Vector News Archive

Since joining our firm, Marshall has consistently shown dedication to serving clients and supporting our team. In his role as Lead Advisor, he built strong relationships and provided thoughtful guidance that has made a real difference in the families we serve. As Senior Advisor, Marshall will take on an even greater leadership role within our firm, continuing to strengthen client relationships while helping guide the direction of our team as a whole. This promotion is not just recognition of his achievements, but a reflection of the trust he’s earned and the difference he continues to make every day. Congratulations, Marshall, on this well-deserved promotion!

As a first-year Associate, Seth is focused on listening, learning, and supporting our advisors by monitoring investments and drafting financial plans. He attended the University of Alabama, where he met his wife, Dana, and later graduated from Highlands College with a degree in Christian Ministry and Worship. After 13 years in ministry, Seth and his family-Dana and their three daughters, Eisley, Taya, and Lennon-moved to Huntsville in 2024. Outside of work, Seth enjoys Alabama football, fishing, golf, and most of all, spending time with his family.

Join us in congratulating Josh Shoemaker on his well-deserved promotion to Operations Manager! Josh has been an integral part of Vector since the beginning. Over the past 11 years, he has consistently brought dedication, patience, and excellence to everything he does. In his new role, he’ll be leading our operations team, refining internal processes, and helping ensure we continue to deliver exceptional service to our clients. We’re incredibly grateful for the impact Josh has made—and excited to see how he continues to grow in this next chapter. Congratulations, Josh!

We are thrilled to announce that Nick Jackson has been promoted to partner! Nick’s journey with Vector began in 2018 when he joined as one of our very first interns. From the start, his passion for financial planning and commitment to serving clients quickly set him apart. In Nick’s early years at the firm, he brought a unique set of technical skills and a strong vision for expanding our services. “He has been instrumental in building out our team of investment managers and enhancing the services we offer to better meet the diverse needs of our clients,” says Jay Dryden, Managing Partner. Over the years, Nick has grown into a highly respected CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, trusted by clients to guide them through complex areas such as estate planning, investment management, tax efficiency, and insurance protection. Reflecting on Nick’s journey, Jay Dryden shared: “Nick’s path has truly set a precedent for future Advisors at Vector. His evolution from intern to owner is a testament of his dedication to our firm and clients. He demonstrates the values that define us—working hard, playing hard, and making a difference. His leadership extends beyond the workplace, as he is actively involved in community initiatives, serves on several boards, and contributes to our employee giving program, VectorCARES.” We are incredibly proud of Nick’s achievements and thrilled to celebrate his well-earned promotion to partner. This milestone marks not only a significant moment in his career but also a testament to our firm’s continued growth. We look forward to the future and all the great contributions he will continue to make. Please join us in congratulating Nick on this well-deserved achievement!  

Meet this falls’ intern, who will be learning from and assisting our team — Jacob Walton! He a junior at The University of Alabama, will be interning virtually. An early aptitude for math and science led to Jacob’s interest in crypto portfolio management and planted the seed for his current career path. “At first I was an engineering major, but then I realized I was better in the business field,” Jacob said. With a great interest in market analyses and personal portfolio management, he is majoring in finance with a concentration in value investing. Jacob enjoys working with people and is looking forward to learning more about VWS clients and utilizing his technology background to keep up with ever-changing markets in the information age. He looks forward to understanding more about the financial advising role and the skills he will need to be effective and proficient in serving clients. When Jacob is not studying, he enjoys golfing and watching Alabama football. Roll Tide!  

Meet this falls’ intern, who will be learning from and assisting our team — Ruben Ortiz! Ruben, a senior at The University of Alabama in Huntsville, will be joining us in the office.  Through his coursework at The University of Alabama in Huntsville, Ruben discovered his interest in financial planning. Rubin wants to build on the customer service skills he has gained to this point in his life by being mentored by VWS professionals. He plans to graduate from UAH in Spring 2023. Ruben is grateful for the chance to complete a VWS internship and all that it will allow him to learn this semester, adding “I look forward to seeing and experiencing real life situations dealing with finance.”  In addition to school, Ruben enjoys hanging out with friends and family, playing video games and working out. He also dabbles in photography and has plans to learn more about filmmaking.  

Meet Michelle Stone – one of our awesome summer interns! From her hometown in Woodbury, TN to Henderson, TN – Michelle attends Freed-Hardeman University (FHU) as a senior working toward her BBA/MBA in Finance. Expecting to graduate next May, Michelle will spend her senior year fine tuning her career path in financial planning. “Even before coming to college, I knew that I wanted to find a way that I could help people around me. After a few changes in majors while at Freed, I found that I was the most interested in the financial planning aspect of business. I knew that this would be a way that I could help those around me while also doing something that interests me.” Michelle has made Huntsville, AL her home for the summer with our team. During her internship, she will be observing client meetings, gain valuable knowledge in financial planning, and participate in all of the Vector fun. Michelle’s bright personality and infectious laugh has already brought an added element of fun to our team. “From my time at Vector I hope to be able to learn the basics of a financial planning career, while also learning the steps that it takes to have efficient client meetings. I think that my communication skills will be the biggest help with this internship because being able to effectively communicate is an important aspect of any stage of life to have.” Michelle stated. In her free time, you can challenge her to a game of Rook (and lose!) or find her testing the new weekly flavors at Crumbl Cookie – Michelle has become quite the connoisseur for those sweet treats since her internship started. We are excited to have her on our team!

As we continue our mission to offer leadership development opportunities for college students interested in financial planning, we are excited to welcome our second round of virtual spring interns, Emily Bradford and Sydney Holland. We are excited for you to get to know more about Emily as she settles into their new roles. Emily is a senior mathematics major at Freed-Hardeman University (FHU) who has always loved problem solving. “I was looking for something that relied heavily on problem solving and in financial advising, there’s the opportunity to use problem solving to impact the lives of clients,” said Emily, who considers people skills, long-term planning and an eagerness to learn as her professional strengths. The virtual internship with our team is her first internship experience. “I hope to learn more about the career of a financial advisor, and I’m looking forward to getting to experience meetings with clients and all of the different challenges financial advisors face,” Emily said. Outside of class, Emily enjoys being outdoors, working out, and fishing. If you can’t find her there, you can always find her on the field playing softball. In the fall, she plans to return to FHU to earn her M.B.A. and serve as assistant coach for FHU’s softball team.  

As we continue our mission to offer leadership development opportunities for college students interested in financial planning, we are excited to welcome our second round of virtual spring interns, Emily Bradford and Sydney Holland. We are excited for you to get to know more about Sydney as she settles into her new role. Meeting the Vector team last October during the VectorNext Preview event left a lasting impression on Sydney Holland.  “VectorNext Preview was a great program that taught me about the financial planning profession and how Vector operates,” Sydney said about the two-day event we hosted for college students to learn about the industry. Sydney is a junior double majoring in financial planning and accounting and earning an M.B.A. in accounting at Freed-Hardeman University (FHU). She’s also a member of the FHU Investment Team. Sydney is looking forward to gaining more hands-on experience. “I am excited to see how real client meetings operate,” she said. She is looking forward to getting to know Vector’s advisors and clients. “I am passionate about providing top-level advice to clients that can change their lives for the better.” In between her internship and busy academic calendar , you can always find Sydney enjoying a Lavender Latte or indulging in her favorite Asian cuisine.