Top financial advisors working with gen x clients and divorced clients

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.

John Brown is a financial advisor at Savant Wealth Management with 26 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and previously worked at Exencial Wealth Advisors, LLC and Bush O'Donnell Investment Advisors, Inc. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as chairman of GJ Liquidation Company, a former supplier of railroad crossties. Savant Wealth Management provides comprehensive wealth management, portfolio management, financial planning, and family office services to individuals, families, institutions, and high-net-worth clients. The firm combines evidence-based, model-driven asset allocation with actively managed strategies and offers integrated legal, accounting, and trust services through affiliated entities.

James Oldham is a financial advisor at Edward Jones in Honolulu, HI, holding a Series 66 designation with six years of industry experience. He previously worked at New Hope Windward for seven years before joining Edward Jones in 2020. Edward Jones is a full-service wealth management firm serving over four million individual and institutional clients, including high-net-worth households and charitable organizations. The firm manages approximately $1.01 trillion in assets and offers a range of investment strategies, including discretionary and non-discretionary wrap fee programs, separately managed accounts, and affiliated mutual funds, operating under a fiduciary standard.

Angela Linder is a Senior Financial Advisor at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management and a member of the Palmer Linder Group, a financial advisory team based in Metro Detroit. She focuses on serving multi-generational, high net worth families and business owners, helping clients pursue personal goals such as college education planning, retirement strategy, legacy planning, and wealth management. Angela has over 16 years of experience in the financial services industry, having joined Merrill in 2007. She follows a disciplined process that involves understanding each client's specific needs and priorities, emphasizing open communication and family engagement in financial decision-making. Angela holds the Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor (CRPC) designation earned in 2014 and the Personal Investment Advisor (PIA) credential. She has an Associates in Business from Henry Ford College. Outside of her professional role, Angela is active in her community and volunteers with several organizations including the Dearborn Rotary Club and In Place of War, a global organization that uses creativity to foster positive change in conflict-affected areas. Her personal interests include cooking, genealogy, music, and photography.

Cynthia Menker is a CFP® with 24 years of industry experience, currently serving at Contour Financial since 2001. She holds a Series 65 license and is based in Orland Park, IL. Contour Financial serves individual households focusing on retirement planning and investment management for clients who are not high-net-worth. The firm emphasizes diversified portfolios using mutual funds and ETFs, combines investment oversight with comprehensive financial planning services, and operates as a fee-only fiduciary under the NAPFA code.

Michelle Vargas, Certified Financial Planner™ is the President of Waymaker Financial Planning, a Fee-Only firm that provides transparent and accessible financial guidance. She enjoys helping clients navigate and plan all aspects of their financial life so that they will worry less about their future and free up more time to spend doing what they love. After earning a degree in Finance from the University of Southwestern Louisiana in 1990, she moved to Florida and started her career with Harcourt Brace Publishing. Her journey into personal finance began when she signed up for her 401K and wanted to learn about additional options to plan for retirement. This eventually led to working as a financial advisor and completing the extensive education requirements for becoming a CFP® in 1998. She believes her experience as a young professional searching for unbiased advice enables her to better serve Gen XY professionals because she remembers what it was like being in their shoes. As a former homeschool parent and the wife of a federal employee, she is passionate about helping women, homeschool families, and federal workers plan wisely for a comfortable financial future. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking in Colorado, barbecuing with family, and working in her garden.

Many blue-collar business owners spend years building successful companies but struggle with inconsistent cash flow, high taxes, and uncertainty about how to turn their business into a secure retirement. Unlike most financial firms that focus primarily on investments, I take a planning-first approach that connects your business strategy with your personal financial goals. As a CFP® professional and fee-only fiduciary advisor with 10+ years of experience, I help business owners integrate cash flow planning, tax strategies, risk management, retirement planning, and investments into one coordinated plan. Having experienced the challenges of business ownership firsthand and growing up in a family business, I understand that your business is often your largest asset. My goal is to provide the guidance and strategy business owners need to protect what they've built and create financial freedom beyond their business.

I believe that everyone should have access to a professional advisor who understands their needs and can help them achieve the lifestyle they desire. As a financial advisor, I am dedicated to learning about your personal goals and using them to build a retirement plan tailored to your unique situation. NexJenn Financial Services was founded in response to the demand for financial planning from my tax clients. Often squeezed between spending for their kids’ education, caring for an elderly relative and saving for their own retirement, many were anxious about their financial future. I have enjoyed helping my clients find a balance and focus on building a strong financial future. I am a CPA® and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER Professional®, as well as a Retirement Income Certified Professional®. Additionally, I am a member of the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors and the XY Planning Network. In my spare time, my husband and I volunteer at a homeless shelter. I also love to bike and travel and am an aspiring photographer. I have been married for 30 years and together with my awesome husband, we’ve raised three awesome kids.

I'm a fiduciary & CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER living in Indianapolis, Indiana but serving clients nationwide. For years I've helped individuals and families plan for retirement and other imporant financial decisions. In college, I studied economics with a concentration in finance. After college, I worked for large wealth management firm in Indiana and then a boutique financial advising office specializing in retirement planning. That firm was later acquired and after a few years working for the acquiring firm I left to start WealthGuides. As an advisor I've worked with clients age 22 to 92. While I've worked with a wide range of people, I've always found my passion was with working with people to create a plan for retirement. As an advisor I provide guidance to my clients on taxes, their investment portfolios, estate planning, & charitable giving amongst others areas. I show people where they can save on taxes and I give clarity and strategies for how my clients can maximize the potential for what they can spend on themselves and give to others. On the personal side I'm a runner, a reader, a cat dad, and a traveler. I also enjoy sipping on a nice glass of wine or whiskey.

I am a seasoned technology professional and an entrepreneur based in Silicon Valley. I have experience starting and running a software company that was venture-funded and subsequently acquired by a public company. During my high-tech career, I got intrigued by money matters such as savings, investments, insurance, taxes in order to achieve my family's financial goals. Out of curiosity, I spent time reading and researching various aspects of personal finance. I realized that there are a growing number of financial options available with increasing complexity in these choices. My passion towards financial planning ultimately resulted in pursuing formal education in financial planning, subsequently completing the CFP Board requirements to be a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® Professional. I launched Encover Personal Finance in 2018, primarily to help technology professionals achieve their financial life goals based on my own experience. I believe in serving clients honestly and transparently in a conflict-free manner. https://www.encoverpersonalfinance.com/about