Top financial advisors working with young professionals in Scottsdale, AZ

Hi, I’m Dale L Shafer II, founder of Life Moves Wealth Management, an independent, fee-only wealth and exit planning advisor for business owners and professionals located in Scottsdale, Arizona, serving clients in multiple states. I am proud to hold professional designations, including the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER (CFP®), Certified Business Exit Consultant (CBEC®), Accredited Portfolio Management Advisor (APMA®), and Certified Divorce Financial Analyst (CDFA®). Out of the office, I am most likely found exploring outdoors, hiking, road cycling, and camping. You might also see me rocking out behind a drum kit or a guitar. I enjoy reading books on finance and leadership, and collecting deadpan “dad jokes” to try out on our kids. They’re big fans.

John Heilner is a financial advisor at WT Wealth Management, LLC in Scottsdale, AZ, with 27 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has been with WT Wealth Management since 2013. Heilner was also involved with WT Tax Accounting from 2014 to 2023. WT Wealth Management provides discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and wealth-education services to individuals, pension plans, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm uses proprietary investment models focused on diversification, low fees, and quarterly rebalancing, and it offers ESG options and values-based screening, alongside affiliated professional services such as tax accounting and estate law.

Scott Pilchard is a financial advisor with Independent Financial Group, LLC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and bringing 32 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at FBL Marketing Services, FBL Financial Group, Global Retirement Partners, LPL Financial, and MidFirst Trust Company. Outside of his advisory work, he serves as Co-Chairman of the Arizona Agricultural Education FFA Foundation’s fund development committee, coordinating fundraising efforts to support agricultural education in Arizona. Independent Financial Group, LLC is a dual-registered broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, charities, corporations, and plan sponsors with a broad range of brokerage, portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement plan services. The firm offers advisory programs through its AccessPoint platform and third-party asset managers, managing approximately $11.3 billion in regulatory assets under management.

Abe Askil Jr. is a CFP® with 29 years of industry experience, currently serving as a principal advisor at Titan Capital Management since 2021. He was previously with Titan Capital Management, LLC for 20 years. Abe holds a Series 63 license and is based in Scottsdale, AZ. Titan Capital Management provides discretionary portfolio management and financial planning to individuals, businesses, pension and profit-sharing plans, and other registered investment advisors. The firm uses a Global Tactical Asset Allocation approach with proprietary quantitative models to manage assets across various strategies and serves approximately 129 clients with $84.2 million in regulatory assets under management.

John Fitzpatrick is a financial advisor at Savvy with five years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has previously worked at J.M. Arbour, LLC, Foundations Investment Advisors LLC, Fitzco Trading, and Gelber Group White Plains. In addition to his advisory role, he is involved in insurance sales and provides referrals to a tax advisory firm. Savvy offers customized discretionary and non-discretionary investment and wealth management services to individuals, trusts, estates, retirement plans, charitable organizations, and corporations. The firm combines an index-based core with tailored strategies such as direct indexing with tax-loss harvesting, active and passive stock portfolios, and ESG-focused models, supported by a proprietary technology platform and third-party sub-advisers.

Donald Harris is a financial advisor at Beaird Harris with 29 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 63 and Series 65 designations and has been with Beaird Harris Wealth Management, Inc. since 1996, as well as Beaird Harris & Co P.C. since 1989. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as a managing officer and trustee for several trusts and management companies. Beaird Harris Wealth Management, LLC is a fee-only, SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, high net worth clients, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, pension plans, and business entities. The firm employs Modern Portfolio Theory with diversified asset-class exposure primarily through low-cost mutual funds and ETFs, and it offers alternative investments and tax-managed strategies.

Katie Strother is a financial advisor with Curi Capital, LLC in Raleigh, NC, holding CFP® and Series 65 credentials and bringing 11 years of industry experience. Her prior experience includes roles at Park Ridge Asset Management and Curi RMB Capital LLC. Outside of her advisory work, she is involved in her community as a nursery room leader at Peace Church and serves as a varsity girls soccer coach at Wilson Christian Academy. Curi Capital is an SEC-registered investment adviser managing approximately $11.6 billion in assets and serving individuals, retirement plans, institutions, and family offices. The firm employs a long-term, fundamental investment approach using proprietary and third-party strategies across equity and fixed income, and offers a range of services including wealth management and specialized offerings for medical professionals.

Jill Raderstorf is a financial advisor at Aptus Financial, LLC with two years of industry experience. She holds a Series 65 designation and previously worked at Hamilton Capital, LLC and Fifth Third Bank. Outside of her advisory role, she serves as an unpaid advisor to Accelerating Angels, a venture investment firm focused on high-growth, women-owned businesses, where she assists with building due diligence processes. Aptus Financial provides flat-fee financial planning and advisory services to individuals, trusts, charitable organizations, and employer-sponsored defined-contribution plans. The firm emphasizes financial planning over discretionary portfolio management, supporting clients with passive, long-term indexing strategies, structured educational programs, and subscription-based ongoing support.

We’re built for families! We focus on bridging generations to connect families and their finances. As Baby Boomers, you created more wealth than any generation before you. Now in your retirement years, the economic expansion that aided your careers doesn’t feel as robust. You worry about your savings lasting a lengthy life expectancy. You also worry that your children and grandchildren will be the first generation to not have it better than the generation before them. Our goal is to solve both problems. Our structure allows us to provide the same great advice whether you have a lifetime of savings or you are just starting out. That means we can work with multiple generations, and where appropriate, find opportunities to coordinate across generations while maintaining privacy and independence. I am a millennial myself with over a decade of experience helping retirees with personal finances. That combination of youth and experience gives me an advantage over many of the advisors out there. My youth, to retirees, means I am likely to be around for the entirety of your retirement. All those plans you made with your advisor, will be executed by the advisor that helped you plan them. If that includes an inheritance, good news because I want to work with your heirs too! To a younger generation, you get an advisor you can relate to who doesn’t treat your problems as less significant because you don’t have the same level of assets. Just because I’m young, doesn’t mean I’m green! I was previously the Practicing Partner of a wealth management firm focused solely on retirees. As the lead portfolio manager, I oversaw almost $500 million in client portfolios. That experience means I’ve guided and advised clients through every stage of a successful retirement. It also means I know what a successful retirement looks like. As I’ve always said, best laid plans begin with the end in mind, so my experience serves just as well early in your journey to financial independence. I started my own firm because I saw an increasing need to reconnect families and their finances. Grandparents are providing child care, children are providing elderly care, and everyone is chipping in to pay for education. As much as ever families need each other, and our program is specifically designed to be prepared when they do.

Michael Grinnell is a Wealth Management Advisor at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management. Since joining the firm in 2015, he has brought a problem-solving approach influenced by his background in Mechanical Engineering, earned from Santa Clara University. Michael concentrates on business development, marketing, and engaging with the next generation of clients. His areas of expertise include education planning, family wealth management strategies, legacy planning, liquidity management, personal retirement planning, portfolio management services, and small business strategies. He holds several professional designations, including Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA), Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA), and Personal Investment Advisor (PIA). Outside of work, Michael enjoys a range of outdoor activities such as fishing, golfing, hiking, hunting, music, rock climbing, running, skiing, surfing, and tennis. He is actively involved in the community through organizations like St. Anthony Organization and The Covenant House California.