Top financial advisors working with engineering professionals in South Carolina

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.

If you're an engineer navigating complex compensation packages or planning for a career with fluctuating income, you need an advisor who understands the unique financial rhythms of your profession. A common pitfall is working with someone who treats your financial planning like any other profession, missing key industry-specific factors.

  • Compensation structure insight. Confirm they understand stock options, bonuses, and project-based pay common in engineering roles.
  • Career transition planning. Engineering careers often involve shifts between companies or roles; ask how they plan for income variability and job changes.
  • Technical expense awareness. Engineering professionals may face unique expenses like certifications or tools; see if they incorporate these into your budget and savings plan.
  • Retirement timing. Engineering careers can have different retirement trajectories; check how they tailor plans to your expected career length and income peaks.

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

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Craig M

Series 63, Series 65

Columbia, SC

Capital Investment Advisory Services, LLC

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.

Active portfolio management Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Annuities Options & derivatives strategies Founder/Business Owner Retired
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Kristin M

Series 66

Mt Pleasant, SC

Guardian Life

Kristin Manna is a financial advisor at Guardian Life with a Series 66 designation and one year of industry experience. She previously worked at Consolidated Planning Holdings, Inc. and spent eight years with Charleston County School District. Outside of finance, she is an author and publisher of "The Basketball Coach's Notebook" and works as a math tutor for high school students. Guardian Life's subsidiary, Park Avenue® Wealth Management, serves individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and corporate clients, offering brokerage services, financial planning, retirement consulting, and a combination of proprietary and third-party investment advisory programs.

Retirement income strategy Business exit / sale strategy Wealth management Private / alternative investments Founder/Business Owner Retired Executive

James T

Series 66

Columbia, SC

Merrill

James Turner is a Senior Financial Advisor at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management. In this role, he collaborates one-on-one with clients to develop personalized financial strategies aimed at helping them pursue their long-term goals. He leverages insights from Merrill and solutions from Bank of America to create flexible wealth management plans tailored to individual financial situations and changing market conditions. James holds a Bachelor's Degree from Presbyterian College and carries the Professional Investment Advisor (PIA) designation. He is committed to the Merrill tradition of community involvement and actively volunteers with local organizations. Outside of his professional responsibilities, James enjoys golfing, playing tennis, and spending time with his family.

Wealth management
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Matthew S

Series 66

Myrtle Beach, SC

Thrivent Investment Management

Matthew Sandberg is a financial advisor at Thrivent Investment Management with 14 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has been with Thrivent Financial for Lutherans and Thrivent Investment Management since 2011. Outside of his advisory work, he operates a boat charter business, taking clients on trips along the intracoastal waterway. Thrivent Investment Management provides Dedicated Planning Services to individuals, families, businesses, and nonprofit clients, offering comprehensive, goal-based financial planning without discretionary trading authority. The firm combines planning with managed-account programs under a consolidated billing option called “WealthPlan,” while maintaining a separation between these services.

Business ownership considerations
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Jesse D

Series 63, Series 65

Columbia, SC

Primerica Advisors

Jesse Dare is a financial advisor with Primerica Advisors in Columbia, SC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and having four years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi and Havarti Risk Services. Outside of financial advising, he works as an independent healthcare strategy adviser and actuarial consultant through Dare Enterprises LLC and Pasco Advisers. Primerica Advisors provides discretionary asset management primarily through its Lifetime Investment Program, which offers model-delivery strategies and a limited number of discretionary separately managed account options to individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm curates third-party asset managers and uses a tiered wrap fee structure for its services.

ESG / Sustainable investing Tax-loss harvesting Income planning

Erik P

Series 66

Providence, RI

Merrill

Erik Pelletier is a Financial Advisor with the Carcieri & Bock Group at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management in Providence, Rhode Island. He transitioned into financial advising after a career as an engineer in the automotive and aerospace & defense industries. Erik applies engineering principles such as system analysis, evaluating tradeoffs, and planning for uncertainty to help clients achieve their financial goals in a structured and thoughtful way. He specializes in assisting executives, STEM professionals, business owners, and families with complex financial decisions. His areas of focus include executive compensation planning, tax-efficient strategies, equity compensation and concentrated stock planning, business exit strategy, retirement planning, and multi-generational wealth and legacy planning. His clientele often face decisions related to executive compensation, equity awards, stock positions, tax planning, retirement, business ownership, and legacy considerations. Erik holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and a Bachelor of Science in German Language from the University of Rhode Island. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and a Personal Investment Advisor (PIA). He remains active in professional communities as a member of the German American Business Council of Boston and the Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society.

Exec comp design Concentrated stock management Tax strategies for small businesses Business exit / sale strategy General estate planning guidance Engineering Professional Executive

Adam N

Series 66

Spring Park, MN

Edward Jones

Adam Nobs is a financial advisor at Edward Jones with a Series 66 designation and one year of industry experience. Prior to joining Edward Jones in 2024, he held positions at Traylor Bros and Sensors Inc, and attended the University of Denver from 2020 to 2024. Edward Jones is a full-service wealth management firm serving individual and institutional clients, including pension plans, corporate clients, and charitable organizations. The firm manages approximately $1.01 trillion in assets and offers a range of investment solutions, including discretionary and non-discretionary strategies, separately managed accounts, and affiliated mutual funds.

Business ownership considerations Retirement withdrawal strategies General retirement planning Wealth management Founder/Business Owner Engineering Professional Intergenerational Families Newlywed/Engaged
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John M

Series 65

Poway, CA

Engineering Financial Independence, Inc.

John Malaney is a financial advisor at Engineering Financial Independence, Inc. with four years of industry experience. He holds the Series 65 designation and has a background as a Program Manager at General Atomics, where he worked for fourteen years. Engineering Financial Independence, Inc. provides portfolio management and financial planning services to individual and high-net-worth clients, managing approximately $5.0 million across a small number of relationships. The firm offers a free subscription service featuring general investor commentary, and employs an investment approach that includes fundamental analysis, modern portfolio theory, quantitative methods, long-term equity strategies, options trading, mutual funds, ETFs, and fixed income.

Options & derivatives strategies Active portfolio management Technology Professional

Brennain V

Series 65

Boise, ID

XYPN Sapphire

Focused on creating an organization that could provide comprehensive and integrated investment management, financial, tax and estate planning, and business advisory services. Today, Hoeven Wealth has a comprehensive network of partners to ensure continuity and consistency across your financial life. Though originally from the Netherlands, Brennain is nearly a lifelong native of the Northwest. He completed his undergraduate degrees in Accounting and Business Administration at University of Washington and postgraduate in Financial Strategy at University of Oxford, graduating with Distinction.

Wealth management Liquidity event planning Business ownership considerations Business exit / sale strategy Business succession planning Engineering Professional Established Professionals Mid-Career Professionals

Amy I

CFP®, EA

Corning, NY

Rooted Planning Group

On her website, it states, “I love what I do, but I also very much enjoy warmth, good conversation, wine tastings, and volunteering. New York is extraordinary in the summer and fall, but so is Florida in the winter.” In 2018, she decided it was time to take the stigma out of finances by combining her passion for finances and wine. She started a podcast called “Wine and Dime,” which highlights a different wine and financial topic each week, and she released her book combining those same two passions, titled, “Uncork Your Finances.” Many know her as one of the co-founders of the Southern Tier Women’s Financial Conference – a day of collaboration and financial education, which will be hosting its sixth year! Education and Experience: - Amy holds a Master’s Degree in financial planning - Certified Financial Planner TM - Enrolled Agent - Certified College Financial Consultant - Certified Financial Therapist TM - Over 30 years of financial planning and industry experience. She is the Founder and owner of Rooted Planning Group, (Formerly known as Irvine Wealth Planning Strategies LLC) who uniquely, at the age of 44, decided to not only start her only company, but to act on what she defined as her perfect life and she splits her time between Parrish, Florida and Jasper, New York.

Options & derivatives strategies Attorney Engineering Professional Women Professionals Gen X (Born 1965-1980)
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