Top financial advisors working with university employees in Farmington Hills, 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 work at a university, your retirement planning often involves navigating unique benefits like pensions and specific retirement accounts. A common mistake is treating your university benefits like standard employer plans, which can lead to missed opportunities or tax inefficiencies.

  • Pension integration. Confirm how they incorporate your pension into your overall retirement income plan, not just your 401(k) or savings.
  • Benefit nuances. Ask how they handle university-specific perks, such as tuition remission or sabbatical pay, in your financial plan.
  • Tax implications. University retirement plans can have distinct tax rules; ensure they understand these to optimize your withdrawals.
  • Long-term career path. Since university employment often spans decades, check how they plan for career milestones like tenure or sabbaticals.

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

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Michael C

Series 63, Series 65

Farmington Hills, MI

Armor Wealth Strategies, LLC

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.

Social Security optimization General retirement planning Tax strategies for small businesses Options & derivatives strategies Founder/Business Owner Executive
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Steven W

Series 63, Series 66

Farmington Hills, MI

IP Financial Advisory Services LLC

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.

Business succession planning Charitable giving & philanthropy Income planning Long-term care insurance Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Founder/Business Owner Executive
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Vicki F

CFP®, Series 63

Farmington Hls, MI

Cetera

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.

Wealth management Tax-loss harvesting Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Business exit / sale strategy Founder/Business Owner Executive
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Jeff P

Series 63, Series 65

Farmington Hills, MI

J.P. Morgan Securities

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.

Wealth management Executive Founder/Business Owner
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Michael L

Series 63, Series 65

Farmington Hills, MI

Primerica Advisors

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.

ESG / Sustainable investing Tax-loss harvesting Income planning
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Fionn A

Series 65

Las Vegas, NV

Adaptive Wealth Engineering

Fionn Allen is a financial advisor at Adaptive Wealth Engineering in Las Vegas, NV, holding a Series 65 designation. Allen has been with Summit Portfolio Management since 2022 and has prior experience across several industries, including hospitality and professional skiing. Adaptive Wealth Engineering is an SEC-registered advisory firm with five advisors managing approximately $213 million for about 113 clients. The firm provides discretionary portfolio management and written financial planning, utilizing an evidence-based investing framework focused on global diversification, factor exposures, and risk assessment.

Factor investing / smart beta Passive / index investing General estate planning guidance General retirement planning
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Mark T

Series 63

Mooresville, NC

C2 Investment Group

Mark Teichman is a financial advisor at C2 Investment Group with 20 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 63 designation and has worked with C2 Investment Group since 1998. He is a co-owner of C2, LLC, which operates Tracker, a portfolio accounting and reporting application. C2 Investment Group provides non-discretionary investment consultation to institutional clients, such as municipalities and public funds, focusing on government bond index tracking using US Treasury and Agency securities. The firm offers index-tracking optimization tools to assist clients with portfolio rebalancing and does not provide discretionary portfolio management.

Passive / index investing University Employee Government Employee
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James B

CFP®, CFA®, Series 66

Portland, ME

Penobscot Financial Advisors

James Bradley is a CFP® and CFA® with 28 years of experience in the financial services industry. He has worked at Penobscot Financial Advisors since 2011 and previously held roles at Mid Atlantic Financial Management, Inc. and Mid Atlantic Capital Corporation. Outside of finance, he is a flight instructor and pilot at Maine Coastal Flight Center and serves as Treasurer and volunteer board member for Hospice Volunteers of Hancock County. Penobscot Financial Advisors is a team-based firm serving individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and employer retirement plans. The firm employs a multi-disciplinary investment approach with a long-term orientation and offers both comprehensive wealth management and standalone financial-planning services.

General retirement planning Cash flow / budgeting University Employee
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Andrea R

Series 63, Series 65

Ann Arbor, MI

Darden Wealth Group

Andrea Russo is a financial advisor at Darden Wealth Group in Ann Arbor, MI, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with 20 years of industry experience. Prior to joining Darden Wealth Group in 2026, Russo worked at Altrius Capital Management over multiple periods totaling approximately 12 years, and briefly at Kroon & Mitchell in 2023. Darden Wealth Group serves private individuals, university faculty, business owners, foundations, educational institutions, and nonprofit organizations, offering comprehensive wealth management, financial planning, retirement and pension consulting, and business-owner advisory. The firm’s investment approach combines fundamental analysis with multi-year horizons and tactical allocations, utilizing individual securities alongside ETFs and mutual funds.

Retirement income strategy Business exit / sale strategy Charitable giving & philanthropy Cash flow / budgeting Founder/Business Owner University Employee
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Jon Michael C

Series 65

DeLand, FL

Hanson Financial Group

Jon Michael Carrick is a financial advisor at Hanson Financial Group with two years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has worked at Hanson Financial Group since 2023. Carrick also has a long-term academic role at Stetson University, where he has been employed since 2011. Outside of advising, he serves as Director of Alta Peaks, Inc., an investment holding company that was previously active in selling market research reports. Hanson Financial Group primarily serves pooled investment vehicles and institutional or business clients through discretionary investment supervisory and portfolio management services. The firm employs a tactical allocation approach across various asset classes and does not use a percentage-of-assets fee model.

Active portfolio management Options & derivatives strategies Real estate investing University Employee

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