CFP®-certified, general estate planning guidance financial advisors in Springfield, 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.

You might need a general estate planning advisor if you're organizing your will, setting up trusts, or planning for how your assets will be managed after your passing. Without clear guidance, it's easy to overlook how different documents work together, which can cause confusion or unintended outcomes for your heirs. CFP® certification means these advisors have formal training in financial planning, including estate matters, which can help you navigate complex decisions.

  • Document coordination. Ask how they ensure your will, trusts, and powers of attorney align to avoid conflicts.
  • Property tax awareness. Since Illinois can have high property taxes, confirm they consider this in your estate plan.
  • Asset distribution clarity. Look for advisors who explain how your assets will pass to beneficiaries to prevent surprises.
  • Ongoing review process. Estate plans need updates; ask how often they recommend revisiting your documents.

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

Want help finding the right advisor?

Answer a few questions to see advisors matched to you.

user avatar

Brent L

Series 66

Springfield, IL

Cetera

Brent Leach is a financial advisor at Cetera with 11 years of industry experience and holds a Series 66 designation. He has worked at firms including Avantax Advisory Services and 1st Global Capital Corp. In addition to his advisory role, he serves as an equity partner and managing partner of the tax practice at Eck, Schafer & Punke, LLP, a public accounting firm, and acts as treasurer for the Dana-Thomas House Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving a historic Frank Lloyd Wright property. Cetera Investment Advisers LLC is an SEC-registered firm that supports a network of over 10,000 independent advisors serving individual, retirement plan, corporate, charitable, and institutional clients. The firm offers a multi-manager platform with access to various portfolio management strategies and third-party managers, encompassing discretionary and non-discretionary investment programs.

Wealth management Tax-loss harvesting Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Business exit / sale strategy Founder/Business Owner Executive
user avatar

Christopher P

CFP®, PFS™, Series 66

Springfield, IL

OSAIC Institutions, INC.

Christopher Parks is a CFP® and PFS™ with 21 years of industry experience. He is currently affiliated with OSAIC Institutions, INC. and has held roles at Infinex Investments, Illinois National Bank, Sws Financial Services, Avantax Advisory Services, and Equitable Advisors. Parks serves as Vice President of the Chatham Police Pension Fund and provides financial guidance to St. Joseph's Church in Chatham, IL. OSAIC Institutions, INC. is an SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, ERISA retirement plans, trusts, estates, and corporate clients through a network of investment adviser representatives. The firm offers customized advisory services, financial planning, and access to alternative investments, operating with a hybrid adviser and broker-dealer model.

Annuities Tax-loss harvesting Founder/Business Owner Executive
user avatar

Harlin N

Series 66

Springfield, IL

Private Advisor Group, LLC

Harlin Noel is a financial advisor with Private Advisor Group, LLC, holding a Series 66 credential and bringing 24 years of industry experience. His work history includes roles at LPL Financial LLC, Level Four Advisory Services, Ameriprise, and Morgan Stanley. Private Advisor Group serves individuals, trusts, charities, businesses, and retirement plans, offering portfolio management, financial planning, and access to various managed account solutions. The firm employs a fiduciary-based advisory model that incorporates both discretionary management and client-assisted selection of managers and model portfolios.

Annuities Founder/Business Owner
user avatar

Timothy H

Series 63, Series 66

Springfield, IL

Edward Jones

Timothy Healy is a financial advisor with Edward Jones in Springfield, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and 25 years of industry experience. He has been with Edward Jones since 2000. Outside of his advisory work, Healy serves as a council member on the Blessed Sacrament Parish Finance Council. Edward Jones is a full-service wealth management firm serving more than four million individual and institutional clients. The firm manages approximately $1.01 trillion in assets and offers a range of advisory programs, including discretionary and non-discretionary wrap fee strategies, separately managed accounts, and affiliated mutual funds.

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

Daniel S

CFP®, Series 63, Series 65

Springfield, IL

LPL Financial

Daniel Stewart is a CFP®-designated financial advisor with 28 years of industry experience, currently affiliated with LPL Financial in Springfield, IL since 2018. His prior roles include positions at Cetera Advisor Networks and Equitable Advisors. LPL Financial is a national broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser that serves individuals, retirement plans, banks, trust companies, and institutions through a wide network of representatives. The firm offers diverse financial planning and investment management solutions, utilizing various portfolio strategies and technology tools, and oversees over $819 billion in discretionary assets.

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

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
user avatar

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
user avatar

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
user avatar

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
user avatar

Sarah C

CFP®, Series 63, Series 65

Boston, MA

Santander Securities LLC

Sarah Currier Barrella is a CFP® professional with 26 years of experience in financial advisory services. She currently works at Santander Securities LLC and Santander Bank, NA, having previously held positions at TD Bank and Citizens Securities, Inc. Barrella is based in Boston, MA. Santander Securities LLC serves a broad retail client base with approximately $3.14 billion in regulatory assets under management across 10,800 client relationships. The firm offers investment advisory services, portfolio management through wrap-fee programs, and financial planning, operating both as a registered investment adviser and a FINRA-registered broker-dealer.

ESG / Sustainable investing Tax-loss harvesting General retirement planning Income planning Founder/Business Owner
user avatar

Elanna G

CFP®, Series 66

Cleveland, OH

Cambridge Investment Research Advisors

Elanna Gould is a CFP®-certified financial advisor with Cambridge Investment Research Advisors, where she has worked since 2019. She has six years of industry experience that include previous roles at PepsiCo and The Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Center. In addition to her advisory work, she operates as an independent insurance agent for various companies. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors serves individual and institutional clients, including pension and charitable organizations, offering financial planning, investment management, and retirement-plan advisory services across multiple platforms and custodians.

Annuities Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k)
user avatar

Ethan S

CFP®, Series 65

Auburn Hills, MI

Plante Moran financial advisors

Ethan Siekkinen is a CFP® and holds a Series 65 license, currently serving as a financial advisor with Plante Moran Financial Advisors. He has one year of industry experience and has previously worked at J Wilson Wealth Management and operated Rizzo Lawn Care. Plante Moran Financial Advisors, LLC provides investment advisory, financial planning, and estate planning services to a diverse client base including individual households, institutional clients, and sovereign wealth funds. The firm employs a multi-disciplinary investment process and offers both discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, manager search, and tax-lot accounting services.

Active portfolio management Options & derivatives strategies Private / alternative investments Concentrated stock management Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Founder/Business Owner Executive
user avatar

Jace H

CFP®, Series 63, Series 66

Rockwall, TX

Rockwall Wealth Management

Jace Hart is a CFP® with nine years of industry experience and currently serves as a financial advisor at Rockwall Wealth Management. His prior experience includes roles at Leo Wealth, LPL Financial, and Fidelity Brokerage Services. Rockwall Wealth Management provides portfolio management, financial planning, and consulting services to individuals, trusts, plans, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm emphasizes diversified, low-cost ETF model portfolios with a focus on tax efficiency, liquidity, and systematic macro tilts, offering both traditional and advanced investment strategies tailored to client objectives.

Active portfolio management Options & derivatives strategies Private / alternative investments Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Retirement income strategy
user avatar

Jeffrey M

CFP®, ChFC®, Series 66

Greenville, DE

Investment Management & Planning LLC

Jeffrey Macdonald is a CFP® and ChFC® with 18 years of industry experience. He has worked at Investment Management & Planning LLC and LPL Financial since 2010, following two years at Wells Fargo Clearing. Investment Management & Planning LLC provides investment advisory and financial planning services primarily to individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm constructs tailored portfolios using mutual funds, ETFs, equities, and fixed-income securities, employing fundamental analysis and continuous supervision, and operates as both a wrap program sponsor and affiliated registered representatives of LPL Financial.

General retirement planning Business succession planning Tax strategies for small businesses Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Founder/Business Owner Executive Mid-Career Professionals Approaching retirement
Warmer team member

Not sure where to start?

We'll help you think it through—whether you ultimately need an advisor or not. Warmer helps you compare advisors clearly, so you can choose with confidence.

Find your advisor

For advisor listings, we rely on sources including public filings and data provided by advisors, and we cannot guarantee that all information is current or accurate. Advisors are independent and may not have reviewed or updated this information. Please review an advisor’s Form ADV and do your own diligence before deciding whether to work with them.

Advisor matching and introductions are provided by FinanceHQ LLC (“FHQ”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Warmer and an SEC-registered investment advisor. We receive compensation from certain participating advisors for introductions or referrals. This creates a conflict of interest because we have an incentive to recommend advisors who compensate us, including those who pay us more. You pay no fee to use our matching service, and advisor fees are not increased because of a referral or introduction. We do not review the ongoing performance of advisors, manage or hold assets, guarantee performance, or provide advice about specific investments.

By using our service, you agree to our Terms of Service and Advisory Agreement, and acknowledge our Privacy Policy. Please review FHQ’s ADV Part 2A and Form CRS. Logos provided by Logo.dev

© 2026 Warmer Holdings Inc. (“Warmer”)