Independent, business exit / sale strategy financial advisors in Cleveland, OH

The right financial advisor for you depends on how you weigh location, expertise, experience, the clients they typically serve, and how they work with you.

If you're preparing to sell your business or exit ownership, you need an advisor who understands the full financial impact of that transition. A common mistake is overlooking how municipal income taxes, which differ by city, can affect your net proceeds and ongoing tax obligations. Independent advisors here operate without firm constraints, which can mean more flexible, client-focused planning.

  • Exit timing strategy. Ask how they evaluate market conditions and your business cycle to recommend the best time to sell.
  • Tax impact analysis. Confirm they consider local municipal taxes alongside federal and state taxes in their financial projections.
  • Post-sale planning. Look for advisors who help map out your financial goals after the sale, including investment and income strategies.
  • Business valuation approach. Inquire about their methods for valuing your business to ensure you receive a fair price.

Here are top matches to get you started. Review each profile to compare experience, credentials, and approach.

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Bryan B

CFP®, Series 63, Series 66

Cleveland, OH

Sanctuary Advisors, LLC

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.

Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Cash flow / budgeting General retirement planning
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Luke W

Series 66

Cleveland, OH

Kestra Advisory

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.

Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Business exit / sale strategy Annuities Wealth management Founder/Business Owner Executive
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William M

Series 66

Cleveland, OH

ValMark Advisers, Inc.

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.

Annuities Wealth management Business exit / sale strategy Executive Founder/Business Owner
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Kimberly M

CFP®

Cleveland, OH

Park Edge Advisors, LLC

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.

Life insurance needs analysis College savings (529s, UTMA, etc.) Retirement income strategy Annuities Options & derivatives strategies Founder/Business Owner Retired Self-Employed
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Michael D

Series 66

Cleveland, OH

Mass Mutual Investors Services

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.

Divorce financial planning General estate planning guidance Multi-generational wealth transfer Cash flow / budgeting Founder/Business Owner Attorney Executive Married/Couples/Partners Divorced
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Sally H

Series 63, Series 65

New York, NY

Seasons of Advice Wealth Management

Sally Hyman is a financial advisor with Seasons of Advice Wealth Management in New York, NY. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 43 years of industry experience, including roles at Ameriprise Financial Services and RBC Capital Markets. Outside of her advisory work, she records and sells vocal CDs and is involved in publishing her father's book on the spiritual meaning of disease and science. Seasons of Advice Wealth Management provides financial planning and discretionary investment management to individuals, high net worth clients, trusts, small business owners, professionals, and families. The firm uses a proprietary planning process that integrates goal tracking, asset allocation, and tax planning, tailoring investment recommendations to each client’s objectives and risk tolerance.

General estate planning guidance Business exit / sale strategy Cash flow / budgeting Founder/Business Owner Executive Values-based investing
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Kristin M

Series 66

Mt Pleasant, SC

Guardian Life

Kristin Manna is a financial advisor at Guardian Life with a Series 66 designation and one year of industry experience. She previously worked at Consolidated Planning Holdings, Inc. and spent eight years with Charleston County School District. Outside of finance, she is an author and publisher of "The Basketball Coach's Notebook" and works as a math tutor for high school students. Guardian Life's subsidiary, Park Avenue® Wealth Management, serves individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and corporate clients, offering brokerage services, financial planning, retirement consulting, and a combination of proprietary and third-party investment advisory programs.

Retirement income strategy Business exit / sale strategy Wealth management Private / alternative investments Founder/Business Owner Retired Executive
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Geoffrey T

Series 66

Chicago, IL

Sanctuary Advisors, LLC

Geoffrey Tomes is a financial advisor with Sanctuary Advisors, LLC, holding a Series 66 credential and 26 years of industry experience. He has worked at Noyes Advisors LLC for 11 years and David A Noyes & Company for 26 years. His other business activities include involvement in fixed life and health insurance and fixed annuities. Sanctuary Advisors, LLC serves a diverse client base including individuals, corporations, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations through a network of over 400 independent investment adviser representatives. The firm offers a range of portfolio management and financial planning services employing various analytical approaches and maintains distinctive features such as negotiated performance-based fees for large institutional clients and affiliations with specialized asset management firms.

Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Cash flow / budgeting General retirement planning
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Amanda Q

Series 66

Richmond, VA

Wells Fargo Advisors

Amanda Quicke is a financial advisor at Wells Fargo Advisors with 18 years of industry experience. She has worked at various Wells Fargo entities since 2009. Amanda is a Series 66 license holder and has partial ownership in an investment-related business, Granite Wealth Management, LLC. Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network serves individuals, trusts, and institutional clients by providing investment and fee-based financial planning services. The firm offers a broad range of planning options using proprietary research and tools, with services tailored to clients who meet specific net-worth criteria.

Divorce financial planning Planning for children with special needs Business exit / sale strategy Cash flow / budgeting Founder/Business Owner
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Keith E

CFP®

Pittsburgh, PA

Keith L. Eliou, CFP

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.

Social Security optimization Retirement income strategy Cash flow / budgeting Charitable giving tax strategies Business exit / sale strategy Founder/Business Owner
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Jared F

Series 65

Huntington Beach, CA

Northwest Asset Management

Jared Fruth is a financial advisor at Northwest Asset Management with four years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and previously worked at Securities America, Inc., KMS Financial Services, Inc., Oppenheimer Funds, and John Paul Mitchell Systems. Northwest Asset Management is a registered investment adviser managing approximately $3.6 billion for nearly 3,000 clients, including individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, charities, and corporations. The firm employs a customized, fiduciary approach using Modern Portfolio Theory and strategic asset allocation, combining fundamental and technical analysis to build diversified portfolios with periodic rebalancing.

Retirement income strategy Wealth management Active portfolio management Founder/Business Owner
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Edwina M

Series 65

Cincinnati, OH

Waverly Advisors, LLC

Edwina Martin is a Series 65 licensed financial advisor with two years of industry experience, currently with Waverly Advisors, LLC. She previously worked at 9258 Wealth Management for five years and was employed at Teradata Corp for eleven years. Martin also serves as assistant director of tax planning at 9258 Tax and Planning, a non-investment related business. Waverly Advisors is a multi-team registered investment adviser managing portfolios for individuals, retirement plans, and pooled investment vehicles. The firm combines traditional equity and fixed-income strategies with alternative and private-market allocations, offering a range of investment management and financial planning services.

Private / alternative investments Real estate investing Options & derivatives strategies Tax-loss harvesting Multi-generational wealth transfer Founder/Business Owner Executive
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Craig M

Series 63, Series 65

Columbia, SC

Capital Investment Advisory Services, LLC

Craig Mcdaniel Jr. is a financial advisor with Capital Investment Advisory Services, LLC in Columbia, SC. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 13 years of industry experience. He has been with Capital Investment Group, Inc. and The McDaniel Corporation since 2012. Outside of his advisory role, he is involved in life insurance sales and serves as an independent agent for annuities and related products. Capital Investment Advisory Services, LLC provides investment advisory and supervisory services to individuals, retirement plans, corporations, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations. The firm offers customized investment management through discretionary mandates, third-party managers, and private-label model portfolios, using a blend of analytical methods with ongoing portfolio monitoring.

Active portfolio management Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Annuities Options & derivatives strategies Founder/Business Owner Retired
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David H

Series 65

Irvine, CA

Martin Wealth Management, LLC

David Hart is a financial advisor with Martin Wealth Management, LLC in Irvine, CA. He holds a Series 65 credential and has 15 years of industry experience. Hart previously worked with Safeguard Investment Advisory Group and LifePro Asset Management. He is also a Certified Financial Fiduciary and volunteers as an instructor with the Foundation for Fiduciary Education, providing unbiased fiduciary financial education to the public. Martin Wealth Management offers investment advisory services primarily to individuals and high-net-worth clients by co-advising and directing accounts to a third-party money manager, Matson Money. The firm focuses on client onboarding, documentation, and ongoing review of third-party manager accounts rather than direct asset management.

Medicare planning Annuities
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Sarah C

CFP®, Series 63, Series 65

Boston, MA

Santander Securities LLC

Sarah Currier Barrella is a CFP® professional with 26 years of experience in financial advisory services. She currently works at Santander Securities LLC and Santander Bank, NA, having previously held positions at TD Bank and Citizens Securities, Inc. Barrella is based in Boston, MA. Santander Securities LLC serves a broad retail client base with approximately $3.14 billion in regulatory assets under management across 10,800 client relationships. The firm offers investment advisory services, portfolio management through wrap-fee programs, and financial planning, operating both as a registered investment adviser and a FINRA-registered broker-dealer.

ESG / Sustainable investing Tax-loss harvesting General retirement planning Income planning Founder/Business Owner
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