Independent financial advisors working with retirees in Hickory, NC

Mark Teague is a CFP® with 16 years of industry experience, currently affiliated with LPL Financial since 2014. He is also authorized to sell Medicare supplemental, Medicare Part D, and Medicare Advantage plans to residents of North Carolina through Blue Cross Blue Shield of NC. LPL Financial is an SEC-registered investment adviser and broker-dealer serving a wide range of clients including individuals, retirement plans, and institutions, offering diverse advisory programs, financial planning, and brokerage services through a national network of investment adviser representatives.

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.

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.

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 and previously at AXA Advisors, LLC. Outside of his advisory work, he serves as co-chairman of a fundraising campaign for the nonprofit Alpha Light Fund Inc., focused on renovating the House of Alpha. Equitable Advisors serves a diverse client base including individual, high-net-worth, retirement plan, corporate, charitable, and institutional clients, offering financial planning, broker-dealer services, insurance distribution, and access to third-party asset management programs. The firm operates as both an SEC-registered investment adviser and broker-dealer, leveraging LPL-sponsored programs and endorsed TAMPs to deliver advisory and brokerage solutions.

Hassan Al Kadhimi is a financial advisor at LPL Financial with two years of industry experience. His work history includes roles at J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. He is registered with Series 65 and Series 63 licenses. LPL Financial is an SEC-registered investment adviser and broker-dealer that serves a wide range of clients, including individuals, retirement plans, banks, and charitable organizations. The firm offers financial planning, advisory programs, retirement consulting, and brokerage services through a national network of investment adviser representatives.

Amanda Scheele is a financial advisor at Raymond James & Associates with 15 years of industry experience. She holds the Series 66 designation and previously worked at Wells Fargo Clearing and Wells Fargo Advisors LLC. Outside of her advisory role, she is involved with Lucky Duck, a venture she has been part of since 2025. Raymond James & Associates, Inc. is a large registered broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser managing approximately $501 billion in assets. The firm serves a diverse client base, including individuals, institutions, and municipal entities, offering financial planning, non-discretionary investment consulting, and municipal advisory services.

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.