Large-firm, business succession planning financial advisors in Bay City, MI

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 preparing to transfer your business ownership or retire soon, you need an advisor who understands the complexities of business succession planning. A common mistake is overlooking how your business transition impacts your personal financial security and retirement income.

Large-firm advisors often have access to broader resources and specialized teams, which can help manage the many moving parts of succession planning.

  • Pension integration. Given Bay City's auto industry ties, ask how they coordinate your business exit with pension and retirement benefits.
  • Tax strategy alignment. Confirm they consider tax implications across business sale, estate planning, and personal income.
  • Stakeholder communication. Effective succession involves clear plans for family, partners, and employees; check how they facilitate these discussions.

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

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Lynn G

Series 63, Series 65

Bay City, MI

Raymond James & Associates

Lynn Gehoski is a financial advisor with Raymond James & Associates, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 38 years of industry experience. Her prior work includes roles at Wells Fargo Clearing, UBS Financial Services, and Merrill. She is based in Bay City, MI. Raymond James & Associates is a large, dually registered broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser that serves a broad client base, including individuals, institutions, and municipal entities. The firm offers financial planning, non-discretionary investment consulting, and institutional fiduciary services, drawing on multiple portfolio management styles and affiliated research.

General retirement planning Retirement income strategy Business succession planning Founder/Business Owner Executive
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Gregory J

Series 63, Series 65

Bay City, MI

Ameriprise

Gregory Johnson is a financial advisor at Ameriprise with 22 years of industry experience. Prior to joining Ameriprise in 2025, he worked at Hantz Financial for over two decades. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 credentials. Outside of his advisory work, he serves on the Board of Directors for the Highland Woods Association in Bay City, MI. Ameriprise offers retirement-income planning services primarily for clients approaching or in retirement with significant investable assets, combining research, modeling, and tax-efficiency analysis to provide tailored, written recommendation reports. The firm also provides a broad range of advisory, brokerage, and insurance solutions through affiliated entities.

Retirement income strategy Income planning Social Security optimization Retirement withdrawal strategies Approaching retirement
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Mark R

Series 66

Bay City, MI

Recker Financial LLC

Mark Recker is the principal of Recker Financial LLC and holds a Series 66 designation with 15 years of industry experience. Prior to founding his firm in 2018, he worked at Hantz Financial Services from 2010 to 2018. He is also a minority owner of Maurer Meat Processors in Ubly, Michigan, where he assists with financial management. Recker Financial serves individual clients, including high-net-worth households, offering discretionary portfolio management and a range of financial planning services. The firm employs a Modern Portfolio Theory-based investment approach focused on passive, asset-allocation portfolios using index funds and ETFs, and provides ongoing comprehensive and hourly planning options.

General retirement planning Cash flow / budgeting Debt management College savings (529s, UTMA, etc.) General estate planning guidance
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Taylor H

Series 65

Bay City, MI

Vertis Wealth, LLC

Taylor Hemphill is a financial advisor at Vertis Wealth, LLC with one year of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has worked at Vertis Wealth and its predecessor firm since 2019. Outside of advisory work, he is an insurance agent, offering health and life insurance products. Vertis Wealth, LLC provides asset management and financial consulting services to individuals, charitable organizations, and corporations. The firm uses a long-term, value-oriented investment approach combined with strategic asset allocation, option strategies, and individualized portfolio management.

Options & derivatives strategies
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Nathan B

CFP®, Series 65

Bay City, MI

Brown Financial Planning LLC

Nathan Brown is a CFP® and holds a Series 65 license with 12 years of industry experience. He is the principal of Brown Comprehensive Financial LLC and currently works at Brown Financial Planning LLC. Brown has worked in the financial services industry since 2003 and has been involved with multiple firms, including Alphanso, Inc. and Origin Financial. Brown Financial Planning is a fee-only advisory firm that primarily serves individual clients, including both high-net-worth and non-HNW households, along with some small business and nonprofit accounts. The firm provides portfolio management on a non-discretionary basis and comprehensive financial planning, utilizing both fundamental and technical investment analysis.

Income planning Equity compensation tax strategy Tax-loss harvesting Cash flow / budgeting
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Ethan S

CFP®, Series 65

Auburn Hills, MI

Plante Moran financial advisors

Ethan Siekkinen is a CFP® and holds a Series 65 license, currently serving as a financial advisor with Plante Moran Financial Advisors. He has one year of industry experience and has previously worked at J Wilson Wealth Management and operated Rizzo Lawn Care. Plante Moran Financial Advisors, LLC provides investment advisory, financial planning, and estate planning services to a diverse client base including individual households, institutional clients, and sovereign wealth funds. The firm employs a multi-disciplinary investment process and offers both discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, manager search, and tax-lot accounting services.

Active portfolio management Options & derivatives strategies Private / alternative investments Concentrated stock management Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Founder/Business Owner Executive
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Michael I

Series 63, Series 65

Livingston, NJ

Raymond James Financial

Michael Ipp is a financial advisor with Raymond James Financial, holding Series 63 and Series 65 designations and bringing 42 years of industry experience. He has been with Raymond James Financial Services Advisors since 2010 and serves as an independent contractor for 1792 Wealth Advisors. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors provides financial planning, investment consulting, and advisory services to a diverse client base, including individuals, high-net-worth clients, corporations, and institutional clients. The firm offers tailored, non-discretionary planning and uses analytical tools to support client decision-making, while also maintaining specialized programs such as municipal advisory services and SIMPLE IRA Employer Advisory & Consulting Services.

Wealth management Tax strategies for small businesses Business succession planning General estate planning guidance Founder/Business Owner Executive
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Jeffrey M

CFP®, ChFC®, Series 66

Greenville, DE

Investment Management & Planning LLC

Jeffrey Macdonald is a CFP® and ChFC® with 18 years of industry experience. He has worked at Investment Management & Planning LLC and LPL Financial since 2010, following two years at Wells Fargo Clearing. Investment Management & Planning LLC provides investment advisory and financial planning services primarily to individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm constructs tailored portfolios using mutual funds, ETFs, equities, and fixed-income securities, employing fundamental analysis and continuous supervision, and operates as both a wrap program sponsor and affiliated registered representatives of LPL Financial.

General retirement planning Business succession planning Tax strategies for small businesses Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Founder/Business Owner Executive Mid-Career Professionals Approaching retirement
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Patrick F

Series 66

New Market, MD

Intentional

Patrick Ferguson is a financial advisor at Intentional with 17 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at firms including Purshe Kaplan Sterling Investments, Commonwealth Financial Network, and LPL Financial. In addition to his advisory role, he is a licensed agent involved in the sales of fixed and traditional insurance products. Intentional provides discretionary portfolio management and financial planning services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, families, businesses, and institutions. The firm offers pension consulting, estate planning support, business exit planning, and due diligence on alternative investments, utilizing a combination of fundamental, technical, and economic analysis within a fiduciary framework.

Business exit / sale strategy Multi-generational wealth transfer Private / alternative investments Founder/Business Owner
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Jerald L

Series 63

San Antonio, TX

Frost Investment Services

Jerald Liesman is a financial advisor at Frost Investment Services with 33 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 63 designation and has worked at Frost Brokerage Services, Inc. and Frost Bank since 1993 and 1987, respectively. Frost Investment Services is a retail-focused, SEC-registered adviser serving individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and business entities. The firm offers discretionary portfolio management, comprehensive financial planning, and managed account programs that integrate model portfolios from its affiliate with third-party managers, utilizing a research-driven investment process and providing optional tax and ESG overlay services.

Tax-loss harvesting ESG / Sustainable investing Retirement income strategy General estate planning guidance Business succession planning Founder/Business Owner Executive
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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, 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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