Top college savings (529s, UTMA, etc.) financial advisors in Syracuse, NY

Leslie Smith is a financial advisor with Cetera, holding a Series 63 designation and 34 years of industry experience. Prior to joining Cetera in 2025, Leslie worked at Avalon, Avantax Advisory Services, and Cadaret, Grant & Co. Outside of advising, Leslie is involved with Avalon Position, a company providing printing, cybersecurity, and document management services to the legal and medical fields. Cetera Investment Advisers LLC serves a diverse client base including individuals, retirement plans, corporate and charitable clients, and institutions. The firm offers a multi-manager platform with various portfolio management and financial planning services, supported by a nationwide network of over 10,000 advisors.

Geoffrey Irving is a financial advisor with Equitable Advisors in Syracuse, NY, holding a Series 66 designation and seven years of industry experience. Prior to joining Equitable Advisors in 2019, he was associated with AXA Advisors and AXA Equitable. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as Partner and President of Operations at American Made Games Inc., a company that fabricates wooden lawn games. Equitable Advisors serves a broad client base including individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, corporations, and charitable organizations. The firm offers financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and various asset-management programs through a network of Investment Adviser Representatives, utilizing both proprietary and third-party investment models.

Mac Cadaret Jr. is a financial advisor at LPL Financial with 28 years of industry experience. Prior to joining LPL Financial in 2025, he worked at Cadaret, Grant & Co., Inc. for 28 years. He holds the Series 63 designation. LPL Financial is a national broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser offering a range of advisory and brokerage services to individuals, retirement plan participants, banks, trust companies, and other institutions. The firm provides financial planning, model portfolio programs, third-party asset management, and institutional platforms, supporting advisors with research and technology tools.

Donald Karlik is a financial advisor with Mass Mutual Investors Services and holds a Series 63 designation. He has 16 years of industry experience, including prior roles at MetLife Securities Inc. and Mass Mutual Life Insurance Company. Outside of advising, he is an insurance agent with Family First Life. Mass Mutual Investors Services is a broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, business owners, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and employers with financial planning and asset management services.

Gary Sunada is a financial advisor with Eagle Strategies (NY Life) based in Syracuse, NY. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 designations and has 19 years of industry experience. Prior to joining Eagle Strategies in 2025, he has been associated with NYLIFE Securities since 2007 and New York Life since 2006. Outside of his advisory role, he is involved in insurance brokering with outside carriers for non-registered insurance products. Eagle Strategies serves a diverse client base including individual investors and institutional clients by providing financial planning, investment management, and retirement-plan advisory services. The firm offers multiple program types emphasizing tailored recommendations and manages the majority of its assets on a non-discretionary basis.

Hassan Al Kadhimi is a financial advisor with LPL Financial, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and two years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. He is also involved with NIHFCU Wealth Advisors, a related business entity. LPL Financial is a national broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, retirement plan participants, banks, trust companies, and institutions. The firm offers a range of advisory and brokerage services, including financial planning, model portfolio programs, and institutional platforms, supported by a large network of investment adviser representatives.

Richard Brandi is a financial advisor with Charles Schwab based in Austin, TX, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 32 years of industry experience. He has been with Charles Schwab and Charles Schwab Bank ssb since 2003 and 2005, respectively. Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. serves primarily high- and ultra-high-net-worth individuals through its Schwab Wealth Advisory wrap fee program and affiliated managed-account and financial planning services. The firm offers a mix of non-discretionary and discretionary investment guidance, leveraging multi-asset model portfolios and research from its Schwab Center for Financial Research.

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.

Paul Kinneberg is a CFP® and Series 65-registered advisor with 24 years of industry experience. He has been the principal and sole advisor at Longview Financial, Inc. since 2000 and also holds a long-term corporate role at CenturyLink. Longview Financial, Inc. provides personalized, fee-only financial planning and investment management primarily for individual clients. The firm uses a strategic asset allocation approach with a core-and-satellite framework, combining passive index and ETF core holdings with active funds when appropriate, and manages client assets on a non-discretionary basis with an emphasis on individualized advice.

Justin Scicluna is a financial advisor at Edward Jones in Prairie Village, KS, holding the CFP®, ChFC®, and Series 66 designations with 13 years of industry experience. He has been with Edward Jones since 2013. Edward Jones is a full-service wealth management firm serving more than four million individual and institutional clients, including a range of household types, pension plans, corporate clients, and charitable organizations. The firm manages approximately $1.01 trillion in assets and offers various advisory programs, discretionary and non-discretionary strategies, and affiliated investment products through a nationwide network of over 23,700 financial advisors.