Top advisors focused on general estate planning guidance in South Dakota

Darwyn Sprik is a financial advisor with Eagle Strategies (New York Life) in Sioux Falls, SD, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 16 years of industry experience. He has been with Eagle Strategies since 2016 and also operates Sprik Financial Group, LLC, which brokers non-registered insurance products. Sprik serves as a board member of the Fearless Foundation, a nonprofit organization focused on connecting donors with charitable causes. Eagle Strategies LLC provides financial planning, investment advisory, and retirement plan consulting services to individuals, employer-sponsored retirement plans, trusts, charitable organizations, and corporate clients. The firm emphasizes client-directed solutions and uses third-party managers and model portfolios, coordinating investment advice with affiliated insurance and broker-dealer entities as part of New York Life.

Deidre Budahl is a financial advisor with Avantax Planning Partners, Inc. in Rapid City, SD, holding a Series 65 designation and 10 years of industry experience. She has been a partner and accountant at Casey Peterson, Ltd., a regional CPA firm, since 2003. Budahl serves on the board of Monument Health - Rapid City Hospital and is the Board Chair for the South Dakota Board of Accountancy. Avantax Planning Partners provides investment advice and planning primarily to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and businesses through collaborative arrangements with independent CPA firms. The firm employs model-based style allocation strategies and offers discretionary portfolio management with tax-intelligent overlays and centralized trading.

Alex Parker is a financial advisor at Edward Jones with three years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at Edward Jones since 2022. Prior to this, he held positions at Learfield Sports - Jackrabbit Sports Properties and First Bank & Trust. Edward Jones is a full-service wealth management firm serving more than four million individual and institutional clients. The firm offers a range of advisory programs and investment strategies, supported by a large nationwide network of financial advisors and branch offices.

Kris Pearson is a financial advisor at NewEdge Advisors with 20 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has previously worked at Investment Centers of America, Inc. and LPL Financial. Pearson is also involved in providing investment advisory services through GWM Advisors, LLC, an independent investment advisory firm. NewEdge Advisors serves a diverse client base including individuals, trusts, pension plans, corporations, and charitable organizations. The firm offers discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management through a wrap fee program that integrates asset management with financial planning, utilizing a range of investment vehicles and analytic approaches with regular portfolio reviews.

Scott Dornbusch is the sole advisor at Dornbusch Asset Management in Faribault, MN, holding Series 63 and Series 65 designations with 25 years of industry experience. He has led Dornbusch Asset Management since 1997. Outside of advisory services, he recently sold an industrial pump distribution business. Dornbusch Asset Management provides fee-only investment advisory services to individual investors and small businesses, focusing on discretionary portfolio management primarily using stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and ETFs. The firm applies Modern Portfolio Theory with tailored allocations and incorporates both fundamental and technical analysis, including options strategies such as covered-call writing.

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.

Kayla Santos is a financial advisor with Mass Mutual Investors Services in Warwick, RI, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and having nine years of industry experience. She has worked at Mass Mutual Investors Services since 2017 and previously at MetLife and MetLife Securities. Outside of her advisory role, she is an independent insurance agent specializing in life, fixed annuities, disability, long-term care, and health insurance. Mass Mutual Investors Services is a broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser subsidiary of MassMutual that serves individuals, business owners, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and employers. The firm provides ongoing financial planning, asset management, and educational seminars, using firm-approved software and tools to analyze client goals and deliver written financial recommendations.

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.

William Soltow is a financial advisor at Smith & Wyatt with 12 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at Smith & Wyatt since 2022, following previous roles at CoreCap Advisors and Cambridge Investment Research. Outside of advisory work, he is the founder of Frontier Wealth Management and acts as an independent insurance agent. Smith & Wyatt provides investment advisory and financial planning services to individuals, including high-net-worth clients, and corporations. The firm emphasizes discretionary portfolio management using mutual funds and ETFs, with tailored strategies based on various analytical methods and client-specific objectives.

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.