Neal Watson is a self-described financial planning nerd—and that’s exactly what his clients value most.
He became a financial advisor in 1996, joining his father, Jim, in Marietta, Ohio, and quickly found his lane on the technical side of the profession. In 1999, he earned the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®) designation after completing the required education and experience.
Neal is known for helping people work through the kinds of planning questions that don’t have simple answers—especially in retirement planning, personal income tax planning, and estate planning. He’s the advisor clients and colleagues lean on when the details matter and the moving parts start piling up.
As Neal puts it: “There’s book knowledge, and then there’s how you apply it in real life. Your financial life is a complex spider web—pull on one strand and other parts of the web sag, stretch, or even break. My biggest strength is understanding how it all ties together, and helping people make smart moves without creating unintended problems elsewhere.”
Outside of work, Neal and his wife Susan love to travel (preferably somewhere warm with a beach). He also enjoys woodworking—mostly making sawdust and offcuts from larger boards. You can often find him at Pioneer Park in the spring and at Ohio Stadium a few weekends in the fall. His favorite role outside of work is being a grandpa to two wonderful boys.
Evan Brockmeier
Evan is a Marietta native who came home to build a career helping local families plan for their future. He joined the team in September 2022 He’s currently working toward his CFP® certification.
Evan graduated from Marietta High School in 2009 and earned a degree in Petroleum Engineering from Marietta College in 2013. After graduation, he worked as an engineer for Chevron in California and Pennsylvania, then came back to Marietta and worked in advancement at his alma mater before moving into financial planning.
“Evan is a tremendous asset on our team. He is thoughtful, intelligent, and genuine. His ability to connect with people is one of his best traits,” said Neal Watson. “Despite his unique path to becoming an advisor, his real-life experience — as a husband, a father, an engineer, and an athlete — has given him a different perspective that helps him relate well to people.”
A standout athlete growing up, Evan earned All-Ohio honors playing baseball in high school. At Marietta College, he played all over the infield and pitched for the ‘Etta Express — earning Academic All-American honors and winning two national championships.
Evan and his wife, Alyson, live in Marietta and are raising five energetic kids. Outside the office, he’s usually golfing, working in the yard, or outside with the kids. He bleeds orange and black for Marietta High and Navy Blue and White for Marietta College, where he’s also coached.
Ethan Brooker
Ethan grew up in the small community of Churchtown, Ohio. He joined the team in February 2026 and is working toward his CFP® designation.
Ethan graduated from Marietta College in 2024 with two bachelor’s degrees, one in public accounting and one in finance.
Ethan is very close with his family. He likes to help out on the family farm and work on equipment. Outside the office, he enjoys hunting, golfing, and going to the gym.
“Ethan has already made a significant impact on our team. His accounting and finance education has served him well,” said Neal Watson. “He has already shown that he will be very strong with the technical side of our firm. He works hard, and is growing quickly into a significant role.”
Jessica Barnes
Jessica joined the team in 2021. She is the friendly voice that answers the phone and the smiling face that greets you when you arrive at our office.
Jessica grew up in Southeastern Ohio, living in Caldwell and Lower Salem. She graduated from Fort Frye High School.
“Jessica’s warm and friendly personality has been great for our team. She works hard to make sure our level of service stays high. She genuinely cares about our clients and our team’s success. We are lucky to have her.”
In her free time, Jessica loves spending time with her husband and her grandchildren.
Jim Watson
Jim Watson graduated from Caldwell High School and Bliss Business college with a degree in accounting and made Southeastern Ohio his home. His career spanned public accounting, a role as a chief financial officer, and then a financial advisor.
In 1986 he joined Don Fleming to create Fleming Watson Financial Services. He actively embraced technology to improve the efficiency and capabilities of helping clients create better outcomes. His background as an accountant meant that tax aware planning was at the forefront of financial plans.
He stepped away from his active role as an advisor in 2022, but is still a fixture at the office everyday.
He is an avid fan of the Ohio State Buckeyes (being a season ticket holder since the 1960’s), and Marietta College baseball.
“What an incredible mentor my Dad has been. He set standards of service, care, technical detail, that we strive to achieve to this day. His introduction of technology and his desire to embrace it throughout his entire working career, has made us better advisors, and allowed us to meet those standards. I’m am one of the most fortunate people. To be able to follow in his footsteps, and learn from one of the best to have done it is a tremendous blessing.”
Why the name "Sacra Via Financial Planning"?
Nearly two thousand years ago, the Hopewell people built an extraordinary complex of earthworks on the land that would become Marietta. Among them was a wide, walled pathway — a graded corridor leading from an elevated square enclosure down to the Muskingum River. When the pioneers arrived in Marietta in the late 1700s, they passed a preservation ordinance to protect the structures. They named the pathway Sacra Via — the Sacred Way.
The people who built Sacra Via weren’t just moving earth. The complex of mounds and walls was carefully aligned with the sunset on the winter solstice — the shortest day of the year, the moment when the light begins to return. They were observing, calculating, and designing with precision.
That’s how we think about financial planning: a functional path, with intentional design. Nothing should be accidental. Every element of your plan — the tax strategy, the retirement income design, the estate structure, the investment discipline — should be built with the same level of thought and care those ancient builders brought to a sacred pathway. Intentional. Calculated. Pointed toward the life you want to live.
We chose this name because it represents our community and what we believe financial planning should be: functional plans, intentional design, and a path that leads somewhere meaningful.
Few teams in Marietta have spanned seven decades helping generations of families build that kind of path. Ours started the same way the earthwork did — with intention.