Large-firm advisors focused on educators, teachers, and academics in Minnesota

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 work in education or academia, your financial needs often include managing irregular income cycles and planning for retirement with public pension systems. Without an advisor familiar with these unique factors, you might miss opportunities to optimize your benefits or manage cash flow effectively. Large-firm advisors typically have access to broader resources and specialized teams that can support complex financial situations.

  • Pension system knowledge. Confirm how they incorporate your specific public pension plan rules into your retirement strategy.
  • Income timing strategies. Ask how they help manage budgeting and investing around school-year pay schedules and summer breaks.
  • Education-related benefits. Check if they consider loan forgiveness programs, tuition assistance, or other educator-specific perks in your plan.
  • Resource access. Large firms often provide access to tax experts and estate planners; ask how these services integrate with your financial plan.

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

Want help finding the right advisor?

Answer a few questions to see advisors matched to you.

user avatar

Jeremy R

Series 63, Series 66

Minneapolis, MN

Thrivent Investment Management

Jeremy Roets is a financial advisor with Thrivent Investment Management in Minneapolis, MN, holding Series 63 and Series 66 designations. He has 12 years of industry experience, including over a decade with Thrivent Investment Management and fifteen years with Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. Thrivent Investment Management provides Dedicated Planning Services to individuals, families, businesses, and nonprofit clients, offering comprehensive written recommendations across various financial topics. The firm focuses on holistic, goal-based analyses and allows clients to integrate planning with managed-account programs, while maintaining separate services and avoiding discretionary trading authority for planning engagements.

Business ownership considerations
user avatar

Paul K

CFP®, Series 65

Zimmerman, MN

Longview Financial, Inc.

Paul Kinneberg is a CFP® and Series 65-registered advisor with 24 years of industry experience. He has been the principal and sole advisor at Longview Financial, Inc. since 2000 and also holds a long-term corporate role at CenturyLink. Longview Financial, Inc. provides personalized, fee-only financial planning and investment management primarily for individual clients. The firm uses a strategic asset allocation approach with a core-and-satellite framework, combining passive index and ETF core holdings with active funds when appropriate, and manages client assets on a non-discretionary basis with an emphasis on individualized advice.

General tax planning College savings (529s, UTMA, etc.) Cash flow / budgeting
user avatar

Walter F

Series 63, Series 66

Minneapolis, MN

Focus Financial

Walter Fleak is a financial advisor at Focus Financial with 26 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has worked at firms including Primerica Advisors and AXA Distributors. Outside of financial advising, he owns Fleak Consulting Inc., which provides marketing and IT consulting to non-financial services clients. Focus Financial Network is an enterprise investment adviser managing approximately $6.3 billion across 118 advisors. The firm serves individuals, pension plans, trusts, charitable organizations, and corporate clients, offering a range of managed accounts and financial planning services with a diversified investment approach.

Executive Founder/Business Owner
user avatar

Alexander R

CFP®, Series 63

Edina, MN

Summit Financial, LLC

Alexander Robbel is a CFP® professional with six years of industry experience. He is currently with Summit Financial, LLC and has previously worked at Northwestern Mutual and Benson Wealth Management. Robbel is also licensed to offer insurance products through multiple companies, including an affiliated entity. Summit Financial, LLC provides investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, businesses, pension plans, and charitable organizations. The firm offers both discretionary and non-discretionary investment management, retirement plan advisory services, and access to insurance and variable annuity products through various partners.

Tax-loss harvesting Private / alternative investments Wealth management Business exit / sale strategy Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Founder/Business Owner Retired
user avatar

James K

Series 63, Series 65

Centerville, MN

LPL Financial

James Kalina is a financial advisor at LPL Financial with 29 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has been with LPL Financial since 2009. Outside of his advisory work, he is a part-time member of a musical group that performs several times annually and serves on the Economic Development Authority board for the City of Centerville, MN. LPL Financial provides advisory and brokerage services to a diverse client base, including individual investors, retirement plan sponsors, institutions, and high-net-worth households. The firm offers a wide range of investment solutions supported by an in-house research team and a large network of investment adviser representatives.

Wealth management Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) College savings (529s, UTMA, etc.) Tax-loss harvesting Founder/Business Owner Retired
user avatar

Arjun S

Series 66

Frisco, TX

TIAA-CREF

Arjun Swarup is a financial advisor at TIAA-CREF in Frisco, TX. He holds a Series 66 designation and has recently entered the industry with experience beginning in 2023, including time at Morgan Stanley Wealth Management. Prior to his advisory roles, he completed his studies at NYU College of Arts and Sciences. TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC offers financial planning and discretionary managed account programs to individuals, trusts, estates, partnerships, corporate entities, and small retirement plans, often serving clients with existing TIAA retirement plan relationships. The firm provides both point-in-time planning services and ongoing portfolio management through various managed account options under a fiduciary standard.

General estate planning guidance Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Educators, Teachers, and Academics Founder/Business Owner Approaching retirement Mid-Career Professionals
user avatar

Kevin H

CFP®, Series 63, Series 65

Birmingham, AL

RFG Advisory, LLC

Kevin Harper is a CFP® professional with 29 years of industry experience, currently serving at RFG Advisory, LLC since 2015. He has previously worked with Private Client Services and LPL Financial. Outside of his advisory role, he is a co-owner of LHP Capital LLC, where he assists with buying and managing commercial real estate. RFG Advisory is an enterprise registered investment adviser serving individuals, charitable organizations, corporations, ERISA retirement plans, and other institutional clients. The firm combines active and passive investment strategies across various platforms and acts as a sub-adviser to a multi-ETF suite, offering a range of services including portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting.

Annuities Options & derivatives strategies Tax-loss harvesting Executive Founder/Business Owner Educators, Teachers, and Academics Doctor or Medical Professional Women Professionals

Rebecka K

Series 66

Olympia, WA

Edward Jones

Rebecka Kennedy is a financial advisor with Edward Jones in Olympia, WA. She holds the Series 66 designation and began her advisory career at Edward Jones in 2024. Prior to joining the firm, she worked in education with North Thurston Public Schools and Corpus Christi Independent School District. Edward Jones is a full-service wealth management firm serving over four million individual and institutional clients. The firm offers a range of advisory programs and investment strategies, with a nationwide network of more than 23,700 financial advisors and $1.01 trillion in assets under management.

College savings (529s, UTMA, etc.) General estate planning guidance Educators, Teachers, and Academics Women Professionals
user avatar

Marne D

Series 63, Series 65, Series 66

Fort Washington, PA

Lincoln Investment

Marne De Santis is a financial advisor at Lincoln Investment with 33 years of industry experience. She has held roles at several firms including Rice Financial Products Company, CV Brokerage, Valdes & Moreno, Bluestone Capital Management, and Dautrich Seiler Financial Services. Her credentials include Series 63, Series 65, and Series 66 licenses. Lincoln Investment is an SEC-registered investment adviser and broker-dealer managing approximately $18.9 billion in assets through a network of nearly 900 advisors. The firm serves individuals, employers, retirement plan participants, charitable organizations, corporations, and other registered investment advisers, offering financial planning, custom and model portfolios, third-party management access, and ERISA retirement plan advice.

Wealth management ESG / Sustainable investing Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Business exit / sale strategy Educators, Teachers, and Academics Founder/Business Owner Retired Approaching retirement HENRY (High Earners, Not Rich Yet)
user avatar

Lindsey E

Series 63, Series 65

Cambridge, MN

EFS Advisors

Lindsey Egan is a financial advisor at EFS Advisors with 11 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at firms including First Republic Securities Company and Cambridge Investment Research. Egan is also the sole owner of Women Who Explore, a community offering outdoor adventures and group travel for women. EFS Advisors provides investment advisory and financial consulting services to a diverse client base, including individuals, business entities, and charitable organizations. The firm employs a client-centric suitability scoring system to recommend portfolios and offers continuous supervisory management with quarterly performance reviews conducted by an in-house Advisory Committee.

Options & derivatives strategies Educators, Teachers, and Academics
user avatar

Jeffrey P

Series 66

Dacula, GA

Merrill

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.

Tax-loss harvesting Active portfolio management Executive Founder/Business Owner Mid-Career Professionals HENRY (High Earners, Not Rich Yet)
user avatar

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
user avatar

Elizabeth B

Series 66

Chicago, IL

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
user avatar

Wesley P

Series 63, Series 66

Fort Worth, TX

Wells Fargo Clearing

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.

Retired Founder/Business Owner
user avatar

Willie M

Series 63, Series 66

Cary, NC

Equitable Advisors

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.

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

Not sure where to start?

We'll help you think it through — whether you ultimately need an advisor or not.

Warmer helps you compare advisors clearly — so you can choose with confidence.

Find your advisor

Warmer provides personalized recommendations and introductions to independent fiduciary advisors. We do not supervise advisors, manage or hold assets, guarantee performance, or provide advice about specific investments.

Each advisor listed on our site is an independent fiduciary responsible for their own advice. Warmer may receive fees from advisors for participation or referrals; these fees are paid by advisors and do not affect the fees clients pay for advisory services.

For advisor listings, we rely on sources including public filings and data provided by advisors, and we cannot guarantee that all information is current or accurate. Please review an advisor's Form ADV and do your own diligence before entering into an advisory relationship.

By using our service, you agree to Warmer's Terms of Service and Advisory Agreement and Privacy Policy. Logos provided by Logo.dev

© 2026 Warmer Holdings Inc. ("Warmer")