Independent, general retirement planning financial advisors in Baltimore, MD

Cecil Denton is the sole advisor at Decisions, LLC in Baltimore, MD, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with 25 years of industry experience. He has been with Decisions since its founding in 1997. In addition to his advisory work, he is involved in life insurance activities with brokerage companies. Decisions, LLC provides financial planning and consulting services while referring clients to third-party asset managers and broker-dealers for portfolio management. The firm serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, business entities, and nonprofit organizations, and does not take custody of client assets.

Yuanyuan Yang is a financial advisor with Return on Life Wealth Partners in Baltimore, MD, holding a Series 66 designation and 13 years of industry experience. Yang has worked at LPL Financial since 2012 and is also involved with Planned Financial Services and 401(k) Prosperity. Return on Life Wealth Partners provides comprehensive financial planning and portfolio management primarily for individual and high-net-worth clients, as well as pension and profit-sharing plans. The firm employs a values-driven, holistic planning process that integrates investment, risk management, and legacy strategies with client goals and offers a range of fee arrangements and specialized services.

Melissa Mazard is a financial advisor at Seek the Plan with 13 years of industry experience. She holds the Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has been involved with several nonprofit and educational organizations, including Junior Achievement and Spark Business Academy, where she supports financial literacy and business education programs. Prior to founding her firm, she worked at Foresters Financial. Seek the Plan provides tailored financial planning and investment advice to individual clients, focusing on education, asset allocation, and comprehensive non-investment planning topics such as tax optimization and cash-flow management. The firm emphasizes a long-term investment perspective, offers financial education seminars, and uses non‑AUM fee structures without holding custody of client assets.

Thomas O'Neil Jr. is a CFA® charterholder with 36 years of industry experience. He has been with D.F. Dent and Company, Inc. in Baltimore, MD since 1985. D.F. Dent and Company provides discretionary investment management and financial planning to individual and institutional clients, including high-net-worth individuals, retirement plans, charitable institutions, and municipal entities. The firm employs a disciplined portfolio construction process across equity and fixed-income strategies and manages a family of mutual funds while serving other advisors and wrap/UMA programs.

Validmir Kats is a financial advisor at Fiduciary Financial Advisors in Baltimore, MD, holding a Series 65 designation with two years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Freedom Calls, LLC, Five Doors, Legacy, and ER4RE, LLC. Kats serves on the advisory board of Alchemy of Money and works as a business consultant in private practice. Fiduciary Financial Advisors serves a diverse client base including individuals, families, trusts, retirement plans, corporations, and charitable foundations. The firm offers discretionary investment management, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and outsourced CFO services, with an investment process that integrates strategic asset allocation and multiple analytical approaches.

Sarah Currier Barrella is a CFP® professional with 26 years of experience in financial advisory services. She currently works at Santander Securities LLC and Santander Bank, NA, having previously held positions at TD Bank and Citizens Securities, Inc. Barrella is based in Boston, MA. Santander Securities LLC serves a broad retail client base with approximately $3.14 billion in regulatory assets under management across 10,800 client relationships. The firm offers investment advisory services, portfolio management through wrap-fee programs, and financial planning, operating both as a registered investment adviser and a FINRA-registered broker-dealer.

Amanda Scheele is a financial advisor with Raymond James & Associates in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, holding a Series 66 designation and 16 years of industry experience. Prior to joining Raymond James in 2024, she worked at Wells Fargo Clearing from 2016 to 2024 and is involved with Lucky Duck since 2025. Raymond James & Associates is a large, dually registered broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser serving a diverse client base that includes individuals, institutions, and municipal entities. The firm offers financial planning and non-discretionary consulting services, drawing on various portfolio management styles and affiliated research.

Lori Fell is a Series 66 credentialed financial advisor with Edward Jones in East Lansing, MI, where she has worked since 2009, accumulating 17 years of industry experience. Outside of her advisory role, she is the owner of LAF Properties LLC, a business she maintains in East Lansing. Edward Jones is a full-service wealth management firm serving over four million individual and institutional clients. The firm offers a range of discretionary and non-discretionary investment solutions, including managed account strategies and affiliated mutual funds, and operates under a fiduciary standard.

Kenneth Blaschke is a financial advisor at HeadInvest in Portland, ME, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with 16 years of industry experience. He has been with HeadInvest since 2009. HeadInvest serves a diverse range of clients, including individuals, trusts, endowments, and government entities, providing discretionary portfolio management and financial planning. The firm employs a holistic, asset-allocation driven approach, combining fixed-income selection with low-cost ETFs and emphasizing tax efficiency.

Michael Ipp is a financial advisor with Raymond James Financial, holding Series 63 and Series 65 designations and bringing 42 years of industry experience. He has been with Raymond James Financial Services Advisors since 2010 and serves as an independent contractor for 1792 Wealth Advisors. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors provides financial planning, investment consulting, and advisory services to a diverse client base, including individuals, high-net-worth clients, corporations, and institutional clients. The firm offers tailored, non-discretionary planning and uses analytical tools to support client decision-making, while also maintaining specialized programs such as municipal advisory services and SIMPLE IRA Employer Advisory & Consulting Services.

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 Series 65 licensed financial advisor with two years of industry experience, currently with Waverly Advisors, LLC. She previously worked at 9258 Wealth Management for five years and was employed at Teradata Corp for eleven years. Martin also serves as assistant director of tax planning at 9258 Tax and Planning, a non-investment related business. Waverly Advisors is a multi-team registered investment adviser managing portfolios for individuals, retirement plans, and pooled investment vehicles. The firm combines traditional equity and fixed-income strategies with alternative and private-market allocations, offering a range of investment management and financial planning services.

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 Martin Wealth Management, LLC in Irvine, CA. He holds a Series 65 credential and has 15 years of industry experience. Hart previously worked with Safeguard Investment Advisory Group and LifePro Asset Management. He is also a Certified Financial Fiduciary and volunteers as an instructor with the Foundation for Fiduciary Education, providing unbiased fiduciary financial education to the public. Martin Wealth Management offers investment advisory services primarily to individuals and high-net-worth clients by co-advising and directing accounts to a third-party money manager, Matson Money. The firm focuses on client onboarding, documentation, and ongoing review of third-party manager accounts rather than direct asset management.

Sarah Currier Barrella is a CFP® professional with 26 years of experience in financial advisory services. She currently works at Santander Securities LLC and Santander Bank, NA, having previously held positions at TD Bank and Citizens Securities, Inc. Barrella is based in Boston, MA. Santander Securities LLC serves a broad retail client base with approximately $3.14 billion in regulatory assets under management across 10,800 client relationships. The firm offers investment advisory services, portfolio management through wrap-fee programs, and financial planning, operating both as a registered investment adviser and a FINRA-registered broker-dealer.