Top social Security optimization financial advisors in Forest City, NC

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 might be considering Social Security optimization if you're approaching retirement and want to maximize your monthly benefits. A common mistake is claiming too early or too late without understanding how timing affects your lifetime income.

  • Benefit timing strategies. Ask how they determine the best age to start benefits based on your full work history and life expectancy.
  • Spousal and survivor benefits. Confirm they evaluate options for you and your spouse to ensure no benefits are overlooked.
  • Tax impact awareness. Social Security benefits can be taxable; check how they factor this into your overall retirement income plan.
  • Coordination with other income. See if they integrate Social Security decisions with pensions, savings, and other income sources for a comprehensive approach.

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

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James S

Series 63, Series 65

Forest City, NC

Primerica Advisors

James Sherrill is a financial advisor with Primerica Advisors in Forest City, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 34 years of industry experience. He has been with Primerica Advisors and Primerica Financial Services since 1991. Outside of investment advisory, he is involved in sales of loan products and home security and automation services through affiliated Primerica companies. Primerica Advisors sponsors a wrap-fee asset management program serving individual, corporate, and charitable clients. The firm employs model-based investment strategies managed by unaffiliated asset managers and supports trade execution and custody through BNY Mellon Advisors and Pershing.

ESG / Sustainable investing Tax-loss harvesting Income planning
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Adam C

Series 66

Forest City, NC

LPL Financial

Adam Chaney is a financial advisor with LPL Financial, holding a Series 66 designation and 12 years of industry experience. He has been with LPL Financial since 2013. Outside of advising, he is a business owner of Four Oaks Farmstead in Forest City, NC. LPL Financial is an SEC-registered investment adviser and broker-dealer serving a broad range of clients including individuals, retirement plans, and institutions. The firm offers financial planning, various advisory programs, retirement plan consulting, and brokerage services, utilizing model portfolios and research from multiple sources.

College savings (529s, UTMA, etc.)
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Joseph S

Series 65

Forest City, NC

OneSeven

Joseph Stenard is a financial advisor at OneSeven with one year of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has worked with MGO One Seven LLC d/b/a Resolute Wealth Management since 2024. His background also includes involvement with the Knights of Columbus and a longstanding role at the University of New York dating back to 2008. OneSeven provides investment advisory services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, businesses, and retirement plans. The firm offers discretionary portfolio management and financial planning using diversified portfolios with access to alternatives and private placements, employing a primarily long-term investment approach combined with internal due diligence and third-party platform support.

Private / alternative investments Options & derivatives strategies Real estate investing Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k)
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Tabitha M

Series 66, Series 63

Forest City, NC

Principal Financial Services

Tabitha Marks is a financial advisor with Principal Financial Services, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and 12 years of industry experience. She has worked at Principal Securities, Inc. and Principal Life Insurance Company for multiple years and previously held a role at Merrill. Outside of her advisory work, she owns and operates a family livestock farm, Twin Creeks Farm, in Forest City, NC. Principal Securities provides brokerage and registered investment advisory services to a diverse client base, including individual investors, retirement plans, trusts, and active-duty military personnel overseas. Its advisory programs offer direct financial planning, retirement consulting, and access to third-party money manager solutions.

Retired Founder/Business Owner
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Ivey B

Series 66

Forest City, NC

Raymond James Financial

Ivey Bright is a financial advisor at Raymond James Financial with two years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and has prior work experience that includes roles at Prestige School Solutions, LLC, and Barley's Taproom and Pizzeria. Additionally, Bright is associated with Bright Asset Management, LLC in a non-investment capacity. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors, Inc. provides financial planning and investment consulting to a diverse client base, including individuals, high-net-worth clients, and institutional clients. The firm offers tailored, non-discretionary advisory services supported by analytical tools and maintains unique arrangements such as municipal advisory capabilities and specialized SIMPLE IRA consulting programs.

Wealth management Tax strategies for small businesses Business succession planning General estate planning guidance Founder/Business Owner Executive
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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 and previously at AXA Advisors, LLC. Outside of his advisory work, he serves as co-chairman of a fundraising campaign for the nonprofit Alpha Light Fund Inc., focused on renovating the House of Alpha. Equitable Advisors serves a diverse client base including individual, high-net-worth, retirement plan, corporate, charitable, and institutional clients, offering financial planning, broker-dealer services, insurance distribution, and access to third-party asset management programs. The firm operates as both an SEC-registered investment adviser and broker-dealer, leveraging LPL-sponsored programs and endorsed TAMPs to deliver advisory and brokerage solutions.

Retirement income strategy Social Security optimization Founder/Business Owner Retired Executive Approaching retirement Baby Boomers (Born 1946-1964)
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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
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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
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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
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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

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