Meet The TrustWell Team
Established in 1987, TrustWell has always been focused on putting clients first. We want you to feel as comfortable as possible when you meet with us, so here is some insight into everyone who makes up the TrustWell Team.
Gary Williams, CFP®
Gary founded TrustWell Financial Advisors in 1987 in Gainesville, Florida and moved his practice to Jacksonville in 1990. He earned his BA from the University of Florida and has been a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional since 1987. He spent 15 years running a family business before opening his own financial planning firm.
Gary often shares the path that brought him into this business. While in the family business, Gary engaged a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional to help his family. The holistic advice was really helpful, but the advisor was dishonest and failed to disclose conflicts of interest. It was at that point that Gary decided there was a market for an honest CFP® and hung out his shingle.
Gary has served on many professional and non-profit boards. He feels that the greatest joys in his life are his wife, family, children, grandchildren and his faith.
Chris is a Florida native and he’s been a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional since 2004. With a background in banking and finance, he’s been a statistician for several large Jacksonville corporations, a college instructor, and a business owner and investor since 1996.
Chris served in the US Army from 1987 to 1991, including combat service in Operation Desert Storm, after which he returned to complete his university education. He holds a liberal arts degree from the University of Central Florida, graduate degrees in education and in business from the University of Florida, and a certificate in financial planning from FSCJ.
Chris is conversant in most all areas of financial planning, with special interests in tax planning, cash flow management, and investing. Chris owns several rental properties, and he helps his wife in her management of a small-town medical practice.
Chris is a NAPFA-certified advisor and he’s a money coach for Compass-Finances God’s Way and for the US Department of Defense. He and his wife have hiked long sections of the Appalachian Trail and made numerous mission trips to Cuba with teams from their church. Chris is an avid reader, with interests ranging from theology to carpentry to finance to philosophy. He’s also a cat lover, and he’s been TV-free for 15+ years. He spends lots of his free time in his backyard workshop and he sometimes leads groups of volunteers doing out-of-state disaster relief work.
The FDM Group
In 2009, after spending many years in the finance industry with the ultimate goal of becoming a financial advisor, Brett Freese left his role as a vice president of finance at a major securities firm to join TrustWell. Brett has an MBA in finance from Rutgers University, his CFP® designation, is a NAPFA-certified advisor, and is a Certified Kingdom Advisor®. Brett enjoys spending time with his wife, Susan, and their two sons. His activities in ministry include serving on the advisory team to his church’s pastor and partnering with his wife’s All In Ministries Nonprofit, which helps disciple under-resourced women around the world.
In 2017, Brett and Tanner Doudna teamed up at TrustWell to serve their clients with excellence in both investment management and financial planning. Tanner has a bachelor’s degree in finance and started his professional career as a financial advisor at Merrill Lynch. Tanner is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and a Certified Kingdom Advisor®. Other than spending time with his wife, Lindsey, and their four young children, Tanner’s activities in ministry include coaching and discipling youth and actively serving in their church.
In 2022, Brett and Tanner added Bradley Miller to their team at TrustWell. Bradley joined TrustWell after spending 10+ years in the financial services industry, bringing along expertise in both investment management and financial planning. Bradley has a BBA degree in finance, is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, a Certified Kingdom Advisor® and has spent time with NAPFA. Bradley and his wife, Sarah, enjoy hanging out with family including his son Henry, and they actively attend The Church of Eleven22.
Brett, Tanner, and Bradley (otherwise known as the FDM Group) believe that their clients are best served in a team approach – allowing each advisor to specialize in their area(s) of expertise. They are all very family-oriented and have a strong belief in incorporating Biblical principles into their financial advice. They are all big sports fans with varying rooting interests including the Jaguars, Giants, and 17-time NBA champion LA Lakers.
Tina Fitzpatrick
Tina has lived in Jacksonville her entire life. She has spent her career as an administrator and small business owner. She joined the TrustWell team in 2018 and enjoys interacting with our clients and providing high quality service. In her spare time, Tina enjoys spending time with her family and friends, gardening, kayaking, and working on embroidery projects.
Payton Messman
Payton has lived in the Jacksonville area her entire life. She is a current student at The University of North Florida, where she is studying Finance and Economics. Payton is a member of many clubs and organizations at UNF and enjoys being involved in her local school and community.