Savvy Senior: Empower Your Financial Wellness Journey - Cordele

Moderator, Award Winning Journalist

Donna Lowry is an award-winning journalist who combines a passion for storytelling and a desire to empower others with communication and critical thinking skills surrounding political, educational, and financial issues.

Through her firm, Donna Lowry Communications, she provides consulting, writing, and producing services for educational, media, professional, and business outlets.

Donna serves as host/producer for several programs, including Lawmakers on Georgia Public Broadcasting.

Donna is an eight-time Emmy award winner, a three-time national Gabriel Award recipient, and has garnered honors from countless organizations, including the National Association of Black Journalists, Atlanta Association of Black Journalists, Georgia Associated Press, Society of Professional Journalists, Georgia Association of Educators (GAE), and the Professional Association of Georgia Educators (PAGE).

Her media peers inducted Donna into the prestigious NATAS Southeast Silver Circle to recognize her lasting contributions to the broadcast industry.

Donna has a master’s in journalism from Northwestern University and a Bachelor's in Mass Communications and Administration and Management from Chatham University.

Her professional affiliations include the Atlanta Press Club, the Atlanta Association of Black Journalists, the National Association of Black Journalists, and the Southeastern Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS SE).

In her 15th year as a Girl Scout Leader, Donna has led girls ranging in age from kindergarten through 12th grade. Her community service affiliations also include Magnolia (GA) Chapter of Links, Inc., and Nu Lambda Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. 

Donna and her husband, Army Major (Ret) Bennet W. Reid, Jr., are the parents of three daughters.

Founder & Principal, Ages Legacy Advisors

Shardéa Ages is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® and the Founder of Ages Legacy Advisors, a wealth management firm built to serve women who aren't just building wealth — they're building legacy.

With 17 years in financial services, Shardéa has advised affluent individuals, business owners, and executives across investment management, retirement planning, tax strategy, and estate coordination. Her career began in 2008 during the Great Recession; a defining moment that shaped her commitment to disciplined, long-term financial stewardship.

Her work is also deeply personal. As a widow and the first high-income earner in her family, she brings lived experience to the intersections of grief, wealth, and generational mobility. She has built her practice around helping women create financial structures resilient enough to hold both success and uncertainty.

Prior to founding Ages Legacy Advisors, Shardéa co-founded Collective Wealth Partners and Bridging Financial Gaps, a nonprofit focused on financial literacy access. Her earlier career includes roles at JPMorgan Chase, PNC Bank, and Merrill Lynch.

She has been recognized as a Five Star Wealth Manager, an InvestmentNews 2024 Rising Star, and a Marquis Who's Who honoree. She currently serves as a Commissioner on the CFP® Board's Ethics and Disciplinary Commission and has collaborated with the Georgia Secretary of State and the North American Securities Administrators Association on investor education initiatives.

Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Center for Financial Planning, Inc. owns and licenses the certification marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER®, and CFP® (with plaque design) in the United States to Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc., which authorizes individuals who successfully complete the organization’s initial and ongoing certification requirements to use the certification marks.

Georgia Team Lead, Community Outreach Specialist, Senior Medicare Patrol, AdviseWell Inc.

Nathan Coflin is a graduate of Old Dominion University and has been a fierce advocate for older adults and other vulnerable populations for over ten years. Currently, Nathan serves as Lead Outreach Specialist for the federally funded Senior Medicare Patrol program in the state of Georgia, where he and his team seek to empower Medicare beneficiaries fight the over $60 billion in Medicare fraud, waste, and abuse that occurs nationwide each year.

Communications and Outreach Coordinator, Office of the Attorney General Chris Carr, Consumer Protection Division

Shawn Conroy has been serving the public at the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division, formerly the Governor’s Office of Consumer Protection, for over 25 years. Currently, he acts as Communications and Outreach Coordinator and is involved in the enforcement of numerous civil statutes. Shawn provides educational presentations to consumers, is a media spokesperson for the Division, tracks legislation impacting consumers at the General Assembly and serves as a resource for its members. He holds an undergraduate degree from Kennesaw State University.

Senior Special Agent CFE, CACTS, Criminal Investigations Division, Office of Commissioner John F. King

Special Agent Horace has worked in law enforcement for over 27 years. He worked 7 ½ years as a police officer for the Georgia State University Police Department. He left there and pursued a career as an Investigator for the Fulton County Solicitor General’s Office retiring after 16 ½ years of service. He is currently employed with the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire as a senior special agent. After obtaining an undergraduate degree in Criminal Justice from Georgia State University he pursued a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Columbus State University’s Command College. He is a recent graduate of the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police Executive Management Program. He is a Certified Fraud Examiner, an At-Risk Adult Crime Tactics Specialist and Drone Pilot. 

During his tenure he has been awarded the Larry E. Quinn Award for honorable police service and academic achievement. He is also the 2022 recipient of the Special Agent of the Year Award.

Private Wealth Manager/Partner, Creative Planning 

Kristin serves as a Private Wealth Manager, working directly with her clients to create and maintain a customized financial plan addressing all aspects of a healthy financial life including investments, tax planning, risk management, retirement, employee benefits and estate planning.   

Kristin brings to her clients more than 18 years of experience in the financial services industry. Prior to joining Creative Planning, she worked for an independent investment advisory firm as a Senior Wealth Advisor. Kristin has spent her entire career in the financial services industry and has developed an in-depth knowledge of providing clients with comprehensive wealth management services. 

Kristin earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing and Finance from Florida State University where she graduated with honors. Kristin is also a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional as designated by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards. 

Kristin is passionate about providing financial education to her community. As a former Director of Community Outreach and Pro Bono Planning for the Georgia chapter of the Financial Planning Association (FPA), Kristin regularly volunteers and helps organize events and finds joy in counseling Metro Atlanta and surrounding communities’ citizens on financial matters. Kristin was recognized for her community efforts in 2020 with the Daily Point of Light Award from the Points of Light organization.  In addition, Kristin serves on the board of trustees for the Foundation for Financial Planning. 

Kristin is the proud mother of Sophia.  In her spare time, Kristin enjoys finding good deals at one of Georgia’s many fine antique malls, taking yoga classes with her husband, Will, and bird watching.

Founder and Managing Partner of Inspired Wealth Planning

Inspired Wealth Planning is group of likeminded veteran financial advisors who serve their clients and local communities across Georgia and now even Ohio. 

Before founding Inspired, Ricky worked as a financial advisor for 39 years. Primarily as an employee of a nationwide financial firm. Wanting to have more control over the outcomes for clients, his team and his own career, he left the employee model to join an independent firm - Kestra Private Wealth Services.

After opening the Kestra based office, other advisors inquired about joining Inspired. Within the first 36 months, Inspired grew to 7 locations, 10 advisors, 14 support staff and over $1.2 billion in assets under care.

In February 2026, Inspired was selected as the Outstanding Business of the Year for Kestra Financial (the parent company of Kestra Private Wealth). This was the first time that any firm from Kestra Private Wealth had ever been selected for that award.

In early April the firm was on the cover of Advisor Hub magazine and i n mid-April, Ricky was selected for the Forbes/Shook Best in State Wealth Advisors for the state of Georgia. An Honor that he has received 3 times in the past 5 years.

Ricky lives in Cordele Georgia with his wife, Patti and their tuxedo cat Oreo. They have a daughter, Brooke, who lives in Maryland.

Ricky has been a loyal member and participant with the local Chamber of Commerce for 42 years, serving a s chairman in 1999. He and Patti are long-time members of Cordele First Church and supporters of the local chapter of Celebrate Recovery.

Assistant Commissioner of Securities/Director Securities & Charities Division Georgia Secretary of State

Noula Zaharis is the Assistant Commissioner of Securities and the Director of the Georgia Secretary of State’s Securities & Charities Division. Her experience includes regulatory compliance analyst at Ekonomou, Atkisson & Lambros, which served as the Investigative Agent for the Georgia Securities Division.  She served as Director of Compliance at Investment Law Group managing the registrations and compliance support for state and federal investment advisers and private investment funds.  She held the position of Vice-President of Compliance at a publicly traded oil and gas company located in Texas.  Ms. Zaharis is a former English and Latin teacher with Atlanta Public Schools and was an associate professor of English at Georgia State University. She serves on the Board of Directors of the NASAA Investor Protection and Education Foundation and on the board of the National Association on State Charities Officials (NASCO). She received her undergraduate degree (BA) in English Language and Literature/Letters from Furman University and Master of Arts, English/Language Arts Teacher Education from Emory University. She holds the Investment Adviser Certified Compliance Professional (IACCP) designation.