Top financial advisors working with clients approaching retirement in Lakeland, 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 nearing retirement, you likely face decisions about when to start Social Security, how to draw down savings, and how to manage healthcare costs. A common mistake is treating retirement planning as a one-time event rather than a phased process that adapts as your needs change.

  • Withdrawal sequencing. Ask how they plan the order of tapping different accounts to balance taxes and income needs over time.
  • Social Security timing. Confirm they consider your full work history and spousal benefits to optimize your monthly payments.
  • Healthcare cost planning. Look for advisors who factor in Medicare options and potential long-term care expenses.
  • Property tax impact. Since Florida has no state income tax, ask how they address property and sales taxes in your overall plan.

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

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Ryan B

Series 65

Lakeland, FL

AE Wealth Management, LLC

Ryan Bates is a financial advisor with AE Wealth Management, LLC in Lakeland, FL, holding a Series 65 credential and 12 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Saxony Securities and Kalos Management. He serves as Chapter President for the American Financial Education Alliance in Polk County, FL, where he conducts financial education workshops. AE Wealth Management provides fee-based portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement-plan consulting to a diverse client base including individual households, corporations, and ERISA plan sponsors. The firm emphasizes model portfolio and direct asset management programs, employing fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis methods across various investment strategies.

Tax-loss harvesting Options & derivatives strategies Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Self-Employed Founder/Business Owner
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Todd B

Series 66

Lakeland, FL

Ameriprise

Todd Barrow is a financial advisor with Ameriprise in Lakeland, FL, holding a Series 66 designation and 32 years of industry experience. His prior experience includes roles at Raymond James Financial and ownership in financial services and real estate-related businesses. Outside of his advisory work, he serves as an Executive Pastor at Family Worship Center. Ameriprise provides retirement-income planning services aimed at individuals approaching or in retirement, combining research and modeling with tax-efficient strategies. The firm serves clients with significant investable assets through a centralized consulting team and offers a broad range of advisory, brokerage, and insurance solutions.

Retirement income strategy Income planning Social Security optimization Retirement withdrawal strategies Approaching retirement
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Carl D

Series 66

Lakeland, FL

Alpha Advisors, LLC

Carl Dockery is a financial advisor with Alpha Advisors, LLC, holding a Series 66 designation and 20 years of industry experience. He has served as a director of Aytu BioScience, Inc., a biotech company focused on treatments for complex central nervous system diseases, since 2016. Dockery is also involved in managing several private investment and holding companies. Alpha Advisors serves individuals, business entities, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations with discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and consulting services. The firm constructs diversified portfolios using domestic and international equities, fixed income, tactical and alternative strategies, and sponsors affiliated private limited partnerships for qualified clients.

Wealth management Active portfolio management Real estate investing Life insurance needs analysis Founder/Business Owner Executive
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Matthew A

CFP®, Series 63, Series 65

Lakeland, FL

LPL Financial

Matthew Antos is a CFP® professional with 30 years of industry experience, currently serving at LPL Financial since 2008. He manages operations for a nonprofit organization, the Florida Nurseryman, Growers, and Landscape Association. LPL Financial is an SEC‑registered investment adviser and broker‑dealer that serves a broad range of clients, including individuals, retirement plans, corporations, and charitable organizations, through a national network of investment adviser representatives offering diverse advisory programs and financial planning services.

College savings (529s, UTMA, etc.)
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Joel T

Series 65

Lakeland, FL

Invst, LLC

Joel Thornton Jr. is a financial advisor at Invst, LLC with six years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has previously worked at Jarred Bunch Consulting, LLC since 2019 and Park Avenue Securities from 2009 to 2019. Invst, LLC serves individual clients, including high-net-worth individuals, as well as pension and profit-sharing plans, providing financial planning, investment management, and retirement plan consulting. The firm employs a combination of fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis to construct diversified portfolios and manages approximately $1.565 billion in assets for over 2,100 clients.

Wealth management Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Business exit / sale strategy Real estate investing Tax strategies for small businesses Founder/Business Owner Executive
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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 and previously at AXA Advisors, LLC. Outside of his advisory work, he serves as co-chairman of a fundraising campaign for the nonprofit Alpha Light Fund Inc., focused on renovating the House of Alpha. Equitable Advisors serves a diverse client base including individual, high-net-worth, retirement plan, corporate, charitable, and institutional clients, offering financial planning, broker-dealer services, insurance distribution, and access to third-party asset management programs. The firm operates as both an SEC-registered investment adviser and broker-dealer, leveraging LPL-sponsored programs and endorsed TAMPs to deliver advisory and brokerage solutions.

Retirement income strategy Social Security optimization Founder/Business Owner Retired Executive Approaching retirement Baby Boomers (Born 1946-1964)
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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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Barbara B

Series 66

Conshohocken, PA

RBC Capital Markets

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.

Tax-loss harvesting ESG / Sustainable investing Private / alternative investments Concentrated stock management Wealth management Executive Founder/Business Owner Retired Financial Professional Approaching retirement HENRY (High Earners, Not Rich Yet)
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Richard M

Series 63

Fort Walton, FL

Cetera

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.

Wealth management Tax-loss harvesting Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Business exit / sale strategy Founder/Business Owner Executive
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Lee C

Series 63, Series 65

Pasadena, CA

UBS Financial Services

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.

General retirement planning Cash flow / budgeting Equity compensation tax strategy Executive Founder/Business Owner Mid-Career Professionals Approaching retirement
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