Our Story

The beginning

Duane Raanes married JoAnn in 1976. Duane has 3 sons, Rick, Barry, and Brian from a previous marriage. In 1980, Duane and JoAnn welcomed a son, Brady into the world. Duane worked with South Central Bell as a Marketing Manager in Birmingham before making the move to Hattiesburg in 1985.

In June of 1985, Duane joined A.G. Edwards & Sons, as a Financial Consultant. He earned his Certified Financial Planner™ certification and was named Branch Manager of the Hattiesburg Branch and then Vice President with A.G. Edwards & Sons. Jo Ann joined Duane at A.G. Edwards in 1988 and earned her CFP® designation in 1991.

Brady Joins the family business

Brady got his first taste of the investment industry when he joined his parents part time at A.G. Edwards in 1997. However, in 2003, he joined the group as a Financial Advisor after graduating from the University of Southern Mississippi with a degree in Finance. Together, they became the Raanes Financial Team.

Brady attained his CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ designation in 2006, Charted Financial Analyst designation in 2010 and Chartered Market Technician designation in 2017.

In 2007, A.G. Edwards was acquired by Wachovia Securities but then in 2008, Wachovia Securities was acquired by Wells Fargo Advisors.

the development of Raanes Capital Advisors

Raanes Capital Advisors, LLC was cofounded in 2009 by Duane, JoAnn, and Brady under the Wells Fargo Advisors brokerage. By doing this they were able to be business owners and have more control of the direction they wanted the family business to go towards. In 2015, the practice made the switch from Wells Fargo Advisors to Raymond James Financial Services; where we remain today.

Around 2018, Brady’s best friend from high school, Kent Oliver, started talks to join the team and become a financial advisor. A graduate of the University of Georgia, Kent earned his degree in Marketing in 2003 prior to embarking upon a career in sales and marketing with Newell Rubbermaid in Atlanta. He spent approximately 7 years in the Atlanta market before making the move back home to Mississippi and joining yet another Fortune 500 company, Owens & Minor, before he made the transition to Raanes Capital Advisors. While relatively new to financial advising, his experience in finance dates back to his time spent as a runner on the floor of the Chicago Board of Trade following his freshman year of college.

The change to raanes & Oliver capital advisors

In 2021, the firm made the official change by adding Kent Oliver as a partner alongside Duane and Brady. By adding Kent’s name to the business, it signified the genuine camaraderie that Brady and Kent have established since their youth that has only gotten stronger into adulthood. On June 22, 2021, a ribbon cutting was held at the office surrounded by friends, family, and clients to celebrate the new start of the business.

40 Years in the business

In 2025, our office will celebrate 40 years since Duane first started in the financial advising business. Duane has been a consistent friend to clients, often talking more about their lives rather than their money when he meets with them. He has led our team with excellence and will continue to guide us by the examples he has set over the last 40 years.

Kelsey McCarty joined the team back in 2019 as an administrative assistant and transitioned to a financial advisor in 2023. She will step into the branch manager role in 2025, as she works with our advisors and clients to make sure we serve with integrity and honesty in all that we do.

Going forward…

Our group of advisors along with our incredible branch associates, Eldrika Keys and Kirk McCarty, continue to work toward the same mission we’ve had for 40 years: looking out for our clients’ best interests and bettering ourselves to serve those around us.