As the daughter of a banker, I learned early on that if I wanted something, I had to earn it. I rolled my dad’s spare change for a 10% cut and birthday presents were stock certificates … not exactly on my wish list. At 16, I was already investing in the stock market and experiencing the sense of freedom and independence that comes when you understand your money. With this knowledge, I was paving the way to live life on my terms. This was so intoxicating I became a financial advisor to share my passion with others. As a financial advisor, I quickly learned that most women did not share my love of investing. In fact, many felt intimidated, guilty, and uncomfortable with their lack of knowledge, yet they yearn for financial independence. That’s why my true purpose as a financial advisor is to create an environment where women (and those who love them) feel heard, where they are encouraged and supported to express their fears and concerns without judgement. My unique brilliance is creating a positive wealth management experience, so they become more engaged in the conversation, while building the knowledge and confidence they need to live life on their terms.

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.

Lawrence Mcdonald Jr. is a financial advisor at Tricord Investment Advisors, Inc. with 22 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has managed Tricord since 2005. In addition to his advisory role, he is president and owner of L-J Financial Associates, Inc., which offers health insurance, life insurance, and employee benefit services. Tricord Investment Advisors provides discretionary investment supervisory services primarily to individuals and high-net-worth clients, employing long- and short-term equity strategies with an emphasis on individual equities and exchange-traded funds. The firm utilizes the Interactive Brokers platform for customized equity basket holdings and dynamic portfolio re-optimization.

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.

Manish Patel is a financial advisor with BluePrint Private Wealth Management LLC in Alpharetta, GA. He holds a Series 66 designation and has 24 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at JPM Ventures, Karish LLC, and Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC. BluePrint Private Wealth Management is an independent advisory firm serving primarily individual clients, managing approximately $95 million across 60 client relationships. The firm provides tailored portfolio management and financial planning services, employing fundamental and technical analysis with regular portfolio reviews and written recommendations.

Stephen Johnson is a financial advisor with Great Bay Wealth Management in Roswell, GA, holding Series 63, 65, and 66 licenses and bringing 40 years of industry experience. He founded Great Bay Wealth Management in 2017 after a brief tenure at Quest Capital Strategies, Inc. The firm provides discretionary investment management and advisory services to individuals, corporations, charitable organizations, and pension and profit-sharing plans, managing approximately $29.4 million in client assets. Great Bay Wealth Management emphasizes fundamental analysis to create diversified, goal-based portfolios primarily using mutual funds, ETFs, and fixed income, while also incorporating tactical strategies such as options, margin, ADRs, and bitcoin ETFs when appropriate.

Charles Lassiter is a CFP® professional and founder of Lassiter Financial Advisors, LLC in Marietta, GA, with 15 years of industry experience. He has led his independent advisory firm since 2010, having transitioned the majority of his prior client base to the new practice at its inception. Lassiter Financial Advisors, LLC provides financial planning and consulting services to individuals, trusts, and estates, focusing on recommending and monitoring third-party money managers. The firm serves primarily high-net-worth clients by evaluating manager firms, recommending allocations, and reviewing performance without exercising direct portfolio management.

Andy Khoo is a financial advisor with A.I.M. Financial Group, Inc. in Alpharetta, GA, holding the CFP® designation and Series 63 and 65 licenses. He has 20 years of industry experience, including over two decades at A.I.M. Financial Group and affiliations with THE O.N. Equity Sales Company and Ohio National Financial Services. In addition to his advisory role, he serves as vice-president of K&L Service, providing tax planning to clients. A.I.M. Financial Group, Inc. is a small wealth management firm offering discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and third-party managed program recommendations. The firm serves individuals, retirement plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and business entities, using fundamental analysis and growth and income strategies tailored to client goals and risk tolerance.

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.

Jeffrey Payne, Jr., CFP® is the sole advisor at Payne Financial Management, L.L.C. in Kennesaw, GA, with 22 years of industry experience. He has led his firm since 1999, holding the CFP® designation and Series 65 license. Payne Financial Management, L.L.C. serves individual clients, focusing on those planning for, transitioning into, or already in retirement. The firm provides discretionary portfolio management and financial planning services tailored to each client’s goals and risk tolerance, with an emphasis on client education and regular portfolio reviews.

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.

Mark Kanakaris is the principal of Kanakaris and Associates in Woodstock, GA, holding a Series 65 credential with 13 years of industry experience. He has worked at Royal Fund Management, LLC since 2013 and operates his own tax planning and preparation business, Cherokee Tax Group. Kanakaris is also licensed to sell life, annuity, health, and disability insurance. Kanakaris and Associates manages approximately $7.5 million in discretionary assets for about 62 individual clients, offering portfolio management, financial planning, and consulting services. The firm uses a quantitative, rules-based investment process featuring model portfolios, covered-call strategies, sector momentum analysis, and may allocate assets to sub-advisers or third-party models.

John Peterson is a CFP® and ChFC® with 17 years of industry experience. He is the principal of Corners Financial Planning, LLC in Peachtree Corners, GA, where he has worked since 2018. He also has experience with Dempsey Financial Network and Dempsey & Associates Inc. Outside of advisory work, he is involved in fixed insurance sales through Dempsey & Associates. Corners Financial Planning, LLC provides investment advisory and financial planning services to individuals and small businesses. The firm offers tailored advisory work using various strategies and manages a small client base with discretionary and non-discretionary accounts.

Bryan Ellis is a financial advisor with Horizon Investment Counsel LLC in Marietta, GA. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 17 years of industry experience, including 10 years at Horizon Investment Counsel and its predecessor firm. In addition to his advisory role, Bryan operates a licensed insurance agency offering life, property, and casualty insurance products. Horizon Investment Counsel provides discretionary portfolio management through two equity-focused programs, serving moderate to high net worth individuals and various institutional clients. The firm’s investment approach emphasizes long-term ownership of high-quality companies purchased at reasonable prices, managing primarily common stocks with a defined sell discipline.

Christopher Brown is the sole advisor at Brown Capital Advisors, LLC in Marietta, GA, holding a Series 66 designation with 11 years of industry experience. He previously worked at LPL Financial LLC and Hennsler Financial before founding his current firm in 2018. Brown Capital Advisors provides discretionary portfolio management, comprehensive financial planning, and CFO advisory services primarily to individuals, high-net-worth clients, and entrepreneurs or small-business owners. The firm manages approximately $16.7 million across about 20 client relationships, emphasizing fundamental analysis, asset allocation, diversification, and risk management, with the use of equities, ETFs, and select alternative investments. Its CFO advisory services to small businesses, combined with a willingness to utilize derivatives and complex investment vehicles, distinguish its offerings from many independent advisory firms.

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.

Tung Ngo is a financial advisor at Focus Investments, LLC in Duluth, GA, holding a Series 65 designation with 30 years of industry experience. He has been with Focus Investments since 1995. Focus Investments serves individual and corporate clients by providing discretionary investment advisory and portfolio management services, primarily investing in corporate securities using fundamental and economic analysis. The firm manages accounts directly for individuals, does not participate in wrap fee programs, and employs a tiered percentage-of-assets billing method.

Benjamin Baldwin III is a CFP® professional with 27 years of experience in the financial advisory industry. He has been with Responsive Financial Group, Inc. since 2003. Outside of his advisory role, he is involved in commercial property leasing through ownership of RBC Phoenix Inc. Responsive Financial Group, Inc. is an independent firm providing discretionary and non-discretionary investment management, financial planning, and consulting services to individuals, families, trusts, estates, foundations, corporations, and other institutions. The firm utilizes model Risk Adjusted Portfolios (RAPs) across various management styles to address client needs, and it serves a range of clients including pension and profit-sharing plans, offering specialized ERISA plan consulting and fiduciary services.

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.