Top advisors focused on family business 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.

Edward Blatz is a Senior Resident Director and Wealth Management Advisor at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management. He specializes in working with high net-worth families and closely-held businesses, focusing on estate and wealth management strategies. Edward partners closely with clients’ tax advisors and estate planning attorneys to provide a comprehensive approach to managing both financial and personal aspects of their lives. His services include performance assessment, personalized guidance, and periodic reviews to help clients progress toward their individual financial goals. Edward joined Merrill Lynch Wealth Management in 1985 and has over 40 years of experience developing tailored financial solutions that consider clients’ risk tolerance, time horizon, liquidity needs, and investment objectives. His areas of expertise encompass college education planning, divorce transition planning, employee benefits, executive compensation, family wealth management, managing new wealth, investment strategies, and retirement income. Edward holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Adelphi University and has earned several professional designations, including CERTIFIED PLAN FIDUCIARY ADVISOR (CPFA), Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor (CRPC), Personal Investment Advisor (PIA), and Retirement Accredited Financial Advisor (RAFA). Edward is also a member of The Blatz-Rooney Group, which was named to the 2024 Forbes "Best-in-State Wealth Management Teams" list. Outside of his professional work, he has personal interests in golfing, reading, and tennis.

Eric Scovill is a financial advisor at Storehouse Wealth Management, LLC with seven years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at Bedrock Digital Asset Management, MML Investors Services, and Mass Mutual Life Insurance. Outside of advising, Scovill is co-owner of Bedrock Digital Asset Management and YouAre Launched LLC, a business consulting and syndication company. Storehouse Wealth Management provides multi-family office services, investment management, and fee-based financial planning primarily to high-net-worth individuals, trusts, and small business owners. The firm uses computer models, economic research, and ongoing monitoring to manage diversified portfolios and offers family-office services including estate and tax planning, philanthropic guidance, and business consulting.

Robert Mainello is a CFP® professional with over 10 years of experience in the financial industry. He has worked at Waldron Private Wealth since 2022 and previously held roles at Wells Fargo Bank and SEI Investments. Outside of his advisory work, he owns a sports marketing business that arranges paid public appearances for professional athletes around the Philadelphia area. Waldron Private Wealth is a multi-team registered investment adviser serving individual and high-net-worth clients, as well as trusts, estates, retirement plans, and charitable organizations. The firm uses a strategic asset allocation approach with a diverse mix of investment vehicles, including alternative allocations and less-liquid strategies, supported by ongoing portfolio monitoring and rebalancing.

Christian Nelson is a financial advisor at IEQ Capital, LLC with 20 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 63, Series 65, and Series 66 designations. Prior to joining IEQ Capital in 2019, he worked at First Republic Securities Company and First Republic Investment Management from 2015 to 2019. IEQ Capital provides discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management and advisory services primarily to high-net-worth individuals, families, trusts, foundations, and private funds. The firm’s investment approach includes centralized macro and manager research, use of independent managers, and allocation to liquid and private alternative investments.

Robert Neuman is a financial advisor with FIDERE Advisors in Minnetonka, MN, holding a Series 65 designation and five years of industry experience. Before joining FIDERE, he worked at Boulevard Wealth Management and spent over two decades at Koch Petroleum Group and Marathon Petroleum Co. FIDERE Advisors provides advisory services to individuals, trusts, estates, pension and profit-sharing plans, and small businesses. The firm emphasizes long-term strategic portfolio allocation, primarily recommending mutual funds and ETFs, and offers financial planning, discretionary portfolio management, family-office and business advisory, insurance advisory, and research and valuation projects.