Large-firm, general estate planning guidance financial advisors in Southfield, MI

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.

When you're managing an estate that includes pensions or complex assets, you need guidance that fits your unique family situation. Without focused expertise, it's easy to overlook how pension rules affect your overall estate plan.

  • Pension integration. Confirm how the advisor incorporates pension benefits into your estate strategy, not just general asset distribution.
  • Large-firm resources. Advisors here can leverage extensive legal and tax teams, which may help navigate complex estate issues.
  • Legacy planning nuances. Ask how they address passing wealth to heirs while minimizing probate and tax burdens specific to Michigan.
  • Coordination with other professionals. Effective estate planning often requires working closely with your attorney and tax advisor; check how they manage these relationships.

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

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Carl B

Series 65

Troy, MI

Wittenberg Investments Inc.

Carl Bradley Jr. is a financial advisor at Wittenberg Investments Inc. with one year of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has worked at the Oakland County Road Commission as an appraiser since 2011. Outside of his advisory role, he is president of Maverick Investments LLC, a real estate investment company. Wittenberg Investments Inc. provides discretionary portfolio management and financial planning services to individuals, including high-net-worth clients, as well as pension and profit-sharing plans. The firm uses fundamental analysis to construct portfolios with a variety of investment vehicles and offers pension consulting with a focus on ERISA compliance.

Options & derivatives strategies Annuities
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Ari F

CFP®, Series 63, Series 66

Southfield, MI

Focus Partners Wealth, LLC

Ari Fischman is a financial advisor with Focus Partners Wealth, LLC, holding the CFP® designation and Series 63 and 66 licenses, with 24 years of industry experience. He has held roles at several firms including Kovitz Investment Group Partners and Lion Street Financial. Outside of his advisory work, he serves on the Pension and Insurance committee for the Jewish Federation of Metro Detroit and sits on the Board of Directors for Hillel Day School, where he contributes to the endowment committee and strategic planning. Focus Partners serves individuals, high-net-worth families, family offices, and institutional clients with wealth management and advisory services. The firm employs a long-term, tax- and fee-sensitive investment approach that combines active and passive strategies, third-party managers, and private funds within an enhanced open architecture framework.

Options & derivatives strategies Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Business sale tax planning Dentist Founder/Business Owner Executive Retired Established Professionals Approaching retirement Values-based investing
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Grant S

Series 63, Series 65

Southfield, MI

Kestra Advisory

Grant Sharkey is a financial advisor at Kestra Advisory with Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and three years of industry experience. He has worked at Kestra Investment Services since 2021 and has prior experience across various roles including Extended Travel, Pharmaco, and Ulliance Inc. Sharkey is also the owner of a tax entity, Sharkey Capital LLC. Kestra Advisory Services provides investment advisory and retirement-plan consulting to a broad mix of institutional and individual clients, offering services such as fiduciary consulting, plan design, and advisor-managed accounts. The firm serves large institutional investors, including sovereign wealth funds, and manages approximately $79.8 billion in assets.

Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Business exit / sale strategy Annuities Wealth management Founder/Business Owner Executive
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Ruth I

Series 65

Southfield, MI

Focus Partners Wealth, LLC

Ruth Impastato is a financial advisor at Focus Partners Wealth, LLC with two years of industry experience. She holds a Series 65 designation and has previous experience at Kovitz Investment Group Partners, Telemus Capital, and Sentinel Benefits & Financial Group. Focus Partners Wealth, LLC serves individuals, high-net-worth families, family offices, corporate and institutional clients with wealth management and advisory services. The firm employs a long-term, tax- and fee-sensitive investment approach that integrates active and passive strategies, third-party managers, and private funds under an enhanced open architecture framework.

Options & derivatives strategies Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Business sale tax planning Dentist Founder/Business Owner Executive Retired Established Professionals Approaching retirement Values-based investing
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Gerald M

Series 63, Series 65

Southfield, MI

Advance Capital Management Inc

Gerald Malone II is a financial advisor with Advance Capital Management Inc in Southfield, MI. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 25 years of industry experience, having been with Advance Capital Management and Advance Capital Services since 2000. Advance Capital Management serves a diverse client base including individuals, retirement plans, foundations, and institutional clients, providing discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement-plan consulting. The firm uses an Investment Committee to guide decisions and offers services such as direct indexing, alternative investments, and crypto-related strategies.

Concentrated stock management Tax-loss harvesting Retired Founder/Business Owner
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Scott M

Series 63, Series 65

New York, NY

Morgan Stanley

Scott Mahoney is a financial advisor with Morgan Stanley in New York, NY, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and bringing 34 years of industry experience. He has been with Morgan Stanley since 2009, including roles at Morgan Stanley Private Bank, N.A. Outside of his advisory work, he is involved with Giants Foot Cubed LLC. Morgan Stanley Wealth Management is a large SEC-registered investment adviser and broker-dealer that serves both individual and institutional clients. The firm offers a wide range of advisory programs and financial planning services supported by structured planning tools and broad investment resources.

General estate planning guidance
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Kayla S

Series 63, Series 65

Warwick, RI

Mass Mutual Investors Services

Kayla Santos is a financial advisor with Mass Mutual Investors Services in Warwick, RI, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and having 10 years of industry experience. She has worked at Mass Mutual Investors Services since 2017 and previously at MetLife Securities. In addition to her advisory role, Santos is an independent insurance agent, offering life, fixed annuities, disability, long-term care, and health insurance products. Mass Mutual Investors Services, LLC is a broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser that serves individuals, business owners, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and employers. The firm provides financial planning, asset management, wrap and money-manager programs, and educational seminars, structuring engagements as annual collaborative relationships focused on goal analysis and written recommendations.

Divorce financial planning General estate planning guidance Multi-generational wealth transfer Cash flow / budgeting Founder/Business Owner Attorney Executive Married/Couples/Partners Divorced

Gordon B

Series 66

Luling, LA

Edward Jones

Gordon Brown III is a financial advisor at Edward Jones with 18 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and has been with Edward Jones since 2008. Edward Jones is a full-service wealth management firm serving over four million individual and institutional clients, with approximately $1.01 trillion in assets under management. The firm offers a range of advisory programs and investment options, operating under a fiduciary standard.

Retirement income strategy General estate planning guidance Multi-generational wealth transfer Wealth management Oil & Gas Engineering Professional
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William S

Series 63, Series 65

College Station, TX

Smith & Wyatt

William Soltow is a financial advisor at Smith & Wyatt with 13 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and previously worked at CoreCap Advisors, LLC. Outside of advising, he is the founder of Frontier Wealth Management and serves as an independent insurance agent with Goosehead Insurance. Smith & Wyatt serves individuals, including high-net-worth clients, and corporations, managing approximately $207 million across 724 clients. The firm provides tailored financial planning, discretionary portfolio management, estate-planning consulting, and specialized educational programs, utilizing mutual funds and ETFs as primary investment vehicles.

Government Employee
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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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Jeffrey P

Series 66

Dacula, GA

Merrill

Jeffrey Park is a financial advisor at Merrill with eight years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at Merrill and affiliated firms since 2011, including roles at JPMorgan Chase Bank and J.P. Morgan Securities. Outside of his advisory work, he is a sole owner and co-owner of family rental properties in Lawrenceville, Georgia. Merrill, together with its affiliate Managed Account Advisors LLC, provides managed account services to Bank of America fiduciary clients through the Select Portfolio Solutions Program, offering model-based and discretionary strategies for individuals, high-net-worth clients, and institutional investors.

Tax-loss harvesting Active portfolio management Wealth management
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Scott M

Series 63, Series 65

New York, NY

Morgan Stanley

Scott Mahoney is a financial advisor with Morgan Stanley in New York, NY, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and bringing 34 years of industry experience. He has been with Morgan Stanley since 2009, including roles at Morgan Stanley Private Bank, N.A. Outside of his advisory work, he is involved with Giants Foot Cubed LLC. Morgan Stanley Wealth Management is a large SEC-registered investment adviser and broker-dealer that serves both individual and institutional clients. The firm offers a wide range of advisory programs and financial planning services supported by structured planning tools and broad investment resources.

General estate planning guidance
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Elizabeth B

Series 66

New York, NY

J.P. Morgan Securities

Elizabeth Brown is a Series 66 licensed financial advisor with J.P. Morgan Securities in New York, NY, where she has worked since 2012. She has 26 years of industry experience. J.P. Morgan Securities provides institutional consulting services to clients such as corporations, foundations, and defined contribution plan sponsors, offering asset allocation advice, investment manager and fund searches, and customized performance reporting through a select group of Wealth Advisors. The firm combines large institutional advisory operations with brokerage, distribution, and investment management capabilities.

Wealth management Executive Founder/Business Owner
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Wesley P

Series 63, Series 66

Fort Worth, TX

Wells Fargo Clearing

Wesley Pool is a financial advisor at Wells Fargo Clearing with 15 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and previously worked at JPMorgan Securities LLC for seven years. Outside of finance, he has been involved with #TagMeBro LLC and Fry Street Public House. Wells Fargo Advisors is a national securities firm serving individual, corporate, and institutional clients with investment advisory services, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting. The firm manages approximately $671 billion in assets and offers both brokerage and advisory solutions.

Retired Founder/Business Owner
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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, previously serving at Axa Advisors and MSI Financial Services. Outside of advising, he is a co-chairman of a fundraising campaign for Alpha Light Fund Inc., a nonprofit focused on renovating the House of Alpha. Equitable Advisors serves a range of clients including individuals, pension plans, corporations, and charitable organizations, providing financial planning, retirement consulting, and asset management through a network of representatives and third-party managers. The firm offers various investment vehicles and ERISA fiduciary services, relying on third-party program sponsors and an affiliation with a publicly traded parent company.

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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