Independent, charitable giving & philanthropy financial advisors in Punta Gorda, FL

Thaddeus Obecny is a financial advisor with Cetera who holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 27 years of industry experience. His career includes long tenures at Avantax Insurance Agency, LLC and Avantax Investment Services, Inc. He is also a partner in a notary public service and serves as an executor of an estate, overseeing its operations. Additionally, he assists with financial management for his son's professional golf business. Cetera Investment Advisers LLC is an SEC-registered adviser that serves individuals, retirement plans, corporate and charitable clients, and institutional accounts through a nationwide network of independent advisors. The firm offers a multi-manager platform with discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and access to third-party money managers, managing over $256 billion in assets.

Joshua Howell is a CFP® professional with 30 years of industry experience. He currently works at Prospera Financial Services, Inc., joining the firm in 2023. Prior to that, Howell spent nine years with Wells Fargo Advisors and six years with Wells Fargo Clearing, following a decade at A. G. Edwards & Sons, Inc. He also owns and operates Howell Wealth Management, LLC in Punta Gorda, FL. Prospera Financial Services, Inc. is a multi-team advisory firm with 271 advisors managing approximately $14.4 billion in client assets. The firm serves individuals, retirement plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and other business entities, providing financial planning, portfolio management, and access to multiple advisory platforms.

Todd Priest is a CFP®-certified financial advisor with eight years of industry experience, currently affiliated with J.P. Morgan Securities in Punta Gorda, FL. His prior experience includes roles at Wells Fargo Clearing, Bank of America, Merrill, and JPMorgan Chase Bank. J.P. Morgan Securities LLC provides investment consulting and advisory services primarily to institutional clients and retirement plan sponsors, combining quantitative asset-allocation modeling with centralized due diligence and an ESG eligibility framework to support its recommendations.

Jeffrey Leedy serves as the Senior Resident Director for Merrill Lynch Wealth Management in Punta Gorda. He is a founding partner of Aber & Leedy Wealth Management and has been with Merrill Lynch since 1999, holding the Resident Director position since 2008. In this role, he leads a team that assists clients with their ongoing financial needs, focusing on personalized financial strategies. With decades of experience, Jeffrey specializes in retirement planning, high-net-worth guidance, residential lending, and collateralized lending services. He works closely with high-net-worth individuals, as well as small to medium-sized nonprofit organizations and family businesses. Jeffrey holds the Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor (CRPC) designation and maintains several FINRA registrations, including Series 7, 63, 65, 9, 10, and 31. He also holds Florida Life, Health, and Annuity licenses. Jeffrey received his High School Diploma from Clearfork High School. Outside of his professional life, he enjoys fishing, hunting, woodworking, and spending time with his family. He has served as a board member of the Charlotte County Chapter of the American Cancer Society. Jeffrey is married to his wife Angela and together they have five children and twelve grandchildren.

Timothy Meyer is a CFP® and Series 66-credentialed financial advisor with Edward Jones, where he has worked since 2009. He has 17 years of experience in the financial services industry and is based in Punta Gorda, FL. Edward Jones is a full-service wealth management firm serving over four million individual and institutional clients. The firm offers a range of advisory programs and investment solutions, including discretionary and non-discretionary wrap fee strategies, separately managed accounts, and affiliated mutual funds, operating under a fiduciary standard.

Sally Hyman is a financial advisor with Seasons of Advice Wealth Management in New York, NY. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 43 years of industry experience, including roles at Ameriprise Financial Services and RBC Capital Markets. Outside of her advisory work, she records and sells vocal CDs and is involved in publishing her father's book on the spiritual meaning of disease and science. Seasons of Advice Wealth Management provides financial planning and discretionary investment management to individuals, high net worth clients, trusts, small business owners, professionals, and families. The firm uses a proprietary planning process that integrates goal tracking, asset allocation, and tax planning, tailoring investment recommendations to each client’s objectives and risk tolerance.

Richard Martin is a financial advisor at Cetera with 29 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 63 designation and has a background that includes nearly three decades at Avantax Advisory Services and eight years at Avantax Insurance Agency. Outside of his advisory work, he is the owner and sole proprietor of Martin & Pellegrin, CPAs, a tax preparation and accounting firm. Cetera Investment Advisers LLC is an SEC-registered firm that serves a broad client base including individuals, retirement plans, corporate and charitable clients, and institutional accounts. The firm provides a multi-manager platform offering discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and access to various program structures and third-party money managers.

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.

Edward Blatz serves as a Senior Resident Director and Wealth Management Advisor at Merrill Lynch. He specializes in working with high net-worth individuals and families, focusing on estate and wealth management needs. Since joining Merrill Lynch Wealth Management in 1985, he has provided personalized financial solutions tailored to his clients' risk tolerance, time horizon, liquidity needs, and investment goals. Edward's expertise encompasses a range of areas including college education planning, divorce transition planning, employee benefits, executive compensation, family wealth management strategies, managing new wealth, individual and corporate investment strategies, and retirement income planning. He collaborates closely with clients' tax advisors and estate planning attorneys to ensure comprehensive management of clients' financial and personal affairs. Edward is recognized as a member of The Blatz-Rooney Group, which was named to the 2024 Forbes "Best-in-State Wealth Management Teams" list. Edward holds a Bachelor's Degree from Adelphi University and has earned several professional designations including Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor (CPFA), Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor (CRPC), Personal Investment Advisor (PIA), and Retirement Accredited Financial Advisor (RAFA). Outside of his professional work, he has interests in golfing, reading, and tennis.

Patrick Ferguson is a financial advisor at Intentional with 17 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at firms including Purshe Kaplan Sterling Investments, Commonwealth Financial Network, and LPL Financial. In addition to his advisory role, he is a licensed agent involved in the sales of fixed and traditional insurance products. Intentional provides discretionary portfolio management and financial planning services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, families, businesses, and institutions. The firm offers pension consulting, estate planning support, business exit planning, and due diligence on alternative investments, utilizing a combination of fundamental, technical, and economic analysis within a fiduciary framework.

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.