WELCOME ABOARD!

By Hightower St. Louis on June 28, 2024

Melissa grew up at the baseball park. Between her and her siblings playing competitive softball/baseball and her parents running the local ballpark, it was natural for Melissa to believe she would always be in the sports world one way or another. If not playing the sport, then simply there to enjoy the nachos and corndogs.

Melissa’s initial major in college was athletic training. Luckily for her clients, Melissa realized that she didn’t like science – and science did not like her. After realizing that math was more her strong suit, she began pursuing careers that more aligned with her skillset. Realizing she liked working in finance, Melissa had the self-awareness to know she is a relationship person and wanted to work with a firm where she could grow relationships and make a difference in her client’s lives.

After obtaining her undergraduate degree, Melissa started her career at a large broker-dealer for 5 years before spending the last 3 years being a Wealth Advisor for a large CPA firm out of Texas. Melissa believes in continuous learning, so when she got bored a few years ago, she decided to go back to school and get her Master of Jurisprudence with an emphasis in Wealth Management from Texas A&M.

When Melissa was in college, she built a business plan for a non-profit based out of Chicago, her hometown, that was centered around providing healthy breakfast options in schools to children who may not have that luxury at home. When presented with seed money to turn it into a reality, she decided to continue pursuing her finance career instead, and worked with the donor to transfer the funds to a charity she worked closely with out of Bucerías, Mexico.

Melissa is new to the St. Louis area, moving here in February. So, you don’t need to ask her what high-school she went to. When asked what she is most looking forward to as a new resident to St. Louis, her response is “I am really looking forward to getting engrained into the community. I want to find ways to donate my time to causes that I am passionate about while also meeting young professionals along the way.” But be careful not to recommend “St. Louis Style” pizza to her, she is born and raised from Chicago and is a self-proclaimed pizza connoisseur!

Melissa enjoys spending time reading the latest thriller she can get her hands on and trying to find the best pizza spot in whatever city she is in. High on her Bucket List is completing the Grand Canyon Rim-To-Rim Hike with her boyfriend; but only if there is pizza at the end!   

Fun facts:

During the Pandemic in 2020, Melissa applied for a position within the FBI but quickly decided it was a bit too risky for her appetite at the time. She still enjoys watching all the true-crime related shows and listening to true-crime podcasts in her free time though. If you ever want to talk about a good conspiracy theory, give her a call!

If you walk into Melissa’s office, you will quickly see the picture of her and her grandma with whom she has an extra special bond. Melissa makes sure to get out of work on time on Friday’s because that’s when she has a weekly Facetime date with her grandma to catch up on all the gossip of the week. She credits her grandma for molding her into who she is today, as well as her love for books and puzzles.

Melissa Imbery, CFP^®
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