Brian is the president of West Financial Services and a relationship manager, specializing in tax-efficient investment management, retirement planning, estate planning, and education planning. His clients include business owners, retirees, and executives of public and private companies. Since joining WFS in 2001, he has served in several roles, including securities trader, portfolio manager, relationship manager, chief compliance officer, and chief operating officer. Brian is currently a senior vice president of Sandy Spring Bank, the parent company of WFS, and serves on the bank’s Investment Committee.
Brian earned a BS in Business Administration with a concentration in Economics from George Mason University and is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional. He is a member of the Financial Planning Association (FPA), the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA), and the Washington Association of Money Managers (WAMM).
Brian was recognized by Washingtonian magazine as a Top Fee-Only Financial Planner1 (2022), by Five Star Professional as a Five Star Wealth Manager2 (2019-2023), and by Northern Virginia Magazine as a Top Financial Professional3(2024).
Brian lives in Reston, Virginia, with his wife, daughter, and their dog. In his free time, he enjoys playing golf, going on walks, spending time with family, and cheering on his favorite Ohio sports teams.
Professional Affiliations and Memberships
Member of the Financial Planning Association and Washington Association of Money Managers.
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News From Brian L. Mackin, CFP®
1Washingtonian: Top (Fee-Only) Financial Advisers
To arrive at the names of the area’s top financial advisers—the fee-only financial planners, fee-based advisers, estate attorneys, tax accountants, and insurance advisers marked with a “best adviser” tag—the Washingtonian distributed surveys to hundreds of people who work in the local financial industry, asking them whom they would trust with their own money. Washingtonian also did their own research, consulting industry experts and publications. The “best adviser” names on this list are the people who received the strongest recommendations. Most of the “best advisers” are at smaller, independent firms. The surveying process does not turn up as many names at large banks and brokerages. One reason is that banks and brokerages sometimes keep more work in-house—and if a financial adviser isn’t referring clients to outside professionals, that adviser might not have a network that earns peer votes.
2Five Star Professional: Five Star Wealth Managers
This award was issued on 10/17/23 by Five Star Professional (FSP) for the time period 1/9/23 through 7/31/23. Fee paid for use of marketing materials. Self-completed questionnaire was used for rating. This rating is not related to the quality of the investment advice and based solely on the disclosed criteria. 2,627 Washington D.C.-area wealth managers were considered for the award; 160 (6% of candidates) were named 2023 Five Star Wealth Managers.
Wealth managers do not pay a fee to be considered or placed on the final list of Five Star Wealth Managers. The award is based on 10 objective criteria. Eligibility criteria-required: 1. Credentialed as a registered investment adviser (RIA) or a registered investment adviser representative; 2. Actively licensed as a RIA or as a principal of a registered investment adviser firm for a minimum of 5 years; 3. Favorable regulatory and complaint history review (As defined by FSP, the wealth manager has not; A. Been subject to a regulatory action that resulted in a license being suspended or revoked, or payment of a fine; B. Had more than a total of three settled or pending complaints filed against them and/or a total of five settled, pending, dismissed or denied complaints with any regulatory authority or FSP’s consumer complaint process. Unfavorable feedback may have been discovered through a check of complaints registered with a regulatory authority or complaints registered through FSP’s consumer complaint process; feedback may not be representative of any one client’s experience; C. Individually contributed to a financial settlement of a customer complaint; D. Filed for personal bankruptcy within the past 11 years; E. Been terminated from a financial services firm within the past 11 years; F. Been convicted of a felony); 4. Fulfilled their firm review based on internal standards; 5. Accepting new clients. Evaluation criteria-considered: 6. One-year client retention rate; 7. Five-year client retention rate; 8. Non-institutional discretionary and/or non-discretionary client assets administered; 9. Number of client households served; 10. Education and professional designations. FSP does not evaluate quality of services provided to clients. The award is not indicative of the wealth manager’s future performance . Wealth Managers may or may not use discretion in their practice and therefore may not manage their clients’ assets. The inclusion of a wealth manager on the Five Star Wealth Manager list should not be construed as an endorsement of the wealth manager by FSP or this publication. Working with a Five Star Wealth Manager or any wealth manager is no guarantee as to future investment success, nor is there any guarantee that the selected wealth managers will be awarded this accomplishment by FSP in the future. Visit www.fivestarprofessional.com.
3Northern Virginia Magazine: Top Financial Professionals
To compile the Top Financial Professionals list, Northern Virginia Magazine sent surveys to Northern Virginia financial professionals asking them to recommend other financial professionals whom they would refer to friends and family. Our editorial staff then vetted those nominated to compile the final list. Although some Top Financial Professionals winners choose to advertise in the magazine, no one can pay to be included on the list. This listing and the advertising section are separate entities.