Top social Security optimization financial advisors in East Lansing, MI

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 approaching Social Security age and want to maximize your benefits, you need an advisor who understands the nuances of claiming strategies. A common mistake is claiming too early or in the wrong sequence, which can reduce your lifetime income.

  • Pension integration expertise. Many local families have pensions from the auto industry; ask how the advisor coordinates Social Security with these benefits.
  • Claiming age strategy. Confirm they analyze your full work history and life expectancy to recommend the best age to start benefits.
  • Spousal and survivor benefits. These can significantly impact your household income; ensure the advisor explains how to optimize these options.
  • Tax impact awareness. Social Security benefits can be taxable; check how the advisor plans for taxes in your overall retirement income.

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

Want help finding the right advisor?

Answer a few questions to see advisors matched to you.

user avatar

Joseph B

ChFC®, Series 63

East Lansing, MI

Fairhaven Financial Advisory Corporation

Joseph Brooks is a financial advisor with Fairhaven Financial Advisory Corporation in East Lansing, MI, holding the ChFC® and Series 63 designations and bringing 45 years of industry experience. He has worked at firms including Innovation Partners LLC and Royal Alliance Associates, INC., and has been with Fairhaven Financial Advisory Corporation since 1999. Brooks is also a licensed insurance agent for various life, health, disability, and fixed interest annuity products. Fairhaven Financial Advisory Corporation serves individual investors, including high-net-worth clients and sponsors of qualified retirement plans, focusing on retirees and those nearing retirement. The firm offers portfolio management, retirement distribution planning, financial consulting, and employer-sponsored plan advisory services using an asset-allocation approach with strategies ranging from conservative to aggressive.

Retirement income strategy Social Security optimization General estate planning guidance Income planning Life insurance needs analysis Retired
user avatar

Bryan F

Series 66

East Lansing, MI

Fairway Investment Group, LLC

Bryan Frazzini is an Investment Advisor Representative at Fairway Investment Group, LLC with three years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at Fairway Investment Group, Paradigm Equities, and MEA Financial Services since 2022. Outside of finance, he has managed sales and design at SWAT Environmental, a radon mitigation company, since 2014. Fairway Investment Group primarily serves members of the Michigan Education Association (MEA) and their families, offering fee-based investment advisory and portfolio management services through LPL Financial–sponsored programs. The firm operates mainly on a non-discretionary basis and emphasizes tailored recommendations based on fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis.

Wealth management Real estate investing Educators, Teachers, and Academics
user avatar

Richard J

ChFC®, Series 63

East Lansing, MI

LPL Financial

Richard Johnston is a financial advisor with LPL Financial, holding the ChFC® designation and Series 63 license, and has 42 years of industry experience. He has been with LPL Financial since 2004. Outside of his advisory role, he acts as a successor trustee for a family trust and operates a financial consulting business in East Lansing, MI. LPL Financial is a national broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, retirement plans, banks, trust companies, and institutions. The firm offers a range of advisory and brokerage services, including financial planning, model portfolios, third-party asset management, and institutional platforms.

Wealth management Retirement income strategy College savings (529s, UTMA, etc.) Tax-loss harvesting Annuities Retired Founder/Business Owner Executive
user avatar

Tobias T

Series 63, Series 66

East Lansing, MI

Oppenheimer

Tobias Timm is a financial advisor with Oppenheimer, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 39 years of industry experience. He has worked at Oppenheimer since 2017 and previously held roles at Cantor Fitzgerald Wealth Partners, LLC and Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. Oppenheimer is a registered investment adviser and broker-dealer serving a diverse client base—including individuals, corporations, pension plans, and charitable organizations. The firm provides a wide range of programs and advisory services spanning equity, balanced, and fixed-income portfolios, with an emphasis on both discretionary and non-discretionary management.

Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Business exit / sale strategy General retirement planning Wealth management Executive Founder/Business Owner
user avatar

William S

CFP®, ChFC®, Series 63, Series 65

East Lansing, MI

OSAIC

William Stoskopf is a financial advisor with OSAIC based in East Lansing, MI, holding CFP® and ChFC® designations and possessing 31 years of industry experience. He has worked at Royal Alliance Associates, Inc. since 2018 and previously spent 24 years with Signator Investors, Inc. In addition to his advisory role, he is a musician and music teacher in Bath, MI. He is also the owner and managing member of Comprehensive Financial Solutions, LLC, which focuses on employee benefits and insurance services. OSAIC serves a broad mix of retail and institutional clients through a large network of financial advisers, offering integrated brokerage and investment advisory services, financial planning, and access to third-party money managers. The firm employs asset-allocation tools and efficient-frontier analysis to construct diversified portfolios and supports multiple advisory platforms and legacy program transitions.

Annuities Wealth management Tax-loss harvesting Private / alternative investments Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Founder/Business Owner Executive
user avatar

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, 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.

Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Business exit / sale strategy Concentrated stock management Equity Recipients (RS/RSU, SOP, ESPP) Long-term care insurance Founder/Business Owner Retired Executive Approaching retirement Sandwich Generation
user avatar

Stavroula K

Series 63, Series 65

Linwood, NJ

Ameriprise

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.

Retirement income strategy Income planning Social Security optimization Retirement withdrawal strategies Approaching retirement
user avatar

Cassandra S

Series 63, Series 65

Plano, TX

Financial & Tax Architects, LLC

Cassandra Sanchez is a financial advisor at Financial & Tax Architects, LLC with seven years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has previously worked at Fisher Investments, TIAA, US Health Advisors, and various other firms. Sanchez also had involvement with Drunken Donkey, reflecting experience outside the financial sector. Financial & Tax Architects provides discretionary portfolio management and financial planning primarily for individual and high-net-worth clients, focusing on those nearing or in retirement. The firm offers proprietary “Private Wealth Strategies” that use ETFs, individual securities, and trend-aware rebalancing, with accounts reviewed monthly and customizable strategies to meet client needs.

Retirement income strategy Social Security optimization Annuities Income planning General tax planning Retired
user avatar

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
user avatar

Charles P

CFP®, Series 63, Series 65

San Rafael, CA

WealthSpire Advisors

Charles Pyfer III is a CFP® professional with 19 years of industry experience, currently serving at Wealthspire Advisors since 2024. Prior to this, he spent 15 years at Private Ocean. Wealthspire Advisors provides wealth management, investment advisory, financial planning, and family office support to a diverse client base including individuals, corporations, retirement plans, and nonprofit organizations. The firm employs a relationship-driven, customized investment approach that emphasizes diversified, institutional-style asset allocation and utilizes a range of investment vehicles and third-party platforms for comprehensive portfolio management.

Retirement income strategy Social Security optimization Roth conversion strategy Tax-loss harvesting Private / alternative investments Founder/Business Owner Retired Mid-Career Professionals Established Professionals
Warmer team member

Not sure where to start?

We'll help you think it through—whether you ultimately need an advisor or not. Warmer helps you compare advisors clearly, so you can choose with confidence.

Find your advisor

For advisor listings, we rely on sources including public filings and data provided by advisors, and we cannot guarantee that all information is current or accurate. Advisors are independent and may not have reviewed or updated this information. Please review an advisor’s Form ADV and do your own diligence before deciding whether to work with them.

Advisor matching and introductions are provided by FinanceHQ LLC (“FHQ”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Warmer and an SEC-registered investment advisor. We receive compensation from certain participating advisors for introductions or referrals. This creates a conflict of interest because we have an incentive to recommend advisors who compensate us, including those who pay us more. You pay no fee to use our matching service, and advisor fees are not increased because of a referral or introduction. We do not review the ongoing performance of advisors, manage or hold assets, guarantee performance, or provide advice about specific investments.

By using our service, you agree to our Terms of Service and Advisory Agreement, and acknowledge our Privacy Policy. Please review FHQ’s ADV Part 2A and Form CRS. Logos provided by Logo.dev

© 2026 Warmer Holdings Inc. (“Warmer”)