Top general estate planning guidance financial advisors in Port Royal, SC

The right financial advisor for you depends on how you weigh location, expertise, experience, the clients they typically serve, and how they work with you.

You might seek general estate planning guidance when you want to organize your assets, plan for healthcare decisions, or ensure your wishes are clear for your heirs. Without careful planning, you risk leaving your estate subject to unnecessary taxes or legal complications that can burden your loved ones.

  • Comprehensive asset review. Confirm the advisor evaluates all your assets, including property and investments, to create a complete plan.
  • Healthcare directive expertise. Ask how they incorporate living wills and powers of attorney to protect your medical decisions.
  • Tax impact awareness. Look for advisors who understand how estate taxes and deductions apply in South Carolina, especially for retirees.
  • Beneficiary coordination. Ensure they help you align beneficiary designations with your overall estate plan to avoid conflicts.

Here are top matches to get you started. Review each profile to compare experience, credentials, and approach.

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John T

Series 66

Beaufort, SC

Merrill

John C. Troutman, Jr., CPWA®, CPFA, serves as a Wealth Management Advisor with Merrill Lynch Wealth Management. Since joining the firm in 2011, he has focused on addressing the wealth management needs of affluent client families. His approach emphasizes personal attention and professional discipline, informed by over two decades of experience in the field and a family background in banking. John holds the Certified Private Wealth Advisor® designation and the Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor credential. He earned bachelor's degrees in Finance and Management from the Moore School of Business and in Religious Studies from the College of Humanities at the University of South Carolina. His expertise encompasses a broad range of client focus areas, including family wealth management strategies, legacy and philanthropic planning, divorce transition planning, tax minimization, and portfolio management services. He works closely with clients, coordinating retirement, estate, and tax planning strategies with their CPAs and attorneys. In addition to his professional responsibilities, John is actively involved in community organizations. He serves on the board of The Historic Beaufort Foundation and has contributed to several other groups, such as the YMCA, Beaufort Rotary Endowment, Moore School of Business, Bluffton Self Help, and Penn Center. John resides on Lady’s Island with his wife Danielle and their four children.

Wealth management Tax-loss harvesting Charitable giving & philanthropy Business ownership considerations General estate planning guidance Financial Professional
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Samuel M

CFP®, Series 66

Beaufort, SC

&PARTNERS

Samuel Martin is a CFP®-certified financial advisor with 13 years of industry experience. He is currently with &PARTNERS and has previously worked at SJ Martin Wealth Management and Edward Jones. Outside of his advisory work, Martin is a partner in Herban Market LLC, a café located in Beaufort, SC. &PARTNERS serves a diverse client base including high-net-worth individuals, institutions, retirement plans, and charitable organizations. The firm offers investment management and financial planning services using both discretionary and non-discretionary approaches, leveraging a combination of proprietary and third-party strategies.

Wealth management Equity compensation tax strategy Retirement income strategy Business exit / sale strategy Founder/Business Owner Executive Retired
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Herbert T

CFP®, Series 63, Series 65

Beaufort, SC

OSAIC

Herbert Tanner is a financial advisor with OSAIC, holding the CFP® designation and Series 63 and 65 licenses. He has 42 years of industry experience, including prior roles at INVEST Financial Corp. and founding Hand & Tanner Financial Group Inc. He has served in leadership positions in community organizations such as the Beaufort Water Festival and holds board roles in religious and civic groups. OSAIC serves a diverse client base ranging from individual investors to institutions, offering integrated brokerage and advisory services through a large network of affiliated advisors. The firm employs asset-allocation tools and supports a range of investment options, including managed accounts and third-party money manager programs.

Annuities Wealth management Tax-loss harvesting Private / alternative investments Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Founder/Business Owner Executive
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Joshua G

CFP®, Series 66

Greenville, SC

Fiduciary Organization, LLC

Joshua Glenn is a CFP® with eight years of industry experience, currently serving as an advisor at Fiduciary Organization, LLC. His prior roles include positions at Edward Jones, Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, and George Beam State Farm. Outside of his advisory work, he has a business interest in Fishhawk Capital in Clemson, SC. Fiduciary Organization, LLC is a fee-only registered investment adviser serving individuals, retirement plans, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm provides investment management, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting, using a combination of passive and active strategies alongside fundamental and technical analysis.

Business sale tax planning Business ownership considerations Cash flow / budgeting College savings (529s, UTMA, etc.)
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John C

Series 63, Series 65

Beaufort, SC

Wells Fargo Clearing

John Chase is a financial advisor at Wells Fargo Clearing with 46 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 designations and has been with Wells Fargo since 2016. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as the personal representative for his father's estate. Wells Fargo Advisors is a national securities firm serving individual, corporate, and institutional clients with investment advisory services, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting. The firm uses research and analytics to support its investment approach and offers a broad range of brokerage and advisory solutions.

Retired Founder/Business Owner
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Scott M

Series 63, Series 65

New York, NY

Morgan Stanley

Scott Mahoney is a financial advisor with Morgan Stanley in New York, NY, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and bringing 34 years of industry experience. He has been with Morgan Stanley since 2009, including roles at Morgan Stanley Private Bank, N.A. Outside of his advisory work, he is involved with Giants Foot Cubed LLC. Morgan Stanley Wealth Management is a large SEC-registered investment adviser and broker-dealer that serves both individual and institutional clients. The firm offers a wide range of advisory programs and financial planning services supported by structured planning tools and broad investment resources.

General estate planning guidance
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Kayla S

Series 63, Series 65

Warwick, RI

Mass Mutual Investors Services

Kayla Santos is a financial advisor with Mass Mutual Investors Services in Warwick, RI, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and having 10 years of industry experience. She has worked at Mass Mutual Investors Services since 2017 and previously at MetLife Securities. In addition to her advisory role, Santos is an independent insurance agent, offering life, fixed annuities, disability, long-term care, and health insurance products. Mass Mutual Investors Services, LLC is a broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser that serves individuals, business owners, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and employers. The firm provides financial planning, asset management, wrap and money-manager programs, and educational seminars, structuring engagements as annual collaborative relationships focused on goal analysis and written recommendations.

Divorce financial planning General estate planning guidance Multi-generational wealth transfer Cash flow / budgeting Founder/Business Owner Attorney Executive Married/Couples/Partners Divorced

Gordon B

Series 66

Luling, LA

Edward Jones

Gordon Brown III is a financial advisor at Edward Jones with 18 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and has been with Edward Jones since 2008. Edward Jones is a full-service wealth management firm serving over four million individual and institutional clients, with approximately $1.01 trillion in assets under management. The firm offers a range of advisory programs and investment options, operating under a fiduciary standard.

Retirement income strategy General estate planning guidance Multi-generational wealth transfer Wealth management Oil & Gas Engineering Professional
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William S

Series 63, Series 65

College Station, TX

Smith & Wyatt

William Soltow is a financial advisor at Smith & Wyatt with 13 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and previously worked at CoreCap Advisors, LLC. Outside of advising, he is the founder of Frontier Wealth Management and serves as an independent insurance agent with Goosehead Insurance. Smith & Wyatt serves individuals, including high-net-worth clients, and corporations, managing approximately $207 million across 724 clients. The firm provides tailored financial planning, discretionary portfolio management, estate-planning consulting, and specialized educational programs, utilizing mutual funds and ETFs as primary investment vehicles.

Government Employee
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Thaddeus P

CFP®, Series 63, Series 65

Grand Rapids, MI

Advance Wealth Management Service, LLC

Thaddeus Phelps is a CFP® professional with 28 years of experience in the financial services industry. He has worked at Advance Wealth Management Service, LLC since 2019 and previously spent 14 years with Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. In addition to his advisory work, Phelps owns a tax preparation business and an accounting support service, and he serves in fiduciary roles such as trustee and executor. Advance Wealth Management Service, LLC provides investment advisory and financial planning services primarily to individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, and business entities. The firm offers discretionary investment management through a wrap asset management program and emphasizes an individualized approach with asset allocation supported by fundamental, sector, and technical analysis, including risk management strategies such as put options and conservative cash instruments.

College savings (529s, UTMA, etc.) Charitable giving & philanthropy General estate planning guidance General tax planning Options & derivatives strategies
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