Top social Security optimization financial advisors in Gainesville, FL

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 benefits too early or without considering spousal and survivor options, which can reduce your lifetime income.

  • Claiming age strategies. Ask how they evaluate the best age to start benefits based on your full work history and life expectancy.
  • Spousal and survivor benefits. Confirm they understand how to coordinate benefits between you and your spouse to increase total household income.
  • Tax impact awareness. Since Florida has no state income tax, check how they plan around federal taxes and other local taxes that affect your net Social Security income.
  • Integration with retirement income. See if they consider how Social Security fits with your other income sources to avoid unintended tax consequences or benefit reductions.

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

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Porfirio P

Series 63, Series 65

Jacksonville, FL

Wells Fargo Clearing

Porfirio Perez is a financial advisor at Wells Fargo Clearing with 32 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and has been with Wells Fargo since 2013, including time at Wells Fargo Advisors. Outside of his advisory work, he is a freelance writer producing articles, short stories, and collections of fiction and non-fiction. Wells Fargo Advisors is a national securities firm serving individual, corporate, and institutional clients with investment advisory services, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting. The firm manages approximately $671 billion in assets and offers a range of brokerage and advisory solutions supported by research from Wells Fargo Investment Institute.

Retired Founder/Business Owner
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Ann G

Series 63, Series 65

Gainesville, FL

LPL Enterprise

Ann Gracy is a financial advisor with LPL Enterprise, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 10 years of industry experience. She has worked previously at Prudential Insurance Company of America and Pruco Securities, LLC. Outside of her advisory role, she operates Gracy Financial Services, an entity related to her LPL business. LPL Enterprise serves a diverse client base including individuals, retirement plans, charitable organizations, and institutional clients, offering a range of advisory and brokerage services supported by model portfolios, third-party asset managers, and integrated insurance products.

General retirement planning Tax-loss harvesting Self-Employed Founder/Business Owner
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John H

Series 63, Series 65

Gainesville, FL

Primerica Advisors

John Hemken is a financial advisor with Primerica Advisors in Gainesville, FL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and having 10 years of industry experience. He has worked at PFS Investments Inc. and Primerica Financial Services since 2015, with a brief tenure at Initiative One. Outside of advising, he is the founder and owner of Hemken Enterprises, LLC. Primerica Advisors offers discretionary asset management through its Lifetime Investment Program, which provides model-delivery strategies and a limited number of discretionary separately managed accounts to individual and high-net-worth clients under a wrap-fee structure. The firm curates third-party asset managers and delegates trading responsibilities to BNY Mellon Advisors, using a tiered, percentage-based fee model.

ESG / Sustainable investing Tax-loss harvesting Income planning
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Nolan L

Series 66

Gainesville, FL

Bankers Life Advisory Services, Inc.

Nolan Louis is a financial advisor at Bankers Life Advisory Services, Inc. with one year of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has held roles at Bankers Life Securities, Inc. and Bankers Life & Casualty, Inc. Outside of advising, he works as an insurance agent assisting clients with Medicare and related insurance products. Bankers Life Advisory Services, Inc. provides discretionary portfolio management and investment consulting primarily to mass-affluent and high-net-worth individuals, focusing on customized asset allocation, tax efficiency, and a combination of fundamental and technical analysis.

Wealth management Retired
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John C

Series 63, Series 66

Gainsville, FL

Fidelity

John Carpenter IV is a financial advisor at Fidelity with 14 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 63 and Series 66 designations and has worked across several Fidelity divisions since 2011. Fidelity’s Strategic Advisers LLC provides investment management and advisory services to retail and institutional clients, including charitable and registered investment company accounts. The firm uses a combination of proprietary fundamental research, quantitative analysis, and algorithmic portfolio construction to deliver model portfolios and specialized fund advisory services.

Charitable giving & philanthropy Active portfolio management
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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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