Top financial advisors working with gen x clients in Gastonia, NC

Brendan Petty is a financial advisor with Transamerica Retirement Advisors, LLC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 15 years of industry experience. His career includes roles at Transamerica Life Insurance Company, MassMutual, and Mutual of Omaha. Transamerica Retirement Advisors serves participants in employer-sponsored retirement plans and IRA owners through managed and advisory programs focused on asset allocation and retirement guidance, utilizing Morningstar Investment Management’s proprietary tools for portfolio construction and oversight.

Ryan Hammond is a financial advisor at Hammond Wealth Partners with one year of industry experience. He has held positions at Amplified Planning, The Vanguard Group, and Wells Fargo. Hammond Wealth Partners is a fee-only fiduciary firm providing discretionary investment management and financial planning mainly to individuals, families, and high-net-worth clients. The firm offers customized portfolios combining strategic asset allocation, tax-efficient management, and active tactical approaches based on multiple analysis methods, with clients able to impose reasonable investment restrictions.

Michael Fox is a financial advisor with T. Rowe Price Advisory Services, Inc. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 credentials and has 23 years of industry experience. Prior to joining T. Rowe Price in 2025, he worked for Hewitt Associates and Hewitt Financial Services LLC from 2011 to 2025. T. Rowe Price Advisory Services offers a retirement advisory program focused on individual investors and households, combining financial planning, retirement income planning, and discretionary investment management primarily through proprietary mutual funds and ETFs. The firm uses model allocations, tax-aware strategies, and an interactive online tool to deliver financial plans and manage accounts on a discretionary basis.

Aaron Moore is a Series 66 licensed advisor with Truist Advisory Services in Gastonia, NC. He has three years of industry experience, including roles at Truist Advisory Services, Truist Investment Services, and Truist Bank. Prior to his financial services career, he worked at David's Detailing. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, businesses, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations, utilizing a combination of discretionary manager relationships and consulting. The firm integrates inter-affiliate resources and employs AI-enabled tools in its research and manager selection processes.

Aaron Ruen is a financial advisor at Principal Advised Services with 11 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has worked at Principal Financial Services, Principal Life Insurance Company, and Wells Fargo in various capacities. His current roles include providing investment advice to retirement plan participants and advising on bank deposit products. Principal Advised Services offers investment advice and related services primarily to retirement plan participants and retail IRA clients, blending third-party methodologies and proprietary models. As part of the Principal Financial Group family, the firm integrates services across affiliated entities to provide access to proprietary products and algorithm-driven investment management.

Michelle Vargas, Certified Financial Planner™ is the President of Waymaker Financial Planning, a Fee-Only firm that provides transparent and accessible financial guidance. She enjoys helping clients navigate and plan all aspects of their financial life so that they will worry less about their future and free up more time to spend doing what they love. After earning a degree in Finance from the University of Southwestern Louisiana in 1990, she moved to Florida and started her career with Harcourt Brace Publishing. Her journey into personal finance began when she signed up for her 401K and wanted to learn about additional options to plan for retirement. This eventually led to working as a financial advisor and completing the extensive education requirements for becoming a CFP® in 1998. She believes her experience as a young professional searching for unbiased advice enables her to better serve Gen XY professionals because she remembers what it was like being in their shoes. As a former homeschool parent and the wife of a federal employee, she is passionate about helping women, homeschool families, and federal workers plan wisely for a comfortable financial future. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking in Colorado, barbecuing with family, and working in her garden.

Many blue-collar business owners spend years building successful companies but struggle with inconsistent cash flow, high taxes, and uncertainty about how to turn their business into a secure retirement. Unlike most financial firms that focus primarily on investments, I take a planning-first approach that connects your business strategy with your personal financial goals. As a CFP® professional and fee-only fiduciary advisor with 10+ years of experience, I help business owners integrate cash flow planning, tax strategies, risk management, retirement planning, and investments into one coordinated plan. Having experienced the challenges of business ownership firsthand and growing up in a family business, I understand that your business is often your largest asset. My goal is to provide the guidance and strategy business owners need to protect what they've built and create financial freedom beyond their business.

I believe that everyone should have access to a professional advisor who understands their needs and can help them achieve the lifestyle they desire. As a financial advisor, I am dedicated to learning about your personal goals and using them to build a retirement plan tailored to your unique situation. NexJenn Financial Services was founded in response to the demand for financial planning from my tax clients. Often squeezed between spending for their kids’ education, caring for an elderly relative and saving for their own retirement, many were anxious about their financial future. I have enjoyed helping my clients find a balance and focus on building a strong financial future. I am a CPA® and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER Professional®, as well as a Retirement Income Certified Professional®. Additionally, I am a member of the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors and the XY Planning Network. In my spare time, my husband and I volunteer at a homeless shelter. I also love to bike and travel and am an aspiring photographer. I have been married for 30 years and together with my awesome husband, we’ve raised three awesome kids.

I'm a fiduciary & CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER living in Indianapolis, Indiana but serving clients nationwide. For years I've helped individuals and families plan for retirement and other imporant financial decisions. In college, I studied economics with a concentration in finance. After college, I worked for large wealth management firm in Indiana and then a boutique financial advising office specializing in retirement planning. That firm was later acquired and after a few years working for the acquiring firm I left to start WealthGuides. As an advisor I've worked with clients age 22 to 92. While I've worked with a wide range of people, I've always found my passion was with working with people to create a plan for retirement. As an advisor I provide guidance to my clients on taxes, their investment portfolios, estate planning, & charitable giving amongst others areas. I show people where they can save on taxes and I give clarity and strategies for how my clients can maximize the potential for what they can spend on themselves and give to others. On the personal side I'm a runner, a reader, a cat dad, and a traveler. I also enjoy sipping on a nice glass of wine or whiskey.

I am a seasoned technology professional and an entrepreneur based in Silicon Valley. I have experience starting and running a software company that was venture-funded and subsequently acquired by a public company. During my high-tech career, I got intrigued by money matters such as savings, investments, insurance, taxes in order to achieve my family's financial goals. Out of curiosity, I spent time reading and researching various aspects of personal finance. I realized that there are a growing number of financial options available with increasing complexity in these choices. My passion towards financial planning ultimately resulted in pursuing formal education in financial planning, subsequently completing the CFP Board requirements to be a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® Professional. I launched Encover Personal Finance in 2018, primarily to help technology professionals achieve their financial life goals based on my own experience. I believe in serving clients honestly and transparently in a conflict-free manner. https://www.encoverpersonalfinance.com/about