Large-firm financial advisors working with mid-career professionals 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 at Equitable Advisors with six years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at Equitable Advisors and its predecessor firms since 2015. Outside of finance, he is a partner and President of Operations at American Made Games Inc., a company that fabricates wooden lawn games. Equitable Advisors serves individual investors, retirement plan sponsors, corporations, and charitable organizations by providing financial planning, retirement plan support, and access to asset management through LPL programs and third-party asset managers. The firm uses a hybrid referral and implementation model, offering both advisory and brokerage channels to implement client recommendations.

Mac Cadaret Jr. is a financial advisor with LPL Financial, holding a Series 63 designation and 28 years of industry experience. Prior to joining LPL in 2025, he worked for Cadaret, Grant & Co., Inc. for 28 years. LPL Financial is an SEC-registered investment adviser and broker-dealer serving individuals, retirement plans, banks, corporations, and charitable organizations through a national network. The firm provides a range of advisory programs and financial planning services, leveraging model portfolios, third-party research, and technology to support diversified investment strategies.

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.

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.

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.

Jeffrey Macdonald is a CFP® and ChFC® with 17 years of industry experience. He has been with Investment Management & Planning LLC since 2010 and is also affiliated with LPL Financial LLC. Investment Management & Planning LLC provides fee-based investment advisory and comprehensive financial planning primarily for individual and high-net-worth clients, offering portfolio management on both discretionary and non-discretionary bases. The firm emphasizes ongoing account supervision and individualized asset allocation, often utilizing LPL-sponsored platforms and model portfolios.

Lee Chen is a financial advisor with UBS Financial Services in Pasadena, California, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 28 years of industry experience. He has been with UBS since 2009. Outside of his advisory role, Chen serves on the board of directors for the San Gabriel Country Club. UBS Financial Services serves individual, corporate, and institutional clients through brokerage and investment advisory offerings, combining proprietary capital market research with a broad range of financial planning and portfolio management solutions.

Thomas Phillipsen is a Series 65 licensed advisor at Annex Wealth Management, LLC with experience beginning in 2024. His prior work includes roles at Associated Bank and JJ Keller & Associates, as well as experience at Ripon College. Annex Wealth Management is an SEC-registered advisory firm managing approximately $8.05 billion for about 9,800 clients, including high-net-worth individuals, pension plans, charitable organizations, and corporate entities. The firm utilizes a team-oriented investment process based on a core-and-tactical framework and offers comprehensive wealth management, discretionary portfolio management, retirement consulting, and online goals-based services.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 and previously at AXA Advisors, LLC. Outside of his advisory work, he serves as co-chairman of a fundraising campaign for the nonprofit Alpha Light Fund Inc., focused on renovating the House of Alpha. Equitable Advisors serves a diverse client base including individual, high-net-worth, retirement plan, corporate, charitable, and institutional clients, offering financial planning, broker-dealer services, insurance distribution, and access to third-party asset management programs. The firm operates as both an SEC-registered investment adviser and broker-dealer, leveraging LPL-sponsored programs and endorsed TAMPs to deliver advisory and brokerage solutions.