Independent, factor investing / smart beta financial advisors in Bethesda, MD

Oliver Fratzscher is the principal of EM Leaders, LLC, an independent advisory firm based in Bethesda, MD. He holds a Series 65 designation and has 13 years of industry experience. Since founding EM Leaders in 2012, he has focused on providing investment advisory services related to emerging markets. EM Leaders serves institutional investors seeking exposure to emerging markets by selecting and monitoring local investment managers across multiple jurisdictions. The firm offers multi-manager and fund-of-fund supervisory services, emphasizing thorough local due diligence and customized investment policy implementation.

Peter Ryan is a financial advisor at Alikos Wealth Management, LLC with nine years of industry experience. He holds the Series 65 designation and has been with Alikos since 2015. Ryan also has over 30 years of experience at Ryan & Wetmore P.C. Outside of his advisory work, he is involved as a member in several real estate investment partnerships. Alikos Wealth Management serves individuals, retirement plans, trusts, charitable organizations, and small businesses by providing discretionary investment management, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting. The firm emphasizes long-term, broadly diversified portfolios primarily implemented with passively managed mutual funds and ETFs, and offers customized solutions including ESG, tax-sensitive, and fixed-income accounts.

Lee Miller is a CFP® and Series 65 credentialed financial advisor with 23 years of industry experience. He is the principal of Miller Capital Management, Inc. and also operates Lee J. Miller, CPA, P.C., a public accounting practice. Miller serves on the board of directors of a charitable foundation as its vice president and treasurer and acts as trustee for several trusts. Miller Capital Management provides personalized investment supervisory services and financial planning to individuals, high-net-worth clients, and trusts. The firm focuses on capital preservation through fundamental security analysis and a long-term buy-and-hold strategy, making tailored recommendations and requiring client approval before transactions.

Anna N'jie Konte is a CFP® professional at Poder Wealth Advisors with 10 years of industry experience. She previously worked at RBC Capital Markets and also served as CEO of Dare to Dream Consulting, where she provided speaking engagement services. Poder Wealth Advisors is a state-registered firm serving individual clients, business owners, and nonprofit entities. The firm employs a primarily passive investment approach based on Modern Portfolio Theory, offering diversified, low-cost portfolios alongside comprehensive financial planning and discretionary portfolio management.

Gretchen Bolton is a financial advisor with Equitable Advisors in Bethesda, MD, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and having 32 years of industry experience. She has worked at Equitable Advisors and its predecessor, AXA Advisors, since 1999. Outside of her advisory role, she serves in leadership positions on several local community boards, including as secretary of the Old Georgetown Office Park Condominium Owners' Association and vice president of the Waterside Reserve Property Owners Association. Equitable Advisors serves a diverse client base including individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, corporations, and charitable organizations, offering financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and various asset-management programs. The firm utilizes a range of investment models and third-party asset managers, providing services that span mutual funds, ETFs, separately managed accounts, and select alternative investments.

Joseph Hage is a financial advisor with Financial Trust Asset Management Chartered in Boca Raton, FL, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 40 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Citigroup, Cetera Investment Advisers, and BB&T Investments. He is also part owner of Financial Trust Research Partners, LLC, where he conducts and reviews investment research. Financial Trust Asset Management serves individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, corporations, and other advisers, offering discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, OCIO services, and sub-advisory/model licensing. The firm employs a blend of quantitative, fundamental, and technical analysis through proprietary models and indexes, and its setup includes unique features such as affiliated research and distribution arrangements that extend its proprietary strategies to third-party platforms.

Tiffany Stoner is a CFP®-certified financial advisor with 16 years of industry experience. She is currently with Avier Wealth Advisors in Bellevue, WA, where she has worked since 2024. Her prior experience includes roles at Badgley Phelps Wealth Managers, Brighton Jones, and Charles Schwab. Avier Wealth Advisors provides financial planning and discretionary investment management to individuals, families, and various business entities. The firm emphasizes broad asset allocation strategies using primarily mutual funds and ETFs, incorporates factor research into equity allocations, and offers integrated planning and portfolio management services, including handling held-away assets.

Ryan Paul is a CFP® professional with 13 years of experience in the financial services industry. He is currently with Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services, LLC, where he has worked since 2016. His prior experience includes roles at Morgan Stanley and Wells Fargo Clearing. Outside of his advisory role, he is involved in tax preparation and accounting on a limited basis. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services manages over $122 billion in assets and provides financial planning, asset management, and retirement-plan consulting to individuals, high-net-worth clients, corporations, and retirement plans. The firm employs a diversified, risk-class based investment approach utilizing both passive and active managers, supported by an internal Investment Committee.

Keith Johnson is a financial advisor at Associated Investment Services, Inc. with 12 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and has worked previously at Securities America Advisors and Securities America Inc. He has been with Associated Investment Services since 2017. Associated Investment Services, Inc. provides advisory and brokerage services to individual investors, small corporations, trusts, estates, and charitable institutions. The firm offers model portfolio and separately managed account programs through third-party managers and its affiliate Kellogg Asset Management, delivering advisory services via the Envestnet/NFS platform with a predominantly non-discretionary investment approach.

Pranay Dureja is a financial advisor at Dorsey, Wright & Associates, LLC with four years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has previously worked at Nasdaq, Merrill, and Bank of America. Outside of finance, he is a co-founder and partner of Studio Suzuki, a small record label promoting and distributing local musical artists. Dorsey, Wright & Associates provides discretionary investment management to individual investors and offers research, model licensing, and advisory services to institutional and professional clients. The firm’s investment approach is based on technical analysis, utilizing Point & Figure charting and relative strength methods across multiple asset classes.

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.