Independent financial advisors working with married couples and partners in Gaithersburg, MD

Martin Depetris is a financial advisor at Fidelity with seven years of industry experience and holds the Series 66 designation. His prior work includes roles at Bank of America, Merrill, H. Beck, and Scottrade, as well as four years at Fidelity Investments, LLC. Fidelity’s Strategic Advisers LLC provides investment management and advisory services to retail and institutional clients, including an IRS-qualified Charitable Gift Fund and registered investment companies. The firm employs a systematic investment approach that combines proprietary research, quantitative analysis, and algorithmic portfolio construction across mutual funds, ETFs, and ETPs.

Matthew Bacon is a CFP® professional with 14 years of experience in financial advisory. He currently works at MAI Capital Management, LLC and has held previous roles at Carmichael Hill & Associates, University Federal Credit Union, CUSO Financial Services, MSI Financial Services, and New England Securities. 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 high-net-worth individuals, families, institutional clients, and sports professionals. The firm employs a range of portfolio management strategies and serves as both product sponsor and adviser to mutual funds and private investment vehicles.

Cornell Abod is the sole advisor at Beacon Investment Advisors LLC with a Series 65 credential and 23 years of industry experience. He has been with Beacon since 2003 and is also the owner of C.P. Abod & Co., LLC, an accounting firm, as well as Beacon RPC, LLC, a retirement plan consulting company. Beacon Investment Advisors LLC provides discretionary wealth management, portfolio management, and financial and retirement planning services to individuals, families, high-net-worth households, trusts, estates, corporations, and retirement plans. The firm manages approximately $542 million in discretionary assets and uses fundamental analysis to develop client-specific investment plans that often include diversified portfolios and derivative strategies.

Mariah Lightfoot is a Series 66-licensed financial advisor with LPL Financial, based in Gaithersburg, MD, and has eight years of industry experience. She has worked at LPL Financial since 2019 and previously held roles at Mass Mutual Investors Services, Mass Mutual Life Insurance Co, MGM National Harbor, and Capella University. LPL Financial is a national broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser providing advisory and brokerage services to individuals, retirement plan participants, banks, trust companies, and other institutions. The firm offers a range of financial planning and investment management solutions and supports its advisors with proprietary research, third-party strategies, and various operational tools.

Robert Costello is a financial advisor at Transamerica Financial Advisors with 30 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and has worked at several firms including Grove Point Investments, H. Beck, and Prudential. Outside of his advisory role, he is involved in rental property management. Transamerica Financial Advisors serves a wide range of clients including individual investors, pension plans, trusts, and corporations. The firm offers both advisory and broker-dealer services, utilizing proprietary and third-party model portfolios across discretionary and non-discretionary platforms.

Kayla Santos is a financial advisor with Mass Mutual Investors Services in Warwick, RI, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and having 10 years of industry experience. She has worked at Mass Mutual Investors Services since 2017 and previously at MetLife Securities. In addition to her advisory role, Santos is an independent insurance agent, offering life, fixed annuities, disability, long-term care, and health insurance products. Mass Mutual Investors Services, LLC is a broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser that serves individuals, business owners, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and employers. The firm provides financial planning, asset management, wrap and money-manager programs, and educational seminars, structuring engagements as annual collaborative relationships focused on goal analysis and written recommendations.

Robert Schiano is a Senior Financial Advisor with Merrill Lynch Wealth Management. He serves individuals, families, and corporate executives by providing wealth management services that integrate investment resources from Merrill and banking capabilities at Bank of America. Robert works collaboratively with clients’ attorneys and CPAs to address all aspects of their financial lives. Since joining Merrill Lynch Wealth Management in 2000, Robert has focused on developing personalized financial strategies tailored to his clients’ goals, risk tolerances, and time horizons. He begins each client relationship with a thorough information gathering and risk assessment process and provides ongoing reviews to ensure alignment with evolving objectives. His services include assisting retirees with 401(k) distributions, income planning, and legacy planning. Robert holds the Personal Investment Advisor (PIA) designation and earned his High School Diploma from Jonathan Dayton. He participates in the American Cancer Society’s annual Relay for Life and volunteers locally. A New Jersey native, Robert lives in Mountainside, NJ with his wife and two children. In his leisure time, he enjoys skiing and fishing.

Lynn Matheron is a financial advisor at Masonboro Advisors in Wilmington, NC, with three years of industry experience. She holds a Series 65 designation and has held positions at Capital Investment Advisory Services, Glasgow & Associates, and Coldwell Banker Sea Coast, among others. In addition to her advisory role, she is a licensed independent insurance agent. Masonboro Advisors is an SEC-registered firm managing approximately $206 million for individuals, trusts, corporations, and high-net-worth clients. The firm offers discretionary portfolio management, comprehensive financial planning, and sub-advisory services, using a tailored, asset-allocation approach that includes mutual funds, ETFs, individual securities, and structured notes through its Yield Enhancement Strategy.

Ben is the founder of Ketwich Capital LLC ("Ket-Cap") which serves the financial and investment needs of professionals and families. Ben is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and a Certified Kingdom Advisor®. Prior to founding Ket-Cap in 2017, Ben spent a decade working on Wall Street at UBS and Neuberger Berman. As an equity analyst in 2008, he had a front-row seat to the housing bubble burst and the collapse of the global economy. This experience taught him the dangers of financial salesmanship (mortgages in this case) and the pitfall wealth can bring when there is no plan or purpose. Ben is passionate about helping others become secure, content, and generous in their wealth. Ben has facilitated financial courses including Financial Peace University, Charting Your Legacy, and the Journey of Generosity (Generous Giving). In his personal time, Ben can be found either outside with his wife and two young children or building something around the house. He is an avid reader of books related to money, history, and theology.

Peter Bittermann is a financial advisor at Westminster Financial Advisory Corp with 26 years of industry experience. He has worked at Westminster Financial Advisory since 2011 and previously was with RBC Capital Markets Corporation from 2008 to 2011. He holds the Series 66 designation. Westminster Financial Advisory Corporation provides investment supervisory services and financial planning to individuals, families, trusts, estates, fiduciaries, charitable organizations, small businesses, and retirement plans. The firm employs a strategic asset allocation approach with tactical overlays and uses a buy-and-hold framework combined with discretionary trading and option strategies.

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.