Top advisors focused on young families in Maine

Kenneth Blaschke is a financial advisor at HeadInvest in Portland, ME, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with 16 years of industry experience. He has been with HeadInvest since 2009. HeadInvest serves a diverse range of clients, including individuals, trusts, endowments, and government entities, providing discretionary portfolio management and financial planning. The firm employs a holistic, asset-allocation driven approach, combining fixed-income selection with low-cost ETFs and emphasizing tax efficiency.

Evelyn Varner is a financial advisor with Wells Fargo Clearing in St. Louis, MO, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and 14 years of industry experience. She worked at Merrill from 2011 to 2020 before joining Wells Fargo Clearing and Wells Fargo Bank in 2021. Wells Fargo Clearing provides retirement plan consulting services to qualified ERISA plans and non-qualified deferred compensation plans, offering both discretionary and non-discretionary advisory services. The firm’s approach is IPS-driven and based on modern portfolio theory, with a notable range of investment options including insurance-related vehicles and bank deposit sweep programs.

Jac Arbour is a CFP® and ChFC® with 10 years of experience in financial advising. He is the managing member of J.M. Arbour, LLC and has worked there since 2016, with prior experience at Foundations Investment Advisors, LLC and Combined Benefits United. Outside of his advisory role, Arbour is involved in personal development coaching and serves as CEO of ARMO Sourcing, LLC and MasterFi, Inc., a SaaS company providing financial guidance through AI. J.M. Arbour provides investment advisory and financial planning services to individuals, retirement plans, trusts, estates, and other entities, including high-net-worth clients. The firm offers discretionary portfolio management and retirement plan consulting, utilizing sub-advisers and third-party model providers for asset allocation and rebalancing, and manages series-structured private funds with performance-based allocations.

Tural Nadirli is a financial advisor with Raymond James Financial, holding a Series 66 designation and seven years of industry experience. He previously worked at Edward Jones for seven years and has additional experience at Infinity FCU and the University of Southern Maine. Nadirli also serves as an independent contractor for North Atlantic Investment Partners, a support company affiliated with his work at Raymond James. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors, Inc. serves a diverse client base including individual investors, high-net-worth clients, pension plans, and institutional entities. The firm focuses on non-discretionary financial planning and investment consulting, utilizing asset-allocation analysis and firm research to develop tailored recommendations while maintaining client decision authority.

John Dolloff is a financial advisor with UBS Financial Services in Portland, ME, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 40 years of industry experience. He has been with UBS since 1995. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as a trustee for the Maine Audubon Society. UBS Financial Services serves individual, corporate, and institutional clients with brokerage and investment advisory services, utilizing proprietary capital market assumptions and research to tailor financial plans. The firm combines institutional trading capabilities with wealth management services, offering a broad range of investment and capital markets solutions.

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.

WHY JERRY CHOSE TO BE A FINANCIAL PLANNER: His lack of financial literacy was not by choice. It was because personal finance was not taught in school or in his community. As a first-generation wealth builder, Jerry's money journey has been shaped by a profound understanding of both cultural and financial expectations. His experiences have uniquely positioned him to empathize with the challenges faced by first-generation families, inspiring a distinctive approach to financial guidance. His moment of profound solitude occurred during his transition from the Marine Corps back to civilian life. In uniform, Jerry felt in control, with camaraderie, financial stability, and a consistent salary. However, the day he left, all that stability vanished giving way to a cascade of emotions - depression, anxiety, and fear. Jerry, who had grown up facing financial hardships, relying on food stamps, and public aid, knew it was time to stop merely talking about wanting to build wealth and start acting. The realization struck deep: He needed to make a difference not just for himself, but for others facing similar issues. Motivated by a desire to help his family and friends, Jerry decided to be the guide he wished he'd had. He obtained his license, college degree, and joined a firm not only to enhance his life but the lives of other 1st-time wealth builders. After a few years of helping high net worth individuals grow their assets, Jerry felt the firm wasn't built to help families like his. In 2024, Jerry took the leap and launched Confianza Wealth Management as a guide for aspiring wealth builders. Jerry is on a mission to empower 1st-time wealth building families. Jerry wants to bridge the financial planning accessibility gap by helping these millennial families take control of their financial futures.

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 a Planning Consultant at Fidelity Investments, where she collaborates with clients and their families to develop financial plans aimed at achieving their goals. She has held this role since 2022. Prior to joining Fidelity Investments, Ai worked as a Private Client Banker at JP Morgan Chase from 2019 to 2022, gaining experience in client financial services and banking. Outside of her professional career, Ai enjoys family activities, fishing, social events with friends, gardening, and outdoor adventures.