Joel J. Garris is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Nelson Financial Planning, Inc. and Nelson Investment Planning Services, Inc. Mr. Garris joined the firm on December 5, 1999.

Mr. Garris specializes in bringing all the various parts of an individual’s finances into focus. His areas of expertise include retirement income planning, cash flow planning, retirement planning, tax planning and estate planning. He recommends effective solutions for efficiently managing cash to meet all needs and develops plans to properly provide retirement income. In addition, Mr. Garris also provides successful strategies to reduce both income and estate taxes.

Prior to joining NIPS, Mr. Garris was a securities law attorney at the law firm of Dickstein Shapiro LLP, a large multi-practiced firm with more than 400 attorneys in Washington, DC. He specialized in initial public offerings, mergers and acquisitions and debt financing for a wide array of corporate clients, including Fortune 500 companies. Prior to becoming an attorney, he worked as an engineer at Central Maine Power Company.

Mr. Garris is a Certified Financial Planner, a Certified Financial Fiduciary and a member of the Massachusetts and Washington, DC bar. He holds various securities licenses including, Series 7 – General Securities Representative, Series 24 – General Securities Principal, Series 27/28 – Financial and Operations Principal and Series 51 – Municipal Fund Securities Principal.

Mr. Garris is the Treasurer of the Delaney Park Neighborhood Association and an Assistant Scoutmaster for Troop 24 chartered by First Presbyterian Church of Orlando. He has served as a youth sports coach on numerous occasions for Delaney Park Little League, Association of Christian Youth Sports, YMCA and Upward. He is also a member of various organizations, including Mensa, and has been a volunteer for Literacy Volunteers of America and the Veterans’ Administration.

Mr. Garris is the current host of Central Florida’s longest running radio show, which was started in 1984 by Jack Nelson. “Dollars and Sense” is heard live from 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM every Sunday on WFLA 102.5 FM/540 AM . Previously, Mr. Garris was the host of “Moneywise”, a financial call-in talk show on WORL 660 AM, for five years. Mr. Garris also taught a personal enrichment class entitled “Analyzing and Solving Life’s Financial Matters” through Orange County Public Schools.

Mr. Garris married Stephanie Nelson on February 13, 1999. Mrs. Garris is the Executive Director of Grace Medical Home and previously served as the Executive Director of the Orlando Metro Area for the American Cancer Society. She is also a past President of the Junior League of Greater Orlando. They have three sons Nelson who attends Boone High School and Ethan, and Connor who attend The Christ School in downtown Orlando.

 Robert B Williams, CFF, CIC, CIC

 CFF-Certified Financial Fiduciary 

 CWS-Certified Wealth Strategist Practitioner

 CIC-Certified Insurance Counselor

 Financial Planner

Bob is the founder and President of Williams Wealth Management, an Independent Financial Planning, Investments and Insurance firm, based in Apex, NC. Williams Wealth Management was formed to serve families with independent financial planning excellence. With over two decades of experience in the financial services industry, Bob brings a prudent risk-managed approach to helping families work toward achieving their financial planning goals. Bob is an experienced Financial Planner, Investment and Insurance Professional, Certified Wealth Strategist® Practitioner, and Certified Insurance Counselor. In the community, Bob is active with Resurrection Lutheran Church, The Rotary Club and The Carolina Sailing Club. Personally, he enjoys time playing sports with his two sons and family time at home with his lovely wife.

As an Investment Adviser Representative, Michael provides clients with an expanded level of wealth management and investment portfolio services tailored to their individual risk tolerances and unique financial goals. He has earned his Retirement Income Certified Professional (RICP®) designation, which The American College created to prepare financial advisers to help retirees make sure their nest eggs last and have greater peace of mind during retirement. Additionally, he has earned his Certified Financial Fiduciary® (CFF) designation. CFFs agree to uphold the highest moral, ethical and fiduciary standards of service when providing advice to clients. Michael has also completed The Bucket Plan® Certification.

Michael also manages our Individual Tax Preparation practice and holds the    designation of an Enrolled Agent (EA), the highest credential that the IRS awards to tax practitioners. EA’s are “America’s Tax Experts,” subject to the most rigorous continuing education and ethical requirements in the industry.

Michael earned his B.S.B.A. with Accounting and Finance concentrations from Bryant University in Smithfield, RI. He is a long-time member of Mensa as well as a member of the National Association of Enrolled Agents and the National Association of Certified Financial Fiduciaries.

Michael is a die-hard Packers fan who can be found yelling at his television on football Sundays.

A seasoned professional with more than 25 years of experience in the financial services industry, Member of FINRA and SIPC, Scott Mondeau is passionate about helping clients achieve financial success.  Scott founded FieldStone Wealth Management in Bridgewater, MA with one goal in mind – to provide a personalized customer experience focused on building long-lasting relationships.

Scott, along with the staff of FieldStone Wealth Management, specializes in creating logical solutions for both common and complex challenges.  He concentrates on working hand-in-hand with clients in their pursuit of financial success and creating opportunities to offer valuable financial education that is necessary in building a desired financial future.

From retirement, estate, and full-scale financial planning to business owner and executive benefits, FieldStone Wealth Management offers a variety of services to fit an array of needs.  Scott also makes an effort to meet and get to know his clients’ families in order to gain a well-rounded perspective on each individual’s financial needs while helping them make informed decisions that support their objectives.  Each team member of FieldStone Wealth Management ensures that their clients receive personal attention and service, and they strive to exceed expectations.

Not only is Scott an experienced and intelligent professional, but his kindness and positive outlook truly shine through in everything he does.  He hopes to continue serving the needs of his clients and his community for years to come.

Scott has been married to Lainie for 28 years and they have two sons, Brian and Thomas.  During his time off, he enjoys coaching and playing hockey.  He also has three Braque Francais, Chauncey, Piper, and Stella, that he bird hunts with.

Rob Field is a Financial Planner with Nelson Investment Planning Services, Inc. (NIPS) and a FINRA Registered Representative with Nelson Ivest Brokerage Services, Inc. (NIBS).  Mr. Field joined NIPS in September of 2015.

Mr. Field holds a Series 6 Securities License with FINRA, for Investment Company and Variable Contracts.

Prior to joining NIPS, Rob was associated with various investment companies, including Shearson Lehman Hutton, Nationwide Financial Services, and Transamerica Investments and Retirement. His background includes financial planning, investment analysis, and customer solutions.

Rob earned his Bachelor of Business Administration in General Business from Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas. Additionally, Rob has earned his Certified Funds Specialist designation from The Institute of Business and Finance.

Rob is the father of twins, Robert and Elizabeth, both currently attending college. He is also an avid tennis fan and plays regularly.

Rob is active in the community, staying involved with the Paralyzed Veterans Association, Fresh Start Ministries, and the SPCA.

In addition to being an Investment Adviser Representative with The Leist Group, Clay also holds his Series 7 license, which allows him to trade securities such as stocks, mutual funds, options, municipal securities and variable contracts. Additionally, he has earned his Certified Financial Fiduciary® (CFF) designation. CFFs agree to uphold the highest moral, ethical and fiduciary standards of service when providing advice to clients. Clay has also completed The Bucket Plan® Certification.

Clay is also a member of the National Association of Medicare Supplement and     Medicare Advantage Producers (NAMSMAP). Their mission is to provide Medicare beneficiaries with the best possible knowledge, in order for the consumer to make educated choices in their Medicare Insurance selections. He has over a decade of experience in the healthcare industry and has focused on the Medicare field since   2015.

Clay has a passion for yoga and eastern medicines. He also enjoys participating in bowling and dart leagues.

Andrew Butler has over 24 years of experience in the financial services industry. He has developed a successful business in meeting the needs of business owners, key executives, and retirees. His primary focus is helping others to properly insure what they have, invest what they can, and live the life of their dreams. In his pursuit for greater industry knowledge and expertise, Andrew has achieved the professional designations of CIC (Certified Insurance Counselor) and CRM (Charter Risk Manager). Andrew is happily married to his high school sweetheart Stacy and they are the proud parents of three children.

George “Lisle” Cheatham, (CFF) Certified Financial Fiduciary, was raised in Greensburg, KY and life has given him the opportunity to serve his clients, his State, and his community in a number of capacities through the years.  But the values and traditions of small town Kentucky always led him back home.

It’s this same sense of service that has become a cornerstone of George’s own business. George is a practicing licensed financial representative with NEXT Financial Group, Inc. based in Houston, TX and owner of American Financial Consultants, Inc.  Through honest, informed advice and personalized attention, George works to help improve his client’s lives. George focuses his practice on financial needs of small business owners, retirees and pre-retirees as they position themselves and their families for a successful retirement future.

After graduating from the University of Kentucky in 1989 with degrees in both economics and political science, George went to work with Wall Street based investment firm, First Investors Corporation, where he quickly rose to District Manager.  In 1991 he started his own independent financial services company, American Financial Consultants, Inc., a company he is proud to lead today. 

George has served on several local and statewide boards such as Leadership Kentucky, Inc. and his local Rotary Club.  Today, he continues to serve on the board of directors of several local and regional organizations – the Lake Cumberland Area Development District, the Kentucky League of Cities, the State of Kentucky Local Distribution Fund Oversight Committee and the Greensburg Housing Authority – just to name a few. Through his strong support for education he has also served on the Board of Directors and chairman of the Elizabethtown Community and Technical College.  George has also been honored to serve as Mayor of his hometown of Greensburg for four consecutive terms beginning in 2003.

George has one daughter, Eva Michelle Cheatham, a graduate of the University of Kentucky Law School and current chief staff attorney for the 28^th Judicial District of Kentucky.

Gary is a Texas native and is a well-known Investment Adviser Representative and has conducted numerous educational and light-hearted seminars for fraternal organizations, senior groups, church groups and public workshops in the Kingwood/Houston area for over 20 years. He is a Division Manager/OSJ with NEXT Financial Group, Inc. based in Houston, Texas.

Gary specializes in income planning for his retirement clients.  He has been trained by the nationally known Phil Lubinski, CFP® in the implementation of The Income for Life Model®, which uses a time-segmentation investment strategy with the objective of providing an inflation-adjusted income for life. Gary has also had the benefit of being trained by the nationally known Ed Slott, CPA in retirement distribution planning with a high concentration on tax-efficiency and distribution strategies.

Gary conducts Savvy Social Security Planning for Boomers workshops which teach strategies for the best time to take your Social Security check.  He was trained in these techniques and strategies by Social Security expert Elaine Floyd, CFP®.  He also conducts classes specifically designed for women, Savvy Women Invest On Purpose®. This engaging seminar helps women reveal strengths to accomplish more with their money. In addition, he conducts Retirement Planning Today® classes at Kingwood College. These comprehensive six-hour classes are designed for pre-retirees and retired persons. The course outline includes Retirement Needs & Expenses, Retirement Roadblocks & Mistakes, Retirement Plan Distributions, Investments, Risk Management & Asset Protection and Estate Planning.

As a professional in estate planning strategies and financial services, Gary provides a comprehensive financial analysis and customized financial and retirement plans designed for the specific needs of each individual on a case by case basis.  He has made a strong commitment to provide each one of his clients with personal attention and the respect they deserve. Gary holds the Series 7, Series 63, Series 65, Series 24, Series 30, Series 31, and Series 51 licenses.

Long-time Kingwood residents Gary and Linda have been married for over 25 years. Linda spends her time gardening, reading, keeping the office organized and giving computer technical advice and guidance to the firm. They are the proud parents of six cats, and six children spread out from Seattle to New York City.