Seasoned, social Security optimization financial advisors in Talladega, AL

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 approaching Social Security age and want to maximize your benefits, you need an advisor who understands the nuances of claiming strategies. A common mistake is claiming too early or in the wrong sequence, which can reduce your lifetime benefits.

Seasoned advisors bring decades of experience navigating Social Security rules and can help you avoid costly errors.

  • Claiming strategy expertise. Ask how they tailor your claiming age and spousal benefits to your unique work and earnings history.
  • Coordination with retirement income. Confirm they integrate Social Security timing with your overall cash flow and tax situation.
  • Understanding Alabama taxes. Since property taxes are low in Alabama, see how they factor this into your retirement spending plan.
  • Long-term benefit planning. Ensure they consider how your Social Security choices affect survivor and disability benefits over time.

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

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Answer a few questions to see advisors matched to you.

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Jeffery V

Series 66

Pell City, AL

LPL Financial

Jeffery Vandiver is a financial advisor with LPL Financial, holding a Series 66 designation and bringing 12 years of industry experience. Prior to joining LPL Financial in 2020, he worked at Cetera Investment Services and Regions Bank, among other firms. Outside of his advisory role, he works as a school bus driver for the Pell City School Systems. LPL Financial serves a wide range of clients, including individuals, retirement plans, banks, and charitable organizations, offering financial planning, advisory programs, and brokerage services through a national network of investment adviser representatives. The firm provides both discretionary and non-discretionary management, utilizing model portfolios, research, and various technology-driven solutions.

College savings (529s, UTMA, etc.)
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Jerry G

CFP®, Series 63, Series 65

Lincoln, AL

Advisor Financial Group

Jerry Goodson is a CFP® professional with 21 years of experience in financial advising. He has worked at Advisor Financial Group, Inc. since 1999 as its sole advisor. Advisor Financial Group provides wealth management and investment advisory services to individuals, professionals, executives, businesses, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations. The firm uses a consultative process with a focus on multi-asset class, multi-manager, long-term portfolio strategies, managing assets on a non-discretionary basis without taking custody or exercising discretionary trading authority.

Wealth management Executive
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Elizabeth M

Series 66

Pell City, AL

Cambridge Investment Research Advisors

Elizabeth Mitcham is a financial advisor with Cambridge Investment Research Advisors and holds a Series 66 designation. She has four years of industry experience, including prior roles at SA Stone Wealth Management and operating Mitcham Financial Services. Outside of advising, she is involved in retail sales and marketing activities through businesses she owns in Birmingham, Alabama. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors serves a diverse client base ranging from individuals to pension plans and charitable organizations, offering financial planning, investment management, and retirement advisory services through a large network of independent Financial Professionals. The firm employs a range of investment approaches, including proprietary models and access to third-party managers, with both discretionary and non-discretionary implementation options.

Wealth management Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Retirement income strategy Annuities Self-Employed

Anna O

Series 66

Pell City, AL

Edward Jones

Anna Otterson is a financial advisor at Edward Jones in Pell City, Alabama, holding a Series 66 designation with seven years of industry experience. She has worked at Edward Jones since 2018 and previously was employed at Kasai North America from 2015 to 2018. Edward Jones is a full-service wealth management firm serving over four million individual and institutional clients, including households, pension plans, corporate clients, and charitable organizations. The firm offers a range of investment strategies and advisory services supported by a large network of financial advisors and branch offices, managing approximately $1.01 trillion in assets.

Retirement income strategy General retirement planning Wealth management General estate planning guidance Multi-generational wealth transfer Engineering Professional
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Edward B

Series 63, Series 65

Cropwell, AL

Raymond James & Associates

Edward Baldwin Sr. is a financial advisor at Raymond James & Associates with 26 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has been with Raymond James and its related entities since 2013. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as a trustee of a life insurance trust. Raymond James & Associates is a large, dually registered broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser managing approximately $501 billion in assets. The firm serves a diverse client base including individuals, institutional and pension plans, and municipal entities, offering financial planning, non-discretionary investment consulting, and institutional fiduciary services.

General retirement planning Retirement income strategy Business succession planning Founder/Business Owner Executive
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Willie M

Series 63, Series 66

Cary, NC

Equitable Advisors

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.

Retirement income strategy Social Security optimization Founder/Business Owner Retired Executive Approaching retirement Baby Boomers (Born 1946-1964)
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Stavroula K

Series 63, Series 65

Linwood, NJ

Ameriprise

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.

Retirement income strategy Income planning Social Security optimization Retirement withdrawal strategies Approaching retirement
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Cassandra S

Series 63, Series 65

Plano, TX

Financial & Tax Architects, LLC

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.

Retirement income strategy Social Security optimization Annuities Income planning General tax planning Retired
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Keith E

CFP®

Pittsburgh, PA

Keith L. Eliou, CFP

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.

Social Security optimization Retirement income strategy Cash flow / budgeting Charitable giving tax strategies Business exit / sale strategy Founder/Business Owner
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Charles P

CFP®, Series 63, Series 65

San Rafael, CA

WealthSpire Advisors

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.

Retirement income strategy Social Security optimization Roth conversion strategy Tax-loss harvesting Private / alternative investments Founder/Business Owner Retired Mid-Career Professionals Established Professionals
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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
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Elizabeth B

Series 66

New York, NY

J.P. Morgan Securities

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.

Wealth management Executive Founder/Business Owner
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David C

Series 63, Series 65

Houston, TX

LPL Financial

David Cade is a financial advisor at LPL Financial with 42 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and previously worked for Next Financial Group, Inc. for 20 years before joining LPL Financial in 2025. LPL Financial is a national SEC-registered investment adviser and broker-dealer serving individuals, retirement plans, banks, corporations, and charitable organizations. The firm offers a range of advisory programs and financial planning services with both discretionary and non-discretionary management, utilizing research and model portfolios to support diversified investment strategies.

College savings (529s, UTMA, etc.)
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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
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Linda P

Series 63

Mt. Laurel, NJ

BC Advisors, LLC

Linda Postorivo is a financial advisor at BC Advisors, LLC with 43 years of industry experience. She holds a Series 63 designation and has worked with MAFG RIA Services, Inc. since 1994 and with Mid-Atlantic Companies since 1981. BC Advisors provides investment advisory and portfolio management services primarily to high-net-worth individuals, family trusts, pension and profit-sharing plans, and other institutional clients. The firm emphasizes non-discretionary investment recommendations grounded in fundamental analysis alongside technical and cyclical reviews, employing a variety of strategies including long-term, short-term, trading, options, and alternatives.

Active portfolio management
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