Duane J. Daniels

CFP, CPA, ChFC

CFP, CPA, ChFC

Vice President

6182062061

• CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® certification
• Certified Public Accountant designation
• Chartered Financial Consultant® certification
• FINRA Series 7, 63, and 65 securities licenses
• Life insurance license

Duane began his investment industry career in 1999 and joined Community Financial Advisors in 2000. Prior to that, he worked for SuperValu, one of the largest food wholesalers in the U.S., for nearly 20 years. Most recently, he was Vice President of Finance for Shop ‘n Save Warehouse Foods, a wholly owned subsidiary of SuperValu.

Duane earned a B.S. in Business Administration with an emphasis in Professional Accounting from Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville. He passed the CPA exam in 1980 and has worked in the accounting and finance fields for most of his career. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Outside the office, Duane is actively involved in his church and served as board chair of the St. Nicholas Building Campaign Committee. In his free time, he enjoys spending time playing golf and relaxing with his wife and four children.

Christopher A. Howard

CFA, CFP, CPA

CFA, CFP, CPA

President

6182062061

• Chartered Financial Analyst® designation
• CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® certification
• Certified Public Accountant designation
• FINRA Series 7, 63, and 65 securities licenses
• Life insurance license

Chris began his investment industry career at Community Financial Advisors in 2010. He began his career in corporate accounting and transitioned to public accounting, where he gained extensive experience in corporate and individual tax planning. He also served as a controller for multiple businesses. Chris earned a B.S. in Accounting from Missouri State University.  

While working full time, Chris earned an M.S. in Accountancy from Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, the CFP® certification, his CPA license, and Series 7, 63, and 65 securities licenses. In 2015, he earned the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and St. Louis CFA Society.

Outside the office, Chris enjoys spending time with his wife and two kids, Grant and Elise. He is also an avid golfer and serves on the leadership council of his church.

Jonathan D. Daniels

CFP, CMFC

CFP, CMFC

Director/Investments

6182062061

• CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® certification
• Chartered Mutual Fund Counselor™ designation
• FINRA Series 7, 24, 63, and 65 securities licenses
• Life insurance license

Jonathan is in charge of the team’s investment product research. Working with families and businesses, he helps guide them in selecting appropriate investment vehicles to help them pursue their short- and long-term goals.

Jon began his career at Century Securities Associates, now known as Stifel Independent Advisors, as an Operations Coordinator and quickly transitioned to Stifel as a Mutual Fund Specialist. In his most recent previous role as an analyst for Stifel’s Traditional Products Research Group, Jon and his team were in charge of selecting and recommending mutual funds, exchange traded funds (ETFs), and separately managed accounts. They also managed more than $2 billion in discretionary home office portfolios. Jon earned a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Outside the office, Jon enjoys traveling and spending time with his friends and family. He also loves scuba diving and is a certified SSI Divemaster.

Matthew R. Wischmeier

CFP

CFP

Director/Investments

6182062061

• CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® certification
• FINRA Series 4, 7, 9 & 10, 24, 63, and 65 securities licenses
• Life insurance license

Matt works with families and businesses to establish and implement investment strategies that align with their short- and long-term financial goals.

Matt began his career with Century Securities Associates, now known as Stifel Independent Advisors, as an Operations Coordinator, and then moved on to Stifel working within the firm’s Equity Options department. He eventually was promoted to Vice President and Manager of the Options desk and was responsible for overseeing all aspects of the firm’s options business, including trading, marketing, and risk management, among others. His true passion to work directly with clients led him to join the Community Financial Advisors team in 2019. Matt earned a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Outside the office, Matt enjoys spending time with his wife and two kids, Jack and Charlie. Matt is an avid golfer, sports fan, and traveler.

Samantha Trankler

CPA, CFP

CPA, CFP

Director/Investments

6182062061

• CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® certification
• Certified Public Accountant designation
• FINRA Series 7, 63, and 65 securities licenses

Samantha graduated with a B.S. in Accounting from Missouri State University and received her Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Missouri-Saint Louis. Prior to joining Community Financial Advisors, Samantha worked at KPMG, LLP as a tax manager in the Business Tax Services group, gaining extensive knowledge of corporate tax provisions and income tax returns and laws. Samantha has a passion for serving clients and working directly with them for personal investing strategies, which led her to join Community Financial Advisors.

Samantha pursued and received her CFP® certification and FINRA securities licenses while working at Community Financial Advisors. She is also a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Outside the office, Samantha enjoys spending time with her husband, Ryan, and children, Avery and Henry. She likes to travel, spend time outdoors, and is involved in her church, St. Joseph.

Matthew Schroeder

CRPC

CRPC

Managing Director/Investments

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• Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor™ designation
• FINRA Series 7, 63, and 65 securities licenses
• Life, health, and variable insurance licenses (including annuities)

Matthew graduated with a B.S. in Recreation, Sport, and Tourism from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. After graduating, Matt spent time overseas working in South Korea. After returning stateside, he began his investment industry career in 2014 with Merrill Lynch and worked for Edward Jones prior to joining Community Financial Advisors in 2023. He has a passion for guiding his clients on their journey while pursuing their financial goals. Matthew holds Series 7, 63, and 65 securities licenses, as well as the Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor™ designation. 

Matthew is actively involved in his church, served on the Holy Childhood Capital Campaign Committee, and volunteers with the Knights of Columbus. He is also involved with his children’s school on the Holy Childhood School Board. He is a past president of the Noon Lions Club of Mascoutah. Outside the office, he enjoys spending time with his wife and three children, Hana, Lena, and Mina.

Randall E. Abernathy

CFP

CFP

Independent Investment Consultant

3148493200

• CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® certification
• FINRA Series 7, 63, and 65 securities licenses
• Life insurance license

Prior to becoming a financial advisor, Randy was a small business owner. He decided to pursue a career in financial services and obtained the CFP® certification. Randy earned a B.A. in Management from Webster University.

Randy began his financial services career with Thomsen McKinnon Securities, and then later spent time with Prudential Securities and Wachovia Securities. In 2003, he joined Century Securities Associates, now known as Stifel Independent Advisors, as a financial advisor, eventually managing his own independent financial advisory practice, Abernathy Capital Management. In 2019, he merged his practice with the Community Financial Advisors team. For more than 30 years, he has helped his clients navigate the markets while developing and implementing wealth management plans tailored to their short- and long-term goals.

An active community member, Randy spends time working with various organizations, including Activities Resurrection Ministries, BackStoppers, The Joshua Chamberlain Society, and the St. John Vianney President’s Club. Outside the office, he enjoys reading, golfing, and spending time with his family.

Jill Clements

Client Service Associate

6182062061

Jill is responsible for everyday administration of the office as well as client and account management. She delivers top-tier service to their clients and welcomes everyone with a smile.

Prior to joining Community Financial Advisors, Jill worked in the medical field as a registered nurse for six years, including the last three as a pediatric nurse. Even though she loved caring for children, she decided it was time for a career change with her growing family. She is excited to help better serve clients.

Jill married her husband, Kris, in 2018. Since then, they had twins, Kinsley and Kayden, and a younger daughter, Chloe. She also has two labs, Bohdi and Bella. She loves spending time with her family and making new memories with them.