Executive Management
Holly Deem
Chief Executive Officer
Holly D. Deem, CFA, brings more than 25 years of executive leadership experience in the investment and financial services industry to her role as Chief Executive Officer. She provides executive leadership of the firm, including overall management of the WealthTrust platform and its relationships with affiliate organizations. She joined WealthTrust in 2008 as Chief Operating Officer.
Ms. Deem’s previous executive leadership roles include Chief Risk Officer for AMVESCAP; Chief Administrative Officer for INVESCO Global; and Chief Executive Officer for INVESCO Capital Management. Earlier in her career, she provided senior leadership at Bank of America and its subsidiaries, as Managing Director of Advisory Services; President of Private Investments; and President of TradeStreet Investment Associates.
Ms. Deem has been recognized as one of the “Top 50 Smartest Women in the Money Business” by Money for Women magazine and received the “Top 25 Women in Business” achievement award from The Business Journal (Charlotte, NC).
Ms. Deem holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation. She earned a B.S. in Accounting from Western Illinois University and completed post-graduate studies at the Graduate School of Bank Investments in Norman, Oklahoma; and Executive Program/Business Strategy at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business.
She is a member of the Association for Investment Management and Research, the Atlanta Society of Financial Analysts and The College of Business and Technology Advisory Board at Western Illinois University.
Paul Ahern, CFP®, ChFC®
Principal, Senior Vice President - Planning
Paul brings more than 15 years of experience to WealthTrust-Arizona, helping individuals and families manage their wealth. Prior to joining WealthTrust-Arizona as a principal, Paul was a principal at Degreen Wealth Management, a financial planning firm that pioneered the concept of integrating the disciplines of estate and financial planning in Arizona. He is a Certified Financial Planner® and Chartered Financial Consultant®. Paul is chairman of the Fixed Income Committee and serves on the Portfolio Committee. Paul graduated from Arizona State University and lives in Chandler.
Paul's financial insight is continually sought by nationally-renowned publications. His views on integrated financial planning have been sought by the Scottsdale Airpark News and The Wall Street Transcript as well as the Arizona Republic's featured insert BizAZ.
Ben R. Wilson
Principal, Executive Vice President for Client Services
Ben Wilson brings over 20 years of wealth management planning experience to high-net worth individuals, families and businesses in need of integrated financial and estate planning expertise. Ben specializes in building and managing a team of financial professionals to effectively assist the affluent in managing their unique tax, investment, estate and insurance needs.
He is a founding partner of WealthTrust-Arizona and serves on the Portfolio Committee of the firm. He was also a founder of DeGreen Wealth Management where he helped develop and implement the concept of integrated estate and financial planning.
Ben has called Arizona his home for the last 45 years and is a graduate of the University of Arizona in Tucson. He lives in Scottsdale and serves on the board of The Boys & Girls Clubs of Metropolitan Phoenix.
Financial Advisors
Theresa Krueg, MSFS, BCE and CFS®
Vice President and Senior Financial Advisor
Theresa Krueg offers professionalism and a personal commitment to clients who need portfolio management and estate planning. She is a Certified Fund Specialist® and serves on the Alternative Investment Committee at WealthTrust-Arizona. Theresa has completed a Masters in the Science of Financial Service from the Institute of Business and Finance. She attended Delta College and lives in Chandler with her husband and four children.
Having achieved the Master of Science in Financial Services (MSFS) designation from the Institute of Business and Finance, Theresa offers the expertise necessary to analyze, plan, and implement integrated financial and life strategies.
She has hosted a seminar series entitled "Women Investing Now (WIN);" and maintains a passion for protecting surviving spouses.
Media outlets such as CNBC, the Chicago Sun-Times and Bloomberg Radio, have featured Theresa's wealth management advice and expertise.
Brent C. McQuiston, CFP®, CMFC®
Vice President and Senior Financial Advisor
Brent McQuiston brings more than 16 years of wealth management experience to WealthTrust-Arizona. Brent graduated from the University of Arizona where he earned his bachelor's degree in Finance. Brent is a Certified Financial Planner® and a Chartered Mutual Fund Counselor. He chairs the Equity Committee for WealthTrust-Arizona and is a member of the Fixed Income, Alternative Investments, and Portfolio committees.
In his career, Brent spent nearly a decade with Charles Schwab working as a senior manager. At Schwab he specialized in building teams to provide investment advice to retail clients. As a top performing manager, he was honored with many awards including: Regional Manager of the Year, National Manager of the Year, Chairman's Award, as well as a five-time recipient of the Excellence in Service Award.
While at WealthTrust-Arizona, Brent has brought to his clients the highest levels of service, along with advice backed by sound principles in investment planning, risk management, taxation, and estate planning. He specializes in equity, alternative,and fixed income strategies. He resides in Carefree with his wife Tricia and two sons.
Brent's extensive financial knowledge has been featured in such publications as Credit Investment News, MarketWatch, Smart Money, Men's Health, The Wall Street Transcript, and CNBCMorning Call.
Heath Bray, CFS®
Vice President and Senior Financial Advisor
Heath Bray brings 12 years of extensive experience to WealthTrust-Arizona in the areas of wealth management, retirement planning and risk management. Heath is a Certified Funds Specialist ® and is Chairman of the Alternative Investment Committee. Heath also serves on the Fixed Income and Portfolio Committees.
Heath spent several years as a portfolio manager with Charles Schwab, focusing on high net-worth clients. He was a retirement plan specialist and advised many area companies regarding their qualified employee retirement and benefit plans. His professional financial background includes specialties in employee benefits and retirement planning.
A former college football captain and quarterback, Heath is a graduate of the University of Arizona and serves on the Steering Committee for the university's Athletic Department. He also serves on the executive committee of the Eller College of Business and Management.
Raised in North Carolina, Heath has lived in Arizona for 20 years. He is the proud father of two sons, Caden and Mason.
Capitalizing on his knowledge of the financial markets, Heath has been a featured guest on nationally-recognized programs such as CNBC's Power Lunch and Bloomberg Radio.
Mike Bowen, MBA
Vice President and Senior Financial Advisor
Mike Bowen brings over 9 years of professionalism and experience to WealthTrust-Arizona serving high-net-worth families and individuals in the areas of wealth management and retirement planning. He serves on the Equity and Portfolio Committees of WealthTrust-Arizona. Active in the community, Mike recently managed a local branch of the Boys and Girls Club of Scottsdale. Mike received an MBA in Finance from the Keller Graduate School of Management and a B.A from Arizona State University. He lives in Cave Creek with his wife and two sons.
Donald G. Bertrand
Vice President and Senior Financial Advisor
Don Bertrand brings more than16 years of wealth management experience to Wealth Trust Arizona. Don has experience managing long-term business growth and goals with affluent clients, works closely with local corporate executives and is well versed in dealing with complex restricted stock and stock option plans. A graduate of Boston University Brussels in Brussels, Belgium, Don earned his Master of Science in Administrative Studies with a concentration in Multinational Commerce and earned a B.A. from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Before joining Wealth Trust Arizona, he worked for Fidelity Investments in Scottsdale as a member of their Private Client Group providing personal customer service to the firm's most affluent clients. He currently serves as a member of the Fixed Income and Alternative Investment Committees. Don is a founding Board Member of the Arizona Audubon Society. He and his wife, Jennifer, have lived in the valley for the last eight years, and reside in Phoenix with their two sons, Ryan and Ethan.
Don has offered his financial planning and investment advice on CNBC as a market guest on Squawk on the Street. His insight has also been included in the Arizona Republic.
