like what you see.

Midwest Wealth Management Partners

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Keeping up with the latest insights can give you great ideas for making the most of your wealth. That's where UBS Investor Watch comes in, bringing you the views of investors around the world. Explore our reports and see how they might help you reach your goals.

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A focus on personalized access and service

Working with diverse clients with specific needs, our team sees it as our top responsibility to understand each aspect of your unique and often complicated financial life.

A team approach

Each member of our team has a specific role and responsibility. Beyond our specialties and experience, you have the strength of a dedicated and accessible team eager to solve your most pressing challenges. 

 

Your lifelong financial plan. UBS Wealth Way

Estate planning strategies

Focus on liquidity management

Backed by the strength of UBS

A global leader in wealth management

Global leader

UBS is a world-leading wealth manager

Best

Global private bank services, 2016-2022
Euromoney Private Banking and Wealth Management Survey, 2022

Pursuing your goals together

Our mission is to provide quality strategies customized to your needs. Our goal is to be your primary source of financial advice. To this end, we concentrate our efforts on developing long-term relationships through a commitment to quality client service.

  •  Gary D. Smith

    Gary D. Smith, CPWA

    Senior Vice President–Wealth Management

    Financial Advisor

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    • AR
    • AZ
    • CA
    • CO
    • CT
    • FL
    • IA
    • IL
    • IN
    • KS
    • MD
    • MN
    • MO
    • MT
    • NE
    • NJ
    • NM
    • OR
    • TN
    • TX
    • VA
    • VT
    • WY

    Gary D. Smith began his investment management career in 1986 at Smith Barney Harris Upham.  Gary and his father Jerry joined UBS in 2009 to enhance investment management capabilities.  After many years of working together, Jerry retired in 2018.  Gary and his team focus on a financial planning process to achieve individualized client goals.  A thorough contact management plan is essential to their process and the client experience.

    Gary is one of a small number of UBS Financial Advisors who have earned the designation of Wealth Advisor.  As a Wealth Advisor, Gary is qualified to provide highly personalized wealth management services to his clients.  He also maintains the CPWA® (Certified Private Wealth Advisor®)  designation from the Investments and Wealth Institute (formerly known as IMCA).  He earned his B.S. in Finance from Northwest Missouri State University. 

    Gary resides with his wife, Therese, and their four children in Kansas City.  He is active in his community and church.  An avid runner, Gary's other interests include golf, hunting and fishing.

    CPWA® is a service mark of the Investment Management Consultants Association, Inc. in the United States of America and worldwide.

    • Forbes Best-in-State Wealth Advisors, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023The Forbes rating is compiled by Shook Research and awarded annually in April based on information from a 12 month period ending June of the prior year.

      • Certified Private Wealth Advisor
      Legacy planning
      Investing
      Alternative investments
      4622 Pennsylvania Ave
      8th Floor
      Kansas City, MO 64112
    •  Timothy Laughlin

      Timothy Laughlin, MBA

      Account Vice President

      Financial Advisor

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      • AL
      • AZ
      • CA
      • CO
      • CT
      • FL
      • IA
      • IL
      • IN
      • KS
      • MD
      • MN
      • MO
      • MT
      • NE
      • NJ
      • NM
      • OR
      • SC
      • TN
      • TX
      • VA
      • VT
      • WY

      Tim Laughlin joined UBS in 2019 and began his career in financial services in 1991. Tim has been focused on investments since 1996 when he became an institutional bond salesman while employed at UMB in Kansas City, Missouri. More recently, Tim was a Lead Director in the Wealth Management Division at First National Bank of Omaha where he was a portfolio manager and was responsible for crafting strategy and managing the wealth management department in the Kansas marketplace.

      Tim has a well-rounded financial background. He has gained years of extensive knowledge related to credit markets while managing the investment portfolios of various community banks. He co-managed an equity strategy that emphasized investments in large cap, blue chip, dividend-paying companies. Tim's background also includes being a voting member of an asset allocation committee and implementing a framework around strategic and tactical asset allocations. More recently, Tim's focus has been on wealth management and delivering solutions to enable clients to pursue their financial goals and aspirations in the most optimal manner.

      Tim graduated with honors from the University of Central Missouri in 1991. He received his MBA from the Helzberg School of Management at Rockhurst University in 2003. Tim has been a trustee at Village Presbyterian Church in Prairie Village. He resides in Prairie Village, Kansas with his wife, Kim. They have two children: Sadie and Abe. Tim enjoys reading and spending time at the lake.

            4622 Pennsylvania Ave
            8th Floor
            Kansas City, MO 64112
          •  Andrew R. Gustafson

            Andrew R. Gustafson, CFP, AWMA

            Financial Advisor

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            • AL
            • AR
            • AZ
            • CA
            • CO
            • CT
            • FL
            • IA
            • IL
            • IN
            • KS
            • MD
            • MN
            • MO
            • MT
            • NE
            • NJ
            • NM
            • OR
            • SC
            • TN
            • TX
            • VA
            • VT
            • WY

            Andrew began his financial services career in 2014 at Mariner Wealth Advisors. He joined UBS in 2017 as a Wealth Planning Associate, where he worked with financial advisors throughout the UBS Midwest market to help clients pursue goals through comprehensive financial planning. In 2020, he joined Midwest Wealth Management Partners and works with business owners, multigenerational families and select individuals as a trusted advisor.

            Prior to financial services, Andrew worked at Lockton Companies in the Health and Welfare practice. Andrew earned a bachelor's degree from The University of Kansas and a Masters of Science in Finance with a Financial Analyst Concentration from The University of Missouri-Kansas City.

            Andrew coaches youth boys lacrosse for The Pembroke Hill School, is an active member of The Children's Mercy Hospital Donald H. Chisholm Planned Giving Council and Mercury Club, and enjoys time with his wife, Megan, and their two children, Henry and Vivian.

                • CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™
                • Accredited Wealth Management Advisor℠
                4622 Pennsylvania Ave
                8th Floor
                Kansas City, MO 64112
              • Andrea Uptegrove

                Andrea Uptegrove

                Wealth Management Associate

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                • KS
                • MO
                • NE

                Andrea earned a B.S. degree in Business and Accounting from Baker University, and holds both Series 7 and Series 66 licenses.  Andrea has been with UBS Financial Services since 2006.  Prior to joining UBS Andrea spent six years with Piper Jaffray.  Andrea will be providing order entry, scheduling, client communications, and various investment planning services for the team.

                      4622 Pennsylvania Ave
                      8th Floor
                      Kansas City, MO 64112
                    •  Lauren Baker

                      Lauren Baker

                      Client Associate

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                        Lauren began her career at UBS in January 2022, after spending more than 10 years at Merrill Lynch/Bank of America Corporation.

                        Lauren’s love for people is what makes her role as client service associate and our onboarding specialist so important to the team.  She is dedicated to forming lasting relationships with all of our new and existing clients, and her goal is to make the client onboarding process as smooth and easy as possible.

                        Lauren attended The University of Missouri-Kansas City where she majored in Education and Communication studies.

                        A resident of Blue Springs, Missouri, Lauren and her husband Zach have two daughters, Tinnley and Presley.  Lauren and Zach are active in their church and local community, and can often be found serving in various aspects in their town.  When she is not working or serving through church, Lauren’s favorite pastimes include reading new books and spending time at the lake with her family.

                              4622 Pennsylvania Ave
                              8th Floor
                              Kansas City, MO 64112

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