Top advisors focused on trust structures (grat, idgt, revocable) in Georgia

Jeffrey Park is a financial advisor with Merrill, holding a Series 66 credential and seven years of industry experience. He has worked at Merrill in multiple capacities since 2011, with brief stints at JPMorgan Chase Bank and J.P. Morgan Securities in 2022. Merrill serves a diverse client base including individuals, retirement plans, corporations, and institutional clients, offering managed account programs, discretionary portfolio management, and brokerage services. The firm employs a range of program strategies and manager-constructed portfolios, with oversight from its CIO and platform management, and leverages its affiliation with Bank of America to support trading, lending, and capital markets activities.

Kristin Manna is a financial advisor with Primerica Advisors and holds a Series 66 designation. She has one year of industry experience, including roles at Park Avenue Securities, Guardian Life Insurance Company, and Consolidated Planning Holdings, Inc. Prior to entering the financial industry, she worked in education for eight years. Outside of advising, Kristin is an author and publisher of a basketball coaching notebook and works as a math tutor for high school students. Park Avenue Securities serves a broad retail client base with a range of brokerage and advisory services, utilizing proprietary and third-party investment strategies across various account types and investment vehicles.

Claxton West is a financial advisor at Wells Fargo Clearing with eight years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at Wells Fargo Clearing since 2017. Prior to that, he was employed at the University of Georgia and Aflac. West has a 35% ownership interest in a trucking and logistics business called Big Red and serves as a finance committee member at Madison Baptist Church. Wells Fargo Clearing provides retirement plan consulting to qualified ERISA and non-qualified deferred compensation plans, offering both discretionary and non-discretionary services. The firm’s advisory process is IPS-driven and incorporates modern portfolio theory, with a notable inclusion of insurance-related products and bank deposit sweep options among its investment offerings.

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 Series 65-licensed financial advisor at Corient with nine years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Fisher Investments and AssuredPartners Investment Advisors. Corient provides investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, trusts, pension plans, charitable organizations, and corporations. The firm uses a team-based investment model to create customized, goals-based asset allocations and integrates risk management through factor models, stress testing, and manager due diligence.

Justin Kohler is a CFP® with 12 years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at The Fiduciary Group. His prior roles include positions at Sharp Wealth Advisory, Purshe Kaplan Sterling Investments, Sharp Financial Services, and AXA Advisors. Outside of his advisory work, he assists with the operations of a marketing and media company owned by his wife. The Fiduciary Group serves high-net-worth individuals and families, providing discretionary investment management for trusts, estates, nonprofits, and retirement plans. The firm employs a structured investment approach with multiple strategy profiles and integrates with the Focus Financial Partners platform to offer clients access to a broad range of financial solutions.

Matthew Benefiel is a Wealth Management Advisor at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management. Since joining in 2017, he has worked with families, individuals, and businesses to develop customized wealth management strategies. His areas of expertise include portfolio design, manager selection, investment due diligence, and performance evaluation. Matthew employs a disciplined process to build tailored portfolios and regularly evaluates investments to meet clients' evolving needs and changing market conditions. He also utilizes Merrill Personal Wealth Analysis® to create personalized financial plans that help clients set clear objectives and monitor their progress. Matthew holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Actuarial Science from Biola University and holds the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification as well as the Personal Investment Advisor (PIA) designation. His client focus areas include family wealth management strategies, services for defined benefit plans, and sports and entertainment sectors. Outside of his professional role, Matthew lives in Phoenix, Arizona with his wife, Heather, and their daughter, Ruby. He enjoys activities such as golf, baseball, basketball, rock climbing, and yoga. Additionally, he spends time doing CrossFit and coaching basketball.

Clark Gay is a CFP® professional with 24 years of industry experience. He is currently with Visionary Wealth Advisors, LLC and has previously worked at Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. and Tmfs Advisors, Llc. Visionary Wealth Advisors serves individuals, trusts, estates, retirement plans, and business entities through a multi-advisor team structure managing several billion dollars for a few thousand clients. The firm offers financial planning, consulting, and investment management using a blend of fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis within an asset-allocation framework based on Modern Portfolio Theory.

Christian Habitz is a financial advisor at The Invictus Collective, LLC with 24 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at firms including JP Morgan Chase Bank NA and JPMorgan Securities LLC. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as manager and investor in entities involved with synthetic graphite manufacturing and coordinates related tax administration. The Invictus Collective serves high-net-worth individuals, trusts, estates, corporations, and institutional investors, providing financial planning, consulting, and wealth management through both discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management. The firm employs a diversified investment approach grounded in modern portfolio theory, utilizing independent managers, ETFs, mutual funds, private investments, structured notes, and options, with particular expertise in structured notes and manager due diligence supported by third-party analytics and an internal Investment Committee.

Ryan Boland is the Vice President Private Wealth Management Advisor at Fidelity Investments, a role he has held since 2021. In this capacity, he works as part of a team to assist individuals and families in pursuing their financial goals through thoughtful and customized planning strategies. His approach involves building deep and enduring relationships with clients to understand their priorities and utilize the resources and specialists available at Fidelity Investments. Prior to his current position, Ryan held various roles within Fidelity Charitable, including Vice President of National Corporate & Executive Giving from 2019 to 2021, Vice President and Charitable Planning Consultant from 2017 to 2019, and Director and Vice President of the Complex Assets Group from 2011 to 2017. Before joining Fidelity, he practiced as an attorney specializing in Trust & Estates and Real Estate at Taylor, Ganson & Perrin, LLP from 2001 to 2011. Outside of his professional work, Ryan has interests in art, golf, painting, and tennis.