About Abel Financial Services, Inc.
An Independent Firm
Investment Advisory Services offered through Raymond James Financial Advisors, Inc.,
a federally registered investment advisor
Wealth Management In The Best Interest Of Our Clients
Our "client first" tradition at Abel Financial Services is simple: Our professionals always act in the best interest of our clients. As independent financial advisors, our advice is objective and unbiased. There are no proprietary arrangements to sway our focus from our clients' dreams and desires.
We invite you to meet our team . . .
Leo Abel, CFP®
As Founder of Abel Financial Services, Leo has worked within the financial services industry since 1993.
At an early age Leo saw that money was a mystery to many families, including his own. When he was nine, he recognized that he wanted to pierce the confusion and do whatever it took to gain understanding in his financial life. He achieved this tranquility for himself and now helps his clients leave anxiety behind to feel confident about their financial future.
While growing up, athletics played an important role in Leo’s life. Through hard work and determination, Leo was able to play football at Louisiana State University. Athletic competition allowed Leo to discover the advantages of courage and developing close relationships. During this time, he became a student of football and worked very hard to reach his full potential.
Today, he constantly studies finance and the financial markets to discover how to gain greater results for his clients. "The work keeps me up late at night," he said, "and gets me up early in the morning with a spring in my step." Also, Leo makes an equally strong commitment to improving as a human being to bring a positive presence into his clients' lives.
From 1996 to 1999 Leo undertook an intense program of study. By 1998 he had passed 10 exams to earn the respected CLU® designation for insurance expertise, and in 1999 his studies enabled him to earn the ChFC® credential for advanced financial planning. Also that year he completed the rigorous courses and challenging two-day exam to earn his CFP®, which requires abiding by a Code of Ethics.
Leo serves his community through leadership roles on many non-profit boards. He was Chair of Catholic Charities of Baton Rouge. Also, he was president for an organization comprised of young business leaders in the Baton Rouge community, Forum 35. In addition, he served as treasurer for Camp Fire Boys and Girls board of directors. Further, he is past chair of the annual giving campaign for Cenikor, a long term substance abuse program.
Currently, Leo serves on the finance council for Sacred Heart Parish as well as on the Boards of Hospice of Baton Rouge and Volunteers of America.
Leo and his wife Kimberly have three children. He enjoys spending time with his family, exercise, and hunting and fishing.
Service is at the heart of his financial advisory practice. Leo Abel realizes that he can contribute to his clients' best interest through consistent contact. Leo remains in touch with his clients no matter what the market conditions so that they always feel informed.
Also, he is an independent advisor, who brings unbiased, objective advice to clients. His clients gain a trusted coach and "partner" in their corner.
Since 1995 Leo has worked collaboratively with Danny Price and Gary Black. You can discover more about Gary Black here.
Danny Price, CLU, ChFC
Danny is a solid professional with a deep understanding of financial counseling and estate planning, beginning his career in 1971. Danny and Leo collaborate on many projects through a free flow of ideas to better assist their clients. While each advisor maintains clients with whom they deal directly, they also work collaboratively with others.
Danny served for twelve years in a managerial role with Omni Group, which focused on planning for medical specialists. He and Gary Black left Omni Group in 1995 to form their own practice.
A graduate of LSU, Danny received his degree in 1971. He earned his Chartered Life Underwriter designation in 1980 and the Chartered Financial Consultant designation in 1982. He has been a featured speaker at many industry functions, including meetings held by C.N.A. Insurance Group, Southwestern Life Insurance Company and Hartford Insurance Group. In addition, Danny has directed workshops on financial issues for the LSU Dental and Medical Schools as well as School of Business.
Danny and his wife, Yvette, are active in their church, Cornerstone Chapel, where he is a Founder and former board member. Danny is Past President of the Board of the Country Club of Louisiana and past board member of Cajun Constructors, Inc.
Danny and Yvette have raised three boys and are now enjoying their five grandchildren immensely.
Pat Crawford
Pat handles all aspects of branch operations. She brings prompt, friendly service to Abel Financial Services clients with a smile that you can "hear" over the phone.
For more than eight years she has assisted Leo with many elements of the business including the establishment of new accounts and maintenance of up-to-date account data. Further, she is very involved with generating in-house reporting of account performance used to assess client progress.
Pat is married to Dale Crawford, a Baptist pastor, and volunteers at the church as the nursery coordinator and the financial secretary. She has two adult children and she greatly enjoys being a grandmother.
Colette is Manager of Administration for the office. The stand-out qualities she contributes to Abel Financial Services are dependability and a compulsive attention to detail.
She has been with the company for over ten years and oversees administration services and human resources. She assists in all areas of client account development and financial planning support. Colette is also personal assistant to Danny Price.
Colette and her husband Phillip have two grown daughters, Amber and Emily and one grandchild, Ivy. She enjoys cooking, reading, entertaining family and friends for LSU games and spending time with her granddaughter.
Michael Demouy
Michael, the newest member of the Abel Financial Services team, graduated from LSU in December of 2008. Michael has worked intensely over the past year to improve the systemization of the company's process. It is through his excellent computer skills and eagerness to learn and improve that Michael has made his greatest contributions.
Clients appreciate his supportive and knowledgeable presence. Currently, he is studying for his state insurance licensing.
Michael has coached baseball at Catholic High School for the past five years and has become an assistant coach on the Varsity Baseball team. Along with coaching, he enjoys attending LSU sporting events, fishing and playing an occasional round of golf.
Adding Large Corporate Resources To Our Wealth Management Capabilities
Raymond James adds large corporate resources to the personalized wealth management capabilities Abel Financial Services provides clients. They can benefit, for instance, from the sophisticated hedging strategies that Raymond James provides.
Another example is Raymond James' assistance with a bond offering for an associate who is selling a company to a municipality. Raymond James Trust Company can assist with trust administration through record keeping, compliance and tax planning capabilities.
Raymond James Financial (NYSE-RJF) is a Florida-based diversified holding company providing financial services to individuals, corporations and municipalities through its subsidiary companies. Its three principal wholly owned broker/dealers, Raymond James & Associates, Raymond James Financial Services and Raymond James Ltd., have more than 5,000 financial advisors serving 1.8 million accounts in 2,200 locations throughout the United States, Canada and overseas. In addition, total client assets are approximately $183 billion, of which approximately $28 billion are managed by the firm‘s asset management subsidiaries.
In March 2008, Forbes magazine listed Raymond James as the only investment services firm among the large-cap and mid-cap companies in its 2008 ranking of "America's Most Trustworthy Companies." The Forbes rankings are compiled by financial analytics company Audit Integrity after it assesses companies for the integrity of their operations.
For more information about Raymond James
