Our History

Doug English grew up around investments and taxes.  As a child, dinnertime discussions often revolved around activities at English Financial Services, the financial planning firm owned and operated by his mother, Shirley, in Upstate New York.  Her passion was infectious; consequently, this was the only career choice Doug ever considered.  Following in his mother’s footsteps, he went to work in the field of financial planning and obtained his CFP^® designation in 1997.

After working for 10 years with South Carolina Federal Credit Union, Doug partnered with LPL Financial and founded Scientific Investors in 2006, pursuing his life's dream of creating an independent, retirement-focused wealth management firm.  Erik Hofstrom came on board later that year and brought with him his own zeal for investments and financial planning.

Doug has always felt closest to his retired and retiring clients, and the creation of Carolinas Retirement Specialists is a reflection of that devotion and commitment to this particular group of investors.   

Sarah R. Barnhill, a fellow LPL advisor, joined our team in 2010, uniting two firms with strengths that are highly complementary and focused on providing an expansive set of services to our clients.

Today Doug, Sarah, Erik and the entire staff of Carolinas Retirement Specialists passionately and diligently serve in this specialized field, helping to provide "intelligent investing for a comfortable retirement."