Joe Williamson, ChFC
Managing Director and Investment Advisor Representative
Joe Williamson holds the Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC), and Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) designations and has been in the financial services industry for 50 years including 37 years with Wells Fargo Advisors and its predecessors before going into private practice. He began his career with American United Life Insurance Company in 1971. He joined a predecessor of Wells Fargo Advisors in 1984 as a Financial Advisor where he received the Premier Advisor Award for many years. As a PIM Portfolio Manager, Joe developed his own stock investment strategies that he has trained members of his team in.
Joe earned his Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Ball State University in 1970 and worked briefly for a CPA firm. He grew up in the Logansport, Indiana area and lived in the country on a farm that his father converted into an airport. He has resided in Carmel, IN since 1977 with his wife of 49 years, Maureen, who spends much of her time with grandchildren. Joe and Maureen have four wonderful children: Andy, who is married to Beth and has two children, Silas and Nora, and does marketing research for Bayer in St. Louis, MO. Aaron and his wife Jesse live in St. Petersburg, FL. He is an attorney specializing in non-profit law. Anne, who is married to Ben, has two children, Charlie and Margot. She is currently employed as a Veterinarian Tech. Owen and his wife Tayla, live in Tampa, FL, where he now works for the Williamson Legacy Group. Away from the office, Joe enjoys being active in the community and is involved with church related activities. His passion involves discipleship training and education along with welfare initiatives, particularly in Africa.
Jeanette McCormick, RICP
Investment Advisor Representative
Jeanette has been in the financial services industry since 2001. She first began her career with Merrill Lynch and then moved to First Union Securities, a legacy firm of Wells Fargo Advisors. After a brief time with Raymond James in 2008 she came back to Wells Fargo Advisors to work with the Williamson Legacy Group in 2010 and remained there until the team went into private practice as a Registered Investment Advisor group in 2021. Jeanette has her Series 65 investment advisory license along with a life insurance license that includes a focus on long term care.
Jeanette earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Management at Purdue University and grew up in Westfield, Indiana. Jeanette and her husband, Bill, who have been married for 24 years, reside in Noblesville, Indiana. They have two children – Connor, age 18 and a Freshman at IU enjoys playing basketball, and Kirsten – age 14 and in the 8th grade, enjoys swimming for our local swim program and is a junior black belt in karate. Bill works in Property Appraisal for Hamilton County.
During her spare time, Jeanette spends a lot of her spare time volunteering at the Hamilton County Humane Society and is involved with the Tri Kappa service sorority. She is also fond of reading and spending time at her children’s many sporting events
Don Phelan, AAMS, ADPA
Investment Advisor Representative
Don began his financial services career at A.G. Edwards in 2005, a “second career” for him after working in sales and marketing in the telecommunications industry for nearly 20 years. Don holds the following designations from the College for Financial Planning: Accredited Asset Management Specialist (AAMS) and Accredited Domestic Partner Advisor (ADPA). He joined the Williamson Legacy Group of Wells Fargo Advisors in 2017.
Don is a graduate of DePauw University, and he completed MBA graduate coursework at the University of Indianapolis. While at DePauw, Don met his wife, Maurie, and they have been married for over 41 years. They have two children; daughter Kari (Matt) Kozlowski of Hattiesburg, MS, and son Kyle Phelan, of Indianapolis. Kari and Matt have blessed Don and Maurie with their first grandson, Alex.
A native of Indianapolis, Don and Maurie have made Fishers, Indiana their home since 1989. Don has a long history of community involvement. He was a 9-year board member of the Hamilton Centers Youth Services Bureau in Noblesville, which operated group homes for wayward teenagers. He is the past president of the DePauw University Alumni Association, and he has served DePauw twice as a member of its Board of Trustees. Don was a past District Governor for Rotary International, and is also a member of the Fishers, Indiana Economic Development Commission. Don is also an alum and ardent supporter of Cathedral High School in Indianapolis.
One of six children, Don enjoys time with his extended family, home improvement projects, Colts football, and travel with wife Maurie.
Ben Hecht, PhD
Investment Advisor Representative
Ben Hecht began his career with the Williamson Legacy Group in 2015 after a ten-year career as a research scientist studying ecological genomics of Pacific trout and salmon. Ben has earned Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Biological Sciences and Genetics from Brigham Young University, and a Doctorate degree in Biology with an emphasis in genetics from Purdue University. Ben leverages the analytical skills he acquired as a research scientist to manage the investment analytics and data pipeline with the Williamson Legacy Group. He is also a licensed financial advisor.
Ben grew up in the foothills of Los Angeles in Glendora, California before moving to the Midwest and meeting his bride, Anne. Ben and Anne met while both studying at Purdue University and were married in 2011. They have two beautiful but rambunctious children, Charlie (2016) and Margot (2017), and a dog Yoshi.
Their family enjoys spending as much time outdoors as possible and take every opportunity to discover new terrain and landscape. The Hecht’s are animal lovers and enjoy fostering dogs and cats in transition to finding their forever homes. Anne is a licensed veterinary technician, and their family remains active in the local animal welfare and rescue scene.
Ben enjoys mountain biking and tinkering in the garage and around the house. He carries on the DIY attitude his father instilled upon him. He is an automotive enthusiast and current steward of a Mazda Miata. The Hecht’s also enjoy cheering on Ben’s boyhood home team the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Owen Williamson
Investment Advisor Representative
Owen Williamson, Financial Adviser, began his career at Williamson Legacy Group in 2021 after seven years in municipal arboriculture. Owen earned a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Management from Indiana University and began his career managing street tree planting contracts in New York City and later moved to Tampa, Florida to work for the Planning and Development Department. Owen’s work has given him experience managing complex projects with numerous stakeholders and taught him the importance of thorough planning and maintaining a tight budget.
Owen was born and raised in Carmel, Indiana and moved to New York City shortly after graduating college in 2014. Owen met his wife, Tayla, through a chance encounter on the street in Brooklyn on New Year’s Day, 2016, and the two got married in 2018. They recently rescued a kitten, Twitt, named after the street Owen found her on.
Owen and Tayla currently live in Tampa, Florida and enjoy going to the beach, trying new restaurants, seeing friends, and watching movies. Tayla is originally from Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, and works in fashion as a stylist.
Owen likes reading, watching movies and television, and going to concerts. He is an avid football fan, but as a Jacksonville Jaguars supporter he rarely has cause to celebrate (although he insists, they were one blown call away from a Super Bowl appearance in 2017). Owen also maintains certification with the International Society of Arboriculture and will never turn down an opportunity to talk about trees.
Brittany Pelz
Senior Client Associate
Brittany Pelz, Senior Client Associate, began her financial career with Wells Fargo Advisors in 2008, where she stayed until 2017 before taking some time off to be a domestic engineer. Brittany joined the Williamson Legacy Group in the spring of 2018. She has her insurance license as well as being Series 7 registered.
Brittany was born and raised in Marion, Indiana and is a 2001 graduate of Marion High School. She then attended Indiana University (Bloomington) and graduated in 2005, receiving her bachelor’s degree in Business and Telecommunications.
Brittany and her husband, Zac, met at IU and were married in 2011. They reside in Westfield, Indiana and have three wonderful children. Maxwell (2013), who is a second grader at Shamrock Springs Elementary, and enjoys playing soccer, baseball and golf. Norah (2015) is in Kindergarten and Caroline (2017) is in preschool and they both enjoy taking gymnastics classes at Interactive Academy and are Junior Indianapolis Colts cheerleaders. Zac is the General Manager at Bill Estes Ford in Brownsburg. They also have a Goldendoodle, Murphy, and Bengal Cat, Boomer.
During her spare time, Brittany enjoys listening to audio books and true crime podcasts. She has also spent countless hours volunteering as a member of the Junior League of Indianapolis and is a member of St. Maria Goretti Catholic Church.