Top charitable giving tax strategies financial advisors in Skokie, 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.

If you want to maximize the impact of your charitable donations while minimizing your tax bill, you need an advisor who understands the nuances of charitable giving tax strategies. Without this expertise, you might miss opportunities to reduce your taxable income or fail to align your giving with your financial goals.

  • Gift timing and tax impact. Ask how they recommend scheduling donations to optimize your tax benefits over multiple years.
  • Donation vehicle choices. Confirm if they discuss options like donor-advised funds or charitable trusts and how each affects your taxes.
  • Integration with estate plans. Ensure they consider how your charitable giving fits with your overall legacy and tax planning.
  • Local tax considerations. Since Illinois has no tax on retirement income but high property taxes, check how they factor this into your giving strategy.

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

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Julian V

Series 63, Series 66

Skokie, IL

Northern Trust Securities, Inc.

Julian Van Ostrand is a financial advisor with Northern Trust Securities, Inc. in Skokie, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 66 credentials and bringing 21 years of industry experience. He has been with Northern Trust Securities since 2008. Northern Trust Securities, Inc. is an SEC-registered investment adviser and FINRA-registered broker-dealer that provides discretionary portfolio management through a model-driven wrap fee program serving high-net-worth individuals, retail investors, and institutional clients. The firm offers a variety of managed account solutions and combines advisory, brokerage, and custody services, including access to both proprietary and third-party investment products.

Passive / index investing Active portfolio management ESG / Sustainable investing Tax-loss harvesting Founder/Business Owner Executive
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Gabriel R

Series 63, Series 65

Skokie, IL

Fidelity

Gabriel Reyes is a financial advisor at Fidelity with 14 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and has worked at firms including Princor Financial Group, Principal Life Insurance Co, and PNC Wealth Management. Reyes is also an officer of Invictus Capital Holdings, LLC, a passive investment-related entity. Fidelity’s Strategic Advisers LLC provides investment management and advisory services to retail and institutional clients, employing a blend of proprietary fundamental research, quantitative analysis, and algorithmic portfolio construction to deliver model portfolios across various investment vehicles.

Charitable giving & philanthropy Active portfolio management
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Leonard F

Series 65

Skokie, IL

HealthQuant Associates LLC

Leonard Fensterheim is a Series 65-licensed financial advisor with 11 years of industry experience. He is the principal of HealthQuant Associates LLC, where he has worked since 2014. In addition to his advisory role, he serves as Director of Clinical Outcomes and Analytics at Catamaran Corporation and is a partner at Highbeam Capital LLC, where he dedicates time to research on biotechnology and healthcare investments. HealthQuant Associates LLC is a state-registered investment adviser that provides discretionary portfolio management with an investment approach combining fundamental, technical, and cyclical economic analysis. The firm focuses on tailored portfolios primarily in the healthcare and life-sciences sectors, employing strategies ranging from long-term buy-and-hold to shorter-term trading, including the use of short sales and options.

Active portfolio management
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Merrick R

Series 66

Skokie, IL

Guardian Life

Merrick Robison is a financial advisor at Guardian Life with one year of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and has worked at Guardian Life and Park Avenue Securities since 2024. Outside of his advisory role, he operates a non-investment-related business called Merrick R - Rover Services. Park Avenue Securities LLC, a subsidiary of The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, provides brokerage and investment advisory services to individuals, corporate and retirement plan sponsors, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm offers tailored client relationships through a combination of advisor-led discretionary management and model-based strategies, utilizing proprietary programs and third-party platforms.

Business exit / sale strategy Tax-loss harvesting Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Charitable giving & philanthropy Founder/Business Owner Executive Financial Professional Approaching retirement Established Professionals Mid-Career Professionals
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Ari L

Series 63, Series 65

Skokie, IL

Baldwin Wealth Partners, LLC

Ari Lazar is a financial advisor at Baldwin Wealth Partners, LLC with eight years of industry experience. He holds the Series 63 and Series 65 designations. Prior to joining Baldwin Wealth Partners, he worked at Levin Capital Strategies and RGA Investment Advisors. Outside of his advisory role, Lazar coaches and judges high school gymnastics in Illinois. Baldwin Wealth Partners provides investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse range of clients, including individuals, trusts, charitable organizations, and pooled investment vehicles. The firm employs a combined top-down macro framework and bottom-up fundamental research, managing portfolios across five core asset classes with attention to ESG factors and offering specialized services such as management of private funds and tax-aware equity strategies.

ESG / Sustainable investing Private / alternative investments Real estate investing Concentrated stock management Wealth management Founder/Business Owner Executive Established Professionals
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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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Mark K

Series 63, Series 65

Mandeville, LA

Meridian Wealth Management, LLC

Mark Kebodeaux is a financial advisor at Meridian Wealth Management, LLC with 34 years of industry experience. He previously worked for First Financial for 10 years before joining Meridian in 2023. Kebodeaux holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses. Meridian Wealth Management serves individual and high-net-worth clients, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and corporate clients. The firm offers discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement plan services, utilizing equities, ETFs, mutual funds, fixed income, and alternative investments with ongoing monitoring and rebalancing.

Retirement income strategy Charitable giving tax strategies Options & derivatives strategies Private / alternative investments Founder/Business Owner
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Mark P

Series 66

Conneaut Lake, PA

Lakeland Investor Services, Inc.

Mark Petro is a financial advisor at Lakeland Investor Services, Inc. in Conneaut Lake, PA, with 24 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at the firm since 2002. He is also president of Lakeland Insurance Services, LLC, a business he established to handle insurance sales and related operations. Lakeland Investor Services provides fee-based wealth advisory and investment management services to individuals, multi-generational families, high-net-worth clients, small non-profit organizations, small businesses, and qualified retirement plans. The firm offers comprehensive financial planning, portfolio management, and uses a variety of analytical approaches including fundamental, technical, and Monte Carlo modeling.

Social Security optimization Retirement income strategy Annuities
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Kaylin O

Series 65

Pittsburgh, PA

Schneider Downs Wealth Management Advisors, LP

Kaylin Olster is a financial advisor at Schneider Downs Wealth Management Advisors, LP with one year of industry experience. She holds the Series 65 designation and has previously worked at Corient, Odyssey Capital Advisors, and has an academic background from Temple University. Schneider Downs Wealth Management Advisors serves high-net-worth individuals, families, trustees, endowments, and qualified retirement plan sponsors and trustees. The firm employs a committee-driven investment process to manage diversified portfolios and offers both discretionary and non-discretionary management along with retirement plan consulting and tax-aware planning strategies.

Tax-loss harvesting Charitable giving tax strategies Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Wealth management Private / alternative investments Founder/Business Owner Retired
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Angelo R

CFP®, Series 65

Hunt Valley, MD

SC&H Wealth

Angelo Romano is a CFP® with six years of experience in the financial services industry, currently serving as an advisor at SC&H Wealth. His prior experience includes roles at MECU, ADP, and APGFCU. In addition to his advisory work, he is a licensed insurance agent involved in the sale of insurance-related products. SC&H Wealth serves individuals, trusts, estates, pension and profit-sharing plans, corporations, small businesses, and charitable organizations. The firm employs a team approach combining CPAs and CFP® professionals to provide tailored financial planning, asset management, retirement consulting, and tax preparation services.

General tax planning Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Business exit / sale strategy Charitable giving tax strategies Wealth management Founder/Business Owner Retired Executive HENRY (High Earners, Not Rich Yet) Mid-Career Professionals
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