Top home buying financial advisors in Columbia, MD

Freddie Watson is a financial advisor with Lincoln Investment based in Rockville, MD, holding Series 63 and Series 65 designations and 45 years of industry experience. He has been affiliated with Lincoln Investment Planning, Inc. since 1989. Outside of advising, he serves as president of Watson Family Farms LLC, a farming business. Lincoln Investment serves individuals, charitable organizations, businesses, and employer-sponsored retirement plans, with a focus on educators and 403(b)/457(b) participants. The firm offers a range of financial planning and investment management services, employing both strategic and tactical approaches through in-house and third-party strategies.

Max Hoffman is a financial advisor at Fidelity with Series 66 registration and one year of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Equitable Advisors and various non-financial organizations. Strategic Advisers LLC, a Fidelity Investments company, offers investment management and advisory services to retail and institutional clients, including discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management. The firm employs a systematic investment approach utilizing fundamental research, quantitative analysis, and algorithmic portfolio construction across mutual funds, ETFs, and ETPs.

Eric Wells is a financial advisor with Cambridge Investment Research Advisors in Columbia, MD, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and two years of industry experience. He has concurrently worked at T. Rowe Price and within the federal government since 2010. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors is a large SEC-registered firm serving a diverse client base including individuals, retirement plans, charitable organizations, and trusts. The firm offers financial planning, investment management, and retirement advisory services through a network of independent professionals using a range of portfolio management and model-based strategies.

Jeffrey Grodsky is a financial advisor with Cetera holding the CFP® designation and Series 63 and 65 licenses, bringing 17 years of industry experience. He has worked with firms including Avantax Investment Services and Carmichael & Associates Inc. Outside of his advisory role, he is involved with Palumbo Financial & Tax Services LLC, providing tax preparation and accounting services integrated with financial planning. Cetera Investment Advisers LLC is an SEC-registered firm serving individual, corporate, charitable, and institutional clients through a large nationwide network of independent advisors. The firm offers a multi-manager platform with diverse portfolio management and financial planning services, supporting discretion levels ranging from automated allocations to custom strategies.

Eric Armentrout is a financial advisor with Empower Advisory Group in Columbia, MD, holding Series 63 and Series 66 credentials and seven years of industry experience. He previously worked at T Rowe Price and Equitable Advisors. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management primarily to employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors and their participants, utilizing an integrated model tied to Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative platforms. The firm emphasizes long-term portfolio returns, annual rebalancing, and clients’ savings rates in its financial planning approach.

Brandon Johnson is a Financial Advisor with Merrill Lynch Wealth Management. He works closely with clients to develop strategies that address their short-, mid-, and long-term financial goals. His approach includes providing ongoing advice and guidance tailored to changing client needs, and he facilitates access to additional banking, credit, home financing, and small business resources through Bank of America specialists. His areas of expertise include family wealth management strategies, investment consulting for defined contribution plans, managing new wealth, personal retirement planning, portfolio management, small business strategies, tax minimization, and retirement income. Brandon holds a Bachelor's Degree from Western Michigan University and has earned professional designations including Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor (CRPC) and Personal Investment Advisor (PIA). Outside of his professional role, Brandon spends time engaging in sports such as basketball and golf, enjoys music, and values spending time with his family. He enjoys activities like game nights and barbecues, as well as visiting parks and walking nature trails with his wife and two sons.

Jacob Wyand is a financial advisor at Wyand Wealth LLC in Saint Petersburg, FL, holding a Series 66 designation and four years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Fidelity Investments and UBS Financial Services. Wyand Wealth LLC is a state-registered investment adviser serving individual and family clients with investment management and financial planning. The firm uses a top-down asset allocation process focused on ETFs and individual equities, providing discretionary management and accommodating client investment restrictions.

Gisselle Caraballo is a Financial Solutions Advisor with Merrill Lynch Wealth Management. In her role, she partners with clients to understand their financial priorities and develop strategies tailored to their short-, mid-, and long-term goals. She provides guidance across a broad spectrum of financial needs, including investing, retirement planning, and unexpected expense preparation, while also facilitating access to Bank of America specialists for banking and lending solutions. With expertise in managing the competing demands of personal finance, Gisselle works closely with clients to define objectives and implement portfolio strategies aligned with those goals. She offers ongoing advice to adapt portfolios as clients' circumstances evolve. Gisselle holds the Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor (CRPC) and Personal Investment Advisor (PIA) designations and earned her Bachelor's Degree from the University of Texas System. She is a member of the National Association of Women Business Owners and is fluent in English and Spanish.

Hugh Baker is a CFP® and holds a Series 66 license with seven years of industry experience. He has been with Wrenne Financial Planning LLC since 2021 and previously worked at Allegheny Financial Group from 2015 to 2021. Wrenne Financial Planning LLC is an SEC-registered advisory firm with six advisors managing approximately $231 million for about 400 clients, including individual and high-net-worth households as well as corporate and business clients. The firm employs a passive investment approach using diversified portfolios of index mutual funds and ETFs, providing comprehensive financial planning and discretionary portfolio management along with separate student-loan planning services.

Max Mc Grail is a Series 65-licensed advisor with MMM Capital Ventures, where he has been working since 2025. He is also the founder and CEO of Sunset Beach Collective LLC, a lifestyle brand focused on clothing and merchandise. His prior career includes roles at the Auto Club of Southern California and several other positions across different industries. MMM Capital Ventures is a small advisory firm serving primarily individual retail investors and custodial accounts for minors. The firm employs an active, market-timing approach that uses technical analysis, sentiment measures, and market news, offering both discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management with sophisticated strategies including options and leveraged ETFs.