Independent, social Security optimization financial advisors in Grand Rapids, MI

Danielle Gray is a financial advisor with Gradient Securities, LLC, holding Series 65 and Series 63 credentials and having one year of industry experience. She previously worked with Primerica Advisors and the Escal Institute of Advanced Technology. Gray also teaches a financial literacy class through Gull Lake Virtual Partnership. Gradient Securities, LLC provides financial planning, consulting, non-discretionary asset management, and ERISA 3(21) retirement-plan advisory services to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, and business entities. The firm emphasizes a non-discretionary model, combining fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis, often utilizing third-party managers.

James Hamilton Jr. is a CFP® professional with 32 years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at LPL Financial since 2021. His prior experience includes roles at Voya Financial Advisors and JGH & Associates. LPL Financial is an SEC-registered investment adviser and broker-dealer that serves a broad range of clients including individuals, retirement plans, institutions, and charitable organizations through a national network of investment adviser representatives. The firm offers diverse advisory programs, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting, utilizing both discretionary and non-discretionary management supported by proprietary and third-party research.

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.

Jeffrey Heitzman is a financial advisor with Ameritas Advisory Services, LLC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and bringing 36 years of industry experience. He is president of Heitzman Advisory, Inc. dba Heitzman & Associates, Inc., a financial planning and investment operation he has led since 2000. He also serves as an associate with Canvas Financial, a consolidated organization formed under Ameritas Investment Corp. Ameritas Advisory Services, LLC provides investment advisory and financial planning services to individuals, charitable and corporate entities, and retirement plans. The firm offers fee-based asset management, retirement-plan advisory, and fiduciary services, utilizing model portfolios, third-party sub-advisers, and custom strategies.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Jared Fruth is a financial advisor at Northwest Asset Management with four years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and previously worked at Securities America, Inc., KMS Financial Services, Inc., Oppenheimer Funds, and John Paul Mitchell Systems. Northwest Asset Management is a registered investment adviser managing approximately $3.6 billion for nearly 3,000 clients, including individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, charities, and corporations. The firm employs a customized, fiduciary approach using Modern Portfolio Theory and strategic asset allocation, combining fundamental and technical analysis to build diversified portfolios with periodic rebalancing.

Edwina Martin is a Series 65 licensed financial advisor with two years of industry experience, currently with Waverly Advisors, LLC. She previously worked at 9258 Wealth Management for five years and was employed at Teradata Corp for eleven years. Martin also serves as assistant director of tax planning at 9258 Tax and Planning, a non-investment related business. Waverly Advisors is a multi-team registered investment adviser managing portfolios for individuals, retirement plans, and pooled investment vehicles. The firm combines traditional equity and fixed-income strategies with alternative and private-market allocations, offering a range of investment management and financial planning services.

Craig Mcdaniel Jr. is a financial advisor with Capital Investment Advisory Services, LLC in Columbia, SC. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 13 years of industry experience. He has been with Capital Investment Group, Inc. and The McDaniel Corporation since 2012. Outside of his advisory role, he is involved in life insurance sales and serves as an independent agent for annuities and related products. Capital Investment Advisory Services, LLC provides investment advisory and supervisory services to individuals, retirement plans, corporations, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations. The firm offers customized investment management through discretionary mandates, third-party managers, and private-label model portfolios, using a blend of analytical methods with ongoing portfolio monitoring.

David Hart is a financial advisor with Martin Wealth Management, LLC in Irvine, CA. He holds a Series 65 credential and has 15 years of industry experience. Hart previously worked with Safeguard Investment Advisory Group and LifePro Asset Management. He is also a Certified Financial Fiduciary and volunteers as an instructor with the Foundation for Fiduciary Education, providing unbiased fiduciary financial education to the public. Martin Wealth Management offers investment advisory services primarily to individuals and high-net-worth clients by co-advising and directing accounts to a third-party money manager, Matson Money. The firm focuses on client onboarding, documentation, and ongoing review of third-party manager accounts rather than direct asset management.

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.