Top college savings (529s, UTMA, etc.) financial advisors in Ottawa, IL

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.

Saving for college often starts when you want to make the most of tax-advantaged accounts like 529 plans or UTMA (Uniform Transfers to Minors Act) accounts. Without careful planning, you might miss opportunities to balance growth potential with financial aid impact or state tax considerations.

  • Account type guidance. Confirm which savings vehicles they recommend and why, especially how they weigh 529 plans versus UTMA accounts for your goals.
  • Investment strategy alignment. Ask how they adjust investments as your child nears college age to manage risk and potential aid eligibility.
  • Coordination with financial aid. Good advisors consider how your savings affect aid formulas and suggest strategies to optimize your child's financial aid chances.
  • State tax implications. Since Illinois has no tax on retirement income but high property taxes, check how they factor state-specific rules into your college savings plan.

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

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Stephen K

Series 63, Series 65

Ottawa, IL

Equitable Advisors

Stephen Killelea is a financial advisor with Equitable Advisors in Ottawa, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 38 years of industry experience. He has been with Equitable Advisors since 1999 and previously worked with AXA Advisors during overlapping years. Outside of his advisory role, he volunteers at Marquette High School, assisting with fundraising activities. Equitable Advisors serves a broad client base including individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, corporations, and charitable organizations. The firm offers financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and various asset management programs, utilizing third-party advisory models and fiduciary services without sponsoring its own wrap fee program.

Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Business exit / sale strategy Concentrated stock management Equity Recipients (RS/RSU, SOP, ESPP) Long-term care insurance Founder/Business Owner Retired Executive Approaching retirement Sandwich Generation
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Heliodoro R

CFP®, Series 66

Ottawa, IL

Edward Jones

Heliodoro Ruvalcaba is a CFP® professional with 19 years of experience in the financial industry. He has been with Edward Jones since 2006. Edward Jones is a full-service wealth management firm serving over four million individual and institutional clients with a wide range of investment programs, including discretionary and non-discretionary strategies, separately managed accounts, and affiliated mutual funds. The firm manages approximately $1.01 trillion in assets and operates through a nationwide network of more than 23,000 financial advisors.

Wealth management Tax-loss harvesting Multi-generational wealth transfer Retired Founder/Business Owner Executive
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Bradley A

CFP®, Series 63

Ottawa, IL

Armstrong & Associates, Inc.

Bradley Armstrong is a CFP® with 40 years of experience in financial advising. He is president of Armstrong & Associates, Inc., where he has worked since 1987. Armstrong also serves as a director on the board of First Ottawa Bancshares, Inc. Armstrong & Associates, Inc. provides retirement, estate, and investment planning for individuals, trusts, estates, and business entities. The firm offers comprehensive financial planning and uses both fundamental and technical analysis across a broad range of investment instruments.

General retirement planning Business Financial Management Founder/Business Owner
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Attilio B

ChFC®, Series 63, Series 65

Ottawa, IL

LPL Enterprise

Attilio Bianchi is a financial advisor at LPL Enterprise with 43 years of industry experience. He holds the ChFC® designation as well as Series 63 and Series 65 licenses. Prior to joining LPL Enterprise in 2024, he spent over four decades with Prudential Insurance Company of America and Pruco Securities, LLC. He serves on the board of The Nell's Foundation, a nonprofit organization based in Ottawa, Illinois. LPL Enterprise provides investment advisory and brokerage services to a diverse client base, including individual and high-net-worth investors, retirement plans, banks, and charitable entities. The firm’s investment approach is model-driven, utilizing portfolios developed by LPL’s Research Department and third-party strategists, while also offering financial planning, access to asset managers, and insurance product sales through affiliated entities.

Tax-loss harvesting
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Donna H

CFP®, Series 63, Series 65

Ottawa, IL

Raymond James Financial

Donna Hunt is a CFP® with 33 years of experience in the financial industry. She is currently associated with Raymond James Financial Services Advisors, Inc. and also serves as Operations Manager at Armstrong & Associates, Inc., where she assists financial advisors. Her career includes long-term roles at First Ottawa Financial Corporation and The First National Bank of Ottawa. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors, Inc. provides financial planning and investment consulting to a diverse client base, including individual, high-net-worth, institutional, and charitable clients. The firm offers tailored, non-discretionary planning and supports its clients with advanced analytical tools, municipal advisory services, and customizable retirement plan programs.

Wealth management Tax strategies for small businesses Business succession planning General estate planning guidance Founder/Business Owner Executive
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Hassan A

Series 63, Series 65

Rockville, MD

LPL Financial

Hassan Al Kadhimi is a financial advisor with LPL Financial, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and two years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. He is also involved with NIHFCU Wealth Advisors, a related business entity. LPL Financial is a national broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, retirement plan participants, banks, trust companies, and institutions. The firm offers a range of advisory and brokerage services, including financial planning, model portfolio programs, and institutional platforms, supported by a large network of investment adviser representatives.

Wealth management Retirement income strategy College savings (529s, UTMA, etc.) Tax-loss harvesting Annuities Retired Founder/Business Owner Executive
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Richard B

Series 63, Series 66

Austin, TX

Charles Schwab

Richard Brandi is a financial advisor with Charles Schwab based in Austin, TX, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 32 years of industry experience. He has been with Charles Schwab and Charles Schwab Bank ssb since 2003 and 2005, respectively. Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. serves primarily high- and ultra-high-net-worth individuals through its Schwab Wealth Advisory wrap fee program and affiliated managed-account and financial planning services. The firm offers a mix of non-discretionary and discretionary investment guidance, leveraging multi-asset model portfolios and research from its Schwab Center for Financial Research.

Private / alternative investments Real estate investing Multi-state taxation College savings (529s, UTMA, etc.)
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Thaddeus P

CFP®, Series 63, Series 65

Grand Rapids, MI

Advance Wealth Management Service, LLC

Thaddeus Phelps is a CFP® professional with 28 years of experience in the financial services industry. He has worked at Advance Wealth Management Service, LLC since 2019 and previously spent 14 years with Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. In addition to his advisory work, Phelps owns a tax preparation business and an accounting support service, and he serves in fiduciary roles such as trustee and executor. Advance Wealth Management Service, LLC provides investment advisory and financial planning services primarily to individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, and business entities. The firm offers discretionary investment management through a wrap asset management program and emphasizes an individualized approach with asset allocation supported by fundamental, sector, and technical analysis, including risk management strategies such as put options and conservative cash instruments.

College savings (529s, UTMA, etc.) Charitable giving & philanthropy General estate planning guidance General tax planning Options & derivatives strategies
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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

Justin S

CFP®, ChFC®, Series 66

Prairie Village, KS

Edward Jones

Justin Scicluna is a financial advisor at Edward Jones in Prairie Village, KS, holding the CFP®, ChFC®, and Series 66 designations with 13 years of industry experience. He has been with Edward Jones since 2013. Edward Jones is a full-service wealth management firm serving more than four million individual and institutional clients, including a range of household types, pension plans, corporate clients, and charitable organizations. The firm manages approximately $1.01 trillion in assets and offers various advisory programs, discretionary and non-discretionary strategies, and affiliated investment products through a nationwide network of over 23,700 financial advisors.

College savings (529s, UTMA, etc.) General estate planning guidance Multi-generational wealth transfer Retirement income strategy General retirement planning Retired Founder/Business Owner Executive

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