Independent advisors focused on social security optimization in Louisiana

David Cade is a financial advisor with LPL Financial in Houston, TX, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 41 years of industry experience. Prior to joining LPL Financial in 2025, he worked for Next Financial Group, Inc. for 20 years. LPL Financial provides advisory and brokerage services to a diverse client base including individual investors, retirement plan sponsors, institutions, charities, and high-net-worth households. The firm offers a broad range of investment solutions supported by an in-house Research team and a large network of investment adviser representatives.

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.

William Soltow is a financial advisor at Smith & Wyatt with 12 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at Smith & Wyatt since 2022, following previous roles at CoreCap Advisors and Cambridge Investment Research. Outside of advisory work, he is the founder of Frontier Wealth Management and acts as an independent insurance agent. Smith & Wyatt provides investment advisory and financial planning services to individuals, including high-net-worth clients, and corporations. The firm emphasizes discretionary portfolio management using mutual funds and ETFs, with tailored strategies based on various analytical methods and client-specific objectives.

John Zaffarano is a financial advisor at NFSG Corporation with nine years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has worked at NewBridge Securities Corporation since 2016, following a brief tenure at Newport Coast Securities. Outside of his advisory role, he manages Digital Star Entertainment LLC, a music production and record label business, and Arqive AI LLC, a social media app and entertainment venture. NFSG Corporation is an SEC-registered investment adviser that provides asset management and financial planning services to individuals, pension plans, trusts, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm customizes portfolios using a range of investment strategies and frequently employs third-party asset managers, offering both discretionary and non-discretionary services.

Richard Martin is a financial advisor with Cetera who holds a Series 63 designation and has 28 years of industry experience. Prior to joining Cetera in 2025, he spent over two decades with Avantax Advisory Services and related entities. Outside of his advisory role, Martin is the owner and sole proprietor of Martin & Pellegrin, CPAs, where he provides tax preparation and accounting services. Cetera Investment Advisers serves a diverse client base including individuals, high-net-worth clients, institutions, and retirement plans through a large network of independent advisors. The firm offers a range of portfolio management, financial planning, and fiduciary solutions, utilizing a combination of advisor-managed accounts, model portfolios, and third-party managed options.

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.

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 six years of industry experience. She holds the Series 63 and Series 65 designations. Prior to joining Financial & Tax Architects, she worked at Fisher Investments and TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services. Outside of finance, she has experience with hospitality businesses including Drunken Donkey and Redneck Heaven. 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 employs proprietary “Private Wealth Strategies” that use ETFs, individual securities, and trend-aware rebalancing, and also offers retirement-plan consulting and educational seminars.

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 financial advisor at Waverly Advisors, LLC with two years of industry experience. She holds a Series 65 designation and previously worked at 9258 Wealth Management for five years and Teradata Corp for eleven years. In addition to her advisory role, she serves as assistant director of tax planning at 9258 Tax and Planning. Waverly Advisors, LLC is an SEC-registered enterprise adviser serving individuals, corporations, retirement plans, and pooled investment vehicles. The firm offers discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and fiduciary services, employing a combination of centralized and customized investment strategies across traditional and alternative asset classes.

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 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.

Sarah Currier Barrella is a CFP®-certified financial advisor with 26 years of industry experience. She is currently with Santander Securities LLC and Santander Bank, NA, having previously worked at TD Bank and Citizens Securities, Inc. Barrella holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses. Santander Securities LLC provides investment advisory and related services to a diverse client base, including individuals, corporations, charitable organizations, retirement plans, and institutional clients. The firm offers wrap-fee advisory programs and financial planning services, delivering investment advice through the FMAX managed-account platform with discretionary portfolio management and ongoing suitability reviews.