The people behind your plan

Bruce J. Smith III

Founder & President

LinkedIn profile

Bruce J. Smith III is the Founder and President of The WealthKare Investment Center. Mr. Smith, born in 1960, is the founding partner and dedicated to evolving the wealth planning and management processes for WealthKare clients. Mr. Smith studied Engineering at the University of South Carolina from 1978 to 1981 and served in the US Naval Nuclear Power Program aboard submarines from 1978 to 1984. Bruce entered the financial services industry in 1986 and has served at the highest levels of the industry, including board positions in the insurance space and as a former Vice-Chairman of a national securities firm. Bruce has hosted his financial radio program for over 25 years and is a media personality and an Amazon Best-Selling author. Bruce has had a lifetime love of cars, shoots competitively — including precision pistol at the national level — and loves spending time with the greatest gift in his life: his wife, Monica.

Monica Smith

Head of Corporate Communications

LinkedIn profile

Monica has been involved side-by-side with Bruce since his entry into financial services. She has worn many hats since 1986 and continues to serve as head of corporate communications for The WealthKare Investment Centers. When she is not at work, she is enjoying her favorite role as “grammy” to the Smith grandchildren. She enjoys gardening and traveling. Bruce and Monica recently celebrated 45 years of marriage.

Deidre Eckhard

Senior Wealth Advisor

Deidre Eckhard is a Senior Wealth Advisor for The WealthKare Investment Center. She brings more than 20 years of retirement services experience spanning product development, client relationship management and RIA compliance. Deidre is known for dynamic problem solving and for balancing strategic and tactical goals, with a steady focus on keeping costs down and helping each family reach its retirement goals. She thrives on helping a growing firm build the infrastructure that supports its clients.

Wendy Wyman

Director of Legacy Planning Support

Wendy Wyman is Director of Legacy Planning Support for WealthKare Investment Centers. With more than 20 years of experience guiding retirees and near-retirees, Wendy helps clients develop and understand strategies that enhance retirement wealth—not only during their own lifetimes, but as that wealth transfers to a surviving spouse and ultimately to the family. As part of the WealthKare team, Wendy strengthens the firm’s legacy maximization planning by interfacing with a wide range of financial industry providers to identify competitive, stable solutions for Elite Wealth planning. She also partners with legal service providers and wealth.com to help ensure every client maintains up-to-date beneficiary designations and supporting estate planning documents.

Elijah Attlesperger

Elite Wealth Advisor · Retirement Planning Coordinator

Elijah Attlesperger is an Elite Wealth Advisor and Retirement Planning Coordinator for WealthKare Investment Centers. He brings extensive experience in investment research and wealth-building strategies to the team, applying that depth to help clients understand the Elite Wealth approach for optimizing value across the four critical areas of retirement: Risk, Tax, Income, and Legacy management. As the primary point of contact for the firm’s retirement value planning clients, Elijah delivers personalized, collaborative support throughout each client’s retirement wealth planning and management journey. His focus is on building long-term trust and fostering genuine financial wellness—helping clients see their full financial picture with clarity and confidence. Outside the office, Elijah enjoys boating, fishing, and traveling with his girlfriend, Sara.