Independent, inheritance planning financial advisors in Columbia, MD

Freddie Watson is a financial advisor with Lincoln Investment Planning, Inc. in Rockville, MD, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 45 years of industry experience. He has been with Lincoln Investment since 1989. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as president of Watson Family Farms LLC. Lincoln Investment Planning, LLC is a large enterprise firm serving individual and high-net-worth investors, trusts, charities, and retirement plans, including a long history with educators and 403(b) and 457(b) program participants. The firm offers financial planning, portfolio management, and advisor-led consulting, supported by an in-house Investment Management & Research team that constructs model portfolios and employs third-party managers.

Max Hoffman is a Series 66 licensed financial advisor with two years of industry experience. He is currently with Fidelity Investments and previously worked at Equitable Advisors. Fidelity’s Strategic Advisers LLC provides investment management and advisory services to retail and institutional clients, including discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, fund advisory, and model portfolio delivery. The firm employs a combination of proprietary fundamental research, quantitative analysis, and algorithmic portfolio construction.

Eric Wells is a financial advisor with Cambridge Investment Research Advisors holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and three years of industry experience. He has worked at Cambridge Investment Research, Inc. since 2023 and has concurrent experience with the federal government and T. Rowe Price dating back to 2010. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors is a large SEC-registered firm serving a diverse client base, including individuals, retirement plans, and charitable organizations. The firm offers financial planning, investment management, and retirement advisory services through a network of independent professionals, employing a range of portfolio management strategies and proprietary models.

Jeffrey Grodsky is a CFP® professional with 17 years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Cetera. His prior roles include positions at Avantax Investment Services and Carmichael & Associates Inc. In addition to his advisory work, he is involved with Palumbo Financial & Tax Services LLC, where he provides tax preparation and accounting services. Cetera Investment Advisers LLC is an SEC-registered firm supporting a nationwide network of independent advisors, serving individual, retirement plan, corporate, charitable, and institutional clients. The firm offers a multi-manager platform with a range of portfolio management options, including model portfolios, third-party managers, and bespoke strategies, with over $256 billion in assets under management.

Eric Armentrout is a financial advisor with Empower Advisory Group, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and seven years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions 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, as well as certain retail brokerage clients. The firm emphasizes long-term portfolio returns and integrates its services closely with Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative platforms.

Sean Alexander is a financial advisor at Edward Jones in Boulder, CO, holding a Series 66 designation. He joined Edward Jones in 2025 and has prior experience in mortgage lending and residential mortgage companies, as well as a role at The Fitter and time at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Edward Jones is a full-service wealth management firm serving over four million individual and institutional clients. The firm offers a range of advisory programs and investment strategies supported by a large nationwide network of financial advisors and branch offices.

Hi, I'm Steve. I've loved financial planning ever since I was a kid watching the ticker tape on CNBC as my mom, a homemaker learned about finances herself. I grew up in a very frugal household who taught me about working hard and saving for the future. My mother was a homemaker or "domestic engineer" as she calls it and my father was a federal employee. I was fortunate to be introduced to Rita Abel and become the owner of her small, family owned financial planning firm in 2019. Today we work with approximately 60 families. What makes us unique is our passion to be "accountability partner's" for our clients to ensure they take care of the important financial matters in their lives. We are part financial advisors and party financial therapists for our married couples but most importantly we are organized, proactive and have a passion for financial planning. Looking forward to meeting and if you want to know more, I encourage you to read our google reviews online. Just search "Abel Financial Reviews" in google.

Scott Macdonald is a financial advisor with Merrill, holding Series 63 and Series 65 designations and bringing 38 years of industry experience. He has been with Merrill since 1987 and concurrently associated with Bank of America since 2009. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as Chair of the Tahoe Fire Helicopter Steering Committee, coordinating community outreach and efforts to establish a regional fire base and helicopter rescue program. Merrill serves a diverse client base, including individuals, retirement plans, corporations, and institutional clients, offering a range of managed account programs, discretionary portfolio management, and brokerage services. The firm is noted for its integration with Bank of America affiliates and its focus on manager selection and tax-efficient investment strategies.

Clayton Dunkle is a financial advisor at Fermata Advisors in Sonoma, CA, holding a Series 65 designation with six years of industry experience. His work history includes roles at Sonoma Wealth Advisors and Enso Wealth Management, as well as experience outside the financial sector at Cline Family Cellar and Mule Head Growers. Fermata Advisors provides investment management, financial planning, and retirement-plan consulting primarily to individuals, small businesses, and plan fiduciaries. The firm employs a coaching-centered client relationship model and uses a combination of behavioral, charting, cyclical, fundamental, and technical analysis to guide portfolio allocation.

Maris Galins is a CFP® professional with 24 years of industry experience, currently serving as the sole advisor at Mg Financial, Inc. Based in Seattle, WA, Galins has led the firm since 2008. Mg Financial, Inc. provides personalized financial planning and advisory services to individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and business entities. The firm focuses on non-discretionary asset allocation and utilizes SEI model portfolios and third-party money managers, emphasizing planning and adviser selection rather than direct portfolio management.

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.