Top financial advisors working with young families in Kendall, FL

Lucy Watson is a financial advisor at Vicus Capital, Inc. with 33 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and has been affiliated with Vicus Capital since 2011. Prior to and alongside her work at Vicus Capital, she has experience with Cetera Wealth Services and operates Watson Financial Inc., an insurance agency specializing in life, disability, and health insurance products, a business she has run since 1993. Vicus Capital provides investment management and financial planning services to individuals, businesses, trusts, and employee benefit plan sponsors. The firm employs a diverse investment process using fundamental and technical analysis, offering a range of model and separately managed strategies, retirement plan consulting, and fiduciary services.

Ashton Medina is a financial advisor at LPL Financial in Miami, FL, holding the CFP® and CFA® designations with seven years of industry experience. Before joining LPL Financial in 2024, he worked at Synovus Bank and Synovus Securities, Inc. from 2019 to 2024, and Wells Fargo Bank from 2013 to 2019. Medina is also the owner of Medina Wealth Management Services, LLC, an entity used for tax purposes. LPL Financial serves individuals, retirement plans, banks, credit unions, corporations, and charitable organizations through a national network of investment adviser representatives. The firm offers financial planning, advisory programs, retirement plan consulting, and brokerage services, providing both discretionary and non-discretionary management supported by LPL Research and third-party subadvisors.

Abel Guerrero is a financial advisor at Merrill with a Series 66 designation and six years of experience at the firm. He previously worked at Professional Airlines Services for LATAM Airlines from 2014 to 2020 and has been with Bank of America, N.A. since 2025. Merrill, along with its affiliate Managed Account Advisors LLC, provides managed account services through the Select Portfolio Solutions Program for Bank of America fiduciary clients. The firm serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, pension and profit-sharing plans, corporations, and charitable organizations using model-based and discretionary investment strategies.

Julian Martinez is a financial advisor with SPC in Miami, FL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and 24 years of industry experience. He previously worked at Pfs Investments Inc and Primerica Financial Services. Martinez also engages in the sale of non-variable insurance products, including life insurance, disability insurance, and long-term care insurance. SPC serves individual clients, charitable organizations, corporations, and employer-sponsored retirement plans through a network of over 460 advisers managing approximately $5.66 billion in assets. The firm offers portfolio management, financial planning, and ERISA-related retirement plan services, delivering both discretionary and nondiscretionary management tailored to client needs.

Keith Berman is a financial advisor with Thrivent Investment Management, holding a Series 66 designation and over 21 years of industry experience. He has worked with Thrivent Financial for Lutherans and Thrivent Investment Management since 2004. Outside of his advisory role, Berman serves as President of a local business networking group, where he facilitates weekly meetings for members. Thrivent Investment Management provides Dedicated Planning Services to individuals, families, businesses, and nonprofit clients, delivering goal-based analyses and written recommendations across a broad range of financial planning topics. The firm combines planning with managed-account programs under a consolidated billing option while maintaining separate planning and portfolio management services.

Garrett Dahm is a Senior Financial Advisor at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, where he has been providing financial guidance since 2017. He specializes in developing strategies and offering advice tailored to the short- and long-term financial objectives of individuals, families, and businesses. As a qualified Portfolio Manager, Garrett manages discretionary Personalized and Defined Strategies that may include individual stocks and bonds, Merrill Lynch Wealth Management model portfolios, and third-party investment options. His areas of focus include family wealth management, services for endowments, foundations, and non-profits, liquidity management, retirement planning, portfolio management, tax minimization, and strategies for sports and entertainment clients. Garrett earned a Personal Investment Advisor (PIA) designation. He completed his high school education at Prospect High School and attended Harper College without earning a degree. Outside of his professional role, Garrett has a background in classical guitar, having performed solo and with orchestras worldwide since the age of four. Notably, he performed in multiple cities in Australia during the opening ceremonies of the 2000 Olympics. He lives in Mt. Prospect with his wife Tanya and their son Jace. His personal interests include golfing, ice hockey, practicing guitar, and spending time with his family.

Jon Bernier is a CFP® and ChFC® with 23 years of experience in financial advising. He has been with TandemGrowth Financial Advisors, LLC in Alpharetta, GA since 2000. TandemGrowth Financial Advisors serves individuals, high net worth households, trusts, and estates with comprehensive wealth management and financial planning, offering discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management alongside retirement-plan oversight and account aggregation tools. The firm uses a strategic, long-term investment approach across equity-risk spectrums, incorporating mutual funds, ETFs, independent managers, and alternative investments, and provides unique services such as a NextGen program and healthcare planning partnerships.

David Martula is a CFP® professional with 21 years of industry experience. He has been the sole advisor at Fee-Only Financial Planning since 1991. Fee-Only Financial Planning serves individual clients, including high-net-worth households, by providing financial planning and discretionary portfolio management. The firm emphasizes a low-cost, buy-and-hold investment approach using no-load mutual funds, tailoring recommendations to clients’ goals and life stages.

Ai Mendoza is an Investment Consultant currently working at Fidelity Investments since 2022. In this role, she focuses on understanding each client's unique financial needs and providing professional guidance and tailored solutions to help clients make informed financial decisions and pursue their goals. Prior to her current position, Ai worked as a Private Client Banker at JP Morgan Chase from 2019 to 2022. Her experience includes assisting clients with their investment and banking needs. Outside of her professional work, Ai enjoys family activities, fishing, social events with friends, gardening, outdoor adventures, and painting.

Welcome and thank you for taking a moment to read more about Bolt Financial Group and Shaun Carney, CFP®! Shaun Carney is the Co-Founder of Bolt Financial Group, a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERTM and serves as the firm’s Wealth Advisor. Shaun has over seven years of experience in the financial services industry. Responsible for establishing and maintaining client relationships, Shaun finds immense satisfaction in helping individuals better prepare for retirement. Prior to forming his own firm, Shaun served in the United States Air Force and worked with Edward Jones. After earning his Master of Science degree in Cost Analysis, Shaun went on to obtain his CFP(R), Series 7 and 66 securities licenses. As a member of the Air Force Reserve, Shaun continues to fly C-17s in service to the United States of America. When he isn’t helping people plan for retirement, and piloting C-17s, Shaun is an avid golfer, traveler, husband, and father to three children. Always eager to help others and give back in any way that he can, Shaun regularly volunteers with the Reserve Officers Association and the Knights of Columbus.