In Parks & Recreation, the heroine Leslie Knope knows exactly what she’s about: waffles, friends, work. No matter what, “work is last.” The thing is, Leslie loves work and loves being of service. She helps us remember why we work—and what we want for our relationships and our legacy.
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Clients, you may have spotted the new face or heard the new voice around the office. Let us take a moment to get everyone up to speed.
As our enterprise grows, so does our team!
We’re pleased to introduce Lori Knott, joining us as our newest Client Services Associate.
We believe the core activities of our enterprise are investment research, portfolio management, and talking to you. But nothing happens until the details are handled, and they are crucial. So Lori is joining our client services team—a team that plays that vital role.
Lori brings years of experience working in financial services and administrative support. We could tell right away that her attitude, values, and skillset were a great match for our needs.
With a short commute from Omaha, Lori fits in right here with our love of nature, as she says she loves the outdoors and hiking. Her family includes her partner Elana, her four kids, and a “fur baby.” Her children are Bre, Bryce, and twins Braden and Brendan. In keeping with the B’s, her chihuahua Maltese mix is named Bandit.
Lori may be the latest addition to the 228 Main team, but she is already caught up with the “history” of our work here. The mission is the same for the whole team: we strive to grow your buckets. And that project takes all of us, from research and trading to paperwork and communications—it happens when all of us are ready to be of service to each other.
If you’re able, come in and say hello when you have a chance, and welcome, Lori!
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Anybody else remember the drop of your stomach when your folks drove a hilly country road and you weren’t expecting the quick downhill drop? We never knew when the highs and lows or the next turn was coming—sounds a lot like the markets, doesn’t it?
Where are you on the ride? Check out Caitie’s take on thrill rides and the rhythms of the markets this week
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by Caitie Leibman, CEO
Friends, March was Women’s History Month. It was also the end of my first quarter as CEO of Leibman Financial. I spent a lot of it learning new administrative duties—you know, all the ones Mark is allowed to forget now!
Of course, it’s Mark we have to thank for founding and leading LFS for the past 30 years. But I’m reflecting on Women’s History Month and what this moment means. Some of you remember my late mother and Mark’s late wife, Cathy Livingston Leibman. My mother was an entrepreneur, too, leading businesses out of our home when my siblings and I were little. She bought me my first business card holder, a reminder of her many gifts and her example.
Today this little case holds a brand-new card, with my new title. It’s got me thinking: I’ve felt so fortunate to get to know the wide variety of women we serve, from among our business partners, colleagues at other firms, and especially our clients.
Who are they? They’re women who work or run their own businesses, and those who don’t happen to earn a paycheck. We’ve worked with women who are teachers and drivers and hairdressers and architects—and everything in between. We’ve served straight women, queer women, and trans women. Some have gone to college. Some are retired from the trades. Some are widowed, some are partnered up, some are single.
The wondrous variety of these women makes one thing clear: there’s enough room for everyone. I’m thinking about all the different women who might find our firm and wonder if we’re here for them, whether a certain path could be theirs too.
In 2026, we’re committed to making our work more accessible and more easily available.
I enjoy the shade and sustenance of so much that was planted before my time—on Earth and at this firm! We have confidence that what we plant today at LFS will bear fruit for many seasons ahead. And whether the plans ripen during Women’s History Month or not, I’m sure they will still be history-making.
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What does it mean for our business to be “client-centered”? (Wait, shouldn’t all business be “client-centered”?…) In this week’s video, Mark and Caitie talk about the role the firm plays in our relationships with you, what the client’s job is, and more.
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“Who knows what is good and what is bad?” What an ancient parable has to teach us about getting a “luck-proof” approach to investing: a message from Caitie this week.
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We’re big fans of making the most of things. But it takes a little perspective to learn how to prioritize our goals. What are our very next needs? What are the wishes that can wait?
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Every once in a while, the schedule gets really and truly full. We might have places to be throughout the day, for many days in a row. Weeks might go on like this, in an exciting blur.
It’s not a bad problem to have, but sometimes, it can feel like we’re being pulled in more than one direction.
Some of you may experience this sensation too, as you also wear multiple hats in life. You may have commitments as a parent, an employee or an owner, a teacher, a partner, a community member, and more.
Here’s an idea that might provide some relief: we may have many hats, but we only wear one hat at a time. It’s okay to allow ourselves to focus on one at a time, even if we must switch hats often.
The same general principle is true about our financial goals: it may seem prudent to save for retirement, and a house, and a child’s education, and all the other things one may want in a lifetime… but the secret is that you don’t pay for these things on the same day, or week, or month, probably.
Having many hats doesn’t mean we can’t focus—and strategize. Time is finite, of course. But we take things one hat at a time.
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Clients, it’s Caitie here. I’m so thrilled to introduce you to our newest teammate, Allison Bauers! In a small business, we tend to wear many hats, so this week, we’re chatting about how our roles and duties will change in the coming months.
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Friends, it’s been a season of change for Leibman Financial!
As many of you know already, Mark will be focusing on client work and research—and less on administrative duties—starting January 1, as Caitie takes on the front-facing CEO role.
Caitie has been serving as Director of Communications full-time since 2020, and our communications program has only grown in those years.
The team has committed to making our messaging more accessible, adding more audio and video in addition to our blog posts. We take pride in making our ideas available in multiple formats, to fit a variety of clients’ lives. We’ve been working to make our contact with you more timely, relevant, and consistent—without clogging up your inboxes!
As Caitie starts to flex her leadership muscles, it’s time to introduce our newest addition: a dedicated Director of Communications who can continue to foster our important connections with each of you. On that note, we’re pleased to introduce Allison Bauers as Leibman Financial’s next Director of Communications.
Allison is a Nebraska native, growing up on a farm near Auburn and moving to Cass County in the mid-1980s. She and her husband Larry raised their children in Louisville, where they were involved in the school system, community theater, and other endeavors over the years. Now they split their time between Nebraska and Arizona spending time with family and making their best attempt at exploring all of our National Parks and the wonders of this country.
Allison’s work includes decades in roles across the fields of education and communication, and her skills suit the demands of this role well. She tells us she is excited to join the team and grow in the specialty role that Caitie helped establish.
We’re already confident that Allison’s attitude and energy will bring fresh possibilities to the firm, as we work to continue to serve our clients in thoughtful new ways.
Communications will remain a team sport here at 228 Main, and we are thrilled to add Allison to that team. We hope you get a chance to meet her soon.
Welcome, Allison!
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