Large-firm financial advisors working with clients approaching retirement in Herrin, IL

Ben Bruce is a financial advisor with Raymond James Financial Services Advisors, Inc., holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and bringing 31 years of industry experience. His prior experience includes more than two decades at J.J.B. Hilliard, W.L. Lyons, Inc. Outside of advising, he owns Cedar Post LLC, a business involved in managing rural land for farming, timber, and alternative energy purposes, and serves as a director at First Southern Bancshares Inc. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors, Inc. provides financial planning and investment consulting to individual and institutional clients, employing risk profiling and modeling tools to tailor its non-discretionary advisory services. The firm supports a large advisor network and offers programs including municipal and public-finance advisory services and SIMPLE IRA employer consulting.

Max is the co-founder of Novak Financial Partners, a flat-fee, fiduciary financial planning firm serving clients nationwide. He helps professionals, business owners, and families make smarter financial decisions through comprehensive financial planning and transparent, flat-fee advice. Novak Financial Partners is a flat-fee, fiduciary financial planning firm helping professionals, business owners, and families make smarter financial decisions with confidence. As CFP® professionals, we provide comprehensive financial planning that goes beyond investment management. We help clients coordinate investments, retirement planning, tax strategies, equity compensation, insurance, estate planning, and other major financial decisions into one cohesive financial strategy. We charge a transparent flat annual fee because we believe pricing should reflect the value of our advice, not simply the size of your investment portfolio. This allows us to work with professionals who are still building wealth without investment minimums while remaining a cost-effective option for retirees and clients with larger portfolios. Before co-founding Novak Financial Partners, Max worked at Personal Capital, Moneta, and Facet Wealth, helping individuals and families navigate complex financial decisions. He earned his MBA from Southern Illinois University and is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® professional. Based in Southern Illinois, Max works virtually with clients nationwide. Advisory services offered through Core Planning LLC, a Registered Investment Advisor.

Cody Hastings is a financial advisor at Edward Jones in Herrin, Illinois, with 10 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and has been with Edward Jones since 2015. Prior to that, he worked at Sam's Club starting in 2011. Edward Jones is a full-service wealth management firm serving over four million individual and institutional clients. The firm offers a range of advisory programs, including discretionary and non-discretionary wrap fee strategies, separately managed accounts, and affiliated mutual funds, operating under a fiduciary standard and managing approximately $1.01 trillion in assets.

Robert Jilek is a financial advisor with Cetera, holding ChFC® and PFS™ designations, and has 28 years of industry experience. He has worked at Cetera Investment Advisers, LLC and Cetera Financial Specialists, LLC since 2017, and previously at J.W. Cole Advisors, Inc. from 2012 to 2017. Outside of his advisory work, he serves as a pastor at Union Gospel Mission Church and is a board member of Child Evangelism Fellowship. Cetera Investment Advisers LLC is an SEC-registered adviser serving a wide range of clients including individuals, employer-sponsored retirement plans, corporate, charitable, and institutional accounts. The firm offers portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement services through a multi-manager platform that includes affiliated and third-party managers, with over $256 billion in assets under management and a network of more than 10,000 advisors.

Jolene Johnson is a financial advisor with KCPAG Financial Advisors LLC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and bringing 28 years of industry experience. She has worked at Kemper Capital Management LLC and KCPAG Financial Advisors LLC since 2008 and was also affiliated with Securities America, Inc. from 2007 to 2019. KCPAG Financial Advisors LLC provides financial planning, portfolio management, and retirement plan consulting for individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, and business clients. The firm manages approximately $22.5 million in discretionary assets, serving around 405 clients through a team of 13 advisors across 27 offices, employing a blend of fundamental analysis, long- and short-term strategies, and both discretionary and non-discretionary 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, 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.

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.

Barbara Brewer is a financial advisor at RBC Capital Markets with 20 years of industry experience. She holds a Series 66 designation and has been with RBC Capital Markets Corporation since 2008. RBC Wealth Management, a division of RBC Capital Markets, serves individual investors, institutional clients, pension and profit-sharing plans, corporations, and charitable organizations. The firm offers various advisory programs with discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, custody, and brokerage services, tailoring strategies to clients’ Advisory Risk Profiles through a mix of in-house and third-party providers.

Richard Martin is a financial advisor at Cetera with 29 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 63 designation and has a background that includes nearly three decades at Avantax Advisory Services and eight years at Avantax Insurance Agency. Outside of his advisory work, he is the owner and sole proprietor of Martin & Pellegrin, CPAs, a tax preparation and accounting firm. Cetera Investment Advisers LLC is an SEC-registered firm that serves a broad client base including individuals, retirement plans, corporate and charitable clients, and institutional accounts. The firm provides a multi-manager platform offering discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and access to various program structures and third-party money managers.

Lee Chen is a financial advisor with UBS Financial Services in Pasadena, California, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 28 years of industry experience. He has been with UBS since 2009. Outside of his advisory role, Chen serves on the board of directors for the San Gabriel Country Club. UBS Financial Services serves individual, corporate, and institutional clients through brokerage and investment advisory offerings, combining proprietary capital market research with a broad range of financial planning and portfolio management solutions.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.