Top social Security optimization financial advisors in Birmingham, AL

Hamilton Poynor is a financial advisor with Arete Wealth Advisors, LLC in Birmingham, AL, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 32 years of industry experience. His prior work includes roles at LPL Financial, LLC and RFG Advisory Group, LLC. Outside of his advisory role, he serves on the boards of St. Luke's Episcopal Church Foundation and Lutheran Services Florida and is involved with the Million Dollar Round Table finance committee and the Make A Wish Foundation of Alabama. Arete Wealth Advisors provides investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, and charitable organizations. The firm employs discretionary portfolio management, proprietary model allocations, and third-party sub-advisers, and integrates affiliated financial businesses and product channels in its operations.

Joshua Rich is a financial advisor at Raymond James Financial Services Advisors, Inc. with seven years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 credential and has previously worked at firms including Merrill Lynch and Ingram Whatley LLC. Rich serves on the advisory board for the Economics, Finance, and Quantitative Analytics Board at Samford University's Brock School of Business. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors, Inc. provides financial planning and investment consulting to a diverse client base, including individuals, corporations, and institutional clients. The firm offers non-discretionary, tailored planning and analytical tools to support client goals and is known for its municipal advisory affiliation and employer advisory services.

Laree Kennedy is a financial advisor with LPL Financial in Birmingham, AL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and bringing 28 years of industry experience. Her prior roles include positions at ProEquities, Inc., Brookline Investments, Inc., and Brookline Group, LLC. She also serves as a FINRA arbitrator and manages investment products risk and compliance at Cadence Bank. LPL Financial is an SEC-registered investment adviser and broker-dealer serving individuals—including high-net-worth clients—retirement plans, financial institutions, and charitable organizations. The firm offers a range of advisory programs, financial planning, and brokerage services supported by model portfolios and research from multiple sources.

Delynn Zell is a CFP® certificant with 37 years of industry experience, currently serving at Savant Wealth Management since 2023. Prior to joining Savant, she spent 11 years with Bridgeworth, LLC and LPL Financial. Savant Wealth Management provides comprehensive wealth management, financial planning, and related services to individuals, families, pension plans, charitable organizations, corporations, and high-net-worth clients. The firm employs a blend of evidence-based, model-driven asset allocation alongside actively managed strategies, supported by integrated accounting, legal, and trust services.

Kenneth Carlson is a CFA® charterholder with 10 years of industry experience, currently serving at Greybox Investments in Birmingham, AL. He has worked at DMC Group, LLC since 2015 and maintains active roles in several family-owned businesses, including Albemarle Corporation, Martin Farm, and Rockhouse, LLC, where he contributes to farm operations outside of trading hours. Greybox Investments provides portfolio and wealth management services primarily to individual and high-net-worth clients, as well as charitable organizations and other registered investment advisers, using a quantitative multi-factor investment approach combined with fundamental analysis. The firm offers customized single-sleeve models to other RIAs and focuses on forward-looking risk and return estimates while avoiding hedge funds and structured products.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.