Top general estate planning guidance financial advisors in Elmira, NY

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 need general estate planning guidance when you want to organize your assets and wishes clearly, especially if you face complex family or financial situations. A common mistake is overlooking how small changes in your estate's value can trigger large tax bills due to the estate tax cliff, which catches many by surprise.

  • Tax cliff awareness. Confirm how the advisor plans to keep your estate below exemption thresholds to avoid unexpected taxes.
  • Comprehensive asset review. Ask if they consider all asset types, including non-traditional ones, to ensure nothing is left unplanned.
  • Document coordination. Check how they integrate wills, trusts, and powers of attorney to create a cohesive plan.
  • Future-proofing. Inquire about their approach to updating your plan as laws and personal circumstances change.

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

Loren W

Series 63, Series 66

Elmira, NY

Vanderbilt Advisory Services

Loren Wood is a financial advisor with Vanderbilt Advisory Services, holding Series 63 and Series 66 registrations and bringing 39 years of industry experience. He previously worked for IBN Financial Services, Inc. for 21 years. Outside of his advisory role, Wood operates a sole proprietorship focused on accounting and tax preparation. Vanderbilt Advisory Services serves a diverse client base including individuals, charitable organizations, trusts and estates, businesses, and retirement plans. The firm offers a range of portfolio management and financial planning services, emphasizing strategic asset allocation and combining fundamental, technical, and charting analysis, with a notable integration of retirement-plan and benefits firms supporting pension consulting and plan administration.

Wealth management Active portfolio management Tax-loss harvesting General estate planning guidance
user avatar

Richard W

Series 63, Series 66

Albany, NY

Wells Fargo Clearing

Richard White is a financial advisor at Wells Fargo Clearing in Albany, NY, holding Series 63 and Series 66 designations with 33 years of industry experience. He previously worked at Edward Jones for 12 years before joining Wells Fargo in 2017. Outside of his advisory role, he has sole ownership of mineral rights related to Chesapeake Energy. 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 offers both brokerage and advisory solutions, utilizing research and analytics from Wells Fargo Investment Institute alongside diversification principles and modern portfolio theory.

Retired Founder/Business Owner
user avatar

Richard G

Series 63, Series 65

Elmira, NY

Morgan Stanley

Richard Goldman is a financial advisor with Morgan Stanley in Elmira, NY, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 37 years of industry experience. He has been with Morgan Stanley Private Bank since 2015 and with Morgan Stanley Smith Barney since 2009. Outside of his advisory work, Goldman serves as deputy supervisor and finance committee board member for the Town of Ulysses, New York. Morgan Stanley Wealth Management (MSWM) is an SEC-registered investment adviser and broker-dealer serving individuals and institutional clients with a range of advisory programs, including tailored financial planning. The firm manages approximately $2.74 trillion in client assets and employs structured planning processes supported by tools such as Monte Carlo simulations and secular return estimates.

General estate planning guidance
user avatar

Xavier M

CFP®, Series 66

Elmira, NY

The Mustico Financial Group, Inc.

Xavier Mustico is a financial advisor with The Mustico Financial Group, Inc. in Elmira, NY, holding CFP® and Series 66 credentials with seven years of industry experience. Prior to his current role beginning in 2020, he worked at Bank of America and Merrill. He serves on the board of Elmira Downtown Development, Inc., a nonprofit organization. The Mustico Financial Group provides discretionary investment supervisory services, portfolio management, and financial planning to individuals, including high-net-worth clients, as well as pension plans, charities, and other entities. The firm employs client-specific written investment guidelines, fundamental analysis, and both long- and short-term strategies, managing approximately $316 million across around 460 client relationships.

General estate planning guidance Retirement income strategy Cash flow / budgeting Wealth management Long-term care insurance
user avatar

Michael T

Series 66

Elmira, NY

Verity Asset Management

Michael Timofeeff is a financial advisor with Verity Asset Management, holding a Series 66 designation and 17 years of industry experience. He has held roles at The Leaders Group Inc and New York Sport & Fitness, and has been associated with Verity Financial Group and Verity Asset Management since 2008. Verity Asset Management is an SEC-registered investment adviser serving individual, corporate, institutional clients, and other advisers with discretionary portfolio management, model portfolios, retirement-plan advisory, and financial planning. The firm employs a model-driven investment process emphasizing tactical asset allocation across diverse asset classes and offers both internally managed and third-party manager models.

Concentrated stock management Tax-loss harvesting Passive / index investing Active portfolio management ESG / Sustainable investing
user avatar

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
user avatar

Kayla S

Series 63, Series 65

Warwick, RI

Mass Mutual Investors Services

Kayla Santos is a financial advisor with Mass Mutual Investors Services in Warwick, RI, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and having 10 years of industry experience. She has worked at Mass Mutual Investors Services since 2017 and previously at MetLife Securities. In addition to her advisory role, Santos is an independent insurance agent, offering life, fixed annuities, disability, long-term care, and health insurance products. Mass Mutual Investors Services, LLC is a broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser that serves individuals, business owners, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and employers. The firm provides financial planning, asset management, wrap and money-manager programs, and educational seminars, structuring engagements as annual collaborative relationships focused on goal analysis and written recommendations.

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 General estate planning guidance Multi-generational wealth transfer Wealth management Oil & Gas Engineering Professional
user avatar

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 previously worked at CoreCap Advisors, LLC. Outside of advising, he is the founder of Frontier Wealth Management and serves as an independent insurance agent with Goosehead Insurance. Smith & Wyatt serves individuals, including high-net-worth clients, and corporations, managing approximately $207 million across 724 clients. The firm provides tailored financial planning, discretionary portfolio management, estate-planning consulting, and specialized educational programs, utilizing mutual funds and ETFs as primary investment vehicles.

Government Employee
user avatar

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
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”)