Independent advisors focused on debt management in Alabama

Dustin Woodham is a financial advisor with Cetera who holds a Series 66 designation and has 18 years of industry experience. He has been with Cetera Investment Advisors LLC, Cetera Investment Services LLC, and Regions Bank since 2014. Cetera Investment Advisers serves a diverse client base including individual, high-net-worth, institutional, and retirement-plan clients through a network of over 6,800 independent advisors. The firm offers a range of portfolio management, financial planning, and fiduciary services, utilizing a combination of advisor-managed accounts, firm-sponsored model portfolios, and third-party managed solutions.

James Harris III is a financial advisor at Stifel in Birmingham, AL, with 29 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and has been with Stifel since 2015. His prior experience includes roles at Sterne Agee Leach Inc. and AIG Sunamerica Capital Services, Inc. Stifel serves a broad range of clients, including individuals, institutional clients, and charitable organizations, providing both brokerage and investment advisory services. The firm uses a proprietary investment methodology developed by its Investment Strategy Group to support asset allocation, retirement, and estate planning analyses.

Stephen Dunbar III is a financial advisor with Equitable Advisors in Atlanta, GA, holding a Series 66 designation and 19 years of industry experience. He has been with Equitable Advisors since 2010, previously associated with AXA Advisors, LLC during the same period. Outside of advising, he writes a monthly financial column for Kiplinger and is involved as an owner and investor in a family-run baking business. Equitable Advisors serves individual investors, retirement plan sponsors, corporations, and charitable organizations, providing financial planning, retirement-plan support, and access to asset management through LPL programs and third-party asset managers. The firm operates a hybrid referral and implementation model that combines advisory and brokerage services tailored to clients’ goals, risk tolerance, and time horizons.

Leslie Layne is a financial advisor with Edward Jones in Hoover, AL, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses. She has seven years of experience at Edward Jones following previous roles at PRUCO Securities and The Prudential Insurance Company of America, as well as ten years at State Farm Insurance and its management corporation. Leslie has served as a panelist in a FINRA dispute resolution arbitration case in Alabama. Edward Jones is a full-service wealth management firm serving individual and institutional clients, offering a range of advisory programs and investment strategies. The firm manages over $1 trillion in assets with a nationwide network of more than 23,700 advisors.

Gavin Taylor is a Series 66 licensed advisor with Primerica Advisors, based in Chipley, FL, and has four years of industry experience. He previously worked at Park Avenue Securities and Guardian Life Insurance Company and spent seven years with the Department of Defense, where he also worked part-time as an engineer. He is a partner in GCK Family Enterprises, LLC. Park Avenue Securities serves a broad retail client base, including individual and high-net-worth investors, charitable organizations, and corporate clients, offering brokerage and advisory services alongside financial planning and retirement consulting. The firm employs a range of proprietary and third-party investment strategies and supports various account-level services such as lending solutions and donor-advised funds.

Timothy Coyne is the sole advisor at Coyne Capital Management, LLC in Westlake, Ohio, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with 16 years of industry experience. He has worked at Coyne Capital Management since 2010. Coyne Capital Management provides discretionary investment management and standalone financial planning services to individuals, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations, typically serving clients with at least $500,000 in investable assets. The firm emphasizes asset-class diversification, utilizes both fundamental and technical analysis, and offers tailored Investment Policy Statements to align with clients’ goals and risk tolerance.

Jorden Bastien is a financial advisor at LifeSteps Financial with 13 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has been with LifeSteps Financial (formerly Foothill Financial Advisors, Inc.) since 2012. The firm serves individuals, families, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, businesses, retirement plan participants, and charitable organizations. LifeSteps Financial employs an ETF-centric investment approach based on Modern Portfolio Theory, offering discretionary and non-discretionary advisory services combined with integrated financial planning and a hands-on bill-payment and reconciliation service.

Don Larson is a CFP® with 19 years of experience in the financial advisory industry. He is the founder of Larson Wealth Management, LLC, where he has worked since 2011. Outside of his advisory practice, Larson owns and manages a bookkeeping and tax preparation business and serves as secretary and treasurer of a private company. Larson Wealth Management provides investment supervisory and consulting services to a diverse client base, including high-net-worth individuals, family offices, and institutional clients such as pension and profit-sharing plans. The firm employs customized strategic asset allocation using mutual funds and ETFs and combines fundamental and technical analysis with regular portfolio reviews.

Marilynne Shadow is a financial advisor at Empower Advisory Group with eight years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 66 designations and has previously worked at Morgan Stanley, E*TRADE Securities, Fidelity Brokerage Services, and Charles Schwab. Outside of her advisory role, she is the sole proprietor of The Barking Crab, an art and culture business based in Centennial, Colorado. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management primarily to employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors and their participants, using an integrated model linked to Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative platforms. The firm focuses on long-term portfolio returns, annual rebalancing, and clients’ savings rates rather than short-term return forecasts.

Kari Wolfson is a CFP® and holds a Series 65 license with 13 years of industry experience. She has worked at Adviser Investments, LLC from 2011 to 2024 before joining RWA Wealth Partners in 2024. RWA Wealth Partners serves a broad client base including individuals, families, trusts, charitable organizations, business entities, and retirement plans. The firm emphasizes strategic asset allocation using an open-architecture platform and integrates fundamental and quantitative methods in its investment strategies, alongside offering financial planning, tax services, and retirement plan advisory.

Jared Fruth is a financial advisor at Northwest Asset Management with four years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and previously worked at Securities America, Inc., KMS Financial Services, Inc., Oppenheimer Funds, and John Paul Mitchell Systems. Northwest Asset Management is a registered investment adviser managing approximately $3.6 billion for nearly 3,000 clients, including individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, charities, and corporations. The firm employs a customized, fiduciary approach using Modern Portfolio Theory and strategic asset allocation, combining fundamental and technical analysis to build diversified portfolios with periodic rebalancing.

Edwina Martin is a financial advisor at Waverly Advisors, LLC with two years of industry experience. She holds a Series 65 designation and previously worked at 9258 Wealth Management for five years and Teradata Corp for eleven years. In addition to her advisory role, she serves as assistant director of tax planning at 9258 Tax and Planning. Waverly Advisors, LLC is an SEC-registered enterprise adviser serving individuals, corporations, retirement plans, and pooled investment vehicles. The firm offers discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and fiduciary services, employing a combination of centralized and customized investment strategies across traditional and alternative asset classes.

Craig Mcdaniel Jr. is a financial advisor with Capital Investment Advisory Services, LLC in Columbia, SC. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 13 years of industry experience. He has been with Capital Investment Group, Inc. and The McDaniel Corporation since 2012. Outside of his advisory role, he is involved in life insurance sales and serves as an independent agent for annuities and related products. Capital Investment Advisory Services, LLC provides investment advisory and supervisory services to individuals, retirement plans, corporations, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations. The firm offers customized investment management through discretionary mandates, third-party managers, and private-label model portfolios, using a blend of analytical methods with ongoing portfolio monitoring.

David Hart is a financial advisor with Safeguard Investment Advisory Group, LLC, holding a Series 65 credential and 15 years of industry experience. He has worked with Safeguard since 2020 and previously held roles at LifePro Asset Management, LLC, Martin and Associates Insurance Services, Inc., and Martin Wealth Management, LLC. Hart is also a Certified Financial Fiduciary and volunteers as an instructor with the Foundation for Fiduciary Education (NACFF), providing unbiased fiduciary financial education. Safeguard Investment Advisory Group, LLC serves individual, high-net-worth, institutional, and business clients, offering discretionary portfolio management, access to third-party sub-advisers, and fee-based financial planning. The firm employs a fundamental-analysis investment process with a preferred horizon of two to ten years and manages over $600 million across approximately 1,800 client relationships.

Sarah Currier Barrella is a CFP®-certified financial advisor with 26 years of industry experience. She is currently with Santander Securities LLC and Santander Bank, NA, having previously worked at TD Bank and Citizens Securities, Inc. Barrella holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses. Santander Securities LLC provides investment advisory and related services to a diverse client base, including individuals, corporations, charitable organizations, retirement plans, and institutional clients. The firm offers wrap-fee advisory programs and financial planning services, delivering investment advice through the FMAX managed-account platform with discretionary portfolio management and ongoing suitability reviews.