Large-firm advisors focused on retirement income strategy 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.

Andrew Richman is a financial advisor with Packerland Brokerage Services, Inc. in Wauwatosa, WI, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 28 years of industry experience. He has been with Packerland Brokerage Services since 2009. In addition to his advisory role, he is involved in insurance sales, focusing on life, health, long-term care, fixed, and indexed annuities. Packerland Brokerage Services, Inc. serves individuals, charities, corporations, and retirement plan sponsors with financial planning, portfolio management, and advisory program access through various platforms and account management options. The firm is dually registered as an SEC investment adviser and FINRA broker-dealer, managing over $900 million in client assets, and offers both brokerage and advisory implementation pathways.

Michael Gasperi is a financial advisor at Avantax Planning Partners, Inc. with 28 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and has worked at Cetera Wealth Services, LLC, Avantax Investment Services, Inc., and ProEquities, Inc. He also serves as a Senior Financial Advisor and Non-Equity Partner at Honkamp Krueger Financial Services, where he acts as a wholesaler to CPA representatives. Avantax Planning Partners provides investment advice and planning primarily to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and businesses through referral arrangements with independent CPA firms and registered advisor representatives. The firm employs a model-based style allocation strategy overseen by an Investment Advisory Committee and generally manages client accounts on a discretionary basis with centralized trading and reporting.

Nicholas Manna is a financial advisor at Merrill with a Series 66 designation and experience starting in 2023. His prior work includes roles at Bank of America, Williams-Sonoma, Inc., and Wells Fargo Home Mortgage. Merrill serves a wide range of clients, including individuals, retirement plans, corporations, and institutional investors, offering managed account programs, discretionary portfolio management, and brokerage execution. The firm emphasizes manager selection and tax-efficient strategies, supported by deep integration with Bank of America affiliates and a comprehensive investment platform.

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.

David Hart is a financial advisor with Safeguard Investment Advisory Group, LLC, holding a Series 65 credential and 15 years of industry experience. He has worked with Safeguard since 2020 and previously held roles at LifePro Asset Management, LLC, Martin and Associates Insurance Services, Inc., and Martin Wealth Management, LLC. Hart is also a Certified Financial Fiduciary and volunteers as an instructor with the Foundation for Fiduciary Education (NACFF), providing unbiased fiduciary financial education. Safeguard Investment Advisory Group, LLC serves individual, high-net-worth, institutional, and business clients, offering discretionary portfolio management, access to third-party sub-advisers, and fee-based financial planning. The firm employs a fundamental-analysis investment process with a preferred horizon of two to ten years and manages over $600 million across approximately 1,800 client relationships.

Willie Myles is a financial advisor at Equitable Advisors with 16 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 credentials and has worked at Equitable Advisors since 2016, previously affiliated with Axa Advisors. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as co-chairman of a fundraising campaign for Alpha Light Fund Inc., a nonprofit organization. Equitable Advisors serves individual investors, retirement plan sponsors, corporations, and charitable organizations by providing financial planning, retirement-plan support, and access to asset management through various third-party programs. The firm operates a hybrid referral and implementation model, offering both advisory and brokerage channels to implement client recommendations.

Elanna Gould is a CFP® professional with five years of industry experience, currently affiliated with Cambridge Investment Research Advisors. Her prior work includes roles at PepsiCo and The Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Center. She also maintains an independent insurance agency representing various insurance companies. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors serves a diverse clientele including individual investors, retirement plans, and charitable organizations, offering financial planning, portfolio management, and access to third-party sub-advisers through multiple account platforms.

Gordon Brown III is a financial advisor at Edward Jones with 18 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and has been with Edward Jones since 2008. Edward Jones is a full-service wealth management firm serving over four million individual and institutional clients, with approximately $1.01 trillion in assets under management. The firm offers a range of advisory programs and investment options, operating under a fiduciary standard.

Jeffrey Park is a financial advisor with Merrill, holding a Series 66 credential and seven years of industry experience. He has worked at Merrill in multiple capacities since 2011, with brief stints at JPMorgan Chase Bank and J.P. Morgan Securities in 2022. Merrill serves a diverse client base including individuals, retirement plans, corporations, and institutional clients, offering managed account programs, discretionary portfolio management, and brokerage services. The firm employs a range of program strategies and manager-constructed portfolios, with oversight from its CIO and platform management, and leverages its affiliation with Bank of America to support trading, lending, and capital markets activities.

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 with Wells Fargo Clearing in Fort Worth, TX, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and 14 years of industry experience. He previously worked at JPMorgan Securities LLC for seven years and has entrepreneurial experience with #TagMeBro LLC. Wells Fargo Clearing provides retirement plan consulting to qualified ERISA and non-qualified deferred compensation plans, offering both discretionary and non-discretionary services grounded in modern portfolio theory and tailored to plan objectives and risk tolerances. The firm’s advisory process includes a broad range of investment options, including insurance-related vehicles and bank deposit sweep programs.

Willie Myles is a financial advisor at Equitable Advisors with 16 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 credentials and has worked at Equitable Advisors since 2016, previously affiliated with Axa Advisors. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as co-chairman of a fundraising campaign for Alpha Light Fund Inc., a nonprofit organization. Equitable Advisors serves individual investors, retirement plan sponsors, corporations, and charitable organizations by providing financial planning, retirement-plan support, and access to asset management through various third-party programs. The firm operates a hybrid referral and implementation model, offering both advisory and brokerage channels to implement client recommendations.