Large-firm, business succession planning financial advisors in Grand Rapids, 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're preparing to transfer your business ownership, you need an advisor who understands the complexities of timing and tax implications. A common mistake is underestimating how intertwined your business exit plan is with your personal financial goals.

  • Firm resources. Large firms often have teams that handle legal, tax, and valuation aspects together, so ask how these experts collaborate on your plan.
  • Pension impact. In Grand Rapids, many families face pension decisions tied to the auto industry; confirm how the advisor integrates these into your succession strategy.
  • Exit timing. The right advisor will help you balance market conditions and business readiness, not just focus on immediate sale opportunities.
  • Family dynamics. Succession often involves family members; check how the advisor manages communication and conflict resolution during the transition.

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

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Danielle G

Series 63, Series 65

Grand Rapids, MI

Gradient Securities, LLC

Danielle Gray is a financial advisor at Gradient Securities, LLC with one year of industry experience. She holds the Series 63 and Series 65 designations and has worked previously at O'Neill Asset Management and Primerica. In addition to her advisory role, she teaches a financial literacy class through Gull Lake Virtual Partnership. Gradient Securities, LLC provides financial planning, consulting, and non-discretionary asset management services to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, and business entities. The firm emphasizes a non-discretionary investment model and often incorporates third-party managers in its approach.

Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Business ownership considerations Business exit / sale strategy General estate planning guidance Founder/Business Owner Executive
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James H

CFP®, Series 63, Series 65

Grand Rapids, MI

LPL Financial

James Hamilton Jr. is a CFP®-designated financial advisor with over 33 years of industry experience. He is currently with LPL Financial and has previously worked at Voya Financial Advisors, Inc. and Jgh & Associates. LPL Financial is a national broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, retirement plan participants, banks, trust companies, and other institutions. The firm offers a range of financial planning and investment management services through a large network of advisors and supports both discretionary and non-discretionary strategies.

Wealth management Retirement income strategy College savings (529s, UTMA, etc.) Tax-loss harvesting Annuities Retired Founder/Business Owner Executive
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Mark T

Series 63, Series 65

Grand Rapids, MI

Primerica Advisors

Mark Tangen is a financial advisor at Primerica Advisors with 26 years of industry experience. He has been with Primerica Advisors since 1999 and Primerica Financial Services since 1998. Outside of his advisory role, he is involved as a member of Horizontal Venture, LLC, a non-investment related business based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Primerica Advisors provides discretionary asset management through its Lifetime Investment Program, serving individual and high-net-worth clients with model-delivery strategies and a limited number of discretionary separately managed accounts. The firm curates third-party asset managers and uses a tiered wrap-fee structure, offering a range of strategic, tactical, tax-aware, and income distribution investment models.

ESG / Sustainable investing Tax-loss harvesting Income planning
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Jeffrey H

Series 63, Series 65

Grand Rapids, MI

Ameritas Advisory Services, LLC

Jeffrey Heitzman is a financial advisor with Ameritas Advisory Services, LLC, holding the Series 63 and Series 65 designations and bringing 36 years of industry experience. He has worked with several firms including Cetera Advisors LLC and 20/20 Capital Management, Inc., and has operated his own financial planning firm, Heitzman Advisory, Inc., since 2000. He is also involved with Canvas Financial, a firm consolidation and marketing organization affiliated with Ameritas. Ameritas Advisory Services, LLC provides investment advisory and planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, high-net-worth investors, retirement plans, and organizations, offering a range of asset management and consulting solutions across multiple program platforms.

Private / alternative investments Wealth management Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Retirement income strategy Charitable giving & philanthropy Founder/Business Owner Retired Mid-Career Professionals
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Shelley S

Series 63, Series 65

Grand Rapids, MI

OSAIC

Shelley Strobel Erhardt is a financial advisor with Osaic Wealth Inc. based in Grand Rapids, MI, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and 15 years of industry experience. She previously spent 14 years at Stifel Independent Advisors, LLC. Outside of her advisory work, she is president and sole member of Strobel Resources, LLC, a consultative services business. Osaic Wealth, Inc. serves a broad range of retail and institutional clients through a large network of affiliated advisors, offering integrated brokerage and advisory services along with financial planning, retirement consulting, and access to third-party money managers. The firm uses a variety of asset-allocation tools and supports both discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management.

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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Ethan S

CFP®, Series 65

Auburn Hills, MI

Plante Moran financial advisors

Ethan Siekkinen is a CFP® and holds a Series 65 license, currently serving as a financial advisor with Plante Moran Financial Advisors. He has one year of industry experience and has previously worked at J Wilson Wealth Management and operated Rizzo Lawn Care. Plante Moran Financial Advisors, LLC provides investment advisory, financial planning, and estate planning services to a diverse client base including individual households, institutional clients, and sovereign wealth funds. The firm employs a multi-disciplinary investment process and offers both discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, manager search, and tax-lot accounting services.

Active portfolio management Options & derivatives strategies Private / alternative investments Concentrated stock management Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Founder/Business Owner Executive
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Michael I

Series 63, Series 65

Livingston, NJ

Raymond James Financial

Michael Ipp is a financial advisor with Raymond James Financial, holding Series 63 and Series 65 designations and bringing 42 years of industry experience. He has been with Raymond James Financial Services Advisors since 2010 and serves as an independent contractor for 1792 Wealth Advisors. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors provides financial planning, investment consulting, and advisory services to a diverse client base, including individuals, high-net-worth clients, corporations, and institutional clients. The firm offers tailored, non-discretionary planning and uses analytical tools to support client decision-making, while also maintaining specialized programs such as municipal advisory services and SIMPLE IRA Employer Advisory & Consulting Services.

Wealth management Tax strategies for small businesses Business succession planning General estate planning guidance Founder/Business Owner Executive
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Jeffrey M

CFP®, ChFC®, Series 66

Greenville, DE

Investment Management & Planning LLC

Jeffrey Macdonald is a CFP® and ChFC® with 18 years of industry experience. He has worked at Investment Management & Planning LLC and LPL Financial since 2010, following two years at Wells Fargo Clearing. Investment Management & Planning LLC provides investment advisory and financial planning services primarily to individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm constructs tailored portfolios using mutual funds, ETFs, equities, and fixed-income securities, employing fundamental analysis and continuous supervision, and operates as both a wrap program sponsor and affiliated registered representatives of LPL Financial.

General retirement planning Business succession planning Tax strategies for small businesses Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Founder/Business Owner Executive Mid-Career Professionals Approaching retirement
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Patrick F

Series 66

New Market, MD

Intentional

Patrick Ferguson is a financial advisor at Intentional with 17 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at firms including Purshe Kaplan Sterling Investments, Commonwealth Financial Network, and LPL Financial. In addition to his advisory role, he is a licensed agent involved in the sales of fixed and traditional insurance products. Intentional provides discretionary portfolio management and financial planning services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, families, businesses, and institutions. The firm offers pension consulting, estate planning support, business exit planning, and due diligence on alternative investments, utilizing a combination of fundamental, technical, and economic analysis within a fiduciary framework.

Business exit / sale strategy Multi-generational wealth transfer Private / alternative investments Founder/Business Owner
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Jerald L

Series 63

San Antonio, TX

Frost Investment Services

Jerald Liesman is a financial advisor at Frost Investment Services with 33 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 63 designation and has worked at Frost Brokerage Services, Inc. and Frost Bank since 1993 and 1987, respectively. Frost Investment Services is a retail-focused, SEC-registered adviser serving individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and business entities. The firm offers discretionary portfolio management, comprehensive financial planning, and managed account programs that integrate model portfolios from its affiliate with third-party managers, utilizing a research-driven investment process and providing optional tax and ESG overlay services.

Tax-loss harvesting ESG / Sustainable investing Retirement income strategy General estate planning guidance Business succession planning Founder/Business Owner Executive
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Jeffrey P

Series 66

Dacula, GA

Merrill

Jeffrey Park is a financial advisor at Merrill with eight years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at Merrill and affiliated firms since 2011, including roles at JPMorgan Chase Bank and J.P. Morgan Securities. Outside of his advisory work, he is a sole owner and co-owner of family rental properties in Lawrenceville, Georgia. Merrill, together with its affiliate Managed Account Advisors LLC, provides managed account services to Bank of America fiduciary clients through the Select Portfolio Solutions Program, offering model-based and discretionary strategies for individuals, high-net-worth clients, and institutional investors.

Tax-loss harvesting Active portfolio management Wealth management
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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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Wesley P

Series 63, Series 66

Fort Worth, TX

Wells Fargo Clearing

Wesley Pool is a financial advisor at Wells Fargo Clearing with 15 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and previously worked at JPMorgan Securities LLC for seven years. Outside of finance, he has been involved with #TagMeBro LLC and Fry Street Public House. 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 both brokerage and advisory solutions.

Retired Founder/Business Owner
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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, 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.

Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Business exit / sale strategy Concentrated stock management Equity Recipients (RS/RSU, SOP, ESPP) Long-term care insurance Founder/Business Owner Retired Executive Approaching retirement Sandwich Generation
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