CFP®-certified financial advisors working with government employees in North Carolina

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.

Arjun Aggarwal is a financial advisor with Morgan Stanley in Raleigh, NC, holding a Series 66 designation and 18 years of industry experience. He has been with Morgan Stanley Smith Barney since 2009 and has worked at Morgan Stanley Private Bank, National Association since 2015. Morgan Stanley Wealth Management is an SEC-registered investment adviser and broker-dealer offering a wide range of advisory programs to individuals and institutions, including tailored financial planning services. The firm manages approximately $2.74 trillion in client assets and employs a structured planning process using firm-approved tools and economic modeling techniques.

Robert Pike is a CFA® charterholder with 20 years of industry experience. He is affiliated with Sheets Smith Wealth Management in Winston Salem, NC, and has been with Stratford Advisors, Inc. since 2004. Sheets Smith Wealth Management serves individuals, families, trusts, foundations, endowments, and retirement plans, providing customized investment management and financial planning. The firm employs a long-term, buy-and-hold strategy for equities combined with tactical fixed-income adjustments, serving clients including senior corporate executives and heirs.

Mitchell Hodgkiss is a financial advisor with Ameriprise in Charlotte, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and 27 years of industry experience. He has been with Ameriprise and its affiliated entities since 2009. Outside of his advisory role, he serves on the Board of Directors for the Pi Kappa Alpha KK Alumni Association. Ameriprise offers retirement-income planning services primarily for individuals nearing or in retirement with significant investable assets, combining research, modeling, and tax-efficiency analysis to provide tailored, non-discretionary recommendations delivered through a centralized consulting team.

Andrew Driscoll is a financial advisor at Lake Effect Wealth LLC in Charlotte, NC, holding a Series 65 designation with six years of industry experience. He previously worked at Grandview Analytics from 2015 to 2019 before founding Lake Effect Wealth, where he has been the sole advisor since 2019. Lake Effect Wealth serves individuals, including high-net-worth clients, as well as corporations and businesses, offering discretionary portfolio management alongside project-based and comprehensive financial planning. The firm employs a passive investment strategy based on Modern Portfolio Theory, incorporating low-turnover, tax-aware portfolio construction, and distinguishes itself by providing business planning and employee benefits optimization services uncommon among independent solo advisers.

Amanda Fleming is a financial advisor at Edward Jones in Lexington, NC, holding a Series 66 designation with one year of industry experience. Prior to joining Edward Jones, she was involved with several businesses including Max Travels, LLC, a travel agency she founded and where she designed vacations for clients, primarily family. Edward Jones is a full-service wealth management firm serving more than four million individual and institutional clients with a range of investment programs and advisory services supported by a nationwide network of over 23,000 financial advisors.

Michelle Vargas, Certified Financial Planner™ is the President of Waymaker Financial Planning, a Fee-Only firm that provides transparent and accessible financial guidance. She enjoys helping clients navigate and plan all aspects of their financial life so that they will worry less about their future and free up more time to spend doing what they love. After earning a degree in Finance from the University of Southwestern Louisiana in 1990, she moved to Florida and started her career with Harcourt Brace Publishing. Her journey into personal finance began when she signed up for her 401K and wanted to learn about additional options to plan for retirement. This eventually led to working as a financial advisor and completing the extensive education requirements for becoming a CFP® in 1998. She believes her experience as a young professional searching for unbiased advice enables her to better serve Gen XY professionals because she remembers what it was like being in their shoes. As a former homeschool parent and the wife of a federal employee, she is passionate about helping women, homeschool families, and federal workers plan wisely for a comfortable financial future. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking in Colorado, barbecuing with family, and working in her garden.

Richard Schaeffer is a CFP®-certified financial advisor with 41 years of industry experience. He is associated with Schaeffer Financial LLC, where he has worked for over two decades, and currently serves as part of a five-advisor team. His prior experience includes roles at Grove Point Investments and LPL Financial. Schaeffer Financial serves individuals and families, including federal employees and foreign nationals holding G‑IV visas, as well as trusts, foundations, and small businesses. The firm provides financial planning and discretionary portfolio management, emphasizing diversified asset allocation tailored to clients’ goals and risk tolerance, and frequently coordinates with outside professionals to implement client plans.

Hi, I'm Steve. I've loved financial planning ever since I was a kid watching the ticker tape on CNBC as my mom, a homemaker learned about finances herself. I grew up in a very frugal household who taught me about working hard and saving for the future. My mother was a homemaker or "domestic engineer" as she calls it and my father was a federal employee. I was fortunate to be introduced to Rita Abel and become the owner of her small, family owned financial planning firm in 2019. Today we work with approximately 60 families. What makes us unique is our passion to be "accountability partner's" for our clients to ensure they take care of the important financial matters in their lives. We are part financial advisors and party financial therapists for our married couples but most importantly we are organized, proactive and have a passion for financial planning. Looking forward to meeting and if you want to know more, I encourage you to read our google reviews online. Just search "Abel Financial Reviews" in google.

Mark Teichman is a financial advisor at C2 Investment Group with 20 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 63 designation and has worked with C2 Investment Group since 1998. He is a co-owner of C2, LLC, which operates Tracker, a portfolio accounting and reporting application. C2 Investment Group provides non-discretionary investment consultation to institutional clients, such as municipalities and public funds, focusing on government bond index tracking using US Treasury and Agency securities. The firm offers index-tracking optimization tools to assist clients with portfolio rebalancing and does not provide discretionary portfolio 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.

Elanna Gould is a CFP® professional with six years of experience, currently advising at Cambridge Investment Research Advisors in Cleveland, OH. Her background includes roles at PepsiCo and The Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Center, as well as academic experience at The Ohio State University. She is also an independent insurance agent for various companies. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors serves a broad client base, including individuals, retirement plans, and charitable organizations, offering financial planning, investment management, and retirement advisory services through a network of independent professionals. The firm provides a range of portfolio management options, proprietary and third-party strategies, and various custody platforms tailored to client objectives.

Ethan Siekkinen is a CFP® and holds a Series 65 license with Plante Moran Financial Advisors. He has one year of industry experience and previously worked at J Wilson Wealth Management. Outside of financial advising, he has experience in the lawn care business with Rizzo Lawn Care. Plante Moran Financial Advisors serves a diverse client base including individuals, institutions, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations. The firm provides investment advisory, financial planning, and estate-planning services, utilizing a range of investment strategies and managing both discretionary and non-discretionary assets.

Jace Hart is a CFP® with nine years of industry experience and currently serves as a financial advisor at Rockwall Wealth Management. His prior experience includes roles at Leo Wealth, LPL Financial, and Fidelity Brokerage Services. Rockwall Wealth Management provides portfolio management, financial planning, and consulting services to individuals, trusts, plans, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm emphasizes diversified, low-cost ETF model portfolios with a focus on tax efficiency, liquidity, and systematic macro tilts, offering both traditional and advanced investment strategies tailored to client objectives.

Jeffrey Macdonald is a CFP® and ChFC® with 17 years of industry experience. He has been with Investment Management & Planning LLC since 2010 and is also affiliated with LPL Financial LLC. Investment Management & Planning LLC provides fee-based investment advisory and comprehensive financial planning primarily for individual and high-net-worth clients, offering portfolio management on both discretionary and non-discretionary bases. The firm emphasizes ongoing account supervision and individualized asset allocation, often utilizing LPL-sponsored platforms and model portfolios.