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Nicole L Smith

Advisor at Merit Financial Advisors — Houston, TX Park Row Blve

Updated today

Credentials

Series 66

Experience

6 years

Location

Houston, TX 77084

Merit Financial Advisors logo

Merit Financial Advisors

Multi-team

Total advisors

287

Across 94 offices

Clients per advisor

70 High

Avg AUM per client

$897,421 High

HNW client ratio

22% Typical

About

Nicole Smith is a Series 66-licensed financial advisor with five years of industry experience. She is currently with Merit Financial Advisors and has previously worked at firms including Commonwealth Financial Network and OneAmerica Securities. Outside of financial advising, she serves as a board member for United Against Human Trafficking, where she advises on strategic planning and participates in organizational oversight. Merit Financial Group, LLC is an SEC-registered advisory firm managing approximately $10.6 billion and serving a diverse client base that includes individuals, businesses, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations. The firm employs a long-term, diversified investment approach through customizable model portfolios and offers specialized services such as independent fiduciary and ESOP trustee work.

Client services

Based on Merit Financial Advisors

Financial planning Portfolio management Pension consulting Selection of other advisers Educational seminars or workshops

Expertise

Based on Merit Financial Advisors

Options & derivatives strategies Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Business ownership considerations

Occupation focus

Based on Merit Financial Advisors

Founder/Business Owner Retired Executive

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Fee options

Fixed

Financial planning fees can be flat fees, typically not exceeding $100,000, often prorated and payable monthly or quarterly

Percentage

$0 - $100,000: 1.50% $100,000 - $250,000: 1.25% $250,000+: 1.00%

Project-based

Up to $100,000 total for financial planning services; specific hourly rate not stated

Subscriptions

Ongoing financial planning fees payable annually, quarterly, or monthly; specific amounts not stated

Location

See office

Houston, TX Park Row Blve

15721 Park Row Blve, Suite 205

Houston TX 77084

Advisors at this office

2

Most active in

Texas

Work history

6 years of industry experience

Merit Financial Group DBA Merit Financial Advisors

2025 - Present • 1 year

Angelton, TX

Purshe Kaplan Sterling Investments

2025 - Present • 1 year

Albany, NY

Commonwealth Financial Network

2024 - 2025 • 1 year

San Diego, CA

Global Wealth Advisors

2024 - 2025 • 1 year

Lewisville, TX

OneAmerica Securities

2022 - 2024 • 2 years

Montgomery, TX

American United Life

2022 - 2024 • 2 years

Montgomery, TX

Unemployed

2022 - 2022 • 1 year

Montgomery, TX

Gwfs Equities, Inc.

2021 - 2022 • 1 year

Enfield, CT

MML Distributors, LLC

2019 - 2021 • 2 years

Irvine, CA

Empower Retirement

2019 - 2022 • 3 years

Denver, CO

My Benefits, LLC & First Party Administrator, LLC

2018 - 2019 • 1 year

Atlanta, GA

Insperity Retirement Services

2017 - 2018 • 1 year

Kingwood, TX

Alliance Benefit Group of Houston, Inc.

2014 - 2017 • 3 years

Houston, TX

Disclosures

Exclamation point means they have disclosures of this type. Check mark means no disclosures of this type were found.

Business activities & affiliations

Joe W

CFP®, RICP®, Series 65

Houston, TX

Refined Wealth

After nearly a decade in corporate finance at Phillips 66, I now help high-income professionals and their families with investment, tax, and retirement planning. Before launching Refined Wealth, I completed the CFP® education program at Rice University and gained hands-on experience at two Houston firms, where I was part of teams that collectively served over 250 families and oversaw more than $650M in client assets. I also earned advanced certifications in tax planning (TPCP®) and retirement income planning (RICP®) to deliver more targeted advice. Now I’m building the firm I’d want for myself, my family, friends, and former colleagues. Most of my clients are: ◻︎ High-income professionals (O&G, medicine, sales, dual-income households) ◻︎ Retirees with complex assets and income sources ◻︎ Families navigating liquidity events (real estate sales, inheritances, business exits) Refined Wealth is an independent, fee-only fiduciary firm built on transparency and alignment. No product sales. No commissions. If this resonates, let’s connect for a complimentary introductory call to see if we’re a fit.

General retirement planning Retirement income strategy Roth conversion strategy Social Security optimization Early retirement planning Oil & Gas Retired Engineering Professional Doctor or Medical Professional Approaching retirement Retired Established Professionals Career Changers HENRY (High Earners, Not Rich Yet)

Preston C

CFP®, Series 63, Series 65, CFT-I™

Houston, TX

Concurrent Wealth Management

Dr. Preston D. Cherry, CFP®, is a Houston-based, flat-fee fiduciary financial advisor and Founder & CEO of Concurrent Wealth Management, an independent wealth management firm serving clients nationwide. He works with high-income Gen X professionals, business owners, and oil and gas executives, providing all-inclusive, comprehensive financial planning with integrated investment management through a dollar-based flat-fee model. His work helps executives and business owners coordinate investment management, tax planning, retirement income and withdrawal strategies, cash flow, and estate planning needs. For oil and gas executives, he addresses how company stock, equity compensation, deferred compensation, pensions, and career timing affect the broader financial plan. Areas of focus include RSUs, PSUs, stock options, ESPPs, concentrated company stock, and the transition from a successful career into retirement or work-optional living. He helps clients understand their choices, evaluate tradeoffs, and coordinate decisions across their financial lives. His Financial Harmony™ approach brings financial planning and wealth psychology together, aligning clients’ resources with their values, relationships, and life priorities. He helps clients build and preserve wealth while developing the confidence to use it intentionally, enjoy life today, and prepare for tomorrow. Dr. Cherry is the author of Wealth in the Key of Life, published by Wiley. His financial insights have been featured in The Wall Street Journal and Kiplinger, and he has appeared on CNBC Arabia and Schwab Network. He meets with clients in Houston and virtually nationwide.

Equity Recipients (RS/RSU, SOP, ESPP) General retirement planning Wealth management Concentrated stock management General tax planning Founder/Business Owner Executive Oil & Gas Mid-Career Professionals Established Professionals Approaching retirement Retired Gen X (Born 1965-1980)

Jonathan S

Series 66

Houston, TX

Live Oak Wealth Advisory Group, LLC

Jon Solo has built his career advising high-net-worth families and business owners, with a focus on helping them manage the complexity that comes with significant wealth. His experience centers on protecting client wealth, managing risk, and bringing thoughtful, strategic judgment to the tax, estate, and investment decisions that shape long-term financial outcomes. He has successfully grown Live Oak Wealth Management into a wealth management firm serving affluent clients with complex financial needs. Through that work, he has developed deep experience helping clients address the issues that often become more important as wealth grows, including tax planning, trust and estate planning coordination, risk management, and aligning investment decisions with each family's objectives, priorities, and long-term goals. Jon also specializes in the development of algorithmic and AI-driven quantitative trading strategies and possesses deep knowledge of the digital asset space. His technical background gives him an investment perspective grounded in disciplined risk management and informed by emerging technologies, while his use of AI and collaboration with leading outside tax and estate specialists helps clients bring order to complexity with greater insight, efficiency, and coordination. Prior to starting Live Oak Wealth Advisory Group in October 2010, he served as a financial advisor with RBC Wealth Management beginning in October 2007. He also spent the early part of his career in the Information Risk Management group of KPMG, where he developed a strong foundation in risk management and the importance of evaluating issues carefully and addressing risk from multiple angles. He holds a Bachelor of Computer Science from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Outside of his professional work, Jon enjoys traveling and spending time with his family. He is also committed to supporting charitable organizations dedicated to helping at-risk children.

Wealth management Active portfolio management Multi-generational wealth transfer Liquidity event planning Business exit / sale strategy Executive Founder/Business Owner Oil & Gas Technology Professional Doctor or Medical Professional Intergenerational Families HENRY (High Earners, Not Rich Yet) Established Professionals Approaching retirement Retired
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Wallace B

CFP®, Series 63, Series 65

Houston, TX

Symphony Financial, Ltd. Co.

Wallace Burgoyne Jr. is a CFP® with 35 years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Symphony Financial, Ltd. Co. since 2014. His prior roles include positions at LPL Financial, Veravest Investment Advisors, Inc., Allmerica Investments, Inc., and Waddell & Reed, Inc. based in Houston, TX. Symphony Financial serves individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and business entities with discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and consulting. The firm offers a comprehensive multi-family office service and applies a long-term investment philosophy utilizing a range of investment vehicles tailored to clients’ needs.

Liquidity event planning Options & derivatives strategies Founder/Business Owner

Troy W

Series 66, Series 7, AAMS®, CRPC®

Sugar Land, TX

OSAIC

My objective is simple: I will focus on understanding your unique values, personal situation and financial needs in order to deliver tailored strategies to you. Our branch will help you track your goals and communicate regularly to deliver timely information. Working closely with you and your CPA, attorney and other professionals, I can help determine the most appropriate financial strategy for you and your family. I can also help with your retirement savings strategy, so you have more options when you retire, regardless of what you decide to do. I began my Financial Planning career in 2012 in Sugar Land, Texas. At Sync Wealth Group, we invest in our knowledge so we can have a positive impact on your whole financial picture, so I hold the AAMS™ and CRPC™ designations. We provide highly personalized service. All aspects of our business are aligned to help us better understand and meet your unique goals and needs. Outside of work, I enjoy attending my children's baseball games, theatre plays, teaching guitar to my oldest and traveling. OSAIC is an SEC-registered investment adviser and FINRA member broker-dealer serving a diverse client base, including individual investors, pension plans, corporations, and charitable organizations. The firm offers a range of advisory and brokerage services supported by advanced asset-allocation and portfolio management tools.

Wealth management General retirement planning Income planning Social Security optimization General tax planning Founder/Business Owner Executive Retired Oil & Gas Self-Employed
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William B

CFP®, Series 66

Katy, TX

Edward Jones

William Blackmon is a CFP® with 10 years of experience in the financial industry, all spent at Edward Jones since 2016. He is based in Katy, TX, and holds a Series 66 license. Edward Jones is a full-service wealth management firm serving more than four million individual and institutional clients. The firm offers a range of advisory services, including discretionary and non-discretionary wrap fee strategies, access to separately managed accounts, and affiliated mutual funds, operating under a fiduciary standard.

Wealth management Tax-loss harvesting Multi-generational wealth transfer Retired Founder/Business Owner Executive
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