Large-firm financial advisors working with founders and business owners in Hays, KS

Timothy Schumacher is a financial advisor at Launch Wealth with 33 years of industry experience. He holds the ChFC® designation and Series 63 license. His prior experience includes roles at Penn Mutual and Hornor, Townsend & Kent. Launch Wealth serves individual investors and employer plan sponsors by providing integrated wealth management that combines portfolio management and financial planning. The firm employs a fee-only model and focuses on asset allocation using both passive and active strategies, with specialized retirement plan consulting and discretionary account management tailored to client goals.

Andrea Dinkel is a financial advisor with Primerica Advisors, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 20 years of industry experience. She has worked with Primerica Financial Services since 2003 and has been associated with PFS Investments Inc. since 2005. Outside of advisory services, she is an owner-member of Dinkle Oil, LLC, a non-investment business. Primerica Advisors provides discretionary asset management through its Lifetime Investment Program, offering model-based strategies and separately managed accounts to individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm uses third-party asset managers and a tiered wrap-fee structure, focusing on retail clients rather than institutional pension or profit-sharing plans.

Dan Meckenstock is a financial advisor with NWF Advisory Services Inc, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 26 years of industry experience. His prior firms include Main Street Advisors and Independent Financial Group, each for over a decade. Outside of advising, he is an author and publisher through Meckenstock Publishing and operates a small hospitality business, Kozy Kottage, in Hays, Kansas. NWF Advisory Services is an SEC-registered investment adviser managing approximately $6.4 billion in client assets through a network of more than 100 advisory representatives. The firm primarily serves individual and high-net-worth clients using an open-architecture, technology-driven platform to construct and manage diversified portfolios across various managed account formats.

Joseph Hillebrand is a financial advisor with Empower Advisory Group based in Hays, KS, holding Series 63, Series 65, and Series 66 designations. He has 19 years of industry experience, including roles at GWFS Equities, Old Mutual Capital, Securities America Advisors, and Main Street Advisors. Outside of his advisory work, he serves as a pitching coach for the USD 489 School District. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management primarily to employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors and their participants, as well as certain retail account holders. The firm integrates its services with Empower’s recordkeeping and administration platforms, emphasizing long-term portfolio returns and annual rebalancing.

Derek Gerstner is a CFP® professional with 21 years of industry experience, currently affiliated with LPL Financial. His career includes previous roles at Cadaret, Grant & Co., Inc. and Avantax Investment Services, Inc., as well as long-term involvement with Simons Tax & Financial. He also provides tax preparation and accounting services through Simons Tax & Wealth Management. LPL Financial is a national broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser offering advisory and brokerage services to individuals, retirement plan participants, banks, trust companies, and institutions. The firm supports a wide range of investment strategies and utilizes advisor-facing technology tools, while also operating various financial and credit services alongside its advisory platform.

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.

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.

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.

Elizabeth Brown is a Series 66 licensed financial advisor with J.P. Morgan Securities in New York, NY, where she has worked since 2012. She has 26 years of industry experience. J.P. Morgan Securities provides institutional consulting services to clients such as corporations, foundations, and defined contribution plan sponsors, offering asset allocation advice, investment manager and fund searches, and customized performance reporting through a select group of Wealth Advisors. The firm combines large institutional advisory operations with brokerage, distribution, and investment management capabilities.

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.

Scott Mahoney is a financial advisor with Morgan Stanley in New York, NY, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and bringing 34 years of industry experience. He has been with Morgan Stanley since 2009, including roles at Morgan Stanley Private Bank, N.A. Outside of his advisory work, he is involved with Giants Foot Cubed LLC. Morgan Stanley Wealth Management is a large SEC-registered investment adviser and broker-dealer that serves both individual and institutional clients. The firm offers a wide range of advisory programs and financial planning services supported by structured planning tools and broad investment resources.

Elizabeth Brown is a Series 66 licensed financial advisor with J.P. Morgan Securities in New York, NY, where she has worked since 2012. She has 26 years of industry experience. J.P. Morgan Securities provides institutional consulting services to clients such as corporations, foundations, and defined contribution plan sponsors, offering asset allocation advice, investment manager and fund searches, and customized performance reporting through a select group of Wealth Advisors. The firm combines large institutional advisory operations with brokerage, distribution, and investment management capabilities.

Wesley Pool is a financial advisor at Wells Fargo Clearing with 15 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and previously worked at JPMorgan Securities LLC for seven years. Outside of finance, he has been involved with #TagMeBro LLC and Fry Street Public House. Wells Fargo Advisors is a national securities firm serving individual, corporate, and institutional clients with investment advisory services, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting. The firm manages approximately $671 billion in assets and offers both brokerage and advisory solutions.

Willie Myles is a financial advisor with Equitable Advisors in Cary, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 16 years of industry experience. He has worked at Equitable Advisors since 2016, previously serving at Axa Advisors and MSI Financial Services. Outside of advising, he is a co-chairman of a fundraising campaign for Alpha Light Fund Inc., a nonprofit focused on renovating the House of Alpha. Equitable Advisors serves a range of clients including individuals, pension plans, corporations, and charitable organizations, providing financial planning, retirement consulting, and asset management through a network of representatives and third-party managers. The firm offers various investment vehicles and ERISA fiduciary services, relying on third-party program sponsors and an affiliation with a publicly traded parent company.