Independent, social Security optimization financial advisors in Akron, OH

The right financial advisor for you depends on how you weigh location, expertise, experience, the clients they typically serve, and how they work with you.

You might need a Social Security optimization advisor if you're approaching retirement and want to maximize your benefits without leaving money on the table. A common mistake is claiming benefits too early or in the wrong sequence, which can reduce your lifetime income.

  • Benefit timing strategies. Ask how they determine the best age to start benefits based on your full work history and income.
  • Spousal and survivor benefits. Confirm they consider all possible claims to optimize household Social Security income.
  • Municipal tax impact. Since Akron has varying city taxes, check how they factor local taxes into your benefit planning.
  • Independent advice. These advisors operate without firm constraints, which may allow more flexible Social Security strategies tailored to your situation.

Here are top matches to get you started. Review each profile to compare experience, credentials, and approach.

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David I

Series 63, Series 66

Akron, OH

PNC Wealth Management

David Ionno is a financial advisor with PNC Wealth Management in Akron, OH, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 33 years of industry experience. He has been with PNC Bank since 2010 and has worked at PNC Investments since 2009. PNC Wealth Management offers retail brokerage and advisory services through model-based programs, including an invitation-only discretionary digital offering that uses algorithmic risk assessment and implements investments via approved model strategies executed with mutual funds and ETFs.

Passive / index investing Active portfolio management Wealth management Executive
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Terrence R

Series 63, Series 66

Akron, OH

RBC Capital Markets

Terrence Regan is a financial advisor with RBC Capital Markets in Akron, OH, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 19 years of industry experience. He previously worked at Morgan Stanley in various capacities from 2013 to 2024. Regan serves on the board of The Cure Starts Now Foundation, where he is chairman of the investment policy committee. RBC Wealth Management, a division of RBC Capital Markets, serves individual investors, institutional clients, and charitable organizations with tailored investment strategies and a range of advisory programs that include discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and brokerage services.

Tax-loss harvesting ESG / Sustainable investing Private / alternative investments Concentrated stock management Wealth management Executive Founder/Business Owner Retired Financial Professional Approaching retirement HENRY (High Earners, Not Rich Yet)
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Elizabeth S

Series 63, Series 66

Akron, OH

FIFTH THIRD SECURITIES, Inc.

Elizabeth Sharp is a financial advisor at Fifth Third Securities, Inc. with 15 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 66 credentials and has been with Fifth Third Securities and its affiliates since 2009. Outside of her advisory role, she owns and operates two small businesses in Akron, Ohio, specializing in seasonal baking and residential/commercial cleaning. Fifth Third Securities, Inc. serves individual, high-net-worth, and institutional clients through investment advisory and brokerage channels. The firm offers a range of program types and third-party portfolio managers on its Passageway Managed Account platform, focusing on tailored investment strategies including mutual funds, SMAs, tax-overlay, and direct indexing.

Passive / index investing Tax-loss harvesting ESG / Sustainable investing General retirement planning
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Michael C

Series 66

Akron, OH

Hornor, Townsend & Kent, LLC

Michael Clayton is a financial advisor with Hornor, Townsend & Kent, LLC in Akron, Ohio, holding a Series 66 designation and 19 years of industry experience. He has worked at Hornor, Townsend & Kent and Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company since 2014. Outside of advisory services, he is involved in life insurance brokerage and retirement education through his businesses Clayton & Associates and Simplified Pension Solutions, and he serves as president of Claybro LLC, which coordinates alternatives to opioid pain management. Hornor, Townsend & Kent serves individuals, trusts, businesses, charitable organizations, and retirement plans by offering advisory programs, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting. The firm operates as both an SEC-registered adviser and a FINRA-member broker-dealer, providing a range of investment and brokerage services with significant assets under management.

Business succession planning Wealth management
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Cheryl L

Series 66

Akron, OH

Lyon Capital Strategies

Cheryl Lyon is the sole advisor at Lyon Capital Strategies in Akron, OH, holding a Series 66 designation with 20 years of industry experience. She has led Lyon Capital Strategies since 1995 and is also a partner in Lyon & Lyon, CPAs, specializing in tax preparation and accounting. Lyon Capital Strategies manages approximately $7 million for around 67 clients, providing investment advisory and financial planning services to individuals, retirement plan participants, businesses, trusts, and some institutional clients. The firm’s investment process includes fundamental analysis, macroeconomic assessment, tactical allocation, and security selection, primarily employing mutual funds, ETFs, and ETNs, and operates on a primarily non-discretionary basis with semiannual reviews.

General retirement planning Active portfolio management Passive / index investing Tax-loss harvesting
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Willie M

Series 63, Series 66

Cary, NC

Equitable Advisors

Willie Myles is a financial advisor with Equitable Advisors in Cary, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 16 years of industry experience. He has worked at Equitable Advisors since 2016, previously serving at Axa Advisors and MSI Financial Services. Outside of advising, he is a co-chairman of a fundraising campaign for Alpha Light Fund Inc., a nonprofit focused on renovating the House of Alpha. Equitable Advisors serves a range of clients including individuals, pension plans, corporations, and charitable organizations, providing financial planning, retirement consulting, and asset management through a network of representatives and third-party managers. The firm offers various investment vehicles and ERISA fiduciary services, relying on third-party program sponsors and an affiliation with a publicly traded parent company.

Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Business exit / sale strategy Concentrated stock management Equity Recipients (RS/RSU, SOP, ESPP) Long-term care insurance Founder/Business Owner Retired Executive Approaching retirement Sandwich Generation
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Stavroula K

Series 63, Series 65

Linwood, NJ

Ameriprise

Stavroula Koutsfetsoulis is a financial advisor at Ameriprise with 25 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has been with Ameriprise and its affiliated entities since 2011. In addition to her advisory role, she is involved in fiduciary activities as an attorney-in-fact (power of attorney). Ameriprise is a large institutional firm that provides retirement-income planning services primarily to individuals with substantial investable assets. The firm combines research, modeling, and tax-efficiency analysis to deliver written recommendation reports through a centralized consulting team, focusing on tailored retirement income strategies.

Retirement income strategy Income planning Social Security optimization Retirement withdrawal strategies Approaching retirement
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Cassandra S

Series 63, Series 65

Plano, TX

Financial & Tax Architects, LLC

Cassandra Sanchez is a financial advisor at Financial & Tax Architects, LLC with seven years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has previously worked at Fisher Investments, TIAA, US Health Advisors, and various other firms. Sanchez also had involvement with Drunken Donkey, reflecting experience outside the financial sector. Financial & Tax Architects provides discretionary portfolio management and financial planning primarily for individual and high-net-worth clients, focusing on those nearing or in retirement. The firm offers proprietary “Private Wealth Strategies” that use ETFs, individual securities, and trend-aware rebalancing, with accounts reviewed monthly and customizable strategies to meet client needs.

Retirement income strategy Social Security optimization Annuities Income planning General tax planning Retired
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Keith E

CFP®

Pittsburgh, PA

Keith L. Eliou, CFP

Keith Eliou is the principal of Keith L. Eliou, CFP, an investment management firm based in Pittsburgh, PA. He holds the CFP® designation and has one year of experience as a financial advisor. In addition to his advisory role, he practices law focusing on elder law and real estate and is involved in insurance, mortgage lending, and real estate brokerage businesses. The firm primarily serves pooled vehicles and institutional accounts, offering portfolio management, retirement plan services, and financial planning. It utilizes an open-architecture investment approach with third-party money managers and employs multiple analytical methods and strategies, conducting annual account reviews.

Social Security optimization Retirement income strategy Cash flow / budgeting Charitable giving tax strategies Business exit / sale strategy Founder/Business Owner
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Charles P

CFP®, Series 63, Series 65

San Rafael, CA

WealthSpire Advisors

Charles Pyfer III is a CFP® professional with 19 years of industry experience, currently serving at Wealthspire Advisors since 2024. Prior to this, he spent 15 years at Private Ocean. Wealthspire Advisors provides wealth management, investment advisory, financial planning, and family office support to a diverse client base including individuals, corporations, retirement plans, and nonprofit organizations. The firm employs a relationship-driven, customized investment approach that emphasizes diversified, institutional-style asset allocation and utilizes a range of investment vehicles and third-party platforms for comprehensive portfolio management.

Retirement income strategy Social Security optimization Roth conversion strategy Tax-loss harvesting Private / alternative investments Founder/Business Owner Retired Mid-Career Professionals Established Professionals
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Jared F

Series 65

Huntington Beach, CA

Northwest Asset Management

Jared Fruth is a financial advisor at Northwest Asset Management with four years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and previously worked at Securities America, Inc., KMS Financial Services, Inc., Oppenheimer Funds, and John Paul Mitchell Systems. Northwest Asset Management is a registered investment adviser managing approximately $3.6 billion for nearly 3,000 clients, including individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, charities, and corporations. The firm employs a customized, fiduciary approach using Modern Portfolio Theory and strategic asset allocation, combining fundamental and technical analysis to build diversified portfolios with periodic rebalancing.

Retirement income strategy Wealth management Active portfolio management Founder/Business Owner
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Edwina M

Series 65

Cincinnati, OH

Waverly Advisors, LLC

Edwina Martin is a Series 65 licensed financial advisor with two years of industry experience, currently with Waverly Advisors, LLC. She previously worked at 9258 Wealth Management for five years and was employed at Teradata Corp for eleven years. Martin also serves as assistant director of tax planning at 9258 Tax and Planning, a non-investment related business. Waverly Advisors is a multi-team registered investment adviser managing portfolios for individuals, retirement plans, and pooled investment vehicles. The firm combines traditional equity and fixed-income strategies with alternative and private-market allocations, offering a range of investment management and financial planning services.

Private / alternative investments Real estate investing Options & derivatives strategies Tax-loss harvesting Multi-generational wealth transfer Founder/Business Owner Executive
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Craig M

Series 63, Series 65

Columbia, SC

Capital Investment Advisory Services, LLC

Craig Mcdaniel Jr. is a financial advisor with Capital Investment Advisory Services, LLC in Columbia, SC. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 13 years of industry experience. He has been with Capital Investment Group, Inc. and The McDaniel Corporation since 2012. Outside of his advisory role, he is involved in life insurance sales and serves as an independent agent for annuities and related products. Capital Investment Advisory Services, LLC provides investment advisory and supervisory services to individuals, retirement plans, corporations, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations. The firm offers customized investment management through discretionary mandates, third-party managers, and private-label model portfolios, using a blend of analytical methods with ongoing portfolio monitoring.

Active portfolio management Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Annuities Options & derivatives strategies Founder/Business Owner Retired
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David H

Series 65

Irvine, CA

Martin Wealth Management, LLC

David Hart is a financial advisor with Martin Wealth Management, LLC in Irvine, CA. He holds a Series 65 credential and has 15 years of industry experience. Hart previously worked with Safeguard Investment Advisory Group and LifePro Asset Management. He is also a Certified Financial Fiduciary and volunteers as an instructor with the Foundation for Fiduciary Education, providing unbiased fiduciary financial education to the public. Martin Wealth Management offers investment advisory services primarily to individuals and high-net-worth clients by co-advising and directing accounts to a third-party money manager, Matson Money. The firm focuses on client onboarding, documentation, and ongoing review of third-party manager accounts rather than direct asset management.

Medicare planning Annuities
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Sarah C

CFP®, Series 63, Series 65

Boston, MA

Santander Securities LLC

Sarah Currier Barrella is a CFP® professional with 26 years of experience in financial advisory services. She currently works at Santander Securities LLC and Santander Bank, NA, having previously held positions at TD Bank and Citizens Securities, Inc. Barrella is based in Boston, MA. Santander Securities LLC serves a broad retail client base with approximately $3.14 billion in regulatory assets under management across 10,800 client relationships. The firm offers investment advisory services, portfolio management through wrap-fee programs, and financial planning, operating both as a registered investment adviser and a FINRA-registered broker-dealer.

ESG / Sustainable investing Tax-loss harvesting General retirement planning Income planning Founder/Business Owner
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