Top planning for children with special needs financial advisors in Evanston, IL

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 have a child with special needs, planning for their long-term financial security is crucial to ensure they have the support they need throughout life. Without careful planning, you risk jeopardizing eligibility for government benefits or missing out on important protections.

  • Government benefits navigation. Confirm how the advisor helps maintain your child's eligibility for programs like Medicaid and Supplemental Security Income.
  • Special needs trusts. Ask about setting up trusts that protect assets while providing for your child's care.
  • Coordination with care providers. Look for advisors who integrate financial plans with your child's medical and educational needs.
  • Future planning focus. Ensure they consider your child's lifetime needs, not just immediate expenses.

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

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Edward B

Series 66

Evanston, IL

Commonwealth Financial Network

Edward Bothfeld is a financial advisor with Commonwealth Financial Network in Evanston, IL, holding a Series 66 designation and 11 years of industry experience. He has operated Bothfeld Financial Partners since 2015, conducting fixed insurance sales alongside his advisory practice. Commonwealth Financial Network is a dual-registered broker/dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser serving a national network of approximately 2,900 advisors and managing over $200 billion in client assets. The firm provides a broad range of managed-account programs, third-party asset manager access, and comprehensive back-office support.

Passive / index investing Active portfolio management Tax-loss harvesting Wealth management Retirement income strategy Founder/Business Owner Executive Retired
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Joseph S

Series 66

Evanston, IL

TIAA-CREF

Joseph Simoncelli is a financial advisor with TIAA-CREF, holding a Series 66 designation and two years of industry experience. He has worked at TIAA, Nuveen Asset Management, and Nuveen Securities since 2022. Outside of his advisory role, Simoncelli serves as an assistant coach for the Renegades High School hockey club. TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC’s Advice & Planning Services division offers financial planning and discretionary managed account programs to individuals, trusts, estates, partnerships, corporate entities, and small retirement plans, often serving clients connected to TIAA-administered employer retirement plans. The firm provides both point-in-time planning and ongoing portfolio management through various managed account options.

General estate planning guidance Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Educators, Teachers, and Academics Founder/Business Owner Approaching retirement Mid-Career Professionals
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Brian K

CFP®, Series 66

Evanston, IL

Mutual Advisors, LLC

Brian Kearns is a CFP®-designated financial advisor with 14 years of industry experience. He is currently with Mutual Advisors, LLC, where he has worked since 2019. His prior roles include positions at Twombly Asset Management, Emberhouse, Morgan Stanley, and Mass Mutual Investors Services. Outside of advisory work, Kearns serves as Co-Chair of the Personal Financial Planning Forum for the Illinois CPA Society and is Treasurer for the Sons of the American Legion Post 42; he also leads a tax preparation service business. Mutual Advisors, LLC serves a diverse range of clients, including individual investors, trusts, retirement plan participants and sponsors, and institutional investors. The firm offers asset management and financial planning services, employing a blend of active and passive strategies tailored to client objectives, and is notable for its scale of institutional work and use of specialized platforms and third-party manager relationships.

Annuities Options & derivatives strategies Private / alternative investments Concentrated stock management Long-term care insurance Founder/Business Owner
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Patricia F

Series 66

Evanston, IL

Edward Jones

Patricia Finley is a financial advisor at Edward Jones with eight years of industry experience. She holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at Edward Jones since 2017. Prior to that, she spent 12 years at CitiBank. Edward Jones is a full-service wealth management firm serving over four million individual and institutional clients. The firm offers a range of advisory programs and investment strategies, supported by a large nationwide network of advisors and branch offices, managing approximately $1.01 trillion in assets under management.

Wealth management Tax-loss harvesting Multi-generational wealth transfer Retired Founder/Business Owner Executive
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Zachary S

Series 65

Evanston, IL

MariPau Wealth Management LLC

Zachary Steinhandler is a financial advisor at MariPau Wealth Management LLC with nine years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has worked at MariPau Wealth Management since 2022. Steinhandler also owns and operates Steinhandler Wealth Advisors and Steinhandler Insurance Group, where he provides investment advisory services and specializes in annuity and life insurance sales. MariPau Wealth Management offers tailored investment advisory and portfolio management services, financial planning, consulting, and educational seminars for individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm collaborates with advisory affiliates and uses various third-party platforms and strategies to support client portfolios.

Annuities
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Amanda Q

Series 66

Richmond, VA

Wells Fargo Advisors

Amanda Quicke is a financial advisor with Wells Fargo Advisors in Richmond, VA, holding a Series 66 designation and 18 years of industry experience. She has worked within Wells Fargo entities since 2016. Outside of her advisory role, she has ownership interests in an investment-related business, Granite Wealth Management, LLC. Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network serves individuals, trusts, and institutional clients by providing a broad range of investment and financial planning services. The firm utilizes proprietary research and planning tools to develop tailored recommendations, offering both brokerage and advisory programs.

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

Rudenca B

Series 66

Livingston, NJ

Merrill

Rudenca Blloshmi serves as a Senior Financial Advisor at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management. In this role, she helps clients develop personalized wealth management strategies tailored to their individual financial goals. She provides access to Merrill’s investment insights alongside the banking and lending solutions offered by Bank of America. Rudenca focuses on client areas including family wealth management, personal retirement planning, philanthropic planning, tax minimization, retirement income, special needs planning, managing new wealth, and women and wealth. Rudenca holds multiple professional designations, including Accredited Wealth Management Advisor (AWMA), CERTIFIED PLAN FIDUCIARY ADVISOR (CPFA), Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor (CRPC), Chartered Retirement Plans Specialist (CRPS), Personal Investment Advisor (PIA), Retirement Accredited Financial Advisor (RAFA), and Sports & Entertainment Accredited Wealth Management Advisor (SE-AWMA). She attended Pace University without earning a degree and conducts business in both English and Albanian. Rudenca is involved with the Global Albanians Foundation and enjoys baseball, biking, golfing, music, and photography in her personal time.

Wealth management Retirement income strategy General retirement planning Charitable giving & philanthropy Planning for children with special needs Women Professionals Women's Finance

Matthew S

CFP®, ChFC®, Series 63, Series 66

Baytown, TX

Edward Jones

Matthew Seale is a financial advisor with Edward Jones in Baytown, TX, holding CFP® and ChFC® designations and registered Series 63 and Series 66. He has 21 years of industry experience, all with Edward Jones since 2004. Edward Jones is a full-service wealth management firm serving over four million individual and institutional clients. The firm offers a range of advisory programs including discretionary and non-discretionary wrap fee strategies, separately managed accounts, and affiliated mutual funds, managing approximately $1.01 trillion in assets through a network of more than 23,700 financial advisors.

Divorce financial planning Retirement income strategy General estate planning guidance Planning for children with special needs Wealth management Retired Founder/Business Owner Executive
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Lanis W

Series 66

Laguna Niguel, CA

G. A. Repple & Company

Lanis Webb is a financial advisor at G. A. Repple & Company with 25 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has been with G. A. Repple & Company since 2012. In addition to his advisory role, Webb works as an independent fixed insurance sales agent. G. A. Repple & Company provides investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base, including retail individuals, retirement plans, trusts, estates, and corporate entities, employing various analytical approaches to portfolio construction and offering multiple investment program options.

Planning for children with special needs Divorce financial planning General retirement planning
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Evan H

CFP®, CFA®, Series 63, Series 65

Los Altos, CA

Mok Capital Management

Evan Hirano is a CFP® and CFA® with 10 years of experience in the financial industry. He has worked at Mok Capital Management since 2015 and at Purshe Kaplan Sterling Investments since 2017. Mok Capital Management provides investment advisory and financial planning services to individuals, living trusts, charities, foundations, pension and profit-sharing plans, and business entities. The firm employs a value-oriented investment approach combining fundamental and technical analysis, managing portfolios that may include individual stocks, bonds, ETFs, and limited options strategies.

Planning for children with special needs Elder care planning General estate planning guidance Charitable giving & philanthropy Options & derivatives strategies
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