Independent, social Security optimization financial advisors in St. Louis Park, MN

Donovan Carson is the principal advisor at Carson Capital in St. Louis Park, MN, holding a Series 65 designation with five years of industry experience. He previously worked at UnitedHealthGroup as a Senior Product Owner and is also the owner of True Edge LLC. Carson Capital provides discretionary investment management, financial planning, consulting, and retirement plan advisory services to individuals, families, trusts, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm follows a growth-oriented, data-driven investment process that incorporates risk-based asset allocation and uses a variety of analytical tools, including AI-assisted methods, to coordinate portfolio strategy with clients' financial plans and cash-flow needs.

I work with people who are building something their parents couldn't and who've never quite felt like financial planning was built for them. My clients are navigating student debt, supporting family, building wealth for the first time, and trying to make decisions that reflect their values and not just their spreadsheet. They're intentional, they're capable, and they deserve an advisor who meets them where they are. I know that feeling personally. I'm the daughter of Hmong refugees from Laos. My parents came to the U.S. with little more than hope. They worked incredibly hard for our family but never had access to the financial knowledge that makes building wealth possible. That's why I founded Heartworth Financial. Over the past decade, I've built deep experience working with physicians at every stage — residents managing six-figure debt on a training salary, attendings navigating peak earning years, and physicians planning their exit from medicine — alongside first-generation wealth builders, immigrant families, and anyone who has ever walked into a financial conversation feeling like they didn't quite belong there.

Paul Draeger is a CFP®-designated financial advisor with UBS Financial Services in St. Louis Park, MN, bringing eight years of industry experience. He has been with UBS since 2017, following a brief tenure at Nike and completing his education at the University of St. Thomas. UBS Financial Services serves individual, corporate, and institutional clients through brokerage and investment advisory services, combining proprietary research and model-based asset allocation to tailor plans aligned with clients’ goals and risk tolerance. The firm operates both as an investment adviser and a broker-dealer, offering a broad range of capital markets and wealth management capabilities.

Vincent Troy is a ChFC® credentialed financial advisor with 43 years of industry experience. He is currently with United Planners' Financial Services of America, having joined in 2024, and previously worked at Grove Point Investments, H. Beck, Inc., and DSSTT. He has owned and operated Troy Associates, a marketing entity, since 2009. United Planners Financial Services serves a diverse client base including individuals, corporations, charitable organizations, retirement plans, and various institutional clients. The firm offers financial planning, portfolio management, retirement plan services, and brokerage solutions through a network of 477 independent advisors using an open-architecture platform with multiple custodians and third-party money managers.

Kathryn Donovan is a financial advisor with Ameriprise in Minneapolis, MN, holding a CFP® certification along with Series 63 and Series 65 licenses. She has 29 years of industry experience, all with Ameriprise and its affiliated entities since 1999. Ameriprise Financial Services is a large diversified firm serving both individual and institutional clients, offering a specialized Premier Retirement Income service that provides written retirement income recommendations and annual planning advice focused on dependable income and tax-aware withdrawal strategies.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Jared Fruth is a financial advisor at Northwest Asset Management with four years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and previously worked at Securities America, Inc., KMS Financial Services, Inc., Oppenheimer Funds, and John Paul Mitchell Systems. Northwest Asset Management is a registered investment adviser managing approximately $3.6 billion for nearly 3,000 clients, including individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, charities, and corporations. The firm employs a customized, fiduciary approach using Modern Portfolio Theory and strategic asset allocation, combining fundamental and technical analysis to build diversified portfolios with periodic rebalancing.

Edwina Martin is a Series 65 licensed financial advisor with two years of industry experience, currently with Waverly Advisors, LLC. She previously worked at 9258 Wealth Management for five years and was employed at Teradata Corp for eleven years. Martin also serves as assistant director of tax planning at 9258 Tax and Planning, a non-investment related business. Waverly Advisors is a multi-team registered investment adviser managing portfolios for individuals, retirement plans, and pooled investment vehicles. The firm combines traditional equity and fixed-income strategies with alternative and private-market allocations, offering a range of investment management and financial planning services.

Craig Mcdaniel Jr. is a financial advisor with Capital Investment Advisory Services, LLC in Columbia, SC. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 13 years of industry experience. He has been with Capital Investment Group, Inc. and The McDaniel Corporation since 2012. Outside of his advisory role, he is involved in life insurance sales and serves as an independent agent for annuities and related products. Capital Investment Advisory Services, LLC provides investment advisory and supervisory services to individuals, retirement plans, corporations, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations. The firm offers customized investment management through discretionary mandates, third-party managers, and private-label model portfolios, using a blend of analytical methods with ongoing portfolio monitoring.

David Hart is a financial advisor with Martin Wealth Management, LLC in Irvine, CA. He holds a Series 65 credential and has 15 years of industry experience. Hart previously worked with Safeguard Investment Advisory Group and LifePro Asset Management. He is also a Certified Financial Fiduciary and volunteers as an instructor with the Foundation for Fiduciary Education, providing unbiased fiduciary financial education to the public. Martin Wealth Management offers investment advisory services primarily to individuals and high-net-worth clients by co-advising and directing accounts to a third-party money manager, Matson Money. The firm focuses on client onboarding, documentation, and ongoing review of third-party manager accounts rather than direct asset management.

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.