Independent, social Security optimization financial advisors in Farmington Hills, MI

Michael Cho is a financial advisor at Armor Wealth Strategies, LLC with 29 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked previously at Cutter & Company, Inc and Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC. Outside of advising, Cho serves as a fencing referee and volunteers as treasurer for the Disability Network of Oakland and Macomb Counties. Armor Wealth Strategies is a small advisory firm serving individual and high-net-worth clients with discretionary asset management, comprehensive financial planning, and ERISA 3(21) retirement-plan advisory services. The firm tailors portfolios to client goals and risk tolerances, employing a range of investment strategies and providing ongoing monitoring and quarterly reviews.

Steven White is a financial advisor with IP Financial Advisory Services LLC, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 44 years of industry experience. He has been with IP Financial Advisory Services since 2019 and is also associated with Innovation Partners LLC. Outside of his advisory roles, he is involved in administering employee benefit plans and distributes discount prescription drug cards through a separate business. IP Financial Advisory Services primarily serves individual retail clients, focusing on customized portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement-plan consulting. The firm utilizes a mix of analytical approaches and also refers clients to third-party investment advisors, emphasizing services for non-high-net-worth individuals.

Vicki Filipiak is a CFP®-designated advisor with 27 years of industry experience, currently affiliated with Cetera since 2019. Her prior roles include extensive tenure at Foresters Financial Services and Foresters Advisory Services. She serves as chairperson of the endowment fund committee at St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church and owns an agricultural business involving farming, hunting leases, timber sales, and barn rentals. Cetera Investment Advisers LLC is a large SEC-registered advisory firm serving individuals, retirement plans, corporate, charitable, and institutional clients through a nationwide network of independent advisors. The firm offers a range of portfolio management and consulting services, utilizing a multi-manager platform with discretionary and non-discretionary account structures.

Jeff Probst is a financial advisor at J.P. Morgan Securities with 27 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at J.P. Morgan Securities since 2012, as well as JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. since 2005. From 2019 to 2020, he was involved with Beach House Apartments, LLC. J.P. Morgan Securities primarily provides investment consulting and advisory services to institutional clients and retirement plan sponsors. The firm combines quantitative asset-allocation modeling with centralized due diligence and applies an ESG eligibility framework in its recommendations.

Michael Lafave is a financial advisor with Primerica Advisors in Plymouth, MI, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 34 years of industry experience. He has been with Primerica Financial Services and Primerica Advisors since 1991. In addition to his advisory role, he is involved in the sale of loan products and home security and automation services through affiliated companies. Primerica Advisors offers discretionary asset management through its Lifetime Investment Program, which provides model-delivery strategies and a limited selection of separately managed accounts for individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm emphasizes a tiered wrap-fee structure and curates third-party asset managers for its portfolio models.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Jared Fruth is a financial advisor at Northwest Asset Management with four years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and previously worked at Securities America, Inc., KMS Financial Services, Inc., Oppenheimer Funds, and John Paul Mitchell Systems. Northwest Asset Management is a registered investment adviser managing approximately $3.6 billion for nearly 3,000 clients, including individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, charities, and corporations. The firm employs a customized, fiduciary approach using Modern Portfolio Theory and strategic asset allocation, combining fundamental and technical analysis to build diversified portfolios with periodic rebalancing.

Edwina Martin is a Series 65 licensed financial advisor with two years of industry experience, currently with Waverly Advisors, LLC. She previously worked at 9258 Wealth Management for five years and was employed at Teradata Corp for eleven years. Martin also serves as assistant director of tax planning at 9258 Tax and Planning, a non-investment related business. Waverly Advisors is a multi-team registered investment adviser managing portfolios for individuals, retirement plans, and pooled investment vehicles. The firm combines traditional equity and fixed-income strategies with alternative and private-market allocations, offering a range of investment management and financial planning services.

Craig Mcdaniel Jr. is a financial advisor with Capital Investment Advisory Services, LLC in Columbia, SC. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 13 years of industry experience. He has been with Capital Investment Group, Inc. and The McDaniel Corporation since 2012. Outside of his advisory role, he is involved in life insurance sales and serves as an independent agent for annuities and related products. Capital Investment Advisory Services, LLC provides investment advisory and supervisory services to individuals, retirement plans, corporations, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations. The firm offers customized investment management through discretionary mandates, third-party managers, and private-label model portfolios, using a blend of analytical methods with ongoing portfolio monitoring.

David Hart is a financial advisor with Martin Wealth Management, LLC in Irvine, CA. He holds a Series 65 credential and has 15 years of industry experience. Hart previously worked with Safeguard Investment Advisory Group and LifePro Asset Management. He is also a Certified Financial Fiduciary and volunteers as an instructor with the Foundation for Fiduciary Education, providing unbiased fiduciary financial education to the public. Martin Wealth Management offers investment advisory services primarily to individuals and high-net-worth clients by co-advising and directing accounts to a third-party money manager, Matson Money. The firm focuses on client onboarding, documentation, and ongoing review of third-party manager accounts rather than direct asset management.

Sarah Currier Barrella is a CFP® professional with 26 years of experience in financial advisory services. She currently works at Santander Securities LLC and Santander Bank, NA, having previously held positions at TD Bank and Citizens Securities, Inc. Barrella is based in Boston, MA. Santander Securities LLC serves a broad retail client base with approximately $3.14 billion in regulatory assets under management across 10,800 client relationships. The firm offers investment advisory services, portfolio management through wrap-fee programs, and financial planning, operating both as a registered investment adviser and a FINRA-registered broker-dealer.