Helping Clients Stay the Course

Originally from Raleigh, North Carolina, Tommy Doerfler graduated from Middle Tennessee State University with a Business Administration degree with an emphasis in finance. Receiving his Series 7, Series 66, Life, Health and Annuity Licenses, Tommy is also a Certified Exit Planning Advisor, has a Certified Public Accountant License, and is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional.* He is registered with Raymond James Financial Services, Inc. and is on the Financial Committee of Southwestern Investment Group.

Tommy is focused on helping his clients build wealth through comprehensive financial planning, with a specialty in fee-based** professional money management, tax planning strategies, and exceptional customer service. At Southwestern Investment Group, he enjoys the atmosphere of sharing and collaboration with other teams but also the autonomy that the organization is afforded. Personal development is abundant throughout the company culture, and Tommy appreciates the high moral standard the organization is held to.

Tommy initially moved to Nashville in 2003 out of his passion for music. Two years after living his dream in the music industry, Tommy decided it was time to hang up his drumsticks and choose another career. Since money wasn’t something for which he had a lot of knowledge, Tommy decided to redirect his passion towards a subject that was personal to him. During the time he spent traveling and playing music, Tommy became interested in learning what to do with his hard-earned dollars and how to invest in his career and save for the future. This interest soon became a passion that led Tommy to enrolling at MTSU to learn everything he could about personal finance.

Tommy wasn’t sure exactly what he wanted to do with his newfound knowledge until he did a summer internship with Southwestern Investment Group and realized that he could use his knowledge to assist people who did not understand wealth and who wanted personal assistance. It was his passion for learning about personal finance that led him to assist others with the same concerns he held as a musician.

Along with helping clients build and preserve their wealth, Tommy also enjoys spending his free time with his wife and daughter, watching soccer, and being outdoors.

*Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the certification marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, CFP® (with plaque design) and CFP® (with flame design) in the U.S., which it awards to individuals who successfully complete CFP Board's initial and ongoing certification requirements.

**Managed accounts are charged Advisory Fees in addition to internal fees of investment company products, and should be evaluated when determining the costs of a fee-based account. A list of additional considerations, as well as the fee schedule is available in the firms Form ADV (Part 2A) as well as the client agreement.

Daniel Peterman joined Southwestern Investment Group after serving as a financial advisor for several years at another national firm. He earned a double major and graduated with honors from the University of Alabama, and is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional, with the following licenses: Series 7, Series 66, Life, Health and Annuity Licenses.

Daniel partners with clients to help them set goals and develop their comprehensive plan. His goal is to help bring simplicity to complicated situations. After working as a standalone advisor, Daniel understood the importance of being a part of a team to better serve clients. He says that working alongside likeminded people who have a servant mentality is his favorite part of Southwestern Investment Group.

In his free time, Daniel loves spending time at Center Hill Lake with his wife, Kendal, and his nine-year-old pit-bull, Tasha. Daniel is an avid hunter, and he and his wife enjoy cooking dinner at least six nights a week.

Rich Smith started his career with Southwestern/Great American Inc. selling books part-time with Southwestern and paying his way through Taylor University in Indiana. After college, Rich joined the company full-time as a sales representative. He quickly moved into a leadership position with Great American and developed the largest organization in the company. He served as divisional Vice President and was recently inducted as a Charter Member into Great American’s Hall of Fame. In his 39 year career with the company, he has also served as a Corporate Board Member of Southwestern/Great American Inc.

In January 2006, Rich made the decision to leave Great American and follow his passion in the area of personal finance to join a sister company, Southwestern Investment Group, as a Raymond James financial advisor. He quickly distinguished himself there becoming a member of the Leadership Board and a Senior Vice President.

Rich has received his Series 7, Series 66, and Life and Annuity Insurance Licenses. He is registered with Raymond James Financial Services, Inc. Rich’s focus is helping his clients build wealth through Comprehensive Financial Planning with a specialty in fee-based* professional money management, tax planning strategies, and exceptional customer service.

Rich has been married to Rhonda, a middle school principal at Christ Presbyterian Academy, for 37 years. They have three children who are all married and live in the Nashville area, along with grandchildren. Besides spending time with family, Rich enjoys watching sports, reading, and playing golf.

*Clients should periodically re-evaluate whether the use of an asset-based fee continues to be appropriate in servicing their needs. A list of additional considerations, as well as the fee schedule, is available in the firm’s Form ADV Part II as well as the client agreement.

Neither Raymond James Financial Services nor any Raymond James Financial Advisor renders advice on tax issues, these matters should be discussed with the appropriate professional.

John O’Connor graduated from Towson University in 2019, with a degree in Economics and a minor in Finance. He previously worked for Wealth Enhancement Group and now has his Series 7, 66, and Life and Health Insurance licenses. John is also actively working towards becoming a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional.

In his role on the Lighthouse Wealth Team, John works with clients on reviewing investments, portfolio management, financial planning, retirement planning, and many other needs. When it came to joining the Southwestern Investment Group team, John was drawn to the company culture and especially that the company was honored among the top places to work in Tennessee in 2020 and 2021.*

John knew he wanted to work with other financial professionals who desire to serve clients and put clients’ interests ahead of their own. Additionally, he wanted to work for an organization that allowed him to grow in his role and expand his knowledge. To his delight, John has found all of these attributes at Southwestern Investment Group, and he appreciates, even more, how close his team is, how everyone is there for each other through the good and bad, and how everyone celebrates each other’s successes for the company as a whole.

Outside of work, John enjoys spending time at the gym, exploring new hiking trails, trying new breweries, and hang out with his lovely girlfriend, Molly. He also loves to talk all things basketball.

*More than 1,000 companies were invited to participate, 90 were recognized as one of the Tennessean Top Places to work. The Tennessean welcomed anyone to nominate an organization and partnered with Energage, who also reached out to companies. Any employer was eligible, as long as it had at least 5 employees in Middle Tennessee. Employees could be public, private, nonprofit or governmental. Once employers were nominated, employees were asked to fill out an online questionnaire that gave more information about the companies they worked for. Information gathered included issues relating to workplace culture, including Alignment, Connection, Effectiveness, Engagement, Leadership, and the Basics, including pay, benefits, flexibility, training, and expectations. Employers were then ranked among groups of similar size to most accurately compare results, with those that scored high being recognized.The ranking may not be representative of any one client's experience, is not an endorsement, and is not indicative of an advisor's future performance. Neither Raymond James nor any of its Financial Advisors or RIA firms pay a fee in exchange for this award/rating. Neither Energage nor the Tennessean is affiliated with Raymond James.

A Franklin, Tennessee native, Kelly Lynch graduated from Middle Tennessee State University and has over 10 years of experience in customer service. She began her career with Southwestern Investment Group in 2018 as the Office Coordinator and joined the Lighthouse Wealth Team shortly after as the team’s Client Services Associate.

Kelly's primary roles on the team consist of the account opening and maintenance processes, maintaining the team's schedule, and assisting with transfers and money movement. Her favorite thing about working at the company is how warm and welcoming everyone is. “You will never meet a stranger in the office,” Kelly says.

Beyond the office, Kelly enjoys spending time outdoors with her husband, doing light gardening and reading.