Jeffery Franklin

I’m Deaton Smith and I am the founder of Thayer Financial, a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional, a West Point graduate and OEF Veteran. I named Thayer Financial after the founding father of West Point because I envision my company as something bigger than me. It embodies the same values and principles of my time at West Point and in the Army: Duty, Honor, Integrity, and Loyalty. These values are at the very core of everything I do and stand for. The existing business model is drowning in a sea of “trust me” salespeople all riddled with major conflicts of interest and complicated financial products that pay exorbitant commissions. This is why I created my own firm. My values and beliefs did not line up with any of these major firms and I knew that there had to be a better way to serve my clients. That’s why I launched a fee-only Registered Investment Adviser that is legally obligated to work as a fiduciary 100% of the time. I don’t accept commissions, referral fees, kickbacks, free vacations, or marketing dollars from insurance companies or investment companies. The only way I get paid is directly from my clients for the services that I provide, which allows my clients to weigh the true cost of the advice they are receiving.

Jason Lail serves as an Associate Resident Director at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management. In this role, he works closely with families to identify their financial goals, strategically allocate assets, and monitor progress toward achieving those objectives over time. His approach centers on creating personalized plans that address retirement planning, retirement income, and family wealth management strategies. Jason brings extensive experience to his practice, having been in the financial services industry since 1999. Prior to joining Merrill Lynch Wealth Management in 2009, he spent nine years with another Wall Street firm. He holds several professional designations, including the Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor™ (CRPC™), CERTIFIED PLAN FIDUCIARY ADVISOR (CPFA), Personal Investment Advisor (PIA), and Retirement Accredited Financial Advisor (RAFA). Jason earned a bachelor's degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Outside of his professional work, Jason dedicates time to volunteering as a youth athletics coach and is active in his church. He resides in Granite Falls, North Carolina, with his wife Jennifer and their two sons. His personal interests include adventure sports, baseball, cooking, football, golfing, hunting, running, and traveling.