Calen Smerchek AWMA®

Portfolio Manager

Calen started his career in financial services and joined the team in May 2018, gaining exposure to the full wealth management process—from financial planning and investment strategy to client relationship management. He currently serves as a Portfolio Manager at Vestgen, where he oversees the entire investment management process. His responsibilities include conducting in-depth market analysis, selecting securities, constructing portfolios, and monitoring performance. Calen works closely with the advisory team to develop tailored investment strategies that reflect each client’s unique goals, risk tolerance, and financial objectives. He actively tracks macroeconomic trends and policy developments to ensure portfolios remain strategically aligned and resilient.

He holds Series 7 and 66 securities registrations with LPL Financial and is an Accredited Wealth Management Advisor℠.

Calen earned his bachelor’s degree in finance and banking from the University of Missouri, completing the program in just three years. During his time at Mizzou, he was a member of the Investment Club, competed with the club golf team, and worked as a personal trainer at MizzouRec.

In early 2025, Calen relocated to Colorado, where he continues to stay active with his Belgian Malinois, Kaizer—whom he trains and takes on outdoor adventures. He also enjoys golfing, hitting the gym, and cheering on Sporting Kansas City and the Kansas City Chiefs with friends and family.

Josh Gerry

Chief Executive Officer

Josh Gerry is redefining succession planning for wealth advisors.

Widely recognized as one of the industry’s leading voices on advisor succession, Josh Gerry is CEO of VestGen Wealth Partners and a 2025 Luminaries Finalist in the M&A Leader of the Year category. He spearheaded the unprecedented merger of 10 advisory practices in December 2024 to launch VestGen, creating a fully integrated wealth management firm that empowers advisors to transition with confidence and aims to ensure clients’ continuity of care across generations. His leadership was recently profiled in a full-page InvestmentNews feature, “Seeking Success from Succession.”

With more than three decades in wealth management, Josh brings deep experience in succession, M&A, and growth strategy. Prior to VestGen, he co-founded Professional Wealth Advisors, LLC, where he scaled the firm to over $10 billion in assets while guiding advisors through successful practice transitions. He later served as CEO of Impetus Wealth Strategies, securing capital commitments to fuel advisor succession and expansion. His earlier leadership roles at AXA and MetLife gave him a deep understanding of large-scale advisor transitions across enterprise firms.

At VestGen, Josh leads the firm’s mission to solve one of the industry’s most pressing challenges: the $13 trillion in assets expected to transition as nearly 40% of advisors retire in the next decade. Josh brings both credibility and conviction to building the next generation of advisor leadership. He is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and contributes thought leadership on the future of succession planning and advisor M&A.

Josh holds a B.S. in Business Economics from UCLA.