Seasoned, social Security optimization financial advisors in Kendall, FL

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 approaching Social Security age and want to maximize your benefits, you need an advisor who understands the nuances of claiming strategies. A common mistake is claiming too early or in the wrong sequence, which can permanently reduce your lifetime benefits. Seasoned advisors bring decades of experience navigating these choices.

  • Claiming age strategies. Ask how they evaluate the best age to start benefits based on your work history and health.
  • Spousal and survivor benefits. Confirm they consider all options for you and your spouse to optimize combined income.
  • Tax impact awareness. Since Florida has no state income tax, check how they plan around federal taxes and other local taxes affecting your net benefits.
  • Coordination with retirement income. See if they integrate Social Security timing with your broader retirement cash flow needs.

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

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Lucy W

Series 63, Series 65

Miami, FL

Vicus Capital, Inc.

Lucy Watson is a financial advisor at Vicus Capital, Inc. with 33 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and has been affiliated with Vicus Capital since 2011. Prior to and alongside her work at Vicus Capital, she has experience with Cetera Wealth Services and operates Watson Financial Inc., an insurance agency specializing in life, disability, and health insurance products, a business she has run since 1993. Vicus Capital provides investment management and financial planning services to individuals, businesses, trusts, and employee benefit plan sponsors. The firm employs a diverse investment process using fundamental and technical analysis, offering a range of model and separately managed strategies, retirement plan consulting, and fiduciary services.

ESG / Sustainable investing Passive / index investing Tax-loss harvesting Private / alternative investments Religious/faith focused
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Ashton M

CFP®, CFA®, Series 66

Miami, FL

LPL Financial

Ashton Medina is a CFP® and CFA® credentialed advisor with seven years of industry experience. He is currently affiliated with LPL Financial and has prior experience at Synovus Bank, Synovus Securities, and Wells Fargo Bank. Medina is the owner of Medina Wealth Management Services, LLC, an entity established for tax purposes. LPL Financial is a national broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser providing services to individuals, retirement plan participants, banks, trust companies, and institutions. The firm offers a range of advisory and brokerage solutions, including financial planning, model portfolios, third-party asset management, and institutional platforms, supported by a large network of investment adviser representatives.

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

Series 66

Miami, FL

Merrill

Abel Guerrero is a financial advisor at Merrill with a Series 66 designation and six years of experience at the firm. He previously worked at Professional Airlines Services for LATAM Airlines from 2014 to 2020 and has been with Bank of America, N.A. since 2025. Merrill, along with its affiliate Managed Account Advisors LLC, provides managed account services through the Select Portfolio Solutions Program for Bank of America fiduciary clients. The firm serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, pension and profit-sharing plans, corporations, and charitable organizations using model-based and discretionary investment strategies.

Tax-loss harvesting Active portfolio management Wealth management
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Julian M

Series 63, Series 65

Miami, FL

SPC

Julian Martinez is a financial advisor with SPC in Miami, FL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and 24 years of industry experience. He previously worked at Pfs Investments Inc and Primerica Financial Services. Martinez also engages in the sale of non-variable insurance products, including life insurance, disability insurance, and long-term care insurance. SPC serves individual clients, charitable organizations, corporations, and employer-sponsored retirement plans through a network of over 460 advisers managing approximately $5.66 billion in assets. The firm offers portfolio management, financial planning, and ERISA-related retirement plan services, delivering both discretionary and nondiscretionary management tailored to client needs.

Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Retirement income strategy Income planning General estate planning guidance Tax-loss harvesting Founder/Business Owner Retired Executive
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Keith B

Series 66

Miami, FL

Thrivent Investment Management

Keith Berman is a financial advisor with Thrivent Investment Management based in Miami, FL, holding a Series 66 designation and 22 years of industry experience. He has been with Thrivent Financial for Lutherans and Thrivent Investment Management since 2004. Outside of his advisor role, he serves as President of a local business networking group and as a director for his office condominium association. Thrivent Investment Management provides Dedicated Planning Services to individuals, families, businesses, and nonprofit clients through a network of financial advisors. The firm offers holistic, goal-based planning across various topics without discretionary trading authority, emphasizing periodic reviews and separation of planning from managed account services.

Business ownership considerations
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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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Stavroula K

Series 63, Series 65

Linwood, NJ

Ameriprise

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.

Retirement income strategy Income planning Social Security optimization Retirement withdrawal strategies Approaching retirement
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Cassandra S

Series 63, Series 65

Plano, TX

Financial & Tax Architects, LLC

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.

Retirement income strategy Social Security optimization Annuities Income planning General tax planning Retired
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Keith E

CFP®

Pittsburgh, PA

Keith L. Eliou, CFP

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.

Social Security optimization Retirement income strategy Cash flow / budgeting Charitable giving tax strategies Business exit / sale strategy Founder/Business Owner
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Charles P

CFP®, Series 63, Series 65

San Rafael, CA

WealthSpire Advisors

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.

Retirement income strategy Social Security optimization Roth conversion strategy Tax-loss harvesting Private / alternative investments Founder/Business Owner Retired Mid-Career Professionals Established Professionals
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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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David C

Series 63, Series 65

Houston, TX

LPL Financial

David Cade is a financial advisor with LPL Financial based in Houston, TX. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 42 years of industry experience. Prior to joining LPL Financial in 2025, he worked at Next Financial Group, Inc. for 20 years and Raymond James Financial Services, Inc. for six years. LPL Financial is a national broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser that provides advisory and brokerage services to individuals, retirement plan participants, banks, trust companies, and other institutions. The firm offers a range of financial planning and portfolio management solutions, integrating proprietary research and third-party strategies.

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

CFP®, Series 63, Series 65

Boston, MA

Santander Securities LLC

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.

ESG / Sustainable investing Tax-loss harvesting General retirement planning Income planning Founder/Business Owner
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Linda P

Series 63

Mt. Laurel, NJ

BC Advisors, LLC

Linda Postorivo is a financial advisor at BC Advisors, LLC with 43 years of industry experience. She holds a Series 63 designation and has worked with MAFG RIA Services, Inc. since 1994 and with Mid-Atlantic Companies since 1981. BC Advisors provides investment advisory and portfolio management services primarily to high-net-worth individuals, family trusts, pension and profit-sharing plans, and other institutional clients. The firm emphasizes non-discretionary investment recommendations grounded in fundamental analysis alongside technical and cyclical reviews, employing a variety of strategies including long-term, short-term, trading, options, and alternatives.

Active portfolio management
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