Our Team

Pinehurst Financial Group

Bill Eastman, CFP®, Senior Vice President/Investments, Co-Branch Manager

Bill Eastman, CFP

Senior Vice President/Investments; Co-Branch Manager

Bill earned a B.A. in Economics from Indiana University and an MBA from the University of Michigan. He also holds the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification. Bill began his financial services career in 1983 with Chemical Bank (now part of JP Morgan Chase) in New York. He also served as Vice President of Eastdil, a U.S. investment banking subsidiary of Tokyo-based Nomura Securities in San Francisco, and as Director of Corporate Finance for a subsidiary of the Rockefeller Group in New York.  He became a financial advisor in 1992 and joined Stifel in 2009.  Since then, he has qualified to be a member of Stifel’s Chairman’s Council for the past several years, including most recently in 2023.*  Bill has been named to Forbes’ Best-in-State Wealth Advisors list for three consecutive years, 2022, 2023, and 2024, and to AdvisorHub’s 2023 Advisors to Watch list in the 200 Fastest-Growing Advisors to Watch category.

Bill has served as a board chair of Sandhills Children’s Center, Pinetree Community Services, Moore County Boy Scouts, the Arc of Moore County, and the Professional Advisory Council of the Foundation of FirstHealth.  He has also served on the session and endowment committee of Brownson Church, and the boards of Moore Regional Hospital, as chairman of the finance committee, Penick Village Foundation, Moore County Literacy Council, Sandhills Theatre Arts Renaissance School, and Episcopal Day School.  Bill received the 2024 Distinguished Citizen Award from the Moore County Boy Scouts of America.


* For 2023 qualification, Chairman’s Council consisted of 240 financial advisors, who were recognized from among the more than 2,300 financial advisors across the nation.

Forbes’ Best-in-State Wealth Advisors rankings are based on the 12-month period ending June 30 of the year prior to publication and selected by SHOOK Research, LLC. AdvisorHub’s Advisors to Watch are based on the 12-month period ending December 31 of the year prior to publication. Each are selected from a pool of nominations as indicated in the methodology. The rankings may not be representative of any one client’s experience and are not indicative of the financial advisor’s future performance. For more information, see www.stifel.info/award-disclosures.

Rick Palmer, Senior Vice President/Investments, Co-Branch Manager

Rick Palmer

Senior Vice President/Investments; Co-Branch Manager

Rick earned a B.S. in Engineering Operations from North Carolina State University.  He went on to serve as an Engineering Supervisor at Packard Electric, a division of General Motors, in Warren, Ohio.  He transitioned to the investment industry in 1992 and later joined Stifel in 2009.

Rick has served as board president for the Sandhills/Moore Coalition for Human Care and as a board member of FirstHealth Hospice Foundation and Young Life of the Sandhills.  In addition, he has served as a member of the stewardship committee at Emmanuel Episcopal Church and the investment oversight committee for the North Carolina Episcopal Church Foundation.  He is currently the acting treasurer for the Episcopal Day School board.  An active supporter of organ donations, he has served the North Carolina Kidney Foundation.

Bailey Vaughan, Vice President/Investments

Bailey Vaughan, CFP

Vice President/Investments

Bailey earned a B.S. in Business Management from North Carolina State University and holds the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification.  Bailey’s financial services career began in 2000 with Evergreen Investments in Charlotte.  He became a financial advisor in 2002, spending 15 years with Wells Fargo Advisors in Pinehurst prior to joining Stifel in 2017.  

Bailey has participated in many civic and community organizations, such as the Boys and Girls Club of the Sandhills.  He currently serves as a board member of the Patriot Foundation and the investment committee for the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina.

Richard Palmer, Jr., CFP®, Financial Advisor

Richard Palmer, Jr., CFP

Financial Advisor

Richard earned a B.S. in Business Administration from North Carolina State University and holds the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification. Upon graduating, he worked as a financial analyst for Peter Millar in Durham. Richard’s financial services career began in 2019, becoming a financial advisor with Edward Jones in Greensboro. Richard joined Stifel in 2023.

Richard and his family moved back home to Moore County in 2023. He is thrilled to be back in the area and is eager to make a difference in the community.

Windy Pratt, Registered Client Service Associate

Windy Pratt

Registered Client Service Associate

Windy graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a B.A. in Journalism. She worked as an advertising account executive on Hilton Head Island and later as editor of Pinehurst Magazine.  She also worked with an investment firm for a number of years and was most recently employed by Moore County Schools.  

Windy has served as president of the Junior Service League of Moore County and the PTA and also served as a board member of Moore County Symphony.  She has also served the Cub Scouts, Young Life, and Emmanuel Episcopal Church.

Wendy Schmidt, Registered Client Service Associate

Wendy Schmidt

Registered Client Service Associate

Wendy earned a B.A. in Business from Hanover College in Indiana.  She has been a Registered Client Service Associate in the financial services industry since 1992, including with such firms as Charles Schwab and Merrill Lynch in Indianapolis.  Her most recent position was as executive Assistant to the President and CEO of David A. Noyes & Company, a 108-year-old investment firm.  To be near her parents and sister, Wendy relocated to Pinehurst in 2016 and joined Stifel at that time.

Wendy has served as deacon at Second Presbyterian Church among other leadership positions in the Indianapolis Great Banquet community.  She has a strong background in raising and showing horses, is a sports enthusiast, and general animal lover.