We used to be you.

Paul and Sean retired from the US Navy in 2010 and 2012 respectively. After trying a few things they each started their own independent financial advising firms. That put them on the path to connect in 2017. By the next year, they had realized they were trying to individually build the same type of firm, but with different skill sets. It was the perfect storm. They merged their individual firms to form Redeployment Wealth Strategies in 2018. The growth since then has been inspiring, humbling, and challenging. Fortunately, we were able to find people with the right mix of talent, diligence, and dedication to serve our existing clients while giving us the capacity to propel the firm forward. Each RWS team member has a direct connection with the military. That is not just a lucky coincidence. That's an essential quality to be on this team. Job skills can be learned, but empathy for and knowledge of military culture must be lived. We all talk the talk because we've walked the walk. We look forward to working together to help you achieve your life goals.

Meet Our Team

Click on those smiling mugs to learn more about the team of planners and advisors at Redeployment Wealth Strategies

Sean Gillespie, MQFP®

Financial Advisor

I graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1992 and served in the Navy for twenty years as a surface warfare officer. My education in financial planning began in the spring of 1994 when a Naval Academy classmate who cared enough about my wife and me to not take no for an answer told us, “We’re going to dinner Wednesday night.” Tom routinely chose great restaurants, so we showed up at the appointed place and time without discussion or complaint.

Dinner was unremarkable. Fixed menu rubber chicken fare. Perfectly adequate, just not the over-the-top good stuff we were used to Tom picking out. But the seminar given during dessert changed our lives. In less than sixty minutes, we were shown the simple outline of a financial plan to get us moving in a sustainable fashion toward a comfortable retirement. And afterward, Tom introduced us to the man who would be our agent for twenty years. Dave helped put us on our path to financial independence in 1994 and helped us make the adjustments along the way to keep us on it. And when I retired after twenty years of Navy service, he mentored me into the financial services business.

Among dozens of things Dave taught me over twenty years, two of them were critically important. One of them was the sort of product knowledge that got me credentialed and sufficiently competent to help others identify their own goals for financial independence. Far more important was the spirit of service he exemplified every day. Lots of people talk the “client always comes first” talk. Dave walked it, being just as candid with us when we were on track as when he thought we were getting ready to make a mistake. And we always felt his recommendations were in our best interests. It wasn’t just that his interests were secondary. They didn’t enter into the conversation at all. It was in that spirit that I got licensed in 2013 to help families plan for their own sustainable financial futures.

My wife Jennifer and I have been married since 1992. When I retired, we decided to put down roots in Chesapeake Virginia, in the community where we have owned a home since 2001 and, when not stationed overseas, raised our three daughters.

Izzy Carnes, AFC®, MQFP®

Director of Operations

Planner

Before joining the RWS team in 2020, Izzy worked as a financial counselor at a military non-profit organization for 14 years. She is an Accredited Financial Counselor® and a Military Qualified Financial Planner®. A first-generation immigrant from Okinawa, Japan, Izzy lives in coastal North Carolina with her retired Marine husband. Outside of RWS, she spends her time providing veterans with pro bono financial counseling services. 

Carol Pittner

Lead Planner

Carol Pittner is a Navy veteran (Surface Warfare Officer), a daughter of Navy veterans, and wife to an active duty Naval Officer.  She has a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Rice University and will be pursuing academic courses for financial planning.  Carol co-authored the book Raising Your Money-Savvy Family for Next Generation Financial Independence with her father, author, and blogger, Doug Nordman. The Pittners have a toddler daughter and are currently stationed in California. 

Cyndi McCaleb

Office Manager

Born in Louisiana and raised in Mississippi, Cyndi met her Sailor at Keesler Air Force Base and quickly moved to Virginia Beach. One of their two children is EFMP (Exceptional Family Member Program), so here they will stay until retirement. Cyndi is also a professional photographer, specializing in portraits for families with special needs. She originally joined the PIM Tax Services team as an Administrative Assistant in February 2022. She was too valuable to let go, so we made her the office manager for RWS right after tax season.

Sean and Paul were interviewed for XYPN Radio - the podcast for the XY Planning Network. If you want to know their history, their paths to financial planning, and why & how they want to serve the military community, it's an hour well-spent.

Financial Planning for Military & Veteran Families