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Darla Wise, Wealth Manager and Partner at Merit Financial Advisors, is pictured at the First Quality Wellness Fair.
PHOTO PROVIDED
LOCK HAVEN — Helping you and your family meet your financial goals is something local financial advisor Darla Wise aims for.
Wise, who is a Wealth Manager and Partner at Merit Financial Advisors, has been involved with financial services for nearly 30 years – including owning her own business. In 2010, Darla decided to switch gears from her mortgage company, Family Mortgage, and move into the financial investment world.
“My current financial advisor at the time talked me into it. He had actually tried to get me into this field for a while prior to 2010,” she said. “It took a real estate bubble to get me to say yes.” According to Wise, shifting her focus was a good decision.
“The business was called Planned Futures at the time. We just recently merged with a national company called Merit Financial Advisors,” she explained. “We are still the same people and at the same location. Just a new name.”
As a wealth manager, Wise helps people save for retirement through investments.
“I approach each household in a holistic manner,” she said. “Every person and every household is different with different needs and goals, with different risk tolerances.”
Whether it be through advisory portfolios using stocks, bonds, ETFs, mutual funds or annuities, life insurance, college planning funds or estate planning, Wise offers a wide range of help.
“I will work with each person or family as a fiduciary in a financial advisory capacity,” she said.
When asked what she enjoys most about working at Merit, she said, “I absolutely love helping people achieve their goals. I love it when people come to me asking if they can retire and I help them with a plan to get there.”
“I love watching families grow and make changes to their plans as their needs change,” she continued. “I love the people I work with and our team-oriented atmosphere. There is so much about what I do that I love. Sometimes I can’t believe I call this work. It’s a good job and a great industry.”
According to Wise, working in finance can often be a very male dominated field, “but there has been a push over the past years to attract more females and I welcome that push.”
“I think women have a different style and disposition than men when working with clients. Just as they do with anything,” she said. “I think it’s an advantage, personally. We bring something unique to the table that our clients might not otherwise get.”
Outside of her work, Wise is a mentor in the TRIO Student Support Services for Commonwealth University-Lock Haven students; on the Croda/Avery Dennison Community Advisory Council (CAC); she is a previous board member of the Clinton County Historical Society; a member of the Clinton County Economic Partnership; a 2012 graduate of the Leadership Clinton County program; and previously served on the Leadership Clinton County Advisory Committee.
She and her husband, Von, call Lock Haven home.
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