Top financial advisors working with clients approaching retirement in Champaign, IL

Manish Puri is a financial advisor at Edward Jones in Champaign, IL, holding a Series 66 designation with three years of industry experience. He previously worked at Puri Sons Inc for ten years, where he served as Secretary, and he is involved as President of A-Plus Investments, a family-owned real estate construction company. Edward Jones is a full-service wealth management firm serving individual and institutional clients with a variety of advisory programs and investment solutions, supported by a large nationwide network of advisors and branch offices.

Emily Manganaro is a financial advisor at LPL Financial with 15 years of industry experience. She holds the Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and has worked at LPL Financial since 2015, as well as Old National Bank and First Midwest Bank. Outside of her advisory role, she is the owner of an online jewelry business and serves as a non-public arbitrator for FINRA. LPL Financial is an SEC-registered investment adviser and broker-dealer serving individuals, retirement plans, banks, credit unions, corporations, and charitable organizations. The firm offers a range of advisory programs and financial planning services, providing both discretionary and non-discretionary management supported by in-house and third-party research.

Claude Wilson is a financial advisor with PNC Wealth Management in Champaign, IL, holding a Series 66 designation and seven years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Cetera Investment Services, JPMorgan Chase Bank, and Edward Jones. PNC Wealth Management offers retail brokerage and advisory services through model-based programs, including an invitation-only digital portfolio solution that uses algorithm-driven risk assessment and third-party managed model strategies primarily involving mutual funds and ETFs.

Lana Berardi is a financial advisor with J.P. Morgan Securities in Champaign, IL, holding a Series 66 designation and 23 years of industry experience. She has worked at J.P. Morgan Securities and JPMorgan Chase Bank since 2003. Outside of her advisory role, she serves as a trustee and director of the Joseph Berardi Scholarship Fund Trust, a nonprofit that provides scholarships to students primarily from Canton High School in Illinois. J.P. Morgan Securities provides investment consulting and advisory services primarily to institutional clients and retirement plan sponsors, combining quantitative asset-allocation modeling with centralized due diligence. The firm’s approach includes an ESG eligibility framework and access to a broad range of investment products through its registration as a security-based swap dealer and futures commission merchant.

Blake Hubert is a financial advisor with Primerica Advisors in Champaign, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and 32 years of industry experience. He has been with Primerica Advisors and Primerica Financial Services since 1993. In addition to advisory work, he is involved in the sale of loan products, home security, automation, and other home-related services through affiliated companies. Primerica Advisors provides discretionary asset management through its Lifetime Investment Program, which offers model-delivery strategies and discretionary separately managed account options primarily to individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm curates third-party asset managers and uses a tiered wrap-fee structure, focusing on retail rather than institutional or pension plan management.

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.