Top charitable giving & philanthropy financial advisors in Stamford, CT

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're planning significant charitable donations or setting up philanthropy goals, you need an advisor who understands how to align your giving with your overall financial picture. A common mistake is treating charitable giving as a one-time event rather than an ongoing strategy that can evolve with your wealth and tax situation.

  • Tax impact awareness. Look for advisors who explain how gifts affect your estate and income taxes, especially in states with high wealth concentration.
  • Giving vehicle options. Ask about different methods like donor-advised funds or charitable trusts and how they fit your goals.
  • Long-term philanthropy planning. Confirm they consider how your giving can adapt over time alongside your financial changes.
  • Integration with estate plans. Ensure they coordinate charitable strategies with your will and trusts to maximize benefits.

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

Michael R

Series 65

Stamford, CT

Ridgeview Asset Management Partners, LLC

Michael Robinson is a Series 65-licensed advisor with Ridgeview Asset Management Partners, LLC, where he has worked since 2016. He has a total of 16 years of industry experience, including a decade at General American Investors, Inc. Robinson also serves as a director of a small private company. Ridgeview Asset Management Partners advises high-net-worth individuals, families, trusts, foundations, and endowments through customized, discretionary separately managed accounts, and sponsors private pooled vehicles for institutional investors. The firm employs rules-based, risk-controlled investment programs tailored to client risk profiles, using diversified and tax-sensitive portfolios guided by technology and quantitative benchmarks.

Wealth management Private / alternative investments Passive / index investing Tax-loss harvesting
user avatar

Marc D

Series 63, Series 65

Stamford, CT

TIAA-CREF

Marc Defeo is a financial advisor with TIAA-CREF, holding Series 63 and Series 65 designations and 27 years of industry experience. He has been with TIAA-CREF since 2014. TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC’s Advice & Planning Services division offers financial planning and discretionary managed account programs to individuals, trusts, estates, partnerships, corporate entities, and small retirement plans, often serving clients with prior TIAA-administered employer retirement plan relationships. The firm provides planning services that conclude at delivery as well as ongoing discretionary management through various managed account programs and serves as adviser to the TIAA Donor Advised Fund.

General estate planning guidance Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Educators, Teachers, and Academics Founder/Business Owner Approaching retirement Mid-Career Professionals
user avatar

James C

CFP®, Series 63, Series 65

Stamford, CT

JC Capital Advisors Group LLC

James Cook is a CFP® with 20 years of industry experience, currently serving as an advisor at TJT Capital Group, LLC. He previously worked at JC Capital Advisors Group LLC and has been with TJT Capital Group for 17 years. Cook is also the editor of the newsletter The Investors Strategist. TJT Capital Group provides discretionary portfolio management for individuals, small businesses, trusts, estates, and institutional clients, focusing on asset allocation and mutual fund and ETF selection. The firm employs a combination of fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis to manage accounts aligned with four objective profiles and oversees approximately $294 million in assets under management.

Wealth management Passive / index investing
user avatar

Michelle R

Series 65

Stamford, CT

Asset Management Group, Inc.

Michelle Ross is a Series 65-licensed financial advisor with Asset Management Group, Inc. in Stamford, CT. She has seven years of industry experience and has been with the firm since 2019. Asset Management Group, Inc. provides discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and consulting services to individuals, pension plans, trusts, estates, and corporate clients. The firm emphasizes asset allocation and manager selection using a combination of fundamental, technical, quantitative, and qualitative analysis.

General retirement planning Retirement income strategy Income planning Medicare planning Approaching retirement Retired
user avatar

Elizabeth C

CFP®, Series 63, Series 65

Stamford, CT

Mass Mutual Investors Services

Elizabeth Cleary is a financial advisor with Mass Mutual Investors Services in Stamford, CT, holding the CFP® designation and industry licenses including Series 63 and Series 65. She has 17 years of experience in the financial services industry, with a background at Metlife Securities Inc and Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company. Outside of her advisory role, she is the owner of Lefebvre Financial Services, LLC, and serves as a trustee on an irrevocable life insurance trust. Mass Mutual Investors Services, LLC is a broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, business owners, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and employers. The firm offers financial planning, asset management, and educational seminars, providing collaborative, goal-based planning using firm-approved analytical tools.

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

Sally H

Series 63, Series 65

New York, NY

Seasons of Advice Wealth Management

Sally Hyman is a financial advisor at Seasons of Advice Wealth Management with 42 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has previously worked at Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. Outside of finance, she is a singer who sells her own vocal CDs and is involved in publishing her father's book titled "Congenital Alterable Transmissible Asymmetry: The Spiritual Meaning of Disease and Science." Seasons of Advice Wealth Management provides investment advisory and financial planning services to individuals, high net worth clients, trusts, small business owners, professionals, and families. The firm follows a life-cycle investment approach called the “Seasons of Advice” process and offers discretionary portfolio management, comprehensive financial planning, and specialized fixed-income programs through sub-advisors.

Charitable giving & philanthropy Business exit / sale strategy Founder/Business Owner Executive Mid-Career Professionals Established Professionals
user avatar

Richard M

Series 63

Fort Walton, FL

Cetera

Richard Martin is a financial advisor at Cetera with 29 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 63 designation and has a background that includes nearly three decades at Avantax Advisory Services and eight years at Avantax Insurance Agency. Outside of his advisory work, he is the owner and sole proprietor of Martin & Pellegrin, CPAs, a tax preparation and accounting firm. Cetera Investment Advisers LLC is an SEC-registered firm that serves a broad client base including individuals, retirement plans, corporate and charitable clients, and institutional accounts. The firm provides a multi-manager platform offering discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and access to various program structures and third-party money managers.

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

Edward B

Series 63, Series 65, Series 66

Forest Hills, NY

Merrill

Edward Blatz serves as a Senior Resident Director and Wealth Management Advisor at Merrill Lynch. He specializes in working with high net-worth individuals and families, focusing on estate and wealth management needs. Since joining Merrill Lynch Wealth Management in 1985, he has provided personalized financial solutions tailored to his clients' risk tolerance, time horizon, liquidity needs, and investment goals. Edward's expertise encompasses a range of areas including college education planning, divorce transition planning, employee benefits, executive compensation, family wealth management strategies, managing new wealth, individual and corporate investment strategies, and retirement income planning. He collaborates closely with clients' tax advisors and estate planning attorneys to ensure comprehensive management of clients' financial and personal affairs. Edward is recognized as a member of The Blatz-Rooney Group, which was named to the 2024 Forbes "Best-in-State Wealth Management Teams" list. Edward holds a Bachelor's Degree from Adelphi University and has earned several professional designations including Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor (CPFA), Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor (CRPC), Personal Investment Advisor (PIA), and Retirement Accredited Financial Advisor (RAFA). Outside of his professional work, he has interests in golfing, reading, and tennis.

Wealth management General estate planning guidance Family Business Retirement income strategy Divorce financial planning
user avatar

Patrick F

Series 66

New Market, MD

Intentional

Patrick Ferguson is a financial advisor at Intentional, LLC with 17 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at firms including Purshe Kaplan Sterling Investments and Commonwealth Financial Network. In addition to his advisory role, Ferguson is licensed to sell fixed and traditional insurance products. Intentional provides discretionary portfolio management and financial planning primarily for individual and high-net-worth clients, as well as retirement plan consulting for businesses and institutions. The firm combines fundamental, technical, and economic analysis in its investment approach and offers due diligence and monitoring of alternative and private investments for qualified investors.

Business succession planning Charitable giving & philanthropy Founder/Business Owner
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 referrals are provided by FinanceHQ LLC ("FHQ"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Warmer and an SEC-registered investment adviser. We may be compensated by participating advisors. You pay no fee to use our matching service, and advisor fees are not increased because of a referral. We do not supervise advisors, manage or hold assets, guarantee performance, or provide advice about specific investments.

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

© 2026 Warmer Holdings Inc. ("Warmer")