Our Team

Rick L. Kent, CFP^®, ChFC, AIF^® 
Owner/Principal

Rick is very enthusiastic about helping people pursue their financial goals and objectives. Rick has a great deal to offer clients through his extensive background in estate planning and his knowledge and experience in financial retirement planning.  With his sociable personality, Rick enjoys meeting new people and he takes a personal interest in each client that he meets to always ensure a genuine connection and develop trust between the client and the advisor.  With more than 25 years of business experience, Rick now focuses the majority of his advisement on retirement planning.

Receiving a Chartered Financial Consultant's degree from American College, Rick became a Certified Financial Planner® practitioner. He is also a member of the Financial Planning Association, where he has volunteered his time to speaking on various financial topics.  Rick then became an Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF®) to focus on the components of comprehensive investment process, related to fiduciary standards in the financial industry.  Rick is the proud Founder and Chairman of Merit Financial Inc. which is a SEC registered RIA firm that manages over $300,000,000 million in discretionary client assets.  Rick has appeared in numerous industry publications such as Forbes, Financial Advisor Magazine, Research Magazine, Morningstar Advisor, Horsosmouth etc. to share his practice management ideas with other advisors.

"Life always offers unique challenges, and I enjoy helping people overcome obstacles and fears they face to achieve success.  I am proud to be a part of Allegiance Advantage Group, a group of individuals with high morals and integrity."

Rick spends his free time enjoying hobbies such as snow skiing, hiking, sailing, kayaking and other outdoor activities.

James B. Russell, III, ChFC
Financial Advisor

Jim and his wife, Joanne, live in Roswell, Georgia.  After serving in the United States Marine Corps, Jim graduated from Stetson University with a B.B.A. degree.  He is also a Chartered Financial Consultant.

Jim began his financial and estate planning career with the Mixon Baker Agency National Life of Vermont in 1978.  In 1980, Jim joined the firm of Al Adams Rare Coins.  In 1982, he became Vice President of that firm.  He specialized in trading precious metals and working with clients to build hard asset portfolios.  Returning to financial and estate planning in 1995, Jim joined WMA as an associate.  After becoming a registered representative, he became affiliated with Securities America, Inc. and moved to Allegiance Advantage Group.

"I particularly enjoy assisting clients with their estate planning and financial goals.  I also enjoy teaching seminars on these subjects and interacting with attendees.  I always look forward to helping people."

David S. Elder, Jr.
Financial Advisor

David lives in Alpharetta with his wife, Allison, and dog, Willy.  At Allegiance Advantage Group, he serves as a financial advisor and is currently pursuing a Masters of Science in Personal Financial Planning from Georgia State University. David is passionate about helping clients define and most importantly, achieve their goals utilizing achievable expectations and risk management. 

He is also a proud member of Alpharetta United Methodist Church and is excited about the things his Sunday school class is doing to help make their church a stronger faith community.  In his free time, David loves to play golf, cook, and listen to music.  If you have you have any tips to lower his handicap, great recipes to share, or albums to suggest, David is all ears.

Doug Blanton, CFA
Director of Investments

Doug has more than 15 years of investment experience. Early in his career, Doug spent time as an institutional investment consultant for pension plan foundations. He then assumed the role of Manager of Investments for one of the county’s largest investment advisory firm. In 2011, Doug began his journey with Allegiance Advantage Group as the Director of Investments where is responsible for the investment strategy, portfolio management, and client account trading.

Doug lives in Alpharetta with his wife, Amie, and their two children, Avery and Darby. He carries the Chartered Financial Analyst designation and is a member of the CFA Society of Atlanta.     

Amelia B. Wood
General Manager

Amelia handles the day-to-day operations for the company, including accounting and payroll, securities trading, RIA compliance and licensing.  She also serves as the company's internal technology resource, having extensive knowledge in computer hardware and various business software applications. 

Amelia obtained her B.S. in Management from the University of South Florida in Tampa, FL.  She is also Series 7 and 63 registered through LPL Financial.  

Amelia lives in Atlanta with her husband, Bryan, and their two dogs, KC and Buc.  She enjoys playing tennis, dancing, skiing (both water and snow) and snowboarding.  Amelia is a member of Alpha Delta Pi sorority and also volunteers her time as Finance Director for Culture Shock™ Atlanta, a professional hip-hop dance troupe and youth outreach organization.
 
"Since joining Allegiance Advantage Group in 2001, I have enjoyed watching the continued growth of the company.  I truly feel that we set the standards for what we do!"

Debra Dabney
Client Service Manager

Debra, a native New Yorker who began her career with Allegiance Advantage Group in 2002, has more than 25 years experience in financial services, quality control and risk management with a concentration in the areas of Mortgage Banking, Interim Lending and Casualty Claims Management.

Debra spends her free time with family.  A huge jazz enthusiast, her hobbies include gardening and reading.  She is a member and co-founder of a local reading group in Atlanta since 2004.

"Our goal at Allegiance is to provide every client with excellent service.  We are here to answer all of your questions concerning asset management and the retirement process. 

We are here to help remove the uncertainty of retirement, while supporting you on the path toward your personal retirement goals."

Bryant Fisher
Client Relations Manager

Bryant Fisher joined the Allegiance Advantage Group in 2007.  New to the Atlanta area, the California native has 17 years of Customer service experience and has worked for Goldman Sachs Investment Bank for 4 1/2 years.  Bryant holds a Bachelor's degree in Sound Engineering and Film.  In his spare time, Bryant loves listening to music, traveling, and cooking.  Bryant takes pride in helping people identify their financial goals and achieve them.

Debra A. Jones
Front Office Administrator

Debra Jones joined Allegiance Advantage Group in April of 2010. She recently moved to the Atlanta area from Charlotte, NC, where she resided for over 20 years and is originally from Iowa.  Debra has over 20 years experience in the customer service, management and administrative fields bringing a high standard of client care to our team. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, music and reading.