Independent advisors focused on inherited wealth in North Carolina

Willie Myles is a financial advisor at Equitable Advisors with 16 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 credentials and has worked at Equitable Advisors since 2016, previously affiliated with Axa Advisors. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as co-chairman of a fundraising campaign for Alpha Light Fund Inc., a nonprofit organization. Equitable Advisors serves individual investors, retirement plan sponsors, corporations, and charitable organizations by providing financial planning, retirement-plan support, and access to asset management through various third-party programs. The firm operates a hybrid referral and implementation model, offering both advisory and brokerage channels to implement client recommendations.

Kristin Manna is a financial advisor with Primerica Advisors and holds a Series 66 designation. She has one year of industry experience, including roles at Park Avenue Securities, Guardian Life Insurance Company, and Consolidated Planning Holdings, Inc. Prior to entering the financial industry, she worked in education for eight years. Outside of advising, Kristin is an author and publisher of a basketball coaching notebook and works as a math tutor for high school students. Park Avenue Securities serves a broad retail client base with a range of brokerage and advisory services, utilizing proprietary and third-party investment strategies across various account types and investment vehicles.

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 19 years of industry experience. He is affiliated with Sheets Smith Wealth Management in Winston Salem, NC, and has worked at Stratford Advisors, Inc. since 2004. Sheets Smith Wealth Management serves individuals, families, foundations, endowments, and retirement plans, offering investment management and financial planning services. The firm customizes asset allocation and investment strategies based on clients’ risk tolerance and investment horizon, employing a long-term, buy-and-hold approach and utilizing a range of investment vehicles including equities, fixed income, ETFs, and alternative investments.

Trent Leyda is a financial advisor with Spirepoint Private Client, LLC, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 21 years of industry experience. He has worked at Morgan Stanley in various capacities from 2009 to 2023 before joining Spirepoint Private Client in 2023. Leyda is also a licensed insurance agent servicing clients on insurance policies. Spirepoint Private Client, LLC serves individuals, families, trusts, institutions, and retirement plans with discretionary investment management, financial planning, and consulting. The firm employs a multi-faceted investment process combining fundamental, technical, and relative-strength analysis with portfolio construction tools, offering both active and passive strategies tailored to client profiles.

As a comprehensive financial planning firm we can assist you with your investment management, social security, debt management, budgeting, net-worth tracking, overall organization, tax planning, charitable planning, insurance review, and much more. As a flat fee firm we know the stock market isn't the only solution for your investment problems and love to brainstorm real estate, small business, private credit, and other alternative investment options that lead to the main goal. To improve your financial life and increase your net-worth. If you want a second set of eyes on your investments or financial decisions then feel free to give us a call and we'll talk through if we are a good fit for you. If not, then we will point you in the right direction.

I'm a fiduciary & CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER living in Indianapolis, Indiana but serving clients nationwide. For years I've helped individuals and families plan for retirement and other imporant financial decisions. In college, I studied economics with a concentration in finance. After college, I worked for large wealth management firm in Indiana and then a boutique financial advising office specializing in retirement planning. That firm was later acquired and after a few years working for the acquiring firm I left to start WealthGuides. As an advisor I've worked with clients age 22 to 92. While I've worked with a wide range of people, I've always found my passion was with working with people to create a plan for retirement. As an advisor I provide guidance to my clients on taxes, their investment portfolios, estate planning, & charitable giving amongst others areas. I show people where they can save on taxes and I give clarity and strategies for how my clients can maximize the potential for what they can spend on themselves and give to others. On the personal side I'm a runner, a reader, a cat dad, and a traveler. I also enjoy sipping on a nice glass of wine or whiskey.

Khatuna Tkebuchava is a Senior Financial Advisor with Merrill Lynch Wealth Management. She specializes in guiding clients through significant life events, including college education planning, divorce transition planning, family wealth management strategies, legacy planning, liquidity management, managing new wealth, personal retirement planning, socially responsible, values-based, and ESG investing, women and wealth, and tax minimization. Born and raised in Georgia, Khatuna moved to Boston, Massachusetts in 1997 where she began her family. She currently resides in Newton. Khatuna holds a Bachelor's Degree from Georgian Technical University and a Master's Degree from GIPA. She is a Personal Investment Advisor (PIA) and is affiliated with the MFA. Khatuna is fluent in Russian and English. Outside of her professional work, she is involved in community activities such as the Walk for Hunger. Her personal interests include antiquing, cooking, gardening, hiking, interior decorating, music, spending time with family, traveling, and yoga.

I work with my clients to identify their goals and dreams, assisting them in navigating their individual roadmaps strategically and efficiently toward financial well-being. I was inspired to become a CFP® after spending years in the accounting and tax industry. I worked for Arthur Andersen, LP in New York City as an auditor and later joined my father, Robert Susko, in his tax practice. I recognized the need to serve my clients beyond my role as a Certified Public Accountant. Over the years, I observed how uncomfortable my clients were discussing their finances and how underprepared they were for their retirement. What kept me awake at night though, was how dependent one spouse typically was on the other for handling all the household finances. I noticed traditionally this role fell upon the husband. Since women typically outlive men, I saw too many widows grieving the loss of their spouse while simultaneously trying to put the pieces of their financial puzzle together. I vowed to change this trend. That is why I earned my CFP and why I am so passionate about helping families plan for the future.

Finance has been an interest and passion of mine as long as I can remember. As a child, my dad would teach me about investing and I was fascinated that I could earn a little bit of money and then it could grow on it’s own. Those simple principles were built on throughout my childhood and studying finance in college was a natural fit. I graduated from Texas A&M University with Bachelor degrees in both accounting and finance. Upon graduating, I limited my job search to my beloved hometown (Austin) where the woman I love (Kaimey) was living. I accepted an auditor position with the state government and traveled around Texas performing financial and compliance audits. Even though it wasn’t my dream job because everyone hates auditors, I took a lot of pride in working with my clients instead of against them. In those years while auditing, Kaimey and I were married, I obtained my CPA (Certified Public Accountant) and CIA (Certified Internal Auditor) designations, and we added twins to our family, Hudson and Harper. When life settled down a bit after the twin infant/toddler years, I decided to shift careers and focus on my passion of personal financial planning. I was fortunate to join a fee-only financial planning company where I advised high net-worth clients and managed other planners. This was a good home to me for several years, and during that time I added my CFP® (CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™) and LHIC (Life and Health Insurance Counselor) designations to my other credentials. In 2018 we felt God calling us to something new for our family. I took a leap of faith to leave my comfortable job and start my own business. And Avant Financial Advisors was born! We are excited to use this company to help others and make our clients’ dreams become financially possible. Hudson and Harper are teenagers now and keep our family’s free-time full! We love supporting them in their activities and being involved in their school. We spend lots of time outside: hiking, biking, being on the lake, and exploring around Austin. We love to travel and discover new-to-us places in this big, beautiful world, but coming home always feels great too.

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 financial advisor at Waverly Advisors, LLC with two years of industry experience. She holds a Series 65 designation and previously worked at 9258 Wealth Management for five years and Teradata Corp for eleven years. In addition to her advisory role, she serves as assistant director of tax planning at 9258 Tax and Planning. Waverly Advisors, LLC is an SEC-registered enterprise adviser serving individuals, corporations, retirement plans, and pooled investment vehicles. The firm offers discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and fiduciary services, employing a combination of centralized and customized investment strategies across traditional and alternative asset classes.

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 Safeguard Investment Advisory Group, LLC, holding a Series 65 credential and 15 years of industry experience. He has worked with Safeguard since 2020 and previously held roles at LifePro Asset Management, LLC, Martin and Associates Insurance Services, Inc., and Martin Wealth Management, LLC. Hart is also a Certified Financial Fiduciary and volunteers as an instructor with the Foundation for Fiduciary Education (NACFF), providing unbiased fiduciary financial education. Safeguard Investment Advisory Group, LLC serves individual, high-net-worth, institutional, and business clients, offering discretionary portfolio management, access to third-party sub-advisers, and fee-based financial planning. The firm employs a fundamental-analysis investment process with a preferred horizon of two to ten years and manages over $600 million across approximately 1,800 client relationships.

Sarah Currier Barrella is a CFP®-certified financial advisor with 26 years of industry experience. She is currently with Santander Securities LLC and Santander Bank, NA, having previously worked at TD Bank and Citizens Securities, Inc. Barrella holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses. Santander Securities LLC provides investment advisory and related services to a diverse client base, including individuals, corporations, charitable organizations, retirement plans, and institutional clients. The firm offers wrap-fee advisory programs and financial planning services, delivering investment advice through the FMAX managed-account platform with discretionary portfolio management and ongoing suitability reviews.