Top financial advisors working with retirees in Iowa

Austin Norris is a financial advisor with Edward Jones in Oskaloosa, IA, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 21 years of industry experience. He has been with Edward Jones since 2005. Outside of his advisory role, Norris has ownership interests in real estate and construction businesses, including a real-estate office building, farmland, and involvement in a construction project. Edward Jones is a full-service wealth management firm serving individual and institutional clients nationwide. The firm manages over $1 trillion in assets through a large network of advisors and offers a range of advisory programs, including discretionary wrap fee strategies, separately managed accounts, and affiliated mutual funds, operating under a fiduciary standard.

Blake Hamer is a CFP® professional at Stifel with eight years of industry experience. He has been with Stifel since 2017 and worked previously at Ocwen Loan Servicing from 2013 to 2017. He serves as Treasurer and a member of the Board of Directors for the Family YMCA of Black Hawk County. Stifel serves a diverse client base including individuals, institutional clients, and municipal entities, offering brokerage and investment advisory services that incorporate proprietary capital market assumptions and probabilistic modeling developed by its Investment Strategy Group.

Michael Gasperi is a financial advisor with Avantax Planning Partners, Inc. in Des Moines, IA, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and bringing 29 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Cetera Wealth Services, LLC, Avantax Investment Services, Inc., Proequities, Inc., and Honkamp Krueger Financial Services Inc, where he has also served as a financial planning consultant and wholesaler to CPA representatives. Avantax Planning Partners, Inc. provides portfolio management, financial planning, and managed retirement plan services primarily through a network of CPA firms and registered representatives, serving individuals, pension plans, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm manages approximately $7.57 billion in assets and focuses on tax-intelligent strategies and discretionary management guided by firm-designed style allocation models.

Kyle Ver Woert is a financial professional with 10 years of industry experience, currently associated with Cetera in West Des Moines, IA. He holds a Series 66 designation and has previously worked at Equitable Advisors and Axa Advisors, LLC. From 2016 to 2018, he was involved with the Corridor Hockey Association. Cetera Investment Advisers LLC is an SEC-registered firm serving individual investors, retirement plans, corporate, charitable, and institutional clients. The firm offers a multi-manager platform with discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and access to third-party money managers.

Andrew Russell is a financial advisor at Russell Wealth Advisors with 8 years of industry experience. He holds Series 65 and Series 63 licenses and has worked at Russell Wealth Advisors since 2017, as well as with LPL Financial and Russell Wealth Management. Russell Wealth Advisors serves individual and high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, and business entities by providing discretionary asset management, standalone financial planning, and consulting engagements. The firm uses a combination of fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis for portfolio management and offers tailored solutions that consider special tax and stock-related situations.

Omar Esparza is a financial advisor at Voya Financial Advisors, Inc. with 18 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 63 and Series 66 designations and has been with Voya since 2014. Voya Financial Advisors, Inc. serves a diverse client base including individual and institutional investors such as retirement plan sponsors, charitable organizations, corporations, and high-net-worth individuals. The firm provides financial planning, portfolio management, and consulting through multiple program structures, emphasizing recommendation-based advice over discretionary management.

Daniel Esquirell is a CFP® professional with 25 years of industry experience. He has been with Wescott Financial Advisory Group LLC since 2022 and previously worked for Asset Planning Services, Ltd for 15 years. Wescott Financial Advisory Group LLC provides wealth management and comprehensive financial planning to a diverse client base, including high-net-worth individuals, families, trusts, foundations, pension and profit-sharing plans, and corporations. The firm employs an open-architecture, multi-manager investment approach combining passive and active strategies within a tax-sensitive, disciplined process.

William Hurt is a financial advisor with Arax Advisory Partners in Houston, TX, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 26 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors, LLC and USCA Securities LLC. Arax Advisory Partners is a multi-team SEC-registered wealth manager overseeing approximately $26.5 billion in regulatory assets. The firm serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, family offices, institutions, and retirement plans using a combination of internal portfolio management, third-party models, and tailored asset allocation strategies.

Jeffrey Meenes is a CFP® and Series 66 licensed financial advisor with 14 years of industry experience. He has worked at Blueprint Financial Planning, LLC since 2010. Meenes operates as the sole advisor at Meenes Wealth Partners in Shrewsbury, MA. Meenes Wealth Partners provides flat-fee, fiduciary wealth management and comprehensive financial planning primarily for pre-retiree and retiree households. The firm emphasizes evidence-based investment strategies focused on global diversification, tax-aware management, and client-approved, non-discretionary portfolio implementation.

Scott Pinheiro is a Senior Consultant with Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, bringing extensive experience to his role since joining the firm in 2015. He has been involved in the financial services industry since 1979. Scott holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Thomas Edison State University and professional designations including Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC), Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU), and Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor (CPFA) from the American College of Financial Services. Scott specializes in working with executives and retirees from major banks and insurance companies, managing client accounts typically ranging from $500,000 to $5,000,000. His expertise encompasses a disciplined financial process tailored to clients’ unique situations, including college education planning, family wealth management, retirement income, tax minimization, and socially responsible investing. As a Senior Portfolio Advisor, he also builds and manages customized investment strategies utilizing Merrill model portfolios and third-party investments. In addition to his professional work, Scott is committed to community involvement through his participation with the local Optimist Club. He resides near Princeton, New Jersey with his wife of 40 years and their Yorkshire terrier. Personal interests include cooking, fishing, golfing, reading, and traveling.