Top financial advisors working with airline pilots in Georgia

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.

Claxton West is a financial advisor at Wells Fargo Clearing with nine years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at Wells Fargo Clearing since 2017, following roles at the University of Georgia and Aflac. Outside of his advisory work, he has a 35% ownership stake in a trucking and logistics business and serves as a finance committee member at Madison Baptist Church. Wells Fargo Advisors provides investment advisory services, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting to individual, corporate, and institutional clients. The firm operates nationally with over 14,000 advisors and offers both brokerage and advisory solutions, utilizing research from Wells Fargo Investment Institute and third-party data to support its investment approach.

Kelsey Mc Knight is a financial advisor at Edward Jones in Commerce, GA, holding a Series 66 designation with three years of industry experience. Kelsey has been with Edward Jones since 2013. Edward Jones is a full-service wealth management firm serving over four million individual and institutional clients, offering a range of advisory programs and investment strategies. The firm manages approximately $1.01 trillion in assets under management and operates through a large network of financial advisors and branch offices nationwide.

Thomas Mason is a financial advisor at Corient with nine years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has previously worked at Fisher Investments, AssuredPartners Investment Advisors, and operated as a self-employed advisor. Corient provides investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base including individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, pension plans, charitable organizations, and corporate entities. The firm uses a goals-based, team investment approach that combines in-house strategies with third-party manager solutions and employs risk management tools and continuous portfolio monitoring.

Charles Steele is a CFP® and holds a Series 66 license, with 20 years of experience in the financial industry. He has worked at Kestra Advisory, Kestra Investment Services, and Cambridge Investment Research prior to founding Steele Advisory LLC. Steele is also a licensed insurance agent, spending a limited amount of time on insurance sales and implementation. Steele Financial Studios provides discretionary investment management, comprehensive financial planning, and retirement plan advisory services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, businesses, and plan sponsors. The firm emphasizes fundamental analysis and a long-term investment approach, incorporating low-cost mutual funds, ETFs, individual securities, and unaffiliated independent managers, with a notable focus on pension and retirement plan consulting.

Erin Kincheloe is a financial advisor at Allworth Financial, L.P. with 28 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and previously worked for 19 years at Ponder Financial Group. Outside of her advisory role, she operates a consulting business focused on CRM operations and training. Allworth Financial is a fee-based SEC-registered adviser serving individuals, qualified retirement plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and corporate clients. The firm offers customized portfolio management using a mix of model strategies and employs third-party sub-advisers when appropriate.

Peter Schumacher is a financial advisor with Oarsman Capital, Inc. in Milwaukee, WI, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and possessing 35 years of industry experience. He worked at Johnson Wealth Inc. for nine years before joining Oarsman Capital in 2022. Oarsman Capital provides investment-management services, model portfolios, financial planning, and retirement-plan advisory services to individuals, trusts, institutions, and retirement plans. The firm emphasizes fundamentally-rated equities, broad sector diversification, tax-efficient strategies, and low turnover, employing AI-based tools and discretionary management in its portfolio construction.

Michael Whyte is a Series 65-licensed financial advisor with Targeted Wealth Solutions in Schertz, TX, where he has worked since 2021. He has four years of industry experience and also works as a commercial pilot for Delta Airlines, a role he has held since 2015. Targeted Wealth Solutions serves individual and high-net-worth clients, as well as retirement plans, foundations, and charitable organizations. The firm employs a Modern Portfolio Theory framework enhanced by economic analysis and quantitative models, offering diversified portfolios primarily through ETFs and active option strategies for downside risk management.

Michael Whitney is a CFP® professional with four years of industry experience, currently serving at Solitude Financial Services, Inc. He previously worked at Albany Financial Group and LPL Financial, LLC. Solitude Financial Services provides fee-only, fiduciary investment advice and discretionary portfolio management to individual and high-net-worth clients using a financial life management framework. The firm emphasizes long-term, buy-and-hold investment strategies with model portfolios primarily composed of ETFs, mutual funds, stocks, and bonds, and employs options strategies to manage portfolio risk.

My path to founding a wealth management firm is different than most. As a child, my dream was to become a fighter pilot. After graduating from the United States Naval Academy with a degree in Aerospace Engineering, I achieved that goal, serving on active duty for a decade. I flew the F-18E Super Hornet from aircraft carriers and deployed multiple times to the Western Pacific. After those deployments, the Navy sent me to UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School to study finance, followed by the privilege of teaching undergraduate economics at my alma mater. After transitioning from active duty, I applied the skills I honed in the cockpit and classroom—leadership, effective communication, process improvement, and strategic decision-making—to multiple entrepreneurial ventures. My career as a financial planner is a natural extension of my passion for solving problems and serving others. With a background in engineering, military flight operations, top-tier business education, and collegiate economics instruction, I bring a unique perspective to wealth management: * Tenacity – Giving up is never an option. Just as a fighter pilot must persist in the air, I am relentless in helping my clients succeed. * Calm Under Pressure – I have a proven ability to think clearly in high-stakes situations, whether in the military or financial markets. I will not panic when volatility arises. * Candor – In aviation and life, speaking up is critical when the stakes are high. I will always provide honest advice, even when it’s uncomfortable. Living near Annapolis, Maryland, I cherish time with my family and enjoy Navy football, traveling, boating, and improving my golf game. I also continue to serve as a member of the U.S. Navy Reserves. Ventus Wealth Management — After a decade in the workforce, I became increasingly frustrated by the lack of financial services that truly met my needs. I couldn’t find a firm or advisor that offered the right combination of: ☑️A transparent fee and incentive structure ☑️ A flexible, client-focused service model ☑️ Modern technology solutions ☑️ Virtual meeting capabilities ☑️ Expertise tailored to my specific situation Recognizing this gap, I launched Ventus Wealth Management to address these shortcomings. Everything we do is designed with our clients in mind. Every element of our service and business model is intentionally crafted to deliver value and provide solutions that meet your needs.