You've built something meaningful. Maybe it's a startup, a career in tech, a creative practice, or a business that finally found its footing. But with that growth comes complexity, and suddenly, your financial life doesn't feel like it's working for you. You're fielding K-1s, juggling RSUs, navigating AMT surprises, and wondering what to do with all these "opportunities" no one prepared you for. That's where I come in. I'm Mark Stancato, CFP®, EA, ECA, CRPS®, and founder of VIP Wealth Advisors. I work with people whose lives don't follow a straight line - tech professionals, business owners, executives, creatives. People with vision and drive but who don't have the time or desire to untangle spreadsheets, decode tax law, or second-guess every financial move. They want clarity. Confidence. A partner they can trust with the stuff that keeps them up at night. I didn't come from Wall Street. I came from the startup world, the stage, the grind of building something from nothing. I've bootstrapped businesses, advised founders through life-changing equity events, and helped creatives transform uncertain income into real wealth. I've been in rooms where ambition collides with identity, where money isn't just about numbers - it's about freedom, leverage, and making sure this all means something. That's the lens I bring to financial planning. At VIP Wealth Advisors, I combine deep tax expertise, thoughtful investment management, and white-glove service into one integrated experience. I file your returns, manage your assets, and help you make smart decisions with long-term impact. I'm not here to sell you products or overwhelm you with jargon. My purpose is to help you breathe easier, sleep better, and take action - knowing someone's watching the details. VIP stands for Very Intentional Planning, because that's what your life deserves. If you've outgrown generic advice and want a true partner who understands both the strategy and the story behind your success - we should talk. This isn't just planning. It's designing a life on your terms, with clarity and confidence at every step.

Christian Koch is a CFP® and holds a Series 65 license, with 16 years of experience in the financial industry. He is the sole advisor at Kam-South, LLC, an independent firm based in Atlanta, GA. Koch has a background that includes an ongoing academic appointment alongside his advisory role. Kam-South provides fee-only investment management and financial planning to individuals, families, and a select group of institutional and tax-exempt clients. The firm employs a long-term, value-oriented investment approach grounded in fundamental research and offers customized portfolios with specialized strategies and performance-based fee arrangements.

Hovey Garvin is a financial advisor with Strategic Advisors, Inc. in Atlanta, GA, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 31 years of industry experience. He served 30 years at Lamon & Stern, Inc. and is the owner and president of Pension Financial Services, a firm he manages alongside his advisory role. Garvin dedicates significant time to designing qualified and non-qualified retirement plans, including plan design, investment offerings, and employee communications. Strategic Advisors focuses on consulting retirement plan sponsors and investment committees, providing investment analysis, participant education, and enrollment support. The firm emphasizes fundamental analysis and delivers written reports quarterly, without exercising investment discretion, distinguishing itself through its participant-focused educational approach.

Casey Metcalf is a CFA® charterholder with 14 years of industry experience. He is the sole advisor and owner of Metcalf Investment Management, LLC, an independent advisory firm he founded in 2020. Prior to establishing his firm, he worked at Aon Securities LLC and Aon Hewitt from 2013 to 2020. Metcalf Investment Management provides discretionary asset management, non-custodial investment advice, and retirement plan (ERISA) services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, and business entities. The firm customizes portfolios based on client objectives and constraints, employing a blend of fundamental, technical, charting, and cyclical analyses, and maintains a pension consulting practice that offers ERISA plan services and limited-scope 3(21) fiduciary functions.

John McKinney is the sole advisor at McKinney Asset Management Inc. in Atlanta, GA, with 14 years of industry experience. He has led the firm since 1997, operating it as an independent, owner-run practice. McKinney Asset Management offers customized investment management and financial planning to a diverse client base, including individuals, trusts, small businesses, charitable organizations, and pension plans. The firm employs a range of analytical methods and integrates third-party technology to deliver discretionary portfolio management and a formal Pension Consulting program.

Conor Sen is a financial advisor at Peachtree Creek Investments with 13 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and previously worked at Bloomberg and New River Investments. In addition to his advisory role, Sen is a contract writer and columnist for Bloomberg, focusing on economic and financial topics. Peachtree Creek Investments is an independent advisory firm managing approximately $37.4 million across 21 client relationships. The firm provides financial planning and wealth management services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, pension plans, and institutional investors, utilizing a range of investment strategies including fundamental, macroeconomic, technical, and cyclical analysis.

Joel Smith is the principal and owner of Joel Smith & Associates, LLC, an independent investment advisory firm based in Atlanta, GA. He holds a Series 63 designation and has 27 years of industry experience, including 20 years at Purshe Kaplan Sterling Investments. Outside of his advisory work, he serves as a director for the FBI Georgia Law Enforcement Executive Development Seminar and assists the Euharlee Police Department on weekends. Joel Smith & Associates provides financial planning, investment advisory, and consulting services to individuals, including high-net-worth clients, as well as charitable organizations, foundations, and municipalities. The firm offers both discretionary and non-discretionary investment management and emphasizes strategic asset allocation, diversification, and periodic rebalancing in its client portfolios.

Raymond King is a financial advisor with Clarity Wealth Solutions LLC in Atlanta, GA, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 24 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at St Bernard Financial Services, Inc. and Woodstock Wealth Management, Inc. He also owns a non-securities insurance business, which he has operated since 2003. Clarity Wealth Solutions LLC is a veteran-owned registered investment adviser providing portfolio management, pension consulting, subadviser services, and financial planning to individuals, high-net-worth clients, and pension/profit-sharing plans. The firm employs multiple analytical methods and a long-term trading approach while maintaining a documented investment policy for client objectives and risk tolerances.

Cecily Welch is a CFP® professional with 12 years of industry experience, operating through her firm Welch Financial Investments, LLC in Atlanta, GA. She also owns Welch Financial Advisors, a CPA firm, and integrates accounting and financial advisory services. Welch has worked continuously with her firms since 2010. Welch Financial Investments serves a select group of individual and institutional clients, including high-net-worth individuals, retirement plans, trusts, estates, charities, and business entities. The firm focuses on diversified asset allocation based on Modern Portfolio Theory, typically using mutual funds and ETFs, and provides comprehensive financial planning and discretionary management, often coordinating with third-party managers for portfolio implementation and reporting.

Gary Whitehurst is a financial advisor with Brighter Investing, PB LLC in Atlanta, GA, holding a Series 63 designation and 29 years of industry experience. His work history includes nearly two decades at GV Financial Advisors, Inc. and related firms, along with senior roles at Brighter GP, LLC and Brighter Private Credit GP, LLC. He is also a licensed insurance agent assisting clients with insurance gap assessments. Brighter Investing, PB LLC offers fee-only investment management, financial planning, tax-preparation coordination, and retirement-plan advisory services to individuals, including high-net-worth clients, and institutional accounts. The firm emphasizes diversified exposure across public and private securities within a sustainable and impact investing framework and provides affiliated private fund interests primarily to accredited investors.

Sally Shelton is a CFP®-credentialed financial advisor with eight years of industry experience. She currently leads Marbella Wealth Advisory Group, LLC, an independent firm she joined in 2024. Her prior experience includes roles at Oxford Financial Group, Compass Wealth Management, JPMorgan, and UBS Financial Services. Marbella Wealth Advisory Group, LLC serves high-net-worth individuals, employer-sponsored retirement plans, and corporate clients with discretionary investment management, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting. The firm employs a blend of asset-allocation principles, fundamental analysis, and a mix of passive and active investment vehicles, and maintains a formal retirement plan consulting practice that includes participant education and group seminars.

Justin Porter is a CFP® and PFS™ credentialed advisor with 10 years of industry experience. He is the sole advisor at Porter Wealth Management, LLC, where he has worked since 2018. Prior to that, he was with HHM Wealth Advisors, LLC and Patton Albertson Miller Group, LLC. Porter Wealth Management, LLC provides individualized investment management and financial planning for individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts and estates, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm emphasizes passive portfolio construction using index mutual funds and ETFs, combined with fundamental analysis to develop client-specific asset allocations and security selections, implementing portfolios aligned with investment policy statements and providing comprehensive financial planning services.

Alexander Kutyukhin is a financial advisor at VCM Capital with four years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has worked at VCM Capital since 2018, following prior roles at Sistema Capital / Redline Capital and as a self-employed market researcher. Outside of finance, he serves as the director of VCM Technologies, a software development company based in London. VCM Capital provides portfolio management services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, and corporations using a blended investment approach that incorporates global macro, fundamental, and technical analysis across a broad range of asset classes. The firm manages accounts on both discretionary and non-discretionary bases and may allocate assets to third-party managers.

Johnny Masters Sr. is the principal of John Masters, CPA, PC in Atlanta, GA, with 22 years of industry experience and holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses. He has been associated with his firm and its predecessor since 1974. Outside of his advisory role, he operates a law practice specializing in tax and estate planning. John Masters, CPA, PC serves individual clients including business owners, professionals, retirees, and family members by providing integrated investment advisory, accounting, tax, estate, and probate planning services. The firm employs a combined fundamental and technical investment approach with a focus on dividend-paying and out-of-favor opportunities, managing discretionary portfolios with daily oversight.

Kenneth Brown is a financial advisor at Core Capital Markets, LLC in Atlanta, GA, with 30 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at firms including Cambridge Investment Research, Inc. and Dempsey Lord Smith, LLC. Brown is also the president of Core Capital Markets, LLC. Core Capital Markets provides model-based investment strategies primarily to registered platform providers and their advisers, with limited direct retail clients. The firm focuses on market efficiency and strategic asset allocation, using mutual funds and ETFs exclusively from Dimensional Fund Advisors to build diversified portfolios tailored to various investment goals.

Garrett Donnelly is the sole advisor at Donnelly Investments Corporation in Atlanta, GA, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials with 12 years of industry experience. He has led Donnelly Investments Corporation since its founding in 2014. Donnelly Investments Corporation provides discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management to individuals, high-net-worth individuals, and business entities. The firm emphasizes traditional core investments such as stocks, bonds, and cash, while incorporating mutual funds, ETFs, REITs, fixed income, and commodities as appropriate, using a process that combines fundamental analysis and modern portfolio theory tailored to individual client goals.

Elias Mc Quade III is a CFA® charterholder and holds a Series 65 license, with nine years of industry experience. He is the principal advisor at Mindful Capital Management, where he has worked since 2026. Prior to this, he spent ten years at Marotta Wealth Management and six years at the University of Virginia. Outside of financial advising, he owns Mindful Tea LLC, a loose leaf tea and meditation supplies business, and co-owns Boards and Brews, a board game café. Mindful Capital Management provides fee-only investment advisory services to individuals, families, retirement plans, nonprofits, and endowments. The firm employs a combination of fundamental and quantitative analysis with modern portfolio theory, utilizing long-term buy-and-hold and tax-aware strategies, and offers specialized alpha-seeking approaches for accredited and institutional clients. The firm also publishes investment periodicals and conducts educational seminars for clients and plan sponsors.

Ryan Mcpherson is a CFP® with 15 years of industry experience, currently serving at SmartPath Advisors. He has held roles at SmartPath, Inc. since 2017 and is the Vice President of Finance and Operations there, overseeing financial, business, and HR functions. Mcpherson is also the managing member and Chief Compliance Officer of Intelligent Worth, LLC, a financial planning firm. SmartPath Advisors provides planning-focused, short-term advisory services primarily to individuals accessing services through employers or organizations and to high-net-worth clients. The firm emphasizes passive, diversified asset allocation and offers AI-powered ongoing financial guidance without managing client assets or custody.

Arthur Aust is the sole advisor at Aust Financial Advisory, LLC in Atlanta, GA, holding a Series 65 designation with 15 years of industry experience. He has led Aust Financial Advisory since its founding in 2010. Aust Financial Advisory is an independent firm providing fee-only financial planning and discretionary investment management to individuals and families. The firm primarily uses passive, indexed strategies with low-cost, tax-efficient ETFs and mutual funds, and emphasizes client education and customized investment policy statements.

Portia Ryan Gerton is the sole advisor at Transformation Wealth Management, LLC in Atlanta, GA, with 18 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 66 designations. Beyond financial advising, she owns and operates Eye Design Interiors, LLC, an interior design business, and is involved with GroundForce Integrated Resources, Inc., a general freight company. Transformation Wealth Management is an independent, single-advisor firm offering investment management, financial planning, and consulting to individuals, trusts, estates, and business entities. The firm combines discretionary portfolio management through SEI-sponsored programs with a substantial portion of non-discretionary assets and utilizes held-away account technology alongside third-party manager referrals.