Top financial advisors working with clients approaching retirement in Cedar Rapids, IA

Justin Kensinger is a financial advisor with BCG Securities, Inc. in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, holding a Series 66 designation and 18 years of industry experience. He has been with BCG Securities since 2013. Kensinger also operates a DBA, Kensinger & Co., LLC. BCG Securities serves institutional retirement plans and individual clients with accounts generally above $25,000, offering portfolio management, financial planning, pension consulting, and related advisory services. The firm emphasizes tailored investment policy development and often implements advice on a non-discretionary basis, with a focus on third-party manager due diligence and a variety of investment analyses.

Stephen Mickelson is a financial advisor at Red Cedar with 34 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 designations and has previously worked at Cetera Advisors LLC and Stonefield Investment Advisory. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as a soccer referee. Red Cedar Advisory serves individuals, retirement plans, trusts, charitable organizations, and small businesses, providing asset management, financial planning, consulting, and ERISA plan participant advisory services. The firm manages accounts on a discretionary basis using fundamental and technical analysis along with asset-allocation strategies, and employs option- and derivative-based approaches that contribute to active trading and portfolio complexity.

Wendy Nemecek is a financial advisor at CWM, LLC with 33 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 66 credentials and has worked at firms including Carson Wealth, Cetera Advisor Networks LLC, TN Weber Nieland, Private Advisor Group, LLC, and LPL Financial. Outside of advising, she is a notary and owns a small office cleaning business. CWM, LLC is an SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, families, foundations, endowments, corporations, and institutional clients through a network of over 600 advisors. The firm employs model portfolios managed by an Investment Committee and offers a range of services including portfolio management, financial planning, retirement plan solutions, and sub-advisory capabilities.

Michael Dawson is a financial advisor with LPL Financial in Cedar Rapids, IA, holding Series 65 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 17 years of industry experience. He previously worked at Cambridge Investment Research Advisors and Cambridge Investment Research, Inc., and has operated Selk Dawson Tax Services since 2007. In addition to his advisory role, Dawson provides tax preparation and bookkeeping services through Mike Dawson Bookkeeping and Selk Dawson Tax Service. LPL Financial is an SEC-registered investment adviser and broker-dealer serving individuals, retirement plans, banks, corporations, and charitable organizations. The firm offers a range of advisory programs, financial planning, and brokerage services supported by proprietary and third-party research, with both discretionary and non-discretionary management options.

William Hahesy III is a CFA® charterholder with 10 years of industry experience. He is currently with Grit Family Office, LLC, where he has worked since 2017, and previously held roles at BerganKDV Wealth Management, LLC and Bergan Paulsen. Outside of his advisory work, he has ownership interests in several privately held companies in the manufacturing and overhead door sales industries. Grit Family Office serves high-net-worth individuals and small businesses, providing portfolio management, financial planning, and third-party adviser referrals. The firm follows a Modern Portfolio Theory-based investment approach with an emphasis on asset allocation, risk tolerance, and regular portfolio monitoring across a range of traditional and alternative investments.

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.

Barbara Brewer is a financial advisor at RBC Capital Markets with 20 years of industry experience. She holds a Series 66 designation and has been with RBC Capital Markets Corporation since 2008. RBC Wealth Management, a division of RBC Capital Markets, serves individual investors, institutional clients, pension and profit-sharing plans, corporations, and charitable organizations. The firm offers various advisory programs with discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, custody, and brokerage services, tailoring strategies to clients’ Advisory Risk Profiles through a mix of in-house and third-party providers.

Richard Martin is a financial advisor at Cetera with 29 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 63 designation and has a background that includes nearly three decades at Avantax Advisory Services and eight years at Avantax Insurance Agency. Outside of his advisory work, he is the owner and sole proprietor of Martin & Pellegrin, CPAs, a tax preparation and accounting firm. Cetera Investment Advisers LLC is an SEC-registered firm that serves a broad client base including individuals, retirement plans, corporate and charitable clients, and institutional accounts. The firm provides a multi-manager platform offering discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and access to various program structures and third-party money managers.

Lee Chen is a financial advisor with UBS Financial Services in Pasadena, California, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 28 years of industry experience. He has been with UBS since 2009. Outside of his advisory role, Chen serves on the board of directors for the San Gabriel Country Club. UBS Financial Services serves individual, corporate, and institutional clients through brokerage and investment advisory offerings, combining proprietary capital market research with a broad range of financial planning and portfolio management solutions.