Seasoned, social Security optimization financial advisors in Frederick, MD

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 seek a Social Security optimization advisor if you're approaching retirement and want to maximize your benefits without triggering penalties or reducing spousal income. A common mistake is claiming benefits too early or in the wrong sequence, which can permanently lower your lifetime income. Seasoned advisors bring decades of experience navigating these complex timing decisions.

  • Benefit timing strategies. Ask how they determine the best age to start benefits based on your full work history and family situation.
  • Spousal and survivor benefits. Confirm they consider all possible claims to optimize household Social Security income.
  • Tax and estate impact. Since Maryland has both estate and inheritance taxes, check how they integrate Social Security planning with your broader tax and estate strategy.
  • Coordination with retirement income. Ensure they align Social Security claiming with your other income sources to avoid unintended tax consequences.

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

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Leo S

Series 66

Frederick, MD

Edward Jones

Leo Sloss is a financial advisor at Edward Jones in Frederick, MD, holding a Series 66 designation with two years of industry experience. Prior to joining Edward Jones, he worked at Regal Paint Centers and has experience in education through roles at Andree English School and Andres Bello University. Edward Jones is a full-service wealth management firm serving over four million individual and institutional clients. The firm offers a range of investment strategies and services, including discretionary and non-discretionary wrap fee programs, separately managed accounts, and affiliated mutual funds, supported by a large nationwide network of advisors and branch offices.

Business ownership considerations Business exit / sale strategy Business succession planning General estate planning guidance Multi-generational wealth transfer Founder/Business Owner Intergenerational Families
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Henry W

CFP®, Series 66

Frederick, MD

PNC Wealth Management

Henry Wixon is a CFP® certificant and holds a Series 66 license with three years of industry experience. He is currently with PNC Wealth Management and previously worked at Merrill. Outside of finance, Wixon has worked as a freelance musician since 2012. PNC Wealth Management offers retail brokerage and advisory services through model-based programs, including an invitation-only digital offering that uses algorithmic risk assessment and third-party managed portfolios focused on mutual funds and ETFs.

Passive / index investing Active portfolio management Wealth management Executive
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Brad Y

Series 63, Series 65

Frederick, MD

OSAIC

Brad Young is a financial advisor with OSAIC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and bringing 31 years of industry experience. Prior to joining OSAIC in 2025, he worked for Lincoln Financial Advisors Corporation for 23 years. Outside of his advisory role, Young serves as an instructor teaching finance, economics, and markets at Mt. St. Mary’s University, and he is an elected member of the Frederick County Council. He is also a board member of the nonprofit organization I Believe In Me. OSAIC serves a broad mix of retail and institutional clients through a large network of affiliated financial advisers. The firm offers integrated brokerage and investment advisory services, using various tools and third-party platforms to construct diversified portfolios tailored to client needs.

Annuities Wealth management Tax-loss harvesting Private / alternative investments Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Founder/Business Owner Executive
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Melissa H

Series 63, Series 66

Frederick, MD

Kestra Advisory

Melissa Holt is a financial advisor with Kestra Advisory Services, holding Series 63 and Series 66 credentials and 29 years of industry experience. Prior to joining Kestra in 2026, she worked at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney for 17 years. She also serves as a trustee and successor in various trust and estate roles. Kestra Advisory Services provides investment advisory and retirement-plan consulting to plan sponsors, institutional, and individual clients. The firm offers a range of services including fiduciary consulting, plan-level investment advice, and access to multiple management platforms and third-party solutions.

Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Business exit / sale strategy Annuities Wealth management Founder/Business Owner Executive
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Jeffrey B

CFP®, Series 63, Series 65

Hagerstown, MD

Plan2Retire

Jeffrey Bowers is a CFP® with 25 years of industry experience, currently serving as the sole advisor at Plan2Retire in Hagerstown, MD. He has worked at Bowers Advisory Group, LLC since 2008 and co-owns Donald C. Bowers Insurance, Inc., a non-investment-related business. Plan2Retire is an independent, fee-based advisory firm that serves individual households and employer retirement plans with discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and qualified plan consulting. The firm employs individualized investment policy statements and a combination of fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis, and offers comprehensive financial consulting, participant education, and public seminars.

General retirement planning Income planning College savings (529s, UTMA, etc.) Tax strategies for small businesses Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Founder/Business Owner Retired
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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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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
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Elizabeth B

Series 66

New York, NY

J.P. Morgan Securities

Elizabeth Brown is a Series 66 licensed financial advisor with J.P. Morgan Securities in New York, NY, where she has worked since 2012. She has 26 years of industry experience. J.P. Morgan Securities provides institutional consulting services to clients such as corporations, foundations, and defined contribution plan sponsors, offering asset allocation advice, investment manager and fund searches, and customized performance reporting through a select group of Wealth Advisors. The firm combines large institutional advisory operations with brokerage, distribution, and investment management capabilities.

Wealth management Executive Founder/Business Owner
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David C

Series 63, Series 65

Houston, TX

LPL Financial

David Cade is a financial advisor at LPL Financial with 42 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and previously worked for Next Financial Group, Inc. for 20 years before joining LPL Financial in 2025. LPL Financial is a national SEC-registered investment adviser and broker-dealer serving individuals, retirement plans, banks, corporations, and charitable organizations. The firm offers a range of advisory programs and financial planning services with both discretionary and non-discretionary management, utilizing research and model portfolios to support diversified investment strategies.

College savings (529s, UTMA, etc.)
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Sarah C

CFP®, Series 63, Series 65

Boston, MA

Santander Securities LLC

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.

ESG / Sustainable investing Tax-loss harvesting General retirement planning Income planning Founder/Business Owner
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Linda P

Series 63

Mt. Laurel, NJ

BC Advisors, LLC

Linda Postorivo is a financial advisor at BC Advisors, LLC with 43 years of industry experience. She holds a Series 63 designation and has worked with MAFG RIA Services, Inc. since 1994 and with Mid-Atlantic Companies since 1981. BC Advisors provides investment advisory and portfolio management services primarily to high-net-worth individuals, family trusts, pension and profit-sharing plans, and other institutional clients. The firm emphasizes non-discretionary investment recommendations grounded in fundamental analysis alongside technical and cyclical reviews, employing a variety of strategies including long-term, short-term, trading, options, and alternatives.

Active portfolio management
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