The Story Behind
28 years
institutional experience
12 years
Experience at a $2B+ Hedge Fund
16 years
On Wall Street
Hi, I'm Dan Martin.
Why I started Belle View Wealth
My name is Dan, and I've spent 28 years in finance — 16 years of experience on Wall Street and 12 years of experience at a $2 billion + hedge fund.
At that level, the numbers are large and the thinking is sophisticated: risk is measured precisely, decisions are stress-tested, and nothing is left to a rule of thumb.
What I noticed, again and again, was that the people who needed that kind of thinking most — retirees, pre-retirees, and families with $2 million to $20 million in savings trying to figure out how to make it last — rarely had access to it. When they did, it often arrived wrapped in commissions, proprietary products, and language built to sound impressive rather than to actually inform a decision.
I built Belle View Wealth to put clients where they belong—at the center of every decision. That means thoughtful, objective advice designed around your goals, your values, and the life you want to build.
Behind the Name
Belle View Wealth is a very personal name for me.
It traces back to Belle View Elementary, where I first began learning about the importance of saving money.
Those early lessons stayed with me and helped shape the way I think about financial decisions today: be thoughtful, be disciplined, think long term, and understand that small decisions made consistently can have a meaningful impact over time.
The lighthouse in our logo carries that same personal meaning. To me, it represents clarity, perspective, and steady guidance — especially during moments when financial decisions can feel complicated or uncertain.
That is what I want Belle View Wealth to provide for every client: a trusted point of guidance, a clear understanding of where they stand, and a thoughtful plan for where they want to go.
The name is personal. The philosophy behind it is personal. And I believe the relationship with every client should feel personal, too.
Institutional Experience, Built for Individuals
I founded Belle View Wealth to bring the perspective I developed over nearly three decades in institutional finance to individuals and families making some of the most important financial decisions of their lives.
Before starting Belle View Wealth, I spent 16 years on Wall Street at Cantor Fitzgerald and more than 12 years at a multibillion-dollar hedge fund. Over that time, I worked closely with sophisticated investors, studied businesses and markets, evaluated risk, and saw firsthand how disciplined investment decisions are made when significant capital is at stake.
Today, I bring that same analytical mindset to wealth management and financial planning for individuals and families. For many clients, the challenge is not simply choosing investments. It is understanding how everything fits together.
Someone approaching retirement may have several old 401(k)s, IRAs, a taxable investment account, Social Security benefits, a pension, real estate, insurance, and years of accumulated savings. Each piece may make sense on its own, but the more important question is how they should all work together.
That is where I believe thoughtful financial planning can make a meaningful difference. I look at the entire financial picture — investments, retirement income, taxes, Social Security, Roth conversion opportunities, estate considerations, insurance, and spending needs — and help clients develop a coordinated strategy for the years ahead.
Retirement in particular requires a shift in thinking. The strategies that helped someone accumulate wealth over a 30- or 40-year career may not be the same strategies needed to preserve that wealth, generate income, manage taxes, and confidently enjoy it throughout retirement.
My goal is to help clients make those decisions with the same discipline, perspective, and long-term thinking that shaped my institutional career — while providing a relationship that is personal, accessible, and easy to understand.
Fiduciary Standard
As a financial advisor, working under the fiduciary standard, Belle View Wealth is committed to putting clients' interests first.
No Securities Commissions or Product Sales
Our advice is centered around your financial goals rather than selling financial products.
Nearly 28 Years of Financial Experience
Including 16 years on Wall Street and 12 years at a multibillion-dollar investment firm.
A Coordinated Approach
Investment management is integrated with retirement planning, tax strategy, Social Security, estate considerations, and the other financial decisions that affect your future.
Clear, Straightforward Communication
Complex financial decisions should be understandable. I believe in explaining the reasoning behind our recommendations in plain English so clients understand not only what we are doing, but why.
At Belle View Wealth, institutional experience meets personal financial planning.
What To Expect as a Client of Belle View Wealth
At Belle View Wealth, you can expect a highly personal, full-service advisory relationship built around your complete financial life. I intentionally work with a limited number of individuals and families so I can remain closely involved, understand what matters most to each client, and provide the time and attention thoughtful advice requires. That means looking beyond your investment portfolio to help coordinate retirement planning, tax strategy, Social Security, estate considerations, insurance, cash flow, and the many financial decisions that arise along the way. You will have direct access to me, clear communication, proactive guidance, and an advisor who is personally invested in helping you make informed decisions with greater confidence. My goal is simple: fewer client relationships, deeper service, and a level of care that makes you feel genuinely known and supported.
Our Clients
Who We Serve
Belle View Wealth works with individuals and families who have accumulated meaningful wealth and want thoughtful, experienced guidance to help make the most of it.
We generally require a minimum of $500,000 in investable assets to establish and maintain an investment management relationship. In certain circumstances, this minimum may be reduced or waived.
Our comprehensive wealth management and financial planning services are primarily designed for individuals and families with $1 million or more in investable assets who are looking for more than investment management alone. We help clients bring together the many important pieces of their financial lives into a coordinated, long-term strategy.
Retirees and Those Approaching Retirement
Retirement brings a new set of financial decisions and often requires a different way of thinking about investments, income, taxes, and risk.
We help clients evaluate how much they can comfortably spend, how their portfolio should be positioned, when to begin Social Security, how to create sustainable retirement income, and how to make tax-aware decisions throughout retirement.
Individuals & Families With Significant Wealth
As wealth grows, financial decisions often become more interconnected. Investments, retirement accounts, taxes, estate considerations, insurance, charitable giving, and family goals can all affect one another.
We help clients organize these moving parts and develop a coordinated strategy designed around their financial priorities, lifestyle, and long-term goals.
Business Owners & Successful Professionals
Business owners and professionals often spend years focused on building successful careers and businesses while their personal financial planning becomes increasingly complex.
We help clients evaluate investment accounts, retirement plans, concentrated positions, cash flow, tax opportunities, and long-term wealth-building strategies so their personal finances receive the same level of attention they have given their careers and businesses.
Investors Seeking More Than Investment Management
Many clients come to Belle View Wealth with multiple investment accounts, retirement plans, financial products, and competing financial priorities but without a clear strategy connecting everything together.
Our role is to help simplify that complexity.
We coordinate investment management, retirement planning, tax strategy, Social Security, estate considerations, insurance, and other important financial decisions so each part of a client's financial life works together.
A More Personal Approach to Wealth Management
Belle View Wealth was created for clients who value direct access, thoughtful advice, and a long-term relationship with the person helping guide their financial decisions.
Our goal is not simply to manage a portfolio. It is to understand what you have built, what matters most to you, and where you want to go — then help you make informed financial decisions with greater clarity and confidence.
How we use RightCapital
At Belle View Wealth, we use RightCapital, a modern financial planning platform designed to give you a clear, comprehensive view of your financial life in one place.
Through a secure, easy-to-use experience, RightCapital allows you to organize your financial information, track progress toward your goals, review investments, and explore important planning decisions with greater clarity.
By bringing your financial picture together in one place, RightCapital helps us collaborate more effectively with you and evaluate how changes in areas such as retirement, Social Security, taxes, spending, and investments may impact your long-term plan.
Our goal is simple: to give you greater clarity, confidence, and perspective so you can make informed financial decisions and stay on track toward the future you envision.
How we use Fidelity
Belle View Wealth works with Fidelity Investments, one of the world’s leading financial services firms, to provide secure custody and convenient access to your investment accounts.
Through Fidelity’s digital platform, you can view your accounts, monitor your portfolio, access statements and documents, and manage important account information securely and conveniently.
This relationship allows Belle View Wealth to focus on providing personalized financial planning and investment management while Fidelity serves as the independent custodian of your assets.
Together, we provide a transparent, secure, and streamlined experience designed to help you stay informed and confident about your financial future.
Why we use Black Diamond Wealth Solutions
At Belle View Wealth, we use the Black Diamond Wealth Platform to give clients a clear, organized view of their investment portfolios. Through a secure, personalized online portal, clients can review account values, investment performance, asset allocation, projected income, recent activity, and important reports—all in one convenient place. Rather than receiving disconnected statements and trying to piece everything together, clients can more easily understand what they own, how their accounts are positioned, and how their investments are progressing over time.
Black Diamond also helps us provide the proactive, full-service experience we want every Belle View Wealth client to receive. We use the platform to monitor portfolios, evaluate performance, prepare customized reports, and view multiple accounts as part of one coordinated investment strategy. This allows us to identify changes, prepare for meaningful conversations, and clearly explain both what is happening in your portfolio and why. The technology is sophisticated, but its purpose is simple: to create greater transparency, better communication, and a clearer understanding of your financial life.
FAQ
Answers to Common Questions
What does it mean that you're a financial advisor, working under the fiduciary standard?
As a financial advisor, working under the fiduciary standard, I'm legally and ethically required to act in your best interest at all times — not in the interest of a fund company, a brokerage, or my own compensation. Fee-free financial advisors working under the fiduciary standard earn no commissions on financial planning or securities. The advice I give is shaped entirely by what's right for your situation.
What kind of clients do you typically work with?
Most of my clients are individuals and families with $2 million to $20 million in investable assets who are nearing retirement, at retirement age, or already retired. Many built that wealth through a career, a business, or a high-earning profession, and are now navigating a significant financial transition — a 401(k) rollover, a decumulation strategy, or simply the recognition that retirement calls for a different kind of planning than accumulation did. Many have worked with commission-based advisors before and are looking for something fundamentally different.
What size portfolio or net worth do you typically work with?
Most of my clients have $2 million to $10 million in investable assets. If you're unsure whether your situation fits, the most direct way to find out is a conversation — there's no obligation attached to it, and it's a reasonable way to get a second opinion even if you decide not to move forward.
Do I need to be in Raleigh to work with you?
Not at all. Belle View Wealth is a virtual practice, and I work with clients nationwide. If you're in Raleigh, we can certainly connect locally — but geography has never been a barrier to working together.
How do I know if a fee-only, fiduciary standard approach to planning is right for me?
If you're within a decade of retirement, already retired, or holding investment accounts you're not confident are working for you, a fee-only advisor, working under the fiduciary standard, may be the right structure. The easiest way to find out whether we're a good fit is to reach out directly. I keep those early conversations straightforward and pressure-free.
Why did you leave institutional finance to work with individual clients?
Because the people who needed sophisticated financial thinking most were the ones least likely to get it. I spent years managing money at an institutional level, and I wanted to make that kind of thinking available to individuals and families — without the conflicts of interest that tend to follow large financial institutions around.
How do I get started?
The first step is a conversation. Reach out through the contact page and we'll find a time to talk through your situation, your goals, and whether Belle View Wealth is the right fit for you — whether that means becoming a client or simply getting a second opinion on where you stand.
