Large-firm, social Security optimization financial advisors in Augusta, GA

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.

If you're approaching retirement and want to maximize your Social Security benefits, you need an advisor who understands the complex rules around claiming strategies. A common mistake is claiming benefits too early or in the wrong sequence, which can reduce your lifetime income.

  • Claiming strategy expertise. Look for advisors who explain how timing your benefits affects your total payout, not just immediate cash flow.
  • Coordination with retirement income. Confirm they integrate Social Security decisions with your other income sources to optimize tax outcomes.
  • Knowledge of local tax rules. Since retirement income exclusions can lower taxes in your state, ask how they factor this into your Social Security plan.
  • Large-firm resources. Advisors at larger firms often have access to specialized tools and research that can enhance your benefit optimization.

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

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Sylvester L

Series 63, Series 65

Augusta, GA

Larkins & Associates Financial Services, LLC

Sylvester Larkins is a financial advisor with Larkins & Associates Financial Services, LLC in Augusta, GA, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and over 30 years of industry experience. He has worked at Cetera and Cetera Financial Specialists LLC since 2002 and serves as treasurer for First Shiloh Baptist Church, managing its financial transactions and consulting on financial matters. Larkins & Associates Financial Services provides personalized financial planning and investment consultation to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and small businesses. The firm offers comprehensive planning, retirement and estate planning, tax preparation, and pension consulting, delivering advice on a primarily non-discretionary basis while combining advisory services with broker-dealer and insurance activities.

General retirement planning General tax planning Founder/Business Owner
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Romonia L

Series 65, Series 63

Augusta, GA

Asset Allocation Strategies, LLC

Romonia Lee is a financial advisor with Asset Allocation Strategies, LLC, holding Series 65 and Series 63 licenses and having 10 years of industry experience. She previously worked at Equity Services Inc and various financial services firms and has been involved with ValuTeachers for over 18 years. Asset Allocation Strategies provides discretionary and non-discretionary investment management, financial planning, and retirement-plan advisory services to individual investors and plan sponsors. The firm uses strategic asset allocation based on quantitative techniques and offers supplemental services such as 529 plans and plan-sponsor investment policy reviews.

Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Passive / index investing Options & derivatives strategies General retirement planning
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David A

Series 63, Series 65

Augusta, GA

Wells Fargo Clearing

David Andrews is a financial advisor at Wells Fargo Clearing with 26 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at Wells Fargo Clearing since 2016, following seven years at Wells Fargo Advisors LLC and a tenure at Wachovia Bank, N.A. dating back to 2005. Wells Fargo Clearing provides retirement plan consulting to qualified ERISA and non-qualified deferred compensation plans, offering services including investment policy statement preparation, investment recommendations, performance reporting, participant education, and plan benchmarking. The firm’s advisory process is IPS-driven and grounded in modern portfolio theory, providing both discretionary and non-discretionary services and including insurance-related investment options alongside traditional products.

Retired Founder/Business Owner
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Consuela B

Series 63, Series 65, Series 66

Hephzibah, GA

Equitable Advisors

Consuela Brown is a financial advisor at Equitable Advisors with 24 years of industry experience. She holds the Series 63, Series 65, and Series 66 licenses. Her prior experience includes roles at LPL Financial and AXA Advisors. Outside of her advisory work, she volunteers as an instructor teaching financial literacy using FDIC Money Smart modules. Equitable Advisors serves individual investors, retirement plan sponsors, corporations, and charitable organizations by providing financial planning, retirement plan support, and access to asset management through third-party programs. The firm uses a hybrid referral and implementation model, combining advisory and brokerage channels to tailor services based on client goals and risk tolerance.

Retirement income strategy Social Security optimization Founder/Business Owner Retired Executive Approaching retirement Baby Boomers (Born 1946-1964)
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Shawn R

Series 66

Augusta, GA

J.P. Morgan Securities

Shawn Riley is a financial advisor at J.P. Morgan Securities with three years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and previously worked at firms including Edward Jones, LPL Enterprise LLC, and Prudential Insurance Company of America. He served in the U.S. Army for 22 years. Outside of his advisory work, Riley serves on the boards of two nonprofit organizations in Georgia. J.P. Morgan Securities provides investment consulting and advisory services primarily to institutional clients and retirement plan sponsors, focusing on asset allocation, investment manager searches, and customized performance reporting through its Institutional Consulting Services program.

Wealth management Executive Founder/Business Owner
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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 and previously at AXA Advisors, LLC. Outside of his advisory work, he serves as co-chairman of a fundraising campaign for the nonprofit Alpha Light Fund Inc., focused on renovating the House of Alpha. Equitable Advisors serves a diverse client base including individual, high-net-worth, retirement plan, corporate, charitable, and institutional clients, offering financial planning, broker-dealer services, insurance distribution, and access to third-party asset management programs. The firm operates as both an SEC-registered investment adviser and broker-dealer, leveraging LPL-sponsored programs and endorsed TAMPs to deliver advisory and brokerage solutions.

Retirement income strategy Social Security optimization Founder/Business Owner Retired Executive Approaching retirement Baby Boomers (Born 1946-1964)
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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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Jeffrey P

Series 66

Dacula, GA

Merrill

Jeffrey Park is a financial advisor at Merrill with eight years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at Merrill and affiliated firms since 2011, including roles at JPMorgan Chase Bank and J.P. Morgan Securities. Outside of his advisory work, he is a sole owner and co-owner of family rental properties in Lawrenceville, Georgia. Merrill, together with its affiliate Managed Account Advisors LLC, provides managed account services to Bank of America fiduciary clients through the Select Portfolio Solutions Program, offering model-based and discretionary strategies for individuals, high-net-worth clients, and institutional investors.

Tax-loss harvesting Active portfolio management Wealth management
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Scott M

Series 63, Series 65

New York, NY

Morgan Stanley

Scott Mahoney is a financial advisor with Morgan Stanley in New York, NY, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and bringing 34 years of industry experience. He has been with Morgan Stanley since 2009, including roles at Morgan Stanley Private Bank, N.A. Outside of his advisory work, he is involved with Giants Foot Cubed LLC. Morgan Stanley Wealth Management is a large SEC-registered investment adviser and broker-dealer that serves both individual and institutional clients. The firm offers a wide range of advisory programs and financial planning services supported by structured planning tools and broad investment resources.

General estate planning guidance
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Elizabeth B

Series 66

New York, NY

J.P. Morgan Securities

Elizabeth Brown is a Series 66 licensed financial advisor with J.P. Morgan Securities in New York, NY, where she has worked since 2012. She has 26 years of industry experience. J.P. Morgan Securities provides institutional consulting services to clients such as corporations, foundations, and defined contribution plan sponsors, offering asset allocation advice, investment manager and fund searches, and customized performance reporting through a select group of Wealth Advisors. The firm combines large institutional advisory operations with brokerage, distribution, and investment management capabilities.

Wealth management Executive Founder/Business Owner
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Wesley P

Series 63, Series 66

Fort Worth, TX

Wells Fargo Clearing

Wesley Pool is a financial advisor at Wells Fargo Clearing with 15 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and previously worked at JPMorgan Securities LLC for seven years. Outside of finance, he has been involved with #TagMeBro LLC and Fry Street Public House. Wells Fargo Advisors is a national securities firm serving individual, corporate, and institutional clients with investment advisory services, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting. The firm manages approximately $671 billion in assets and offers both brokerage and advisory solutions.

Retired Founder/Business Owner
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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 and previously at AXA Advisors, LLC. Outside of his advisory work, he serves as co-chairman of a fundraising campaign for the nonprofit Alpha Light Fund Inc., focused on renovating the House of Alpha. Equitable Advisors serves a diverse client base including individual, high-net-worth, retirement plan, corporate, charitable, and institutional clients, offering financial planning, broker-dealer services, insurance distribution, and access to third-party asset management programs. The firm operates as both an SEC-registered investment adviser and broker-dealer, leveraging LPL-sponsored programs and endorsed TAMPs to deliver advisory and brokerage solutions.

Retirement income strategy Social Security optimization Founder/Business Owner Retired Executive Approaching retirement Baby Boomers (Born 1946-1964)

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