Independent advisors focused on student loan debt in Virginia

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 have student loan debt weighing on your financial goals, you need an advisor who understands how to balance repayment with saving and investing. The biggest mistake is treating your loans like any other debt, rather than integrating them into your overall financial plan. Independent advisors here operate without firm constraints, which can mean more flexible advice tailored to your unique situation.

  • Loan repayment strategies. Ask how they prioritize payments among federal, private, and income-driven plans to minimize your total cost.
  • Refinancing considerations. Confirm if they evaluate when refinancing makes sense versus keeping federal protections.
  • Budget integration. Look for advisors who incorporate your loan payments into your monthly cash flow and savings goals, not just your debt balance.
  • Long-term impact. See if they model how your student loans affect retirement savings and other financial milestones.

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

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Kristin M

Series 66

Mt Pleasant, SC

Primerica Advisors

Kristin Manna is a financial advisor with Primerica Advisors and holds a Series 66 designation. She has one year of industry experience, including roles at Park Avenue Securities, Guardian Life Insurance Company, and Consolidated Planning Holdings, Inc. Prior to entering the financial industry, she worked in education for eight years. Outside of advising, Kristin is an author and publisher of a basketball coaching notebook and works as a math tutor for high school students. Park Avenue Securities serves a broad retail client base with a range of brokerage and advisory services, utilizing proprietary and third-party investment strategies across various account types and investment vehicles.

Business exit / sale strategy Tax-loss harvesting Self-Employed Founder/Business Owner
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Amanda Q

Series 66

Richmond, VA

Wells Fargo Advisors

Amanda Quicke is a financial advisor at Wells Fargo Advisors with 18 years of industry experience. She has worked at various Wells Fargo entities since 2009. Amanda is a Series 66 license holder and has partial ownership in an investment-related business, Granite Wealth Management, LLC. Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network serves individuals, trusts, and institutional clients by providing investment and fee-based financial planning services. The firm offers a broad range of planning options using proprietary research and tools, with services tailored to clients who meet specific net-worth criteria.

Divorce financial planning Planning for children with special needs Business exit / sale strategy Cash flow / budgeting Founder/Business Owner
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James C

Series 63, Series 65

Roanoke, VA

Valley Investors Corporation

James Comer is the sole advisor at Valley Investors Corporation in Roanoke, VA, where he has worked since 1995. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 30 years of industry experience. Valley Investors Corporation provides investment advisory and portfolio management services primarily to individual clients, managing approximately $2.6 million in assets for 11 clients. The firm operates under a solo practitioner model, emphasizing direct advisor involvement in account management and review.

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Charles S

CFP®, Series 66

Atlanta, GA

Steele Financial Studios

Charles Steele is a CFP® and holds a Series 66 license, with 20 years of experience in the financial industry. He has worked at Kestra Advisory, Kestra Investment Services, and Cambridge Investment Research prior to founding Steele Advisory LLC. Steele is also a licensed insurance agent, spending a limited amount of time on insurance sales and implementation. Steele Financial Studios provides discretionary investment management, comprehensive financial planning, and retirement plan advisory services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, businesses, and plan sponsors. The firm emphasizes fundamental analysis and a long-term investment approach, incorporating low-cost mutual funds, ETFs, individual securities, and unaffiliated independent managers, with a notable focus on pension and retirement plan consulting.

Wealth management
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John J

Series 63, Series 65

Richmond, VA

Merrill

John Jones II is a financial advisor at Merrill with 18 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 designations and has worked at both Merrill and Bank of America, N.A. since 2015 in Richmond, VA. Merrill serves a wide range of clients, including individuals, retirement plans, corporations, and institutional investors, offering managed account programs, discretionary portfolio management, and brokerage execution services. The firm integrates closely with Bank of America affiliates and emphasizes manager selection, tax-focused investment strategies, and a variety of portfolio management options.

Tax-loss harvesting Active portfolio management Executive Founder/Business Owner Mid-Career Professionals HENRY (High Earners, Not Rich Yet)

Stephen B

CFP®

Charlotte, NC

Flat Fee Financial LLC

As a comprehensive financial planning firm we can assist you with your investment management, social security, debt management, budgeting, net-worth tracking, overall organization, tax planning, charitable planning, insurance review, and much more. As a flat fee firm we know the stock market isn't the only solution for your investment problems and love to brainstorm real estate, small business, private credit, and other alternative investment options that lead to the main goal. To improve your financial life and increase your net-worth. If you want a second set of eyes on your investments or financial decisions then feel free to give us a call and we'll talk through if we are a good fit for you. If not, then we will point you in the right direction.

Inherited wealth Student loan debt Dentist Baby Boomers (Born 1946-1964)
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Kade H

CFP®, Series 65

Coralville, IA

Storybook Financial

Kade Hammes is a CFP® and holds a Series 65 license, with nine years of experience in the financial advisory industry. He is the owner and sole advisor at Storybook Financial, an independent firm based in Coralville, IA. Prior to founding Storybook Financial, Hammes worked at CliftonLarsonAllen Wealth Advisors, LLC and was previously dual-registered with Blend Financial, Inc. Storybook Financial serves individuals, young professional families, and small businesses, providing comprehensive financial life planning alongside discretionary portfolio management and project-based planning. The firm’s investment approach emphasizes strategic asset allocation and evidence-based investing, incorporating factor tilts and international diversification through mutual funds, ETFs, and third-party managers.

Cash flow / budgeting Debt management Student loan debt College savings (529s, UTMA, etc.) Young Professionals
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Lindsey C

Series 66

Carlisle, PA

Providers & Families Wealth Management

Lindsey Ciarrocca is a financial advisor at Providers & Families Wealth Management with eight years of industry experience. She holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at firms including Hornor Townsend & Kent Inc and Penn Mutual Life Insurance. Outside of her advisory role, Lindsey operates The Exuberant Elephant, a money coaching business. Providers & Families Wealth Management serves individuals, families, trusts, estates, businesses, and charitable organizations by providing financial planning and discretionary investment management. The firm offers customized portfolios using strategic asset allocation and integrates tax-aware and estate coordination within its financial planning services.

Retirement income strategy Income planning Cash flow / budgeting Student loan debt Tax strategies for small businesses Founder/Business Owner Retired Approaching retirement Married/Couples/Partners
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Eric M

Series 66

Falls Church, VA

POV Wealth LLC

Eric McGinley is the sole advisor at POV Wealth LLC in Falls Church, VA, holding a Series 66 credential with 11 years of industry experience. His work history includes roles at USA Financial Securities, Securities America, and Park Avenue Securities. Outside of advising, he officiates field hockey and lacrosse games and provides college funding and student loan consultation services. POV Wealth LLC offers financial planning and discretionary asset management for individuals, families, trusts, and businesses. The firm emphasizes documented client profiles, periodic portfolio reviews, and diversified investment strategies, along with educational seminars and coordination of held-away and custodial accounts.

College savings (529s, UTMA, etc.) Student loan debt Annuities
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Danielle D

CFP®

Southern Pines, NC

Tactical Wealth Partners

Danielle Dettenmayer is a CFP® professional with three years of industry experience, currently with Tactical Wealth Partners in Southern Pines, NC. Prior to joining Tactical Wealth Partners in 2022, she worked at Zeiders Enterprises, Inc. for six years and has a background in full-time education. Tactical Wealth Partners serves individual clients and families, focusing primarily on high-earning attorneys at large law firms and their households. The firm employs a long-term, buy-and-hold investment approach grounded in Modern Portfolio Theory, emphasizing diversified, low-cost mutual funds and ETFs, tax efficiency, and periodic rebalancing.

Equity compensation tax strategy Cash flow / budgeting Student loan debt General tax planning Attorney HENRY (High Earners, Not Rich Yet) Married/Couples/Partners
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Jared F

Series 65

Huntington Beach, CA

Northwest Asset Management

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.

Retirement income strategy Wealth management Active portfolio management Founder/Business Owner
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Edwina M

Series 65

Cincinnati, OH

Waverly Advisors, LLC

Edwina Martin is a financial advisor at Waverly Advisors, LLC with two years of industry experience. She holds a Series 65 designation and previously worked at 9258 Wealth Management for five years and Teradata Corp for eleven years. In addition to her advisory role, she serves as assistant director of tax planning at 9258 Tax and Planning. Waverly Advisors, LLC is an SEC-registered enterprise adviser serving individuals, corporations, retirement plans, and pooled investment vehicles. The firm offers discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and fiduciary services, employing a combination of centralized and customized investment strategies across traditional and alternative asset classes.

Private / alternative investments Real estate investing Tax-loss harvesting Options & derivatives strategies ESG / Sustainable investing Founder/Business Owner Executive
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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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David H

Series 65

Corona, CA

Safeguard Investment Advisory Group, LLC

David Hart is a financial advisor with Safeguard Investment Advisory Group, LLC, holding a Series 65 credential and 15 years of industry experience. He has worked with Safeguard since 2020 and previously held roles at LifePro Asset Management, LLC, Martin and Associates Insurance Services, Inc., and Martin Wealth Management, LLC. Hart is also a Certified Financial Fiduciary and volunteers as an instructor with the Foundation for Fiduciary Education (NACFF), providing unbiased fiduciary financial education. Safeguard Investment Advisory Group, LLC serves individual, high-net-worth, institutional, and business clients, offering discretionary portfolio management, access to third-party sub-advisers, and fee-based financial planning. The firm employs a fundamental-analysis investment process with a preferred horizon of two to ten years and manages over $600 million across approximately 1,800 client relationships.

Wealth management Passive / index investing Active portfolio management Retirement income strategy
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Sarah C

CFP®, Series 63, Series 65

Boston, MA

Santander Securities LLC

Sarah Currier Barrella is a CFP®-certified financial advisor with 26 years of industry experience. She is currently with Santander Securities LLC and Santander Bank, NA, having previously worked at TD Bank and Citizens Securities, Inc. Barrella holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses. Santander Securities LLC provides investment advisory and related services to a diverse client base, including individuals, corporations, charitable organizations, retirement plans, and institutional clients. The firm offers wrap-fee advisory programs and financial planning services, delivering investment advice through the FMAX managed-account platform with discretionary portfolio management and ongoing suitability reviews.

ESG / Sustainable investing Tax-loss harvesting General retirement planning Income planning Founder/Business Owner
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