Meet Our Team

Meet Our Team

Alexander Lee

Managing Partner

Alexander joined L2 Financial in 2007. He began his career in the financial services industry at Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Management after completing his studies in Economics and Management from the University of California at Irvine. Alexander enjoys exploring the world through experiences and food.

Jason Lynn

Managing Partner

Jason joined L2 Financial in 2008, combining his analytical discipline from his previous positions and his BS in Business Administration from the University of Southern California, Marshall School of Business. Jason dedicates most of his free time to the athletic endeavors of his son, but enjoys the occasional round of golf.

Leslie Shinkle

Relationship Manager

When calling the L2 Financial, the first voice you will likely hear is that of Leslie Shinkle. Leslie holds a degree in Business and Economics from Westmont College, and joined L2 Financial in 2016 with 12 years’ of previous financial services experience. When not assisting clients, Leslie teaches group fitness classes, runs half marathons, and enjoys sunsets in Huntington Beach.

Our Back Office Team

L2 Financial is a Member Firm of Valmark Financial Group, an exclusive, 50+ year old, invitation-only consortium of independent wealth advisory firms. ValMark employs over 100 professionals who provide a concierge level of support to each Member Firm. Among Valmark’s professionals are experts in life insurance and other protection products, medical underwriting, qualified and non-qualified plans, investment analysis and portfolio management, product due diligence and regulatory compliance.

As a Valmark Member Firm, we are able to leverage the specialized expertise of these professionals to help us deliver analysis and recommendations when helping our clients strategically plan their financial futures.

As a collective group, Valmark Member Firms have an estimated $50 billion of in-force life insurance and $6 billion of cash value, as well as $12 billion of assets under management. This combined buying power gives us access to some of the nation’s best companies and products and allows us to negotiate favorable arrangements on behalf of our clients.

ValMark Securities, Inc. is a member of FINRA and SIPC, is licensed in all 50 states for securities and insurance and has over 100 independently-owned Member Firms throughout the United States. Its affiliate, ValMark Advisers, Inc., is a Registered Investment Advisor with the SEC. Learn more at www.valmarkfg.com

Caleb J. Callahan

CFP®
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Michael McClary

MBA
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Tyler Denholm

CFA®, CMT®
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Chris Bottaro

MBA
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Michael Michlitsch

MBA, CRPC®
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Keith Miller

MBA, CLU®, ChFC®
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James Dawson

CFP®, CLU®
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Chris Finefrock

MBA, CFP®
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Judson Forner

CFP®, CRPC®
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Zach Hurst

CFP®, CLU®
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Carmen Donofrio

CFP®
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Connect with Us

17852 E. 17th Street Ste 201
Tustin, CA 92780
Phone: 949.586.8001
Fax: 949.454.6543
Email: info@l2fin.com

Customer Relationship Summary (CRS)

Securities offered through ValMark Securities, Inc., Member FINRA/SIPC Investment Advisory Services offered through ValMark Advisers, Inc., a SEC Registered Investment Advisor. 130 Springside Drive, Akron, OH 44333-2431 · 800-765-5201. L2 Financial, Inc. is a separate entity from ValMark Securities, Inc. & ValMark Advisers, Inc.

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CALEB J. CALLAHAN

CFP®

Caleb J. Callahan is the President and Chief Operating Officer for our partner, Valmark Financial Group. He is responsible for the overall business operations of the company including sales, marketing, operations, and business development of the firm’s broad offering of insurance and investment products and services. Mr. Callahan is also Chairman of Valmark’s Global Gift Fund™ which makes charitable contributions to non-profit organizations and ministries around the world. He is a frequent presenter at industry meetings such as the American Bar Association (ABA), the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT), the Association for Advanced Life Underwriting (AALU), and the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA). Mr. Callahan holds FINRA series 7, 24 and 66 securities registrations as well as Life, Health and Variable Annuity Licenses, and is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional.

Michael McClary

MBA

Michael McClary is the Chief Investment Officer of Valmark Advisers, Inc. and Valmark Financial Group, LLC. His primary responsibility is coordinating all investment management solutions for Valmark Advisers and Valmark Institutional, including TOPS®, TOPS® Strategic Allocation Portfolios, TOPS® Managed Risk ETF Portfolios and Valmark ACCESS™, and ACCESS™ Plus solutions. Mr. McClary was named by EFTReport as one of “10 Rising Stars” in 2012 and one of “10 All Stars” in 2014. He is nationally recognized as one of the first three members of the IMN/Research Magazine “ETF Advisors Hall of Fame” in 2007 and is regularly published on ETF.com. In addition, he has collaborated with the Wall Street Journal, Kiplinger’s, Financial Advisor, and Research Magazine, to name a few, on ETF-related topics and has been a featured speaker for organizations such as the S&P and the Financial Planning Association. Mr. McClary holds FINRA series 7, 24 and 66 securities registrations, is a Member of the Cleveland Society of Chartered Financial Analysts®, and is a Registered Investment Advisor. He earned an MBA in Financial Management and a BBA in Finance in Financial Services, Magna Cum Laude, both from the University of Akron.

Tyler Denholm

CFA®, CMT®

Tyler Denholm is the Vice President of Investment Management and Research for our partner, Valmark Financial Group. His primary responsibility includes overseeing the investment management process and conducting research for TOPS®, TOPS® Strategic Allocation Portfolios, and TOPS® Variable Insurance Trust. He earned a BBA in Finance and Real Estate from the University of Akron, Summa Cum Laude. In addition to his FINRA series 7 and 24 securities registrations, Mr. Denholm is a Chartered Financial Analyst®.

Chris Bottaro

MBA

Chris Bottaro is the Senior Vice President of Insurance Services for our partner, Valmark Financial Group. He is responsible for the vision, strategy, and execution of life insurance marketing, underwriting, new business and in force insurance solutions initiatives. Formerly, Mr. Bottaro was an Underwriting Account Executive at Lincoln Financial Group where he led a team of 25 underwriters and new business associates through strategic initiatives aimed at making the life insurance process simpler and more efficient for advisors and their clients. He has an MBA from the Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts and holds FINRA Series 6 and 26 securities registrations.

Michael Michlitsch

MBA, CRPC®

As the VP of In Force Insurance Solutions for our partner, Valmark Financial Group, Michael Michlitsch is responsible for integrating strategies and solutions for in force life insurance business. Michael is responsible for the Valmark Policy Management Company and Valmark’s Life Settlement division. Previously, he was Manager of Practice Management at Securian Financial Services, Inc., a Senior Training Manager for Woodbury Financial Services, Inc., and Sales Manager for Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. Mr. Michlitsch earned his MBA from the Opus College of Business at the University of St. Thomas and his BA in Management and Marketing from Bethany Lutheran College. He is a Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor℠ and carries the following Financial Services Designations: CFS, CIS, CES, CAS and CTS. In addition, he holds FINRA Series 7, 24 and 66 securities registrations as well as Ohio Life, Health, Variable Life and Annuity licenses.

Keith Miller

MBA, CLU®, CHFC®

Keith Miller is the Vice President of Insurance Planning for our partner Valmark. Keith works with the insurance planning team to provide advanced case design and sales expertise. His core areas of focus include customized wealth transfer solutions, product analysis and holistic life insurance design. Keith received his BA from Samford University and his MBA from the University of Alabama. Mr. Miller is both a Chartered Life Underwriter® and Chartered Financial Consultant®.

JAMES DAWSON

CFP®, CLU®

James Dawson is the Manager of Life Settlements for our partner, Valmark Financial Group. James is responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of the life settlement business. This includes establishing and implementing new processes and procedures, directing and facilitating the sale of policies from the initial offering through the formal case submission and acting as an escalation resource for complex and technical life settlement issues. He works to find ways to simplify the life settlement transaction process and improve efficiencies. Above all, Mr. Dawson is passionate about delivering the best possible experience for our clients. Mr. Dawson earned a BBA in Financial Planning from the University of Akron, graduating Summa Cum Laude. He also holds Ohio Life, Health, Accident and Variable licenses, Series 7, 24 and 66 registrations and is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional.

Chris Finefrock

MBA, CFP®

Chris Finefrock is the Senior Vice President of Investments and Financial Planning for our partner, Valmark Financial Group. In his role, he oversees and is a resource for the team responsible for all aspects of design and implementation of various brokerage, insurance, and advisory solutions intended to assist investors with risk management and reaching their accumulation and/or distribution goals. In addition to his FINRA series 7, 24 and 66 securities registrations and his Ohio Life, Health and Variable licenses, Mr. Finefrock holds a bachelor’s degree in Financial Services and an MBA in Finance from the University of Akron. He is also a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional.

Judson Forner

CFP®, CRPC®

Judson Forner is the Vice President of Investment Operations for our partner, Valmark Financial Group. In his role, leads the teams directly responsible for processing all investment related business submitted through Valmark. In addition, he oversees the trading and RIA teams, manages relations with Valmark’s three custodial platforms and participates on the Product, DOL and Star RankingTM committees. Mr. Forner has presented on topics such as Money Management, Financial Planning and Annuities at Valmark Member Summit (formerly School of Life) and School of Excellence conferences, as well as higher education institutions such as Ursuline College and The Ohio State University. He has been quoted in industry publications including Barron’s, Bloomberg, CNBC, Financial Advisor Magazine, and Investment News. In addition to his FINRA Series 6, 7, 24, 53 and 66 securities registrations and his Ohio Life, Health and Variable Insurance licenses, Mr. Forner earned a BBA from The Ohio State University with a focus in Finance. He is also a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional and a CHARTERED RETIREMENT PLANNING COUNSELORSM.

Zach Hurst

CFP®, CLU®

Zach Hurst is a Director of Financial Planning for our partner, Valmark Financial Group. In his role, he is responsible for aspects of design, marketing and implementation of Valmark’s unique financial planning processes. He oversees a team that assists member offices with accumulation, income distribution, and legacy planning through various processes designed to best meet the unique needs of each of our clients. Mr. Hurst earned a BBA in Financial Services from the University of Akron, is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional, and holds FINRA Series 7, 24 and 66 securities registrations. In addition, he is licensed for Ohio Life, Health, Accident and Variable Life Insurance and is a Chartered Life Underwriter®. He has been recognized for Outstanding Work and Accomplishment in the Field of Financial Planning from the University of Akron’s Finance Advisory Board (2014) and has presented on financial planning topics at Valmark’s Member Summit (formerly School of Life) as well as at various College of Business courses and panels with the University of Akron. He has also been quoted in an Investment News article titled, What Advisors Need To Know About Popular Long-Term-Care Products.

CARMEN DONOFRIO

CFP®

As a Senior Financial Planner for our partner, Valmark Financial Group, Carmen Donofrio partners with independent financial advisors to assist in the financial success of their clients. He is responsible for designing plans that provide a clear path towards achieving financial goals, while identifying risks that could be obstacles in reaching those goals and recommending solutions to best address each risk. Mr. Donofrio earned his BBA in Personal Finance and Corporate Finance from The University of Akron. In addition to the Series 7, 24 and 66 registrations, he holds Ohio Life, Health, Accident and Variable licenses and is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®) professional.