Top social Security optimization financial advisors in San Mateo, CA

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 eligibility, deciding when and how to claim benefits can significantly impact your lifetime income. A common mistake is claiming too early or without considering your full financial picture, which can reduce your monthly payments.

  • Claiming age strategies. Ask how they evaluate the best age to start benefits based on your health, work plans, and spousal options.
  • Tax impact awareness. Social Security benefits can be taxable; confirm how they integrate this with your overall tax situation, especially in a high-tax state like California.
  • Coordination with retirement income. Effective advisors consider how Social Security fits with pensions, savings, and other income sources to optimize your cash flow.
  • Proposition 13 considerations. For homeowners, understanding how property tax limits affect your long-term finances can influence Social Security timing decisions.

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

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Melissa E

Series 63, Series 65

San Mateo, CA

Alexander Beard (USA) Inc.

Melissa Eugenio is a financial advisor at Alexander Beard (USA) Inc. with 25 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at Alexander Beard since 2018, following prior roles including five years at ABD Retirement Services, Inc. Outside of her advisory work, she is a Bikram yoga instructor, teaching weekly classes at Being Yoga. Alexander Beard (USA) Inc. provides advisory services primarily to individuals and retirement plans, focusing on UK citizens or former UK residents living in the U.S. with UK-based pension accounts. The firm offers pension consulting, portfolio management, and financial planning, tailoring advice to client goals and working with pension trustees to facilitate pension transfers and flexible arrangements.

Retired
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Anatoly V

Series 63, Series 65

San Mateo, CA

OSAIC Institutions, INC.

Anatoly Vilderman is a financial advisor at OSAIC Institutions, Inc. with 16 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 designations and has worked at Osaic Investments, Inc. since 2023. His prior experience includes roles at San Mateo Credit Union and CUSO Financial Services, LP. OSAIC Institutions, Inc. is an SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, ERISA retirement plans, trusts, estates, and corporate clients. The firm offers customized advisory services, financial planning, ERISA plan services, and access to alternative investments through a hybrid adviser/broker-dealer structure.

Annuities Tax-loss harvesting Founder/Business Owner Executive
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David F

Series 66

San Mateo, CA

LPL Financial

David Fung is a financial advisor at LPL Financial in San Mateo, CA, holding a Series 66 designation with three years of industry experience. Prior to joining LPL Financial in 2025, he worked at NEXT Financial Group, Inc. and held engineering roles at Applied Materials and Lam Research. Fung is also employed as an engineer at TSMC outside of his advisory work. LPL Financial is an SEC-registered investment adviser and broker-dealer serving individuals, retirement plans, financial institutions, corporations, and charitable organizations through a national network of investment adviser representatives. The firm offers a range of advisory programs, financial planning, and brokerage services, utilizing both discretionary and non-discretionary management supported by research from internal and third-party sources.

College savings (529s, UTMA, etc.)
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Kent G

CFP®, Series 63

San Mateo, CA

Grealish Investment Counseling LLC

Kent Grealish is a CFP® professional with 25 years of industry experience. He is the sole advisor at Grealish Investment Counseling LLC, which he joined in 2024 after spending nine years at Garrett Investment Advisors, LLC/CGA Advisors. Grealish Investment Counseling LLC provides investment counseling to individual clients, focusing on investment planning, portfolio construction, retirement cash-flow planning, and supplementary financial planning related to investments and retirement. The firm employs a long-term, primarily passive buy-and-hold strategy using low-cost equity index funds and fixed-income ETFs, and operates on a time-based/project fee model without discretionary trading authority or asset custody.

General retirement planning Income planning
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Hasnain K

CFA®

San Mateo, CA

Kilimanjaro Capital, LLC

Hasnain Karim is a CFA® charterholder and the sole advisor at Kilimanjaro Capital, LLC, an independent firm based in San Mateo, CA. He has 16 years of industry experience and has been with Kilimanjaro Capital since 2009. Kilimanjaro Capital manages discretionary investment accounts primarily for individuals using two principal strategies: a long/short strategy and a long-only strategy. The firm employs an opportunistic, value-oriented approach that includes hedging, derivatives, and short-selling in its long/short strategy, with a focus on securities trading below intrinsic value and a typical investment horizon of one to five years.

Active portfolio management Options & derivatives strategies Concentrated stock management
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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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