How does a two-man financial advising firm in Marathon become a multistate empire with five offices while retaining the small-town trust and familiarity? Ask Pete Chapman and Mike Cardwell of Chapman & Cardwell Capital Management.
Their newest partner, Mason Neller, just opened the sixth Chapman & Cardwell office — this one in Key West at 1722 N. Roosevelt Blvd.
The answer to the question of trust, like many things in the Florida Keys, involves baseball. Seriously.
Neller was a standout high school and college infielder, who lived in Marathon but played baseball for the Key West Conchs. During college, he was home in Marathon and speaking with Chapman, who was complaining that there weren’t sufficient baseball programs in the Middle Keys.
“My mom used to cut Pete’s hair,” Neller said. (See? Talk about small-town trust and familiarity.) “I was in college and home for the summer, when my mom mentioned that Pete was upset with the lack of baseball programs. So I launched FTF Baseball — For the Future — in order to start training kids younger and developing a great baseball program,” Neller said.
As FTF Baseball grew and succeeded, so did Neller’s relationship with Chapman, whom he called “the best mentor you could ask for, because he makes things that seem like a big deal into something manageable.”
Neller was a business major in college, and at Chapman’s suggestion decided to pursue a financial advising career. So he passed his Series 7 tests that authorized him to invest in the stock market and then his Series 66 tests that authorized him to advise others.
“I got fully licensed in January 2025 and was working in the Marathon office of Chapman & Cardwell,” Neller said. “But I needed to prospect to build my own ‘book’ of clients and portfolios. And since I wanted to live in Key West, I started building my book down here.”
Once things got rolling, Chapman & Cardwell opened Neller’s office on North Roosevelt Boulevard. A grand opening celebration will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 10 from 5 to 7 p.m.
All are invited to meet Neller, Chapman, Cardwell and others. The Key West office is the latest in the collection that started in Marathon, then expanded to the Upper Keys, Miami, St. Louis, Boston and now Key West.
“I love this job, because when a young person comes in and I help them start contributing to a Roth IRA retirement account, they’ve just changed their lives with that one step. And I love being a part of that.”
He added that Chapman & Cardwell pride themselves on managing and advising high-asset clients, while not turning away people with less.
“We don’t have minimums,” Neller said. “And I’m proud of that. If someone gives a little money and little time, we want to earn the rest by earning their trust.”
Chapman echoed that sense of trust and the importance of transparency.
“We serve our clients as a team throughout the Keys, and we strive for outstanding customer service,” Chapman said, adding that his team meets weekly to review every portfolio and consider various investment opportunities.
“We specialize in individual securities rather than investment products so clients can understand what they own,” he said. “And with 100-plus years of combined experience, our clients are able to interact directly with the experienced team that’s managing their investments.”
Neller was already a familiar face in Key West, given his baseball career. Now, he’s reintroducing himself to Rotary Clubs and other organizations as part of his new financial advising career. And so far, so good — much like the baseball programs Neller worked to improve.
