Independent, social Security optimization financial advisors in Nashville, TN

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 or planning your retirement income, you need an advisor who understands how to maximize your benefits without costly mistakes. A common error is claiming benefits too early or in the wrong sequence, which can permanently reduce your lifetime income. Independent advisors here focus solely on your needs without ties to larger firms, offering personalized attention.

  • Benefit timing strategies. Ask how they determine the best age for you to start benefits, considering your health, work plans, and spousal options.
  • Coordination with other income. Confirm they factor in your pensions, investments, and part-time work to avoid unexpected tax hits.
  • Impact of Tennessee taxes. Since Tennessee has no state income tax on wages or investments, check how they leverage this in your overall tax planning.
  • Longevity risk management. Discuss how they plan for your benefits to last through your lifetime, not just the short term.

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

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Ryan P

Series 65

Nashville, TN

High Knoll Wealth Advisors, LLC

Ryan Patterson is a financial advisor at High Knoll Wealth Advisors, LLC in Nashville, TN, with one year of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has been with High Knoll Wealth Advisors since 2025. Outside of his advisory role, Mr. Patterson owns and operates Aquis Facilities Management, a kitchen compliance and exhaust contracting business based in Memphis, TN. High Knoll Wealth Advisors provides investment management, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting to individuals, families, businesses, foundations, and plan sponsors. The firm uses asset-allocation principles informed by modern portfolio theory and third-party capital market assumptions to build long-term portfolios, and it offers discretionary portfolio management alongside standalone financial planning.

Real estate investing College savings (529s, UTMA, etc.) Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Wealth management Founder/Business Owner
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William G

CFP®, Series 66

Nashville, TN

Cairn Financial Group

William Greene is a CFP® with 15 years of industry experience, currently serving at Cairn Financial Group since 2018. Prior to that, he worked at Shoemaker Financial, Minnesota Life Insurance Company, and Securian Financial Services. He is also an adjunct professor, teaching personal financial planning courses to undergraduate and graduate healthcare students. Cairn Financial Group provides financial planning and investment management to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, corporations, and other business entities. The firm uses individualized asset allocation documented in an Investment Policy Statement and manages accounts on a discretionary basis, employing ETFs, mutual funds, equities, proprietary models, and third-party sub-advisers where appropriate.

Business exit / sale strategy Debt management Real estate investing Founder/Business Owner
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Samuel O

Series 66

Brentwood, TN

SEIA

Samuel Orr is a financial advisor at SEIA with three years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and has worked at firms including UBS Financial Services and Truist Investment Services. SEIA serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, retirement plans, and other institutional and charitable clients through a multi-team advisory platform of approximately 140 advisors. The firm provides investment management, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and investment consulting with an investment process that combines strategic asset allocation and tactical adjustments informed by quantitative and qualitative research.

Options & derivatives strategies ESG / Sustainable investing Private / alternative investments
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Charles B

Series 66

Nashville, TN

UBS Financial Services

Charles Brooks is a financial advisor at UBS Financial Services with one year of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has held prior roles in various fields including data analytics and the restaurant industry. UBS Financial Services serves individual, corporate, and institutional clients through brokerage and investment advisory offerings, providing services such as fee-based financial planning, portfolio management, and distribution of mutual funds and alternative products. The firm combines institutional trading capabilities with wealth management services and utilizes proprietary research and model-based asset allocations to tailor plans to client goals.

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

Series 66

Nashville, TN

Craft Wealth Services

Michael Manna is a financial advisor at Craft Wealth Services in Nashville, TN, holding a Series 66 designation with five years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at LPL Financial, Cushman & Wakefield, and General Electric Aviation. He is also the owner of MJM Consulting Inc., a tax and accounting consulting business. Craft Wealth Services provides investment advisory and financial planning primarily to individual and high-net-worth clients, using a value-oriented, long-term investment approach combined with fundamental, technical, and charting analysis. The firm offers discretionary portfolio management and standalone financial planning with at least annual reviews.

Options & derivatives strategies Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Social Security optimization Medicare planning College savings (529s, UTMA, etc.)
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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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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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Jared F

Series 65

Huntington Beach, CA

Northwest Asset 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.

Retirement income strategy Wealth management Active portfolio management Founder/Business Owner
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Edwina M

Series 65

Cincinnati, OH

Waverly Advisors, LLC

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.

Private / alternative investments Real estate investing Options & derivatives strategies Tax-loss harvesting Multi-generational wealth transfer Founder/Business Owner Executive
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Craig M

Series 63, Series 65

Columbia, SC

Capital Investment Advisory Services, LLC

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.

Active portfolio management Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Annuities Options & derivatives strategies Founder/Business Owner Retired
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David H

Series 65

Irvine, CA

Martin Wealth Management, LLC

David Hart is a financial advisor with Martin Wealth Management, LLC in Irvine, CA. He holds a Series 65 credential and has 15 years of industry experience. Hart previously worked with Safeguard Investment Advisory Group and LifePro Asset Management. He is also a Certified Financial Fiduciary and volunteers as an instructor with the Foundation for Fiduciary Education, providing unbiased fiduciary financial education to the public. Martin Wealth Management offers investment advisory services primarily to individuals and high-net-worth clients by co-advising and directing accounts to a third-party money manager, Matson Money. The firm focuses on client onboarding, documentation, and ongoing review of third-party manager accounts rather than direct asset management.

Medicare planning Annuities
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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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