Independent, life insurance needs analysis financial advisors in Columbus, OH

Terrie Austin is a CFP® professional with 27 years of industry experience, currently operating as the sole advisor at Milestone Wealth Strategies in Columbus, OH. Her career includes roles at LPL Financial, Stratos Wealth Partners, Fifth Third Securities, Raymond James Financial, PRUCO Securities, Valic Financial Advisors, and UBS Financial Services. She holds several securities licenses, including Series 63, 65, and 66. Milestone Wealth Strategies provides holistic financial planning and discretionary portfolio management to individuals, families, small businesses, and not-for-profit organizations. The firm emphasizes risk control and value-oriented investing while offering a formal specialty in divorce financial planning, alongside educational seminars and employer retirement plan consulting.

Erik Roemer is a CFP® with over 32 years of experience in the financial services industry. He has worked at Gerber, LLC since 2000 and previously at Purshe Kaplan Sterling Investments. Roemer holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and serves as Chief Compliance Officer at Gerber, overseeing client service, financial planning, staff management, and regulatory compliance. Gerber, LLC serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and businesses, focusing on growth-oriented, first-generation entrepreneurs. The firm offers discretionary investment management and comprehensive wealth services, using a long-term, diversified investment approach that includes mutual funds, ETFs, alternative investments, and derivatives, supported by independent managers and an outsourced CIO.

Clinton Bakle is a Series 66-licensed financial advisor with Nationwide Investment Advisors, LLC in Columbus, OH, and has 14 years of industry experience. He has been with Nationwide Investment Services Corporation since 2011. Outside of his advisory role, he owns a business focused on golf-related videos, guides, and product reviews. Nationwide Investment Advisors provides investment advice and managed-account solutions primarily to retirement plan sponsors and participants, specializing in ERISA 401(k) and public 403(b)/457(b) plans. The firm employs independent fiduciary experts for portfolio construction and serves a large retail participant base through a variety of discretionary and non-discretionary services.

Neal Patel is a financial advisor with Merrill in Columbus, OH, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and having two years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Bank of America, J.P. Morgan Securities, and Coastal Equities, Inc. 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 a range of clients including individuals, high-net-worth investors, and institutional entities.

Jason Demopoulos is a financial advisor at J.P. Morgan Securities with three years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has previously worked at UBS Financial Services and Bank of America. Outside of his financial career, he has been involved with the Central Ohio Baseball Umpires Association and the Ohio High School Athletic Association. J.P. Morgan Securities provides institutional consulting services to corporations, foundations, and defined contribution plan sponsors, offering asset allocation advice, investment manager searches, and customized performance reporting. The firm combines large institutional advisory operations with brokerage and investment management capabilities, delivering services on a non-discretionary basis.

Aden Partee is a CFP® and holds a Series 65 license, currently serving as a financial advisor at Foundations Investment Advisors LLC with two years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at JEHM Wealth & Retirement, Alloy Investment Management, and LPL Financial. Outside of finance, he has work experience in the retail and service industries, including multiple years at Chick-fil-A. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC provides financial planning and portfolio management to a diverse client base, including individuals, high-net-worth clients, employer-sponsored retirement plans, and registered investment companies. The firm uses a combination of fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis in its investment approach and offers services through a large network of affiliated offices and representatives.

Don Larson is the principal advisor at Larson Wealth Management, LLC in Mesa, Arizona, holding a CFP® designation along with Series 63, 65, and 66 licenses and bringing 20 years of industry experience. He previously worked at Steele Larson Advisors, LLLP for seven years before founding Larson Wealth Management in 2011. Outside of advisory services, he owns and manages a bookkeeping and tax preparation business and serves as secretary and treasurer for AEM International (US) Ltd. Larson Wealth Management provides investment supervisory and consulting services to a diverse client base, including high-net-worth individuals, family offices, corporate and Taft-Hartley employee benefit plans, and charitable organizations. The firm employs customized strategic asset allocations across various equity and fixed income securities, emphasizing mutual funds and ETFs, and offers both discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management with regular reviews.

Malissa Mc Nanna is a financial advisor with Black Knight Wealth Management, LLC and holds a Series 65 designation. She has four years of industry experience and has previously worked at Optivise Advisory Services, LLC, OnPointe Advisory and Financial Services LLC, and Vision Advisors, Inc. Outside of her advisory role, she is involved with Vision Advisors, Inc., where she recruits agents, conducts product training, and provides sales support for annuity and life insurance products. Black Knight Wealth Management serves individual and high-net-worth clients by offering portfolio management, financial planning, and coordination with other professional advisors. The firm employs a range of investment strategies and prepares individualized Investment Policy Statements, managing accounts primarily on a discretionary, asset-based basis while reviewing portfolios monthly.

Gregory Smarr is a financial advisor with Smarr Financial Services Inc. in Atlanta, GA, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and possessing 21 years of industry experience. He has led his independent firm since 2004. Outside of his advisory work, he is licensed to sell various insurance products including life, fixed annuities, and property and casualty insurance through multiple carriers. Smarr Financial Services, Inc. provides financial planning and investment supervisory services to individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, corporations, and other business entities. The firm employs a fundamental investment approach combining long-term buy-and-hold strategies with selective short-term trading, managing a diverse portfolio that includes equities, mutual funds, ETFs, REITs, fixed income, alternatives, and options.

Jacob Binner is a financial advisor at BinnerInvestments with four years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 designations and previously worked at Fidelity, Merrill Lynch, and E*Trade Securities. BinnerInvestments provides ongoing portfolio management and standalone financial planning for individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm’s investment approach combines multiple analytical methods to construct diversified portfolios and typically manages discretionary assets while delivering quarterly reports and written investment policy statements.

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.