Our Team

Thomas P. Marshall
President and Chief Investment Officer

A well-known financial educator, Thomas P. Marshall is President and Chief Investment Officer of Virginia Estate and Retirement Planning Advisors, Inc., an independent, fee-based financial planning and investment advisory firm. His expertise is helping retirees and those soon to retire avoid common, costly financial mistakes. Tom has advised over 800 retirees and pre-retirees, including past employees of the U.S. Government, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, DuPont, CSX Corporation, Dominion Resources, Capital One Financial Corporation, and many others. He has been assisting investors for over 14 years.

Tom is the former Chief Investment Officer of Gradient Investments, where he pioneered the use of tactical asset allocation based on economic cycles. Tom has also served as investment manager at Hickory Venture Capital, a $200 million venture capital and private equity fund.

Tom earned his Master of Business Administration degree from Vanderbilt University and graduated with Distinction from the Virginia Military Institute where he was commissioned in the United States Army, Corps of Engineers. Tom is also a graduate of the Venture Capital Institute.

Tom has lectured widely on financial topics and is a former lecturer at Vanderbilt University. Tom and his wife Cassie have two sons and live in Richmond, Virginia.

Strategic Partnership

Wayne Schmidt, CFA®, MBA
Chief Investment Officer – Gradient Investments

With 26 years of investment experience, Wayne brings decades of institutional experience and in-depth knowledge of the private client market, and offers a global investment management perspective. In a nationwide search that included acquisition considerations, AXA Investment Managers, a subsidiary of the European insurance giant AXA Group, handpicked Wayne to build their U.S investment grade fixed income capabilities.

During his tenure at AXA Investment Managers, Wayne served as senior portfolio manager for the U.S. Investment Grade Fixed Income Team. As the lead portfolio manager, he managed $9.5 billion of fixed income assets with a variety of mandates ranging from aggregate, corporate and government bond portfolios.

Before joining AXA Investment Managers, Wayne dedicated over 20 years to Minnesota Life and its' $14 billion investment arm, Advantus Capital Management. As portfolio manager, he managed a variety of high-grade funds as part of Advantus's $1.8 billion Total Return Product for institutional and retail clients. He also served as the lead portfolio manager of the Advantus Bond Fund and the co-portfolio manager of the Advantus Spectrum Fund.

Wayne earned his Master of Business Administration in Finance from the University of Minnesota and a Bachelor of Science from Cornell University. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst® charter holder and a member of The Chartered Financial Analyst Institute.

Over the years, Wayne has been quoted on the global economy in numerous nationally and internationally recognized investment publications such as Bloomberg, Pension & Investments, Reuters, The Los Angeles Times, Financial Week (2008 Neal Award Winner), Asia Times, InvestorVillage, Safehaven, SFO, Credit Investment News and RGE Monitor (Nouriel Roubini's Global EconoMonitorinvestment). He has also provided market insights on Bloomberg radio and television.

Nick Stovall, CPA, MBA
Senior Tax Advisor – Gradient Tax

Nick Stovall CPA, MBA boasts an extensive background in accounting, finance and investments. With over 20 years of experience, he brings decades of private industry accounting, public accounting, business taxation, IRA taxation, technical taxation, tax law and tax policy knowledge to the organization. With an in-depth knowledge of the financial services industry and solid understanding of the complex demands of diverse business settings, his experience provides an invaluable perspective on the intricate relationships between tax and business issues.

During his tenure in the private industry sector, Nick served as the Chief Financial Officer for Glenn Corporation and E Energy Adams. He has also consulted in the public sector serving individuals and businesses in the areas of financial and tax planning. Nick was an instructor with National American University, teaching upper division accounting courses and remains a mentor for aspiring accountants.

Nick earned a Masters of Business Administration in Accounting from the University of St. Thomas and a Bachelor of Science in Finance where he graduated with distinction. In addition, he attended Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota and earned a Masters of Business Taxation.

Nick remains active in the accounting industry and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), and the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA).

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