What's Your Story?

Here's mine.

Birds Horton’s story started in a fifth-grade show-and-tell presentation, standing in front of a room full of judgmental ten-year-olds holding a family-sized tub of Parkay margarine. He was a painfully shy kid with a stutter who had already learned how to hide in plain sight. Then his teacher, Miss Starkey, did something he never forgot. She didn’t rescue him or make the fear disappear. She simply gave him enough room to find a little courage and step into an unfamiliar space. More importantly, she helped him understand that even though he was doing a hard thing by himself, he wasn’t alone. That was Birds’ first experience with advocacy work.
Thirty years later, it is still his life’s work. Birds works with lifelong savers who have done so much right and still find themselves standing at the edge of the next chapter asking:

  • Will I be okay?
  • Can I stay independent?
  • How do I do this without becoming a burden to my family?
  • What if I make it to 95?

Those questions don’t get solved by a spreadsheet alone. They get solved through trust. Trust creates clarity; and clarity creates confidence. That belief is why Birds founded Horton Wealth Partners and wrote SEEN: 7 Permission-to-Spend Strategies for Lifelong Savers Retiring from Work, Not from Life.
Most people Birds meets are not looking to be managed. They are looking to be understood. They want to remain fiercely independent without the isolation. Before discussing money, investments, or financial plans, Birds starts with a different question:

“What’s your Parkay story?”
Birds Horton

Birds K. Horton, CRPC ®

CEO & Founder
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Kimberly Lark

Client Concierge Partner

Kim learned service at the feet of people who built things with their hands, their names, and their word. Her grandparents lived in the Deep South and created several businesses, including a convenience store, cosmetology school, beauty shop, and barber shop. To Kim, those places were more than businesses. They were proof that hard work could feed a family, lift a neighborhood, and give people a place to feel welcome. That example still lives in her. It shows up in the way she listens, follows through, keeps her word, and tries to leave every room a little better than she found it.

Kim has spent more than 15 years supporting leaders, clients, teams, and families with a steady hand and a caring heart. She brings experience in operations, executive support, client service, event coordination, and relationship management, but the part people remember most is how safe they feel with her. She is calm, dependable, honest, thoughtful, and easy to trust. At home, she is a wife of 30 years, a mother to Daisha and David, a woman of faith, a journaler, a mystery lover, a vacation planner, and a certified birth doula who one day hopes to help families welcome new babies into the world.

Kim says she chose Horton Wealth Partners before Horton Wealth Partners chose her. She saw something familiar in the firm’s values of simple, human, integrity, and love. They felt like words she already believed in. She wanted to be part of work that was personal, meaningful, and bigger than a task list. At HWP, Kim helps clients feel seen, supported, remembered, and cared for. Her personal motto says it best: Work hard, live well, and be kind.

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Natalie Meyer

Client Education Coordinator

Natalie Meyer is a marketing consultant for Horton Wealth Partners, where she plays a key role in the planning, coordination, and execution of live events. She works behind the scenes to ensure every detail—from messaging and logistics to flow and timing—is handled with precision, allowing advisors to focus on delivering value and engaging meaningfully with attendees.

Natalie’s role is centered on creating a seamless event experience so clients and prospects can fully absorb the educational content, ask better questions, and walk away with clarity and confidence. Through thoughtful preparation and hands-on execution, she helps ensure each event reflects the firm’s standards, strengthens relationships, and supports long-term growth.

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Connor Hess

Business Development Partner

Connor Hess serves as the business and marketing consultant for Horton Wealth Partners, playing a key role in the strategic growth and day-to-day operations of the practice. His work focuses on identifying marketing opportunities, refining the firm’s processes, and helping structure the office for greater efficiency and a stronger client experience.

Connor also brings valuable insight on the insurance side of the business, consistently introducing new product offerings that align with the evolving needs of retirees and pre-retirees. With a sharp eye for both strategy and execution, Connor ensures the team stays aligned, competitive, and focused on delivering the highest level of service to every client.

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Randall Witte

Vice President Of Marketing

As the Vice President of Marketing, Randall brings a unique point of view to Horton Wealth Partners. Growing up heavily engrossed in punk rock music, the style and attitude of the culture informed him of the power of story, humanity, integrity and unvarnished honesty. Randall has designed vinyl records for some of his favorite punk bands and has a vast marketing and design background. He has worked with large corporate automotive clients, state universities, and branded businesses in many different industries.

Randall leverages his many years of experience, passion and “truth in advertising” marketing philosophy to show our clients who we really are, unapologetically.

When Randall isn’t visualizing our marketing campaigns, he is spending time with the love of his life, Holly and her two children. Together they enjoy going to punk rock shows, art museums, and tending to their home.

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Katie Ibarra-Depugh

Strategic Initiatives Partner
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Nikki Guardiola

Strategic Branding Partner
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Ryan Warthen

Brand And Marketing
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Elizabeth Beltran

Creative Operations Partner
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Kade Kline

Insurance Solutions Specialist
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Isaiah Williams

Hiring And Culture Ambassador