Independent financial advisors in The Villages, FL

Darren Mc Quary is a Series 65-licensed financial advisor at AE Wealth Management, LLC with two years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Baum Financial Services and Scott Barnwell State Farm. He is also active as an insurance agent and tax preparer at Baum Financial Services. AE Wealth Management provides fee-based portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement-plan consulting to a diverse client base, including individual households, corporations, trusts, and ERISA plan sponsors. The firm utilizes discretionary model portfolios and combines fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis methods, serving over 127,000 clients with a platform-focused approach.

Clay Palmer serves as the Senior Resident Director of The Villages Branch Office and as a senior advisor for The Palmer Group at Merrill Lynch. He works with affluent families, individuals, and business owners in Central Florida, focusing on financial strategies and wealth management services. His approach emphasizes understanding clients' needs to build comprehensive investment plans that integrate various aspects of their financial lives. Clay graduated from Auburn University with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and holds a Master's Degree in Business Administration from the University of Central Florida. Before joining Merrill Lynch Wealth Management in 2008 as a Financial Advisor, he held engineering and project management roles at Progress Energy, FL. His expertise includes portfolio construction, client reviews, and retirement analysis. Clay holds the Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor (CRPC), Chartered Retirement Plans Specialist (CRPS), and Personal Investment Advisor (PIA) designations. Clay and his wife Jennifer reside in Lady Lake with their children. He engages in various personal interests including adventure sports, boating, fishing, football, golfing, reading, swimming, traveling, and spending time with his family.

Alejandra Torres is currently a Planning Consultant at Fidelity Investments, where she collaborates with clients and Financial Consultants to develop and maintain customized financial plans tailored to clients' short- and long-term goals. She emphasizes understanding clients' priorities and works closely to identify strategies aligned with their objectives. Alejandra focuses on building and maintaining strong relationships through ongoing plan reviews and consistent communication. Her professional experience includes roles as a Relationship Manager and Financial Services Representative at Fidelity Investments, as well as a Personal Banker at Wells Fargo Bank. These positions have provided her with a foundation in financial services and client relationship management. Outside of her professional work, Alejandra enjoys food, tennis, and traveling.

Cesar Armas Crespo is a financial advisor with Charles Schwab, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and five years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Booking.com and Conduent. Outside of his advisory work, he manages GYMVERZE LLC, a business specializing in designing and printing custom logos on sports clothing. Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. serves a large client base primarily composed of high- and ultra-high-net-worth individuals through its Schwab Wealth Advisory wrap fee program and affiliated managed-account and financial planning services. The firm offers a combination of non-discretionary investment advice and access to discretionary separately managed accounts, supported by a centralized operational structure and a multi-asset investment approach.

Jacob Wells is a financial advisor at Zenith Advisory Group, LLC with one year of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and previously worked in the NFL/XFL from 2022 to 2025. Zenith Advisory Group provides advisory services primarily to individual and high-net-worth clients, offering portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement plan advisory services. The firm’s investment approach is based on modern portfolio theory and focuses on client goals, time horizon, and risk tolerance, with regular portfolio reviews and use of sub-advisors as needed.

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.