Our Team
When you partner with our firm, you gain an entire team of professionals dedicated to your success. We work tirelessly to keep tasks off your plate, ensuring you stay on track no matter how busy your life gets. We’re passionate about providing stress-free wealth management, and we deliver red-carpet service that gives you and your family peace of mind in every season of life.
For more than 30 years, Al Waldrop has devoted his energy, passion and extensive industry knowledge to caring for the needs of those who desire a skilled hand and trustworthy voice to help them make wise, future-oriented financial decisions. Discontent with business models where the investment professional provides only transactional proficiency, Al has created a wealth management firm where investment expertise forges the possibility for long-term, multi-generational relationships and holistic financial guidance. Al’s great joy is when clients become friends.
A mentor at heart, Al finds motivation in the desire to put his resources to work aiding others toward fulfilling their truest hopes, whether protecting a family against an uncertain future or implementing a long, joyful season of retirement. For those who have little desire or margin for navigating the complexities inherent in preparing for a healthy financial future, Al relieves the burden and offers sage guidance. Though his firm enjoys a steady history of success, Al believes the focus must remain fixed on loyalty and integrity, always tending to the particular aspirations and unique stories of every friend he serves.
Building strong communities and advocating for others’ wellbeing has remained a center theme of Al’s life. Al has served on the board of the McNeilly Center for Children (a non-profit working to alleviate the achievement gap for low-income families), the Downtown Nashville Rotary Club, the YMCA and the Brentwood Academy Parents Association. Al has also served as a deacon for Covenant Presbyterian Church.
Al graduated from the University of Tennessee with a degree in political science and is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Professional, Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU®) and a Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC®). Married for 29 years, Al and his wife Laura have four sons and enjoy their deep roots in the community of Brentwood. For years, Al’s favorite pastime was watching his boys play football, now you’ll find Al hiking into the woods, playing a round of golf or occasionally working the blues on his Blonde Fender Stratocaster guitar.
What is one book that has influenced your life…
I have read the War of Art many times by Steven Pressfield
Words I live by…
Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way. - W. H. Murray
If you could have dinner with anyone…
Three people actually…my paternal grandfather Owen A Waldrop, Sr, my great grandfather Elgie Hays, and Bill Cochran, a great mentor and the person who hired me at Northwestern Mutual.
During his years at Belmont University and in the minors with the Kansas City Royals, Derek left his mark on the diamond not with charm but with grit and tenacity. Driven by loyalty to his teammates, Derek thrived on the long grind, season after season. Now, Derek brings that relentless determination and ingrained sense of responsibility to his financial practice. Committed to a robust knowledge of this constantly evolving industry, for nearly a decade Derek has delivered the expertise necessary to walk alongside his clients through the complexities and joys of each stage of life.
For Derek, establishing a wealth management firm means so much more than merely building a business. This work allows Derek to put his persistence and commitment to integrity into the service of others. Rather than simply pushing a product or providing a canned answer to a multifaceted life situation, Derek forges meaningful relationships, learning each distinctive story and crafting holistic, personalized guidance.
Derek graduated from Belmont University with a degree in business administration and is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Professional, a Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC®) and a Retirement Income Certified Professional (RICP®). Derek and his wife Alexis have two daughters, Peyton and Tatum, and live in Brentwood. When not in the office, you can find Derek volunteering in the youth ministry at Grace Church Nashville, buried under a pile of books (mostly history and sports non-fiction) and watching Tennessee Vols football.
What is one book that has influenced your life…
“Boys in the Boat” by Daniel James Brown. It’s the story of all nine members of the 1936 University of Washington men’s rowing team. How they came from lower-middle-class families and had to struggle to earn their way through school during the depths of the Depression and represented the United States in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, beating out Italy and Germany to win the gold medal. Inspiring in so many ways and an absolute must read!
Words I live by…
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom”
“Sic Parvis Magnum” or “Greatness from small beginnings”
“Men are alike in their promises. It is only in their deeds that they differ.”
A fun fact most people don't know about you…
I signed a free agent deal out of college at Belmont University to play Minor League Baseball for the Kansas City Royals. A dream come true! Although, my signing bonus was $1,000 and my bi-weekly paycheck was $416 (not a typo)!
If you need an answer to a complex problem or you need someone to walk you through the weeds of intricate account issues, Stephanie finds genuine joy in rolling up her sleeves and stepping into the fray. Where others see a mired web of confusion, Stephanie sees an opportunity to discover clarity. Where others implement an inefficient or impersonal transaction, Stephanie pursues energetic precision and relational synergy.
For more than 15 years, Stephanie grew through the ranks of a variety of specialized financial firms. Through this layered immersion, she developed a wide scope of expertise allowing her an expansive vision of Waldrop-Hamblen’s objectives while also maintaining a keen eye to meticulous accuracy. From her time with UBS Financial Services, Inc., Laffer Investments (a macroeconomic asset manager) and Capital Trust Wealth Management, Stephanie gleaned comprehensive experience that she brings to each client relationship.
Stephanie graduated from Harding University with a degree in marketing. In addition to her Life and Health Insurance license, Stephanie holds her Series 7, Series 63 and is a Retirement Income Certified Professional (RICP®). With their two young boys Mads and Leo, Stephanie and her husband Ricky live in Mt. Juliet where they dream of traveling and adventure as soon as they have a spare moment.
Words I Live By…
Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing there is a field. I’ll meet you there. - Rumi
The best getaway is…
The one you take today instead of waiting for a future milestone or financial goal.
What is something you want to do that you have never done?
Drink a beer with my children (when they are old enough!)
Energized by rigorous challenges and the opportunity to foster deep-rooted relationships, Austin thrives when he’s set loose to pursue the broad knowledge that has prepared him to serve as a staunch and diligent advocate for his clients. Austin insists on collaboration and trustworthiness, always pushing toward the emerging edges and best practices, always asking what his clients need in order to succeed. Austin’s relentless desire to absorb the financial industry from the inside out pushed him to explore diverse aspects of the market. After working for 21st Mortgage and Regions Financial Corporation, Austin gathered all this expertise and found his home at Waldrop-Hamblen.
Austin graduated from the University of Tennessee with a degree in finance. He is a registered Life and Health Insurance agent, specializing in life, disability and long-term care insurance. In addition, he holds his Series 7 and Series 63. Austin lives in White House where you’ll find him pacing the room during Vols and Titans games, then calming down by taking laps in the pool or casting a line into the river.
If you could have dinner with anyone…
Tim Tebow. He has been a hero of mine since I was a kid. I feel like I could learn so much from him about being a good person and understanding how I can do my part to make society better.
The trip you want to take but haven’t yet…
I want to go on a Royal Caribbean cruise, particularly the “Oasis” ship! It has an actual park in the middle of it with ziplines!
Where you were born…
Naples, FL
A familiar face is back with the WALDROP-HAMBLEN WEALTH MANAGEMENT team! After a brief stint in the stunning wine country of Sonoma, California, Emma returned to her hometown of Chattanooga and re-joined the team, completing the missing piece of the puzzle. Emma’s assuredness and poise is a calming presence that serves her clients well. Continuing in a role she loves, Emma guides her clients through the underwriting process with aplomb and provides first-rate service to existing policyowners. Whether applying for life, disability, or long-term care insurance, or navigating the workings of your policies, you can count on Emma’s attentiveness and sincere and focused hand to shepherd you.
Emma is a graduate of Sewanee: The University of the South, where she earned a B.A. in Art History and Latin. She is a registered Life and Health Insurance agent; she also holds her Series 7 and Series 63 registrations. Emma and her husband Colby live in Chattanooga where you’re likely to find them spending quality time with their two dogs, Rocco and Mr. Peanut Butter.
Fun fact most people don’t know about you…
I danced Ballet for 11 years.
Words I live by…
“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” – Oscar Wilde
What is something you want to do that you have never done?
Hike the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) which is 2,650 miles long and spans from the US/Mexico border up to the US/Canada border. Most people complete this in 5 months.
Jennifer is the newest addition to the Waldrop-Hamblen team, though she has worked with Northwestern Mutual since she began her career as an intern in 2008. Holding various roles within the company has allowed her to gain a comprehensive breadth of knowledge and a genuine understanding of what it means to guide clients towards financial health and security. Her goal is to ensure our clients feel they are working with a trusted partner while executing their insurance planning.
Jennifer graduated from Southeast Missouri State University with a degree in Business Administration. She is a registered Life and Health Insurance agent and also holds her Series 6 and Series 63 registrations. Growing up on a farm in Missouri instilled in Jennifer a love of the outdoors (and the St. Louis Cardinals). She lives in Nashville with her husband Matt and two young children, Parker and Addie, and volunteers with Mother to Mother and Hope Clinic for Women in her free time.
What a fun fact most people don’t know about you?
I grew up on a farm.
You should know…
I’m obsessed with the musical Hamilton and probably know most words to every song. My kids love it too!
The trip you want to take but haven’t yet…
New Zealand, I love the outdoors and it has a little bit of everything!