Our site uses cookies to improve your experience. By continuing, you agree to the use of cookies and our privacy policy.

Our Financial Review Board

Western & Southern Financial Group works hard to ensure the quality and accuracy of our content so that individuals who engage with us feel empowered to make important financial decisions. Content represented on our site is reviewed by members of our financial review board who have over 100 years of combined financial experience. Their broad range of knowledge includes a Global Market Strategist who is also a Chartered Financial and Alternative Investment Analyst and licensed securities professional, as well as multiple others with various expertise in life insurance.

With a heritage dating back to 1888, Western & Southern Financial Group continues to endure and thrive because we have never lost sight of our vision — to provide financial strength and stability to those we serve. By conducting a meticulous review process, our team of experts can help to safeguard our reputation, ensure the provision of reliable and trustworthy financial information, and promote confidence among readers and stakeholders.

Matt Barry

Matt Barry, CFA

Vice President, Product Management, Sub-Advisor Research, & ETF Capital Markets, Touchstone Investments
Matt Barry is Vice President of Product Management, Sub-Adviser Research, & ETF Capital Markets for Touchstone Investments and has been with the company since 2016. He is responsible for product development, sub-advisor research, messaging, sales support, and ETF Capital Markets. Matt earned an MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, where he was a Fuqua Scholar, and a BS from Clemson University.
Katie Bezold

Katie Bezold, CRPC®

Senior Vice President, Product Management, W&S Financial Group Distributors, Inc.
Catherine A. (Katie) Bezold is Senior Vice President of Product Management for W&S Financial Group Distributors, Inc. With more than 35 years of experience at Western & Southern, Katie directs the development and implementation of annuity and life insurance products, including market strategy, research and retention efforts. Katie attended the College of Mount St. Joseph (now Mount St. Joseph University), holds FINRA Series 6, 26 and 63 registrations and is Ohio life and health insurance licensed.
Kate Goldsmith

Katherine D. Goldsmith, JD, CLU®, ChFC®, ChSNC®, RICP®

Assistant Vice President, Advanced Markets, Western & Southern Financial Group

Katherine (Kate) Goldsmith currently serves as Assistant Vice President, Advanced Markets, for Western & Southern Financial Group and is a registered representative of W&S Brokerage Services. Kate graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree and later a law degree from The Ohio State University. She holds FINRA Series 7 and 24 securities licenses, an Ohio life insurance license, as well as the Chartered Life Underwriter, Chartered Financial Consultant, Chartered Special Needs Consultant and Retirement Income Certified Professional designations from the American College of Financial Services.

Matt Loveless

Matthew W. Loveless

Vice President, Agency Strategy, Training & Field Talent Acquisition, Western & Southern Life Insurance Company

Matthew W. Loveless is the Vice President of Agency Strategy, Training & Field Talent Acquisition. He is responsible for ensuring the effective execution of W&S Agency Group’s vision and mission, as well as Training, Field Talent Acquisition and Brokerage Operations. Matt has earned an MBA from Cornell University and has previously held the roles of LDP Associate, Assistant Vice President, and Divisional Vice President. He holds Series 6, 26 and 63 registrations.

Joseph Perry

Joseph Perry, CLU, ChFC

Marketing Content & Communications Manager, Western & Southern Financial Group
Joseph Perry has worked in the financial services industry for more than three decades. Promoting the integration of life insurance and annuities in retirement and legacy planning solutions, his experience includes marketing communications, corporate communications, public relations and advertising. Joe holds a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from University of Cincinnati. Joe holds Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) and Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC) designations from The American College of Financial Services.
Grace Tai

Grace Tai

Vice President of Design and Brand, Fabric by Gerber Life
Grace Tai is Vice President of Design and Brand at Fabric by Gerber Life. With a background in brand marketing, copywriting and design, she and her team oversee content development across core and new products for the Fabric website and marketing channels. Grace holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of California, Irvine.
Crit Thomas

Richard "Crit" Thomas, CFA, CAIA, CIPM

Global Market Strategist, Touchstone Investments
Crit Thomas is the Global Market Strategist for Touchstone Investments and team leader for the Touchstone Asset Allocation Committee, which provides thought leadership on capital markets and portfolio construction. Crit began his career over 30 years ago as an economist for the State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio, later moving on to positions in equity research while serving as Director of Research, Portfolio Management and Director of Equity Growth for various investment firms in the Midwest.

About Western & Southern

Founded in Cincinnati in 1888 as The Western and Southern Life Insurance Company, Western & Southern Financial Group, Inc., a Fortune 500® company at No. 310, is the parent company of a group of diversified financial services businesses. Its assets owned ($84.8 billion) and managed ($42.1 billion) totaled $126.9 billion as of June 30, 2025.1 Western & Southern is one of the strongest life insurance groups in the world. Its seven life insurance subsidiaries (The Western and Southern Life Insurance Company, Western-Southern Life Assurance Company, Columbus Life Insurance Company, Gerber Life Insurance Company,2 Integrity Life Insurance Company, The Lafayette Life Insurance Company, and National Integrity Life Insurance Company) maintain very strong financial ratings. Other member companies include Eagle Realty Group, LLC; Fabric by Gerber Life; Fort Washington Investment Advisors, Inc.;3 Gerber Life Agency;4 IFS Financial Services, Inc.; Touchstone Advisors, Inc.;3 Touchstone Securities, Inc.;5 W&S Brokerage Services, Inc.;3,5 and W&S Financial Group Distributors, Inc.6
IMPORTANT DISCLOSURES

1 The financial information presented here is preliminary and unaudited.
2 Gerber Life is a registered trademark. Used under license from Société des Produits Nestlé S.A. and Gerber Products Company.
3 A registered investment advisor.
4 In the State of California, Gerber Life Agency, LLC is known as and does business as Gerber Life Insurance Agency, LLC.
5 A registered broker-dealer and member FINRA/SIPC.
6 W&S Financial Group Distributors, Inc. (doing business as W&S Financial Insurance Services in CA).
Review our current financial ratings
From Fortune. ©2026 Fortune Media (USA) Corporation. All rights reserved. Used under license. Fortune and Fortune 500 are registered trademarks of Fortune Media (USA) Corporation and are used under license. Fortune and Fortune Media (USA) Corporation are not affiliated with, and do not endorse products or services of, Western & Southern Financial Group.