Our founder and visionary, Mark A. Avant began Avant Capital, LLC in 2014 based on the principles of independence, growth, integrity, and fairness.  He has often been heard saying out loud, "When you do the right thing no matter what, it always works out." As an investment advisor representative, insurance agent, and registered representative at one of the nation’s largest life insurance companies, Mark provided insurance planning and investment management services from 1994 to 2014. Throughout his career with New York Life Insurance Company, he was recognized as a leader in life insurance, long term care and disability sales and was a multiyear qualifier for the Million Dollar Round Table. He also achieved Council status for 18 of his 20 years with the firm, and in 2013, his final year at New York Life, he achieved Chairman’s Council status, the highest of all Council levels.

Prior to his career in the financial services industry, Mark worked side by side with his father in their family-owned retail jewelry business in Lafayette, LA as a co-owner and gemologist. It was during this time that he learned the challenges and rewards of owning and managing a small business. His father taught him by example about the power of hard work, dedication, honesty, and integrity in both business and personal life.  He learned at a very young age the value of a dollar earned and the importance of having a financial plan and managing it correctly. This experience was the foundation for his dedicated and passionate career in the financial services industry.

Over the years Mark studied for and passed the Life and Health Insurance Exam, the Series 63 Exam, the Series 7 Exam and the Series 65 exam. By the end of 2013, after years of experience and thoughtful analysis, he had begun to take a mental inventory of the pros and cons of the commission and production-based business model he was working under. In considering his clients' goals and objectives and his personal long-term career objectives, of which were equally important, it felt right to question whether this was the best he could do for both.  He began attending industry conferences for the Independent Advisor, branching out from the strictly company-led conferences, and travelled the nation for a year to speak with companies about the various business models and opportunities in the advisory industry.  He compared the costs of the various types of models, products, and investments across the industry, including what he was allowed to sell at the time under a proprietary and retail priced model that he was trained under. The more insight he gained, and the more he learned, the more certain he became that independence was the right and only path forward. In 2014 he decided to take a well thought out leap of faith towards independence and a fee-based business model. His clients followed.  What began in 2013 as $40 million in assets under management has increased to over $180 million as of 2026.

Immeasurable hours of studying, research, planning, industry experience, and face-to-face interaction with investors of all types is what initially led to him opening the doors to his own firm with great confidence and gratitude and it continues on.  He has built his business on the referrals of highly satisfied clients and long-term client relationships, many of whom have worked with him for nearly three decades and span multiple generations. Mark feels there is no greater compliment than a client referring a friend or loved one to him for advice and he remains as excited as ever before to get started with every new client he meets. He is committed to doing his best for each client of Avant Capital, LLC and founding this company is a decision he will always be extremely proud of.