Top college savings (529s, UTMA, etc.) financial advisors in Hickory, NC

Mark Teague is a CFP® professional with 16 years of industry experience, currently affiliated with LPL Financial since 2014. His prior roles include positions at Capital Guardian Wealth Management and Wells Fargo Clearing. He is also appointed as an authorized agent with Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina to sell Medicare-related insurance products. LPL Financial is a national broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, retirement plan participants, banks, trust companies, and institutions. The firm offers a range of advisory and brokerage services including financial planning, third-party asset management access, and institutional platforms, supported by extensive advisor tools and a broad spectrum of financial products.

Douglas Rongo is a financial advisor with Cambridge Investment Research Advisors, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and 25 years of industry experience. His work history includes multiple roles within Cambridge Investment Research entities and Millennium Investment and Retirement Advisors. He serves as treasurer for the Tarheel Chapter of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Alumni Association. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors is a large SEC-registered firm serving a diverse client base, including individuals, pension plans, charitable organizations, and retirement-plan sponsors. The firm offers financial planning, investment management, and retirement advisory services through a network of independent Financial Professionals, utilizing a mix of proprietary and third-party model strategies tailored to client objectives.

Jackson Bell is a financial advisor at Edward Jones with a Series 66 credential and four years of industry experience. He has worked at Edward Jones since 2021 and has prior experience including self-employment and roles outside the financial industry such as with Andy Popplin Basketball Camps and JEA Design. Edward Jones is a full-service wealth management firm serving individual and institutional clients with a range of advisory programs, discretionary and non-discretionary investment strategies, and affiliated financial products. The firm manages over $1 trillion in assets and operates a large nationwide network of financial advisors and branch offices.

Collin Carlton is a Series 66-registered financial advisor with Thrivent Investment Management, based in Hickory, NC, and has four years of industry experience. He has worked at various Thrivent entities since 2021 and has prior experience at Appalachian State University and Lowe's Home Improvement. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as an ambassador for Muller Choker, an outdoor company specializing in hunting and skeet shooting equipment. Thrivent Investment Management provides Dedicated Planning Services to individuals, families, businesses, and nonprofit clients, delivering holistic, goal-based financial analyses without discretionary trading authority. The firm offers integrated planning and managed-account services, emphasizing periodic plan reviews and a broad range of financial topics.

John Setzler is a financial advisor with TLG Advisors, Inc. based in Hickory, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and bringing 36 years of industry experience. He has held roles at The Leaders Group Inc, LifeBridge, Premier Planning Group NC, LLC, and Ameritas Life Insurance Corp and Ameritas Investment Corp. Setzler is also president of Premier Planning Group NC, LLC and Optimus Life Designs, both involved in insurance business and client consulting. TLG Advisors, Inc. is an SEC-registered investment adviser managing approximately $2.0 billion in discretionary assets. The firm serves a diverse client base including individuals, retirement plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, businesses, and institutional investors, offering investment supervisory services, financial and estate planning, ERISA fiduciary services, and a direct-to-consumer program called Starlight Portfolios.

Hassan Al Kadhimi is a financial advisor with LPL Financial, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and two years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. He is also involved with NIHFCU Wealth Advisors, a related business entity. LPL Financial is a national broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, retirement plan participants, banks, trust companies, and institutions. The firm offers a range of advisory and brokerage services, including financial planning, model portfolio programs, and institutional platforms, supported by a large network of investment adviser representatives.

Richard Brandi is a financial advisor with Charles Schwab based in Austin, TX, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 32 years of industry experience. He has been with Charles Schwab and Charles Schwab Bank ssb since 2003 and 2005, respectively. Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. serves primarily high- and ultra-high-net-worth individuals through its Schwab Wealth Advisory wrap fee program and affiliated managed-account and financial planning services. The firm offers a mix of non-discretionary and discretionary investment guidance, leveraging multi-asset model portfolios and research from its Schwab Center for Financial Research.

Thaddeus Phelps is a CFP® professional with 28 years of experience in the financial services industry. He has worked at Advance Wealth Management Service, LLC since 2019 and previously spent 14 years with Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. In addition to his advisory work, Phelps owns a tax preparation business and an accounting support service, and he serves in fiduciary roles such as trustee and executor. Advance Wealth Management Service, LLC provides investment advisory and financial planning services primarily to individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, and business entities. The firm offers discretionary investment management through a wrap asset management program and emphasizes an individualized approach with asset allocation supported by fundamental, sector, and technical analysis, including risk management strategies such as put options and conservative cash instruments.

Paul Kinneberg is a CFP® and Series 65-registered advisor with 24 years of industry experience. He has been the principal and sole advisor at Longview Financial, Inc. since 2000 and also holds a long-term corporate role at CenturyLink. Longview Financial, Inc. provides personalized, fee-only financial planning and investment management primarily for individual clients. The firm uses a strategic asset allocation approach with a core-and-satellite framework, combining passive index and ETF core holdings with active funds when appropriate, and manages client assets on a non-discretionary basis with an emphasis on individualized advice.

Justin Scicluna is a financial advisor at Edward Jones in Prairie Village, KS, holding the CFP®, ChFC®, and Series 66 designations with 13 years of industry experience. He has been with Edward Jones since 2013. Edward Jones is a full-service wealth management firm serving more than four million individual and institutional clients, including a range of household types, pension plans, corporate clients, and charitable organizations. The firm manages approximately $1.01 trillion in assets and offers various advisory programs, discretionary and non-discretionary strategies, and affiliated investment products through a nationwide network of over 23,700 financial advisors.