Large-firm, general estate planning guidance financial advisors in Des Moines, IA

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.

You might seek estate planning guidance when organizing your assets to ensure they pass smoothly to your heirs or to address complex family situations. Without clear, comprehensive planning, you risk unintended tax consequences or disputes among beneficiaries.

  • Firm resources. Large firms often have access to specialized legal and tax experts, which can be crucial for handling complex estate matters.
  • Document review process. Confirm how thoroughly they evaluate your existing wills, trusts, and powers of attorney to align with your current wishes.
  • State tax knowledge. Even though retirement income taxes have recently been phased out in Iowa, ask how they incorporate local tax rules into your estate plan.
  • Coordination with other advisors. Effective estate planning requires syncing with your financial, tax, and legal professionals to avoid gaps or overlaps.

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

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Jordan F

Series 63, Series 65

Des Moines, IA

On Investment Management CO

Jordan Funke is a financial advisor at On Investment Management CO with 11 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked with The O. N. Equity Sales Company, Ohio National Financial Services, and The Financial Specialists. Funke is also involved in non-investment activities including insurance sales and virtual estate planning support. On Investment Management Company provides financial planning and investment advisory services to a diverse client base, including individuals, charitable organizations, businesses, and retirement plan sponsors. The firm offers a range of advisory programs, combining fee-based planning with access to multiple third-party investment platforms and both discretionary and non-discretionary managed account options.

General retirement planning Retirement income strategy College savings (529s, UTMA, etc.)
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Benjamin H

Series 63, Series 66

Des Moines, IA

RIA Advisory Group, LLC

Benjamin Heckart is a financial advisor with RIA Advisory Group, LLC in Des Moines, IA, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 20 years of industry experience. His career includes roles at Iea Wealth Management LLC and Cambridge Investment Research Advisors. Outside of his advisory work, he operates a small farming business and holds a 20% ownership stake in Brokerstreet Insurance Services. RIA Advisory Group serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, corporations, trusts, and estates with discretionary portfolio management, combining charting, fundamental, and technical analysis in both long- and short-term trading strategies. The firm is noted for its affiliations with accounting and legal professionals, as well as maintaining an affiliated research entity.

Annuities
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John F

Series 66, Series 65

Des Moines, IA

Prospective Value Partners LLC

John Flynn is the sole advisor at Prospective Value Partners LLC in Des Moines, IA, holding Series 65 and Series 66 licenses with 11 years of industry experience. He has led the firm since its founding in 2015. Prospective Value Partners provides discretionary asset management and portfolio supervision to individuals, retirement plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and some institutional clients. The firm employs a fundamental, value-oriented investment approach focused on long-only positions in publicly traded companies, with occasional shorter-term special situations, managing approximately $76 million across 36 accounts.

Active portfolio management
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Joel F

CFA®

Des Moines, IA

Koios Private Family Offices, LLC

Joel Fortney is a CFA® charterholder and a financial advisor with Koios Private Family Offices, LLC in Des Moines, Iowa, with one year of industry experience. His prior work includes roles at Principal Global Investors, Stategy Capital, LP, and Koios Management Group, LLC. Outside of advisory work, he is co-owner and CFO of Koios Management Group, a management consulting firm, and co-owner of Ultra Skin Science, a beauty product distribution company. Koios Private Family Offices is an independent registered investment adviser that provides discretionary asset management and financial planning to individuals, high-net-worth clients, and businesses. The firm uses a combination of fundamental and quantitative analysis to construct diversified portfolios with an emphasis on risk management and reduced volatility.

General estate planning guidance Social Security optimization College savings (529s, UTMA, etc.) Tax-loss harvesting Wealth management
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Patrick O

Series 63, Series 65

Des Moines, IA

Avantax Planning Partners, Inc.

Patrick Owens is a financial advisor with Avantax Planning Partners, Inc. in Des Moines, IA, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 11 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Wells Fargo Advisors LLC, Iowa State Bank, and DV Financial. Avantax Planning Partners provides investment advice and planning services primarily to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and businesses through referral relationships with CPA firms and registered advisor representatives. The firm employs model-based style allocation strategies and discretionary portfolio management, supported by an Investment Advisory Committee and tax-intelligent overlays.

Tax-loss harvesting Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Retirement income strategy Founder/Business Owner Attorney
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Scott M

Series 63, Series 65

New York, NY

Morgan Stanley

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.

General estate planning guidance
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Kayla S

Series 65, Series 63

Warwick, RI

Mass Mutual Investors Services

Kayla Santos is a financial advisor with Mass Mutual Investors Services and holds Series 65 and Series 63 licenses. She has 10 years of industry experience, including roles at MetLife Securities and Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company. In addition to her advisory work, she operates as an independent insurance agent specializing in life, fixed annuities, disability, long-term care, and health insurance. Mass Mutual Investors Services, LLC is a broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, business owners, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and employers. The firm provides ongoing financial planning, asset management, and educational seminars, utilizing firm-approved tools to develop collaborative, goal-oriented financial plans.

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

Gordon B

Series 66

Luling, LA

Edward Jones

Gordon Brown III is a financial advisor at Edward Jones with 18 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and has been with Edward Jones since 2008. Edward Jones is a full-service wealth management firm serving over four million individual and institutional clients, with approximately $1.01 trillion in assets under management. The firm offers a range of advisory programs and investment options, operating under a fiduciary standard.

Retirement income strategy Wealth management General estate planning guidance Oil & Gas
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William S

Series 63, Series 65

College Station, TX

Smith & Wyatt

William Soltow is a financial advisor at Smith & Wyatt with 13 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked previously at CoreCap Advisors and Cambridge Investment Research. Outside of his advisory role, he is the founder of Frontier Wealth Management and works as an independent insurance agent with Goosehead Insurance. Smith & Wyatt serves individuals, including high-net-worth clients, and corporations, managing approximately $207 million for around 724 clients through a team of eight advisors. The firm offers financial planning, discretionary portfolio management, and estate-planning consulting, tailoring investment advice to clients’ objectives and risk tolerances primarily through mutual funds and ETFs.

Government Employee
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Thaddeus P

CFP®, Series 63, Series 65

Grand Rapids, MI

Advance Wealth Management Service, LLC

Thaddeus Phelps is a CFP® professional with 28 years of experience in the financial services industry. He has worked at Advance Wealth Management Service, LLC since 2019 and previously spent 14 years with Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. In addition to his advisory work, Phelps owns a tax preparation business and an accounting support service, and he serves in fiduciary roles such as trustee and executor. Advance Wealth Management Service, LLC provides investment advisory and financial planning services primarily to individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, and business entities. The firm offers discretionary investment management through a wrap asset management program and emphasizes an individualized approach with asset allocation supported by fundamental, sector, and technical analysis, including risk management strategies such as put options and conservative cash instruments.

College savings (529s, UTMA, etc.) Charitable giving & philanthropy General estate planning guidance General tax planning Options & derivatives strategies
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Jeffrey P

Series 66

Dacula, GA

Merrill

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.

Tax-loss harvesting Active portfolio management Wealth management
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Scott M

Series 63, Series 65

New York, NY

Morgan Stanley

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.

General estate planning guidance
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Elizabeth B

Series 66

New York, NY

J.P. Morgan Securities

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.

Wealth management Executive Founder/Business Owner
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Wesley P

Series 63, Series 66

Fort Worth, TX

Wells Fargo Clearing

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.

Retired Founder/Business Owner
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Willie M

Series 63, Series 66

Cary, NC

Equitable Advisors

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.

Retirement income strategy Social Security optimization Founder/Business Owner Retired Executive Approaching retirement Baby Boomers (Born 1946-1964)
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