Independent, social Security optimization financial advisors in Pinehurst, NC

Roy Neal is a financial advisor at Guardian Rock Wealth Investment Management, Inc. with 40 years of industry experience. He previously worked at Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak, Inc. for six years before joining Guardian Rock in 2021. Neal holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses. Guardian Rock provides investment and portfolio management as well as financial planning services to individuals, trusts, retirement plans, and charitable organizations, serving both high-net-worth and non-high-net-worth clients. The firm uses its proprietary Advocacy Investing® strategy, combining fundamental analysis with values-based and governance screens to create customized, diversified portfolios tailored to clients’ risk tolerance and objectives.

Troy Spence is a financial advisor with Edward Jones in Pinehurst, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 66 credentials and 23 years of industry experience. He has been with Edward Jones since 2002. Outside of his advisory role, he officiates high school football games in Iowa and serves as a trustee for Calvary Baptist Church. Edward Jones is a full-service wealth management firm serving individual and institutional clients with a broad range of investment programs. The firm manages over $1 trillion in assets and offers both discretionary and non-discretionary strategies through a large network of financial advisors and branch offices nationwide.

Thomas Laming is a financial advisor at Normandy Investment Advisors with 23 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has been with Normandy since 2022 following a retirement period from 2016 to 2022. Normandy Investment Advisors serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, and other entities by providing personalized wealth management, financial planning, and discretionary portfolio management. The firm employs a blended active/passive investment approach within an asset-allocation framework based on Modern Portfolio Theory and uses a range of securities including equities, fixed income, mutual funds, ETFs, and options strategies for income and hedging.

Ira Yermish is a financial advisor at Cetera with 39 years of industry experience. He holds the CFP® and Series 63 designations and has worked previously with VOYA Financial Advisors and Cetera Wealth Services, LLC. Outside of advisory work, he operates an independent insurance agency and is involved with Physicians Financial Partners, focusing on insurance products for physicians. Cetera Investment Advisers LLC is an SEC-registered firm serving individual, corporate, charitable, and institutional clients through a large network of independent advisors. The firm offers a range of portfolio management and retirement services, utilizing a multi-manager platform with various program structures and custodial relationships.

Melanie Leahy is a CFP® and Series 66 licensed advisor with 13 years of industry experience. She is currently with Sound Income Strategies, LLC and previously worked at Granville Wealth Management, Inc., Mid Atlantic Securities, Inc., and Granville Financial, Inc. In addition to her advisory role, she is involved in fixed insurance and Medicare supplement sales through Pinehurst Wealth. Sound Income Strategies, LLC manages approximately $4.0 billion in assets and serves a diverse client base including individuals, pension plans, trusts, and corporations. The firm emphasizes fixed-income analysis alongside equity review and offers customized managed portfolios, financial planning, and sub-advisory services.

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.

Stavroula Koutsfetsoulis is a financial advisor at Ameriprise with 25 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has been with Ameriprise and its affiliated entities since 2011. In addition to her advisory role, she is involved in fiduciary activities as an attorney-in-fact (power of attorney). Ameriprise is a large institutional firm that provides retirement-income planning services primarily to individuals with substantial investable assets. The firm combines research, modeling, and tax-efficiency analysis to deliver written recommendation reports through a centralized consulting team, focusing on tailored retirement income strategies.

Cassandra Sanchez is a financial advisor at Financial & Tax Architects, LLC with seven years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has previously worked at Fisher Investments, TIAA, US Health Advisors, and various other firms. Sanchez also had involvement with Drunken Donkey, reflecting experience outside the financial sector. Financial & Tax Architects provides discretionary portfolio management and financial planning primarily for individual and high-net-worth clients, focusing on those nearing or in retirement. The firm offers proprietary “Private Wealth Strategies” that use ETFs, individual securities, and trend-aware rebalancing, with accounts reviewed monthly and customizable strategies to meet client needs.

Keith Eliou is the principal of Keith L. Eliou, CFP, an investment management firm based in Pittsburgh, PA. He holds the CFP® designation and has one year of experience as a financial advisor. In addition to his advisory role, he practices law focusing on elder law and real estate and is involved in insurance, mortgage lending, and real estate brokerage businesses. The firm primarily serves pooled vehicles and institutional accounts, offering portfolio management, retirement plan services, and financial planning. It utilizes an open-architecture investment approach with third-party money managers and employs multiple analytical methods and strategies, conducting annual account reviews.

Charles Pyfer III is a CFP® professional with 19 years of industry experience, currently serving at Wealthspire Advisors since 2024. Prior to this, he spent 15 years at Private Ocean. Wealthspire Advisors provides wealth management, investment advisory, financial planning, and family office support to a diverse client base including individuals, corporations, retirement plans, and nonprofit organizations. The firm employs a relationship-driven, customized investment approach that emphasizes diversified, institutional-style asset allocation and utilizes a range of investment vehicles and third-party platforms for comprehensive portfolio management.

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.