Flat-fee financial advisors working with clients approaching retirement in Lansing, MI

Timothy Durso is a financial advisor with Principal Financial Services based in Lansing, MI, holding Series 63 and Series 66 designations and 30 years of industry experience. He has been associated with The Centennial Group, Princor Financial Services Corp, and Principal Life Insurance Company since 2013. Outside of advisory work, he is president and 27% owner of a business involved in group health and fixed life insurance offerings marketed under The Centennial Group. Principal Securities provides brokerage and registered investment advisory services to a diverse client base, including individual investors and institutional clients. The firm offers financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and access to third-party money manager programs, with investment implementation often conducted on a discretionary basis by these external managers.

Ryan Balks is a financial advisor with Cetera who holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 18 years of industry experience. His prior experience includes roles at New York Life Insurance Company, NYLIFE Securities LLC, Signator Investors, and Commonwealth Financial Network. He also engages in fixed insurance sales as a secondary activity. Cetera Investment Advisers LLC serves a broad client base including individuals, retirement plans, corporate and charitable clients, and institutional accounts. The firm offers a range of portfolio management and financial planning services through a multi-manager platform with over $256 billion in assets under management.

Derek Johnson is a CFP® professional with two years of experience at United Advisors America in Lansing, MI. He has a long history of ownership and management in private businesses, including Phillips-Johnson Properties, LLC since 2001 and Phillips Johnson, Inc. from 1999 to 2023. Additionally, he has operated a personal business from 1990 to 2023. United Advisors America provides investment management services primarily to individuals near retirement as well as pension and profit-sharing plans. The firm employs a Modern Portfolio Theory-based approach using customized asset allocations and model portfolios, primarily investing in mutual funds and ETFs.

Thomas Grant is a Series 66-registered financial advisor with J.P. Morgan Securities, where he has worked since 2012. He has 21 years of industry experience, including roles at JPMorgan Chase Bank. J.P. Morgan Securities provides institutional consulting services to corporations, foundations, and defined contribution plan sponsors, offering asset allocation advice, investment manager searches, and customized performance reporting. The firm operates with a non-discretionary investment program, combining large institutional advisory capabilities with broker-dealer and futures commission merchant registrations.

Nicholas Pope is a CFP® with 24 years of industry experience, currently a financial advisor at Washington Avenue Advisors since 2016. He has also been affiliated with The Centennial Group, Princor Financial Services Corp, and Principal Life Insurance Company. Outside of advising, he serves on the boards of the East Lansing Film Festival and the Todd Martin Youth Leadership organization, and owns Blue Owl Coffee, LLC. Washington Avenue Advisors is an SEC-registered firm managing approximately $286 million in client assets. The firm serves individuals, trusts, retirement plans, businesses, and non-profits, employing a multi-disciplinary investment approach that integrates behavioral, fundamental, and quantitative analysis to construct diversified portfolios.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 Series 65 licensed financial advisor with two years of industry experience, currently with Waverly Advisors, LLC. She previously worked at 9258 Wealth Management for five years and was employed at Teradata Corp for eleven years. Martin also serves as assistant director of tax planning at 9258 Tax and Planning, a non-investment related business. Waverly Advisors is a multi-team registered investment adviser managing portfolios for individuals, retirement plans, and pooled investment vehicles. The firm combines traditional equity and fixed-income strategies with alternative and private-market allocations, offering a range of investment management and financial planning services.

Wesley Pool is a financial advisor at Wells Fargo Clearing with 15 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and previously worked at JPMorgan Securities LLC for seven years. Outside of finance, he has been involved with #TagMeBro LLC and Fry Street Public House. Wells Fargo Advisors is a national securities firm serving individual, corporate, and institutional clients with investment advisory services, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting. The firm manages approximately $671 billion in assets and offers both brokerage and advisory solutions.

Hassan Al Kadhimi is a financial advisor at LPL Financial with two years of industry experience. His work history includes roles at J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. He is registered with Series 65 and Series 63 licenses. LPL Financial is an SEC-registered investment adviser and broker-dealer that serves a wide range of clients, including individuals, retirement plans, banks, and charitable organizations. The firm offers financial planning, advisory programs, retirement consulting, and brokerage services through a national network of investment adviser representatives.

Amanda Scheele is a financial advisor at Raymond James & Associates with 15 years of industry experience. She holds the Series 66 designation and previously worked at Wells Fargo Clearing and Wells Fargo Advisors LLC. Outside of her advisory role, she is involved with Lucky Duck, a venture she has been part of since 2025. Raymond James & Associates, Inc. is a large registered broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser managing approximately $501 billion in assets. The firm serves a diverse client base, including individuals, institutions, and municipal entities, offering financial planning, non-discretionary investment consulting, and municipal advisory services.