At MtM, founder and President Gene Dickison has assembled a seasoned team of financial advisory, investment management, estate planning, tax service, and retirement planning professionals. Each member of the MtM team is dedicated to providing you with the highest level of service possible. Please learn more about them here.
You also can research our background and experience through the free BrokerCheck tool.
GENE DICKISON ([email protected])
Gene is founder and president of this dynamically growing financial advisory firm that serves the financial needs of appreciative clients.
He is the creator of “More than Money with Gene Dickison,” producing TV and radio shows, newsletters, live events and other content to help thousands enjoy their financial lives to the greatest extent possible.
Claiming more than 780 years of experience (how he can make such a ridiculous claim is one of life’s great mysteries), Gene has served hundreds of MtM Financial clients personally and hosted thousands of “More than Money” radio and television shows. We estimate he’s answered nearly 20,000 questions live on air.
Gene received his formal education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA, and the College for Financial Planning in Denver, CO. His informal (and most important) education in how to think about nearly everything started with the smartest man he ever met—his father.
Gene served in the U.S. Air Force. He has served on many community boards and foundations. He and his wife Diane have established the More than Money Foundation for American Values as a vehicle to support causes that advance efforts to strengthen American values.
Gene is blessed to share his life with his wife and partner, Diane, and his daughters Ali (and husband Mike), Alyssa and Megan.
DIANE DICKISON ([email protected])
Diane is the CFO of MtM as well as head of the Tax Department. She has been preparing income tax returns for over 25 years. She grew up in Gilbert, PA, and graduated from Pleasant Valley High School.
Diane attended East Stroudsburg University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in business administration with a concentration in accounting, and a B.S. in economics. She received her Internal Revenue Service Enrolled Agent’s License in 2000.
Diane and Gene, along with daughters Alyssa and Megan, live in the Stroudsburg, PA, area with their four cats—Applesauce, Caramel, Snickers and Charlie. They also have a daughter, Ali, and son-in-law, Michael.
Favorite Quote: “Hope sees the invisible, feels the intangible and achieves the impossible.” —Helen Keller
Fun Fact: I used to think people who “ran for fun” were crazy. But once I gave it a try in 2016, I fell in love with it and ran eight half marathons in 2017.
Core Belief: Everything happens for a reason.
CONNIE POLAHA ([email protected])
Connie serves the clients of MtM Financial Group with her tremendous work ethic, putting into effect the details of the financial plans and strategies designed for each person. Those efforts are matched only by the size of her concern for the personal wellbeing of each client. For many of our clients who call her their friend, Connie is the heart of MtM.
With a full array of securities and insurance licenses, she has worked with Gene and Diane for more than 20 years.
Connie lives in Salisbury Township with her husband, Tom, of 45 years. She has two sons and daughters-in-law she adores and four grandsons—the loves of her life. In her free time, she enjoys reading, gardening and baking.
Favorite Quote: “Any idiot can face a crisis– it’s this day-to-day living that wears you out.” —Anton Chekhov
Fun Fact: She is a fanatic for the March Madness College Basketball tournament and has attended tournament games 11 times. Although she’s always willing to talk college level hoops, she’d much rather discuss her grandsons’ sporting events and their other achievements.
Core Belief: “I make plans and God laughs.”
MARK BELCAK ([email protected])
Mark is a Senior Financial Advisor with MtM Financial Group providing quality financial advice to clients with significant financial concerns since 1994. He serves the needs of clients who appreciate counsel provided by an advisor who cares.
Mark’s career began in Philadelphia and has focused predominantly on trust and estate planning with major financial institutions, including Wells Fargo (formerly Wachovia), PNC Wealth Management and Merrill Lynch. Attention to detail, good listening skills and great empathy are symbols of his appreciation for his clients.
Mark coordinates the efforts of a team of seasoned professionals in creating and serving the long-term financial needs of his clients. Each MtM professional has the same objective—to provide outstanding service to our clients.
In order to craft appropriate recommendations that will best benefit his clients, he works with experts in the areas of:
- Investment and portfolio management
- Income tax planning and preparation
- Estate and insurance planning
- Business benefits and continuation
Mark earned his Bachelor of Science in finance from the University of Rhode Island and his Master of Business Administration from Rutgers University. He has also earned his Series 7 and 66 securities registrations in addition to being a registered life and health insurance producer.
Born and raised in Chester County, PA, Mark has lived in Morris County, NJ, since 1985 and has three amazing sons: Chase, Zane and Slade.
Motto: Don’t wait for the perfect moment. Take the moment and make it perfect.
Favorite Quote:“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” — Lao-tzu
DARYL OKKEN ([email protected])
Daryl is a financial advisor at MtM. With nearly 30 years of business experience in various financial, audit, sales and operations capacities, he has developed his skills in building relationships with service as the focus. Daryl is a certified public accountant and a certified management accountant in the state of New Jersey. He is licensed in life insurance as well as annuity.
Daryl started his career in public accounting with Arthur Andersen and spent seven years with ADP before joining AT&T. The last 20 years of his career were spent in the telecommunications industry with AT&T, IDT and T-Mobile. He also has been an independent tax preparer for over 15 years. Originally from Pompton Plains, NJ, Daryl currently lives in Hellertown, PA, for the past 17 years with his wife Michele and their five children: Tim, Keith, Jason, Elyssa and Meghan.
Favorite Quote: “If you don’t know where you are going, you’ll end up some place else.” —Yogi Berra
Fun Fact: My alma mater, Upsala College, no longer exists!
Core Belief: The Apostles’ Creed summarizes my core Christian beliefs.
GREG GRILLO ([email protected])
Greg brings over 20 years of financial industry experience and knowledge to his role as a financial advisor with MtM Financial Group. He strives to deliver the highest level of professionalism and outstanding service to MtM’s appreciative clients through his core beliefs in hard work, honesty and integrity.
Greg collaborates with a team of seasoned professionals in the areas of portfolio management, tax preparation, insurance, Social Security and estate planning to provide his clients a highly customized approach to their unique financial situation, portfolio objectives and stage of life.
Prior to joining the MtM family, Greg served clients as a senior financial consultant with Charles Schwab and Company and TD Ameritrade, providing relationship management, wealth advisory solutions and financial planning services.
Greg attended Pennsylvania State University in State College, PA, and earned the Accredited Asset Management Specialist® designation from the College for Financial Planning. He holds the Series 7, 63 and 65 securities licenses in addition to being a registered life and health insurance producer.
Originally from Lake Wallenpaupack, PA, Greg currently lives in Limerick, PA, with his wife Donna and beautiful daughters, Hannah and Abigail.
Favorite Quote: “Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.” —Henry Ford
Motto: “You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” —C.S. Lewis
CHAD RUPPRECHT ([email protected])
Chad joined MtM Financial Group in April of 2020. With over 20 years of experience in the automotive finance industry, working for the captive finance arm of a major vehicle manufacturer, Chad brings a wealth of experience in the areas of relationship management, business development, and financial analysis. His focus on client relationship and client satisfaction fits well with the mission of MtM Financial Group – to create long-term personal relationships that serve their valued clients and help them enjoy their best financial life.
Chad earned his Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies from Winona State University in Winona, MN. He is a registered financial advisor, receiving his Series 7 and Series 66 registrations in January of 2021. In addition to serving his current valued clients at all points of their financial journey—Chad specializes in educating and connecting with young adults seeking investment and financial planning guidance. He believes it’s never too early to start thinking about retirement and asking for help.
Born and raised in rural Lewiston, MN, Chad currently resides in the greater Pocono area with his wonderful wife Angie and their boxer-mix rescue, Teddy.
Fun Fact: Chad made the decision to change careers amidst the COVID-19 global pandemic.
Favorite Quote: “Courage is rightly esteemed the first of human qualities because it has been said, it is the quality which guarantees all others.” – Winston Churchill
Core Belief: I try to let the ‘Red Words’ guide me; if Jesus said it, I believe it.
ALYSSA YOUNG ([email protected])
Alyssa is a financial advisor at MtM. A longtime Bushkill Township resident, she’s a Lehigh Valley native, having lived in Bethlehem Township or the Nazareth Area School District her entire life. Alyssa looks forward to helping people in her community plan for financial security to enjoy comfortable and fulfilling lives.
With a passion for keeping people informed, she started her career as a journalist and pivoted into marketing. Most recently she was vice president and director of digital marketing at KickCharge Creative, where she supported companies of various types across the country. Prior to that, she worked for three years as digital content lead at Lehigh Valley Health Network. She spent more than a decade at The Express-Times and lehighvalleylive.com, first as an intern, then as a reporter, and finally as assistant managing editor overseeing website content.
Alyssa graduated summa cum laude from Syracuse University with a degree in finance and broadcast journalism. She is eager to integrate her education and career experience with her passion for educating people and nurturing strong client relationships in her role at MtM Financial Group.
Alyssa and her husband, Zach, have been together since they met in gym class their senior year at Nazareth Area High School. They have a son, Andrew, and a daughter, Juliana.
Fun Fact: She’s an avid runner—and a tap dancer.
Favorite Quote: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as though you were working for the Lord and not for human beings.” –Colossians 3:23
SUE VELARDI ([email protected])
Sue specializes in accounting and tax services at MtM. She worked as a staff accountant for both First Savings and Loan Association of Little Falls and Newton Savings Bank, FSB, where she supervised all functions of the accounting department, as well as created and maintained all accounting procedures.
She also has experience in bookkeeping, dealing with bank reconciliations, accounts payable, payroll and payroll taxes using QuickBooks. She was treasurer for Green Township and Barton Glen Homeowner’s Association and held an office management position at Century Wire Products.
Sue is originally from Butler, NJ, but now resides in Bartonsville, PA, with her husband Mike and two children, Melissa and Matthew.
Favorite Quote: “The world is changed by your example, not by your opinion.” —Paul Coelho
Fun Fact: My family had a large collection of stagecoaches at the family farm where we spent a lot of time growing up. Many of them were ones that Santa rode in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and one that was an original U.S. mail stagecoach, which was eventually used to create the Wells Fargo logo.
Core Belief: Be kind and don’t judge others. You don’t know what their whole story is.
STEPHANIE THOMPSON ([email protected])
Stephanie describes her position at MtM as our “staple wrangler, file jockey and scanner extraordinaire” — all very important skills to make our office run smoothly. Even though her work is more behind-the-scenes, Stephanie is a reliable and hard-working employee who helps us help you.
Originally from Altoona, PA, home of the Horseshoe Curve, Stephanie graduated from Altoona High School and attended Penn State University for business administration. Stephanie currently resides in Cresco, PA, with her husband and two awesome kids who love going on adventures, both near and far. She is an active member of her church, as both parishioner and volunteer, and has been a Girl Scout leader for 10 years.
Favorite Quote: “It’s all about perspective.”
Fun Fact: Another lifetime ago, Stephanie owned and operated a dessert catering business. Cookies were her specialty, one time baking more than 500 dozen in a week!
MEGAN SMALE ([email protected])
Megan is serving as MtM’s Director of Client Communications as well as the Guest Coordinator and producer for “More than Money with Gene Dickison” on PBS39 and BRC TV-13.
She graduated from Susquehanna University in the Class of 2020, majoring in Public Relations and minoring in Psychology.
Megan grew up in Stroudsburg, PA. In her free time, she loves playing the piano, seeing friends and family and going on road trips.
Favorite Quote: “Happiness is an inside job.”
Fun Fact: She studied abroad in Australia and had an amazing time!
TAMMY LY ([email protected])
Tammy is the phone whisperer here at MtM. When you give our office a call, expect her helpful and kind voice to assist you and get you to the right place.
(We swear she hears the phone before it rings)
MARK BACAK
Mark is our MtM Social Security expert. If you’d like to schedule a free second opinion meeting with Mark to review your social security plans, give our office a call (610) 746-7007
MIKE POMPEI
Mike is our MtM Life Audit expert. If you’d like to schedule a free second opinion meeting with Mike to review your long-term care plans, give our office a call (610) 746-7007
KEITH STROHL
Keith is our MtM Will & Estate expert – partnering with us from Steckel & Stopp Law Offices in Slatington, PA. If you’d like to schedule a free second opinion meeting with Keith to review your will and estate plan, give our office a call (610) 746-7007