Why Work Here

As a premier provider of life-long financial advice to successful families, our purpose is to build lasting relationships based on expert counsel and service that exceeds expectations. 

We are passionate about what we do

In everything we do—for our clients, our community and our colleagues—we are committed to challenging the status quo: ‘good enough’ is never good enough. We collaborate with internal experts, external partners and our clients, constantly evaluating our advice and services.

We act only in our clients’ best interests 

The quality of our work and our unwavering commitment to exacting and ethical standards guides all our decisions and practices. We deeply value confidentiality, respect for our clients’ other advisors, and integrity in all our interactions.

We deliver Raving Fan Service

We promise a lot, and deliver more. Our clients and their goals are singularly important, and we are committed to providing them exceptional service. We seek out talented people, assembling a superlative staff chosen to support a system committed to these values, ones which govern every aspect of our practice.

Want to learn more about us?  Read our blog here. 

Meet some of our team members:

Michael T. Carpenter, J.D., MACC, CPA

After completing law school, Michael planned a career focusing on the legal aspects of estate planning.  As a professional consultant at Moneta Group, he especially enjoys the opportunity to be involved in all the financial issues facing clients as they address the larger questions of their estate plans.

As a Family CFO, he handles a wide array of financial issues for clients, including cash management, retirement planning, tax planning and estate planning. Using a variety of sophisticated financial tools, Mike is able to help clients achieve their financial goals in a tax efficient manner.

He enjoys the challenges of constantly learning and updating his knowledge-base and skills to keep abreast of a constantly changing tax landscape.

Michael joined Moneta Group in October of 2009.  Prior to Moneta, Michael was an auditor for Ernst & Young in Kansas City, Missouri.

    * J.D., Concentration in Taxation, Saint Louis University School of Law
    * MACC, Concentration in Taxation, University of Missouri
    * Certified Public Accountant
    * Missouri Bar Association member
    * St. Louis Metropolitan Bar Association member

Nicole Ziglar, CPA, MAcc

Prior to joining Moneta Group as professional consultant to the Gast team in 2009, Nicole worked for five years in the Federal Tax department at KPMG. “It was a great learning experience,” she says. “I worked with individuals and privately held financial institutions, but I also got experience auditing income taxes.” Although the work was interesting, she didn’t want to have an extended career in public accounting. “I wanted to be in a position to help clients make decisions that were relevant to their lives and families in all financial areas, not just advise them on tax issues.”

Nicole finds Moneta better suited to her interests and skills. “I enjoy interactions with people and creating relationships as we work toward a client’s goals.  This is a much better fit for me than sitting at a desk reviewing tax returns all day. The personal side of the Family CFO concept is exciting and challenging. When working with a business, meeting with the CEO of the company, instead of working through nine different levels to solve a problem, is infinitely more satisfying.”

Nicole is an avid fitness buff. She enjoys boot camp and running, particularly the half-marathon distance. “Running is something I have to do,” she says. “It de-stresses me.” Currently she is planning her summer 2010 wedding.

    * B.S., Accountancy, SIU – Carbondale
    * Masters, Accountancy, SIU – Carbondale
    * Certified Public Accountant

John Steffens, CPA, MBA

John Steffens joined Moneta Group in 2002, after working at Arthur Anderson as a consultant for patent litigation and intellectual property. “I built financial models for expert witness and intellectual property disputes,” he says, “helping our clients present their cases.” Then Enron happened. “Many of us knew we had to find other employment.”

 “I took a job at Moneta working in compliance. I had experience, although that really wasn’t what I wanted to do. But I liked the firm and hoped there might be an opportunity down the road.”  Like many who came from other financial services firms, John wanted to have real contact with clients and the ability to help them make decisions about their financial lives. “Moneta seemed like the place that was a true possibility.”

After a year, he joined the Blair team. “I had technical expertise to bring to the table but found there was so much more to do and to learn.” He enjoyed the pace of the work, the constant change and appreciated the opportunity to tackle new challenges. “Jim’s attitude was always, ‘Do what you can; then do more.’ The opportunity to learn everyday, stretch myself and really contribute was very satisfying. I began to develop relationships with the clients. That was icing on the cake.”

John earned his CPA in September of 2009 and was promoted to professional consultant. “It is really refreshing to work in an environment where clients are highly valued and their interests are always first. It’s a very dynamic place, and I enjoy the work of financial planning and being able to contribute to helping people achieve their goals.”

    * B.S., Accounting, Truman State University
    * B.S., Business Administration and Finance, Truman State University
    * Masters of Business Administration, emphasis in Accounting, Maryville University
    * Certified Public Accountant
    * Dream for a Day, board member

Our Culture

Bragging Rights

Rankings

One of the Largest Financial Planning Firms, October 1, 2009

Investment News listed Moneta Group at No. 3 on its list of “50 Largest Financial Planning Firms: Leading registered investment advisory firms that provide financial planning services to individual investors.”

A Top Wealth Manager, August 1, 2009

Wealth Manager magazine published its “Top Wealth Managers” ranking, and Moneta Group has moved from No. 97 in 2008 to No. 81 in the ranking. The magazine ranks firms based on the average AUM per client. 

Moneta CEO One of the "Most Infuential People", May 1, 2009

Moneta Group CEO, Gene Diederich, was named one of Investment Advisor’s "Top 25 Most Influential People,” an annual list of the most influential people in and around the independent advice business.

Awards

The Schwab Impact “Best in Business” Award, October 1, 2007

In 2007, Moneta Group was awarded Schwab’s Best in Business Award™, part of an industry-wide awards program to honor advisors and firms that have advanced the industry through their visionary leadership, operational excellence, technology innovation, and impressive growth.

Moneta Group was honored for its success in delivering a wide range of services to clients, including investment planning, in-house estate planning, tax planning and preparation, retirement planning, charitable giving, business succession planning and risk management. Between 2001 and 2007, assets under management at Moneta Group grew from approximately $3 billion to more than $7.9 billion, while the number of clients remained the same.  This success with existing clients stems from the firm’s focus on serving as “Family CFO” for its clients, emphasizing relationships and maintaining a fierce commitment to high levels of client service.