Top financial advisors working with clients approaching retirement in Charlottesville, VA

George Hamar is a financial advisor at Chilton Investment Services, LLC with 21 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has been with Chilton Investment Services since 2013. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as a trustee of private trusts. Chilton Investment Services, LLC provides discretionary and non-discretionary investment management, family-office support, and advisory services to private fund investors, high- and ultra-high-net-worth individuals, and institutional clients. The firm employs a long-term investment approach combining bottom-up fundamental research with top-down macro and relative-value analysis across equity and fixed-income strategies, and manages portfolios through various vehicles including separately managed accounts and sub-advised UMA accounts.

Michael Whitney is a CFP® professional with four years of industry experience, currently serving at Solitude Financial Services, Inc. He previously worked at Albany Financial Group and LPL Financial, LLC. Solitude Financial Services provides fee-only, fiduciary investment advice and discretionary portfolio management to individual and high-net-worth clients using a financial life management framework. The firm emphasizes long-term, buy-and-hold investment strategies with model portfolios primarily composed of ETFs, mutual funds, stocks, and bonds, and employs options strategies to manage portfolio risk.

Margaret Connelly is a CFA® charterholder and holds a Series 65 license, currently serving as a financial advisor at Investor FAN. She has over a year of industry experience, with prior roles at Visible Wealth Planning and Equita Financial Network, Inc. Before entering the financial advisory field, she spent 15 years with the Georgia Retirement System and three years as a full-time homemaker. Investor FAN offers investment management, financial consulting, and retirement plan advisory services to individuals, retirement plans, trusts, foundations, and charitable organizations. The firm employs a diversified investment approach incorporating Modern Portfolio Theory and various analytical methods, managing over $427 million in discretionary assets as of the end of 2024.

Shelly Pellish is a Series 66-licensed financial advisor with Ameriprise in Charlottesville, VA, with seven years of industry experience. She has been with Ameriprise and its affiliated entities since 2017, following a 15-year tenure at the Center for Christian Study. Outside of her advisory role, Pellish is the owner of Flying Squirrel, LLC, which she manages alongside her work at Ameriprise. Ameriprise offers retirement-income planning services primarily for individuals approaching or in retirement with substantial investable assets, delivering personalized recommendations that incorporate research, modeling, and tax-efficiency analysis. The firm also provides a broad range of advisory, brokerage, and insurance solutions through its affiliated companies.

Ellen Doyle is a financial advisor at D.A. Davidson & Co. with 22 years of industry experience. She holds a Series 66 designation and previously worked at Truist Investment Services, Inc. and BB&T Securities, LLC. Outside of her advisory role, she is a member and bookkeeper of a family ceramic tile and marble installation business. D.A. Davidson & Co. provides investment advisory and brokerage services to a diverse client base, including retirement plans, individual investors, charitable organizations, and corporate clients. The firm adheres to fiduciary standards under the Advisers Act and ERISA, offering a range of services from retirement plan advisory to comprehensive financial planning and specialized private wealth programs.

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.