At a Glance
Are we right for you?
We aren’t right for everyone, but we strive to be the best we can be for the people we fit with.
What we do. We help people manage their finances to pursue their life goals. We get paid as financial consultants who manage advisory accounts on a fiduciary basis—putting client interests first—for a percentage fee. The larger your account, the better our revenues: our sole business objective is to grow your buckets. The talk is all free, as is any supplemental financial planning work to connect your money to your real life. We are not a sales organization. We do not have “new business” goals or quotas. Our object is to grow client buckets.
How we do it. The platform offered by LPL Financial is well-suited to our strengths and interests. It affords the opportunity to own a wide variety of investments in an individually-managed account, structured to work toward specific goals. Our key activities are talking with clients, researching investments, and managing portfolios.
For whom. Our most important work is for those who need their money managed effectively over the long term, really. A minority of people have so much they could never spend it all; others have no long-term resources to manage. Historically, we have tended to serve the people in the middle.
This site connects our clients with our news, views, and insights at their convenience. Together with our social media activity, clients can stay informed about our thinking and strategies.
Our Story
Since 1996, the staff of Leibman Financial Services (LFS) have been focused on serving you, the client. Mark Leibman has been enchanted by the markets and the economy since his college days in Omaha, Nebraska—and his whole career has been about helping people plan and invest to strive toward their life goals.
The early years of Mark’s career were filled with experiences in most types of personal finance. Then he founded the business that became the practice we’re describing here today. LFS started at the kitchen table of his home in the Eastwood neighborhood of small-town Louisville, Nebraska. Passion and curiosity were the biggest resources early on: Mark and his wife Cathy had four kids, a mortgage, and a burning ambition to keep the checking account above zero.
The lower level of the house was dedicated to Cathy’s licensed childcare business. She ran it for twenty years, until her own babies were grown, while Mark was able to grow his business upstairs; space became available over the years as their own children moved out and moved on.
In 2000, a charming Victorian building at 228 Main in downtown Louisville became available—and they bought it. It was the start of a new chapter.
A Tour of 228 Main
The building looks a lot like what you’d expect to find on almost any Main Street across the country: wood floors, brick façade, and lots of sunlight through the tall windows.
Mark’s first assistant in front reception was Paul Leibman, his brother. Paul was a retired firefighter and man of many talents: he helped Mark refinish the floors and patch the walls.
A few years in, Cathy Leibman came on as an assistant and brought more structure to the firm’s processes. She also helped reshape the office to make it more comfortable for clients and visitors.
Mark’s third-born, Greg Leibman, came to the business in 2010 as office manager. Greg does valuable work in a number of areas, including serving as a chief resource for research and strategy. He is the primary contact when folks reach out to the office with questions about their accounts. He collaborates on investment research, special projects, and market and news reviews for potential holdings and current holdings. When the time comes to make changes in portfolios, Greg makes trades under Mark’s direction.
Larry Wiederspan came to us as Client Service Specialist after more than thirty years in banking. Since 2014, he has coordinated the paperwork and compliance activities required of us. Larry is available to clients as a dedicated technology ambassador to coordinate 24/7 online account access, the electronic signing of documents, and the paperless process for those who prefer it.
The practice had a growth spurt beginning in 2018. Patsy Havenridge joined the office as Client Services Assistant, providing support to Larry in client services. Her experiences in various professional office settings make her essential to the team. Beginning that year, several part-time and contract employees were recruited to bring new perspective to the research process, create new operating systems for the office, and help shape the firm’s online presence. Then Caitie Leibman, Mark’s fourth-born, came in as director of communications in 2020. Billy Garver joined at the end of 2020 as a data analyst.
We don’t all work from the building at 228 Main, but watching our founder (and family) build the practice there has been a privilege. Mark’s office is in the back, across from the coffee maker. Spend any time with him and you’ll hear him say that “five cups a day keeps the Alzheimer’s away,” and he’s serious about it: he plans on working to age 92.
In his office is a partner’s desk: it’s the same on both sides. He believes that when clients join him, they all meet as equals. He seeks a shared understanding—not scare tactics.
That Victorian building is just one of the things that makes the work possible. Mark is no Luddite, and digital communications and presence are a big part of his practice. Over the years, as travel and family and health concerns have grown, digital communications have made it possible for Mark—and our clients—stay connected and informed.
Connect with us at 228 Main—online or on Main.
Ready to chat? Visit our Contact section.
