Independent financial advisors working with retirees in South Carolina

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.

Kristin Manna is a financial advisor at Guardian Life with one year of industry experience. She holds a Series 66 designation and has worked previously at Consolidated Planning Holdings, Inc. and Charleston County School District. Outside of her advisory role, she is an author and publisher of books including The Basketball Coach's Notebook and works as a math tutor for high school students. Guardian Life’s subsidiary, Park Avenue Securities LLC, offers brokerage and investment advisory services to individuals, corporate and retirement plan sponsors, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm provides tailored client solutions through a combination of advisor-led discretionary management, model-based strategies, and access to proprietary and third-party platforms.

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.

Matthew Sandberg is a financial advisor at Thrivent Investment Management with 15 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at Thrivent Financial for Lutherans and Thrivent Investment Management since 2011. Outside of his advisory role, he operates a small charter boat service offering trips along the intracoastal waterway. Thrivent Investment Management provides Dedicated Planning Services to individuals, families, businesses, and nonprofit clients. The firm offers holistic, goal-based planning without discretionary trading authority, combining planning with managed accounts through a consolidated billing option called “WealthPlan.”

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.

Omar Esparza is a financial advisor at VOYA Financial Advisors, Inc. with 18 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has been with VOYA Financial Advisors and its affiliates since 2010, including prior roles at Principal Financial Services. VOYA Financial Advisors, Inc. serves individuals—including high-net-worth clients—pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and corporate clients. The firm offers comprehensive financial planning and portfolio management services through a large network of advisors, utilizing model portfolios, third-party managers, and technology-enabled tools across non-discretionary and discretionary account arrangements.

Daniel Esquirell is a CFP® professional with 25 years of industry experience. He has been with Wescott Financial Advisory Group LLC since 2022 and previously worked for Asset Planning Services, Ltd for 15 years. Wescott Financial Advisory Group LLC provides wealth management and comprehensive financial planning to a diverse client base, including high-net-worth individuals, families, trusts, foundations, pension and profit-sharing plans, and corporations. The firm employs an open-architecture, multi-manager investment approach combining passive and active strategies within a tax-sensitive, disciplined process.

William Hurt is a financial advisor at Arax Advisory Partners with 26 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 63 and Series 65 designations and has previously worked at firms including U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors and Sanders Morris LLC. Arax Advisory Partners provides wealth management and advisory services to individual and high-net-worth clients, family offices, institutions, and businesses. The firm employs a fiduciary approach, utilizing in-house portfolio teams, independent managers, and a blend of traditional and alternative investments.

Jeffrey Meenes is a CFP® and holds a Series 66 license, with 15 years of industry experience. He is the sole advisor at Meenes Wealth Partners in Shrewsbury, MA, and has worked at Blueprint Financial Planning, LLC since 2010. Meenes Wealth Partners provides flat-fee, fiduciary wealth management and comprehensive financial planning services primarily to pre-retiree and retiree households. The firm follows an evidence-based investment approach emphasizing global diversification, cost efficiency, and tax-aware portfolio management, operating on a non-discretionary basis with a small, hands-on client base.

Scott Pinheiro is a Senior Consultant with Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, bringing extensive experience to his role since joining the firm in 2015. He has been involved in the financial services industry since 1979. Scott holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Thomas Edison State University and professional designations including Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC), Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU), and Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor (CPFA) from the American College of Financial Services. Scott specializes in working with executives and retirees from major banks and insurance companies, managing client accounts typically ranging from $500,000 to $5,000,000. His expertise encompasses a disciplined financial process tailored to clients’ unique situations, including college education planning, family wealth management, retirement income, tax minimization, and socially responsible investing. As a Senior Portfolio Advisor, he also builds and manages customized investment strategies utilizing Merrill model portfolios and third-party investments. In addition to his professional work, Scott is committed to community involvement through his participation with the local Optimist Club. He resides near Princeton, New Jersey with his wife of 40 years and their Yorkshire terrier. Personal interests include cooking, fishing, golfing, reading, and traveling.

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.