Independent, trust structures (GRAT, IDGT, revocable) financial advisors 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.

Neil Hantak Jr. is a CFA® charterholder with 12 years of industry experience, currently serving as an advisor at MAI Capital Management, LLC since 2019. He previously worked at John Dovich and Associates and The Randolph Co. MAI Capital Management, LLC provides discretionary and non-discretionary investment management, integrated wealth management, retirement plan consulting, and family-office services to a diverse client base including individuals, families, sports professionals, trusts, and institutional clients. The firm offers customized portfolio management across multiple strategies and incorporates financial planning and tax services into its client relationships.

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. In this role, he collaborates with families, individuals, and businesses to develop customized wealth management strategies. His expertise includes portfolio design, manager selection, investment due diligence, and performance evaluation. He utilizes a disciplined process to build custom portfolios aligned with clients' objectives and regularly assesses investments to adapt to changing needs and market conditions. Additionally, Matthew employs Merrill Personal Wealth Analysis® to develop personalized financial plans that establish clear goals and track progress. Matthew joined Merrill Lynch Wealth Management in 2017 as a Financial Advisor for the Benefiel Group. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Biola University and maintains the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification. Furthermore, he has earned the Personal Investment Advisor (PIA) designation. Residing in Phoenix, Arizona, Matthew lives with his wife, Heather, and their daughter, Ruby. Outside of his professional responsibilities, he enjoys playing golf and supporting the Phoenix Suns basketball team.

Clark Gay is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) with 25 years of experience in the financial services industry. He is currently with Visionary Wealth Advisors, LLC and has worked there since 2020. Prior to that, he spent 15 years at Financial Engines Advisor Center, LLC, continuing with Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. since 2016. Visionary Wealth Advisors provides financial planning, consulting, and investment management to a diverse client base including individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, business entities, and retirement plans. The firm employs model-based strategies and separately managed accounts, combining fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis within an asset-allocation framework grounded in Modern Portfolio Theory.

Todd Batty is the Vice President Private Wealth Management Advisor. In this role, he assists multiple generations of families in developing personalized wealth strategies focused on growth, preservation, and transfer of their assets. He collaborates with a team that includes an Investment Manager, a Senior Wealth Planner, and a Trust Officer to provide comprehensive wealth planning services. Todd has been with Fidelity Investments since 2008, initially serving as Vice President, Financial Consultant until 2015, and then advancing to his current position. Prior to that, he worked as an Account Coordinator at T. Rowe Price from 2002 to 2007.

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.