Todd Smith, CFP
Founding Member and President
Hi, I am Todd Smith, CFP the founding member and President of Level 5 Financial. I am a Certified Financial PlannerTM and coach who works with business owners, families and retirees from all walks of life and has since 1997. I enjoy creating expert financial solutions for challenging financial problems and have been fortunate enough to have both solid Corporate experience in addition to working for small, closely held business and running my own firm.
My expertise has been built on my experiences ranging from a Corporate trainer, large 401(k) administrator, and financial planner. This varied background not only enables me to relate to my young(ish) professionals and business owners – chances are I have been there or seen it! – but also provides broad problem solving capabilities when it comes to helping clients achieve the financial goals they hold most dear.
Tracy Valdes
Office Manager
Tracy is an outgoing, family-oriented person. She is warm-hearted and has an exceptional sense of humor that you will get to experience as she is the first person you will speak to on the phone or will see when stepping into our office. She has over 20 years of experience in customer relations that started with aiding in running her family’s business in the country Belize. Over the years, Tracy has moved into finances where she has enthusiastically been for over 10 years now.
Her financial journey started when she joined Edward Jones as a Branch Office Administrator in New Orleans, Louisiana. She got promoted to a Senior Branch Office Administrator a few short years after building her strong organizational, technical, interpersonal, and leadership skills. These skills were brought over from New Orleans when she relocated to Colorado Springs, Colorado in early 2018. These skills have not only aided her in all things administrative and operational, but they helped her build a beautiful trust and bond with clients. Nearly 10 years later, Tracy joined Todd at Level 5 Financial where she has been able to transfer her skills and build new connections with clients.
When Tracy is not serving clients, she enjoys hiking, spending time with family, and home projects. If you mention a food that you loved as a child, she will more than likely make a strong mental note and try to recreate it - just ask the guys she works with.
Frank J. Zawatski, Jr. CFP®
Relationship Manager/Financial Planner
Frank joined Level 5 Financial to enable us to expand our financial planning capacity and he brings a great deal of experience in both business operations and the financial services industry. Joining Todd has been a reunion of sorts, as both had worked together previously at a major mutual fund family in the 1999-2002 timeframe.
After completing his undergraduate degree in Metallurgical Engineering, Frank played several years as a catcher in the San Francisco Giants minor league organization reaching the Double A level. This was followed by a long career in the heavy machinery industry with a Fortune 500 manufacturer as well as with one of its dealers. The majority of this time was spent in product support sales and operational development of machinery distributors which gave him first-hand knowledge the “ground level” business challenges faced daily by end users and distributors. Frank’s final years were spent in the development and delivery of a world-wide comprehensive training initiative to improve the financial and operational acumen of distributor Service Department leaders.
A parallel interest for Frank that arose while he was in graduate business school is personal financial planning. He earned his Certified Financial Planner™ designation in 2004 and has worked in financial services for the Vanguard Group and Caterpillar Investment Management Ltd. Most recently, he was affiliated with Forward Financial Planning LLC in Normal, Illinois prior to moving to Colorado Springs in mid-2016.
