Born and raised in West Virginia, Ernie graduated from Princeton High School before earning a B.S.B.A in Business Management and a Master of Business Administration from West Virginia University. He began his investment industry career in 1984 and has since built a distinguished reputation working at Wells Fargo Advisors, Wachovia Securities, Prudential Securities, and Merril Lynch, as well as being a member of the Stifel President’s Council in 2023, 2024, and 2025. Ernie was also named to
Forbes’ 2020 and 2026 Best-in-State Wealth Advisors list.
Ernie and his wife, Carol, are the proud parents of three children. The Coffindaffers are members of Bridgeport United Methodist Church and passionate supporters of numerous local and national charities.
Outside of work, Ernie and Carol enjoy spending time on their farm, relaxing at the lake in Tennessee, and supporting West Virginia University athletics. Travel and quality time with friends and family are also of major importance in their lives.
For 2025 qualification, the Stifel President’s Council consisted of 230 financial advisors recognized for their production from among its more than 2,300 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 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 stifel.info/award-disclosures.
