Large-firm financial advisors working with self-employed clients 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.

Kristin Manna is a financial advisor at Guardian Life with a Series 66 designation and one year of industry experience. She previously worked at Consolidated Planning Holdings, Inc. and spent eight years with Charleston County School District. Outside of finance, she is an author and publisher of "The Basketball Coach's Notebook" and works as a math tutor for high school students. Guardian Life's subsidiary, Park Avenue® Wealth Management, serves individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and corporate clients, offering brokerage services, financial planning, retirement consulting, and a combination of proprietary and third-party investment advisory programs.

Geoffrey Tomes is a financial advisor with Sanctuary Advisors, LLC, holding a Series 66 credential and 26 years of industry experience. He has worked at Noyes Advisors LLC for 11 years and David A Noyes & Company for 26 years. His other business activities include involvement in fixed life and health insurance and fixed annuities. Sanctuary Advisors, LLC serves a diverse client base including individuals, corporations, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations through a network of over 400 independent investment adviser representatives. The firm offers a range of portfolio management and financial planning services employing various analytical approaches and maintains distinctive features such as negotiated performance-based fees for large institutional clients and affiliations with specialized asset management firms.

Ryan Vollweiler is a CFP® with 22 years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Schwab Wealth Advisory Inc. since 2021. He has held prior roles within the Schwab organization dating back to 2017 and briefly worked at Voya Financial Advisor, Inc. in 2015-2016. Schwab Wealth Advisory provides non-discretionary fiduciary investment advice to clients enrolled in the Schwab Wealth Advisory program, delivering services such as annual financial reviews and investment recommendations using Schwab’s proprietary research tools. The firm operates as an internal advisory unit within Charles Schwab & Co., Inc., distinguishing itself by not charging clients directly and by limiting discretionary management to affiliated or third-party money managers.

Jonathan Levatino is a financial advisor at LPL Enterprise with a Series 66 designation and four years of industry experience. His prior work includes roles at The Prudential Insurance Company of America, Pruco Securities LLC, and Apple Inc. Outside of his advisory role, he also works as a rideshare driver for Uber and Doordash. LPL Enterprise serves a diverse client base including individuals, retirement plans, charitable organizations, and corporations, offering financial planning, advisory services, and access to model wealth portfolios and third-party asset management programs. The firm integrates advisory programs with brokerage and insurance product sales through its affiliated entities.

Rachel Gentz is a financial advisor at Verity Asset Management with six years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 designations and has worked at firms including Menna Wealth Planning Group and The Leaders Group DBA Simplicity Investments. In addition to her advisory roles, she is president and owner of Rachel A Menna Advisors Inc. Verity Asset Management is an SEC-registered investment adviser that provides discretionary portfolio management, retirement-plan advisory, and financial planning to individual, corporate, institutional clients, and other advisers. The firm uses a model-driven investment process emphasizing tactical asset allocation across diverse asset classes and offers both internally managed and third-party models under fiduciary standards.

Jeffrey Park is a financial advisor at Merrill with eight years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at Merrill and affiliated firms since 2011, including roles at JPMorgan Chase Bank and J.P. Morgan Securities. Outside of his advisory work, he is a sole owner and co-owner of family rental properties in Lawrenceville, Georgia. Merrill, together with its affiliate Managed Account Advisors LLC, provides managed account services to Bank of America fiduciary clients through the Select Portfolio Solutions Program, offering model-based and discretionary strategies for individuals, high-net-worth clients, and institutional investors.

Scott Mahoney is a financial advisor with Morgan Stanley in New York, NY, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and bringing 34 years of industry experience. He has been with Morgan Stanley since 2009, including roles at Morgan Stanley Private Bank, N.A. Outside of his advisory work, he is involved with Giants Foot Cubed LLC. Morgan Stanley Wealth Management is a large SEC-registered investment adviser and broker-dealer that serves both individual and institutional clients. The firm offers a wide range of advisory programs and financial planning services supported by structured planning tools and broad investment resources.

Elizabeth Brown is a Series 66 licensed financial advisor with J.P. Morgan Securities in New York, NY, where she has worked since 2012. She has 26 years of industry experience. J.P. Morgan Securities provides institutional consulting services to clients such as corporations, foundations, and defined contribution plan sponsors, offering asset allocation advice, investment manager and fund searches, and customized performance reporting through a select group of Wealth Advisors. The firm combines large institutional advisory operations with brokerage, distribution, and investment management capabilities.

Wesley Pool is a financial advisor at Wells Fargo Clearing with 15 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and previously worked at JPMorgan Securities LLC for seven years. Outside of finance, he has been involved with #TagMeBro LLC and Fry Street Public House. Wells Fargo Advisors is a national securities firm serving individual, corporate, and institutional clients with investment advisory services, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting. The firm manages approximately $671 billion in assets and offers both brokerage and advisory solutions.

Willie Myles is a financial advisor with Equitable Advisors in Cary, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 16 years of industry experience. He has worked at Equitable Advisors since 2016 and previously at AXA Advisors, LLC. Outside of his advisory work, he serves as co-chairman of a fundraising campaign for the nonprofit Alpha Light Fund Inc., focused on renovating the House of Alpha. Equitable Advisors serves a diverse client base including individual, high-net-worth, retirement plan, corporate, charitable, and institutional clients, offering financial planning, broker-dealer services, insurance distribution, and access to third-party asset management programs. The firm operates as both an SEC-registered investment adviser and broker-dealer, leveraging LPL-sponsored programs and endorsed TAMPs to deliver advisory and brokerage solutions.