Large-firm financial advisors working with clients approaching retirement in Cleveland, OH

Bryan Blackburn is a CFP® with 16 years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Sanctuary Advisors, LLC. His prior experience includes roles at Carnegie Investment Counsel, McDonald Partners LLC, and Wells Fargo Advisors. Sanctuary Advisors, LLC provides investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, corporations, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations. The firm offers a variety of portfolio management and consulting services through a network of over 400 independent investment adviser representatives, employing multiple analytical approaches and fiduciary standards.

Luke Washburn is a financial advisor with Kestra Advisory in Cleveland, OH, holding a Series 66 designation and 14 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Washburn Asset Management LLC and Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc., as well as service in the United States Army Reserve for over two decades. Outside of finance, he works intermittently as a freelance musician and trumpet player. Kestra Advisory Services provides investment advisory and retirement-plan consulting to a broad mix of institutional and individual clients, including plan sponsors. The firm offers fiduciary consulting, plan design, employee education, and access to multiple management platforms, serving clients such as sovereign wealth funds and other large institutional investors.

William Mcnamara is a financial advisor with ValMark Advisers, Inc. He holds the Series 66 designation and has 12 years of industry experience. Prior to joining ValMark Advisers and ValMark Securities in 2023, he has been associated with Omega Pensions, Inc. since 2014. He serves in an advisory role on the Alumni Advisory Council on Financial Education for Miami University Community Federal Credit Union. ValMark Advisers provides investment advisory and financial planning services to individuals, high-net-worth investors, retirement plan sponsors, and institutional clients. The firm employs a diversified, goal-based investment approach utilizing mutual funds, ETFs, separate-account managers, and integrates third-party manager programs within its proprietary platforms.

Kimberly Murphy is a CFP® professional with three years of industry experience, currently serving at Park Edge Advisors, LLC. She previously worked at Lowrie Wealth Management of Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC and McDonald Partners, LLC. In addition to her advisory role, she is an adjunct professor at the University of Akron and John Carroll University and serves on the board of the Financial Planning Association of Northeast Ohio. Park Edge Advisors serves a diverse client base including individuals, business owners, trustees, and institutional clients, offering financial planning, discretionary portfolio management, and pension consulting. The firm employs a tailored investment approach utilizing various analytical methods and trading strategies, and provides services such as subadvisory support and performance-based fee arrangements.

Michael Di Franco is a financial advisor at Mass Mutual Investors Services in Cleveland, OH, holding a Series 66 designation. He has one year of industry experience and previously worked at Flagstar Bank and in various customer service roles, including at Rego Brothers Lake Road Market. Outside of advising, he works as a team member in the deli department of a local grocery store. Mass Mutual Investors Services is a broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, business owners, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and employers. The firm offers financial planning, asset management, and educational seminars, with a focus on collaborative, goal-oriented planning engagements.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.