Top financial advisors working with married couples and partners in Trenton, NJ

Santo Costa is a financial advisor at Merrill with four years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and has previously worked at DME Capital and Tink Construction LLC, as well as having a background unrelated to finance at Burn the Floor. Merrill, along with its affiliate Managed Account Advisors LLC, provides managed account services to Bank of America fiduciary clients through the Select Portfolio Solutions Program. The firm offers various model-based and discretionary investment strategies for individuals, high-net-worth clients, pension and profit-sharing plans, corporations, and charitable organizations.

Ralph Puzio is a financial advisor at Mercer Financial Group, Inc. in Trenton, NJ, with 42 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 63 designation and has worked with U.S. Discount Brokerage, Inc. and Jefferson Pilot Securities Corporation for over two decades. His other business activities include tax preparation, insurance and annuity sales, and financial planning. Mercer Financial Group, Inc. is a single-advisor independent firm serving individual clients with portfolio management and related advisory services, typically on a primarily non-discretionary basis. The firm manages approximately $11.5 million in assets across 12 client accounts and is noted for its combination of advisory, brokerage, accounting, and insurance relationships.

Hardy Hodges III is a Series 66-registered financial advisor with Fidelity in Trenton, NJ, bringing 18 years of industry experience. His career includes 15 years at Merrill, along with roles at Bank of America and Fidelity Investments. Outside of finance, he operates small businesses selling flavored green teas and engages in affiliate marketing. He works with Strategic Advisers LLC, a Fidelity Investments company that provides investment management and advisory services to retail and institutional clients. The firm employs a combination of fundamental research, quantitative analysis, and algorithmic portfolio construction across various investment vehicles.

Edward Adams is a financial advisor with Cetera, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 26 years of industry experience. He has worked with Cetera since 2006 and has been involved in multiple related business activities, including serving as an adjunct professor at Rider University since 1988 and managing his own CPA practice focused on tax and audit services. He also holds board roles in organizations such as Paedeia, Inc., a medical development company, and the Trenton Cycling Revolution. Cetera Investment Advisers LLC serves a broad client base including individuals, retirement plans, corporate, charitable, and institutional clients through a multi-manager platform offering discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and access to both affiliated and unaffiliated third-party managers.

Gilbert Varnes Jr. is a financial advisor with Gcvsvc1 LLC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and 24 years of industry experience. He worked at U.S. Allianz Securities, Inc. from 1999 to 2006 and Multi Financial Securities Corporation from 2006 to present. Outside of his advisory role, he is involved in tax services, credit repair, and serves as a notary public. Gcvsvc1 LLC is an independent firm serving clients with personalized financial solutions.

Kayla Santos is a financial advisor with Mass Mutual Investors Services in Warwick, RI, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and having 10 years of industry experience. She has worked at Mass Mutual Investors Services since 2017 and previously at MetLife Securities. In addition to her advisory role, Santos is an independent insurance agent, offering life, fixed annuities, disability, long-term care, and health insurance products. Mass Mutual Investors Services, LLC is a broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser that serves individuals, business owners, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and employers. The firm provides financial planning, asset management, wrap and money-manager programs, and educational seminars, structuring engagements as annual collaborative relationships focused on goal analysis and written recommendations.

Robert Schiano is a Senior Financial Advisor with Merrill Lynch Wealth Management. He serves individuals, families, and corporate executives by providing wealth management services that integrate investment resources from Merrill and banking capabilities at Bank of America. Robert works collaboratively with clients’ attorneys and CPAs to address all aspects of their financial lives. Since joining Merrill Lynch Wealth Management in 2000, Robert has focused on developing personalized financial strategies tailored to his clients’ goals, risk tolerances, and time horizons. He begins each client relationship with a thorough information gathering and risk assessment process and provides ongoing reviews to ensure alignment with evolving objectives. His services include assisting retirees with 401(k) distributions, income planning, and legacy planning. Robert holds the Personal Investment Advisor (PIA) designation and earned his High School Diploma from Jonathan Dayton. He participates in the American Cancer Society’s annual Relay for Life and volunteers locally. A New Jersey native, Robert lives in Mountainside, NJ with his wife and two children. In his leisure time, he enjoys skiing and fishing.

Lynn Matheron is a financial advisor at Masonboro Advisors in Wilmington, NC, with three years of industry experience. She holds a Series 65 designation and has held positions at Capital Investment Advisory Services, Glasgow & Associates, and Coldwell Banker Sea Coast, among others. In addition to her advisory role, she is a licensed independent insurance agent. Masonboro Advisors is an SEC-registered firm managing approximately $206 million for individuals, trusts, corporations, and high-net-worth clients. The firm offers discretionary portfolio management, comprehensive financial planning, and sub-advisory services, using a tailored, asset-allocation approach that includes mutual funds, ETFs, individual securities, and structured notes through its Yield Enhancement Strategy.

Ben is the founder of Ketwich Capital LLC ("Ket-Cap") which serves the financial and investment needs of professionals and families. Ben is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and a Certified Kingdom Advisor®. Prior to founding Ket-Cap in 2017, Ben spent a decade working on Wall Street at UBS and Neuberger Berman. As an equity analyst in 2008, he had a front-row seat to the housing bubble burst and the collapse of the global economy. This experience taught him the dangers of financial salesmanship (mortgages in this case) and the pitfall wealth can bring when there is no plan or purpose. Ben is passionate about helping others become secure, content, and generous in their wealth. Ben has facilitated financial courses including Financial Peace University, Charting Your Legacy, and the Journey of Generosity (Generous Giving). In his personal time, Ben can be found either outside with his wife and two young children or building something around the house. He is an avid reader of books related to money, history, and theology.

Peter Bittermann is a financial advisor at Westminster Financial Advisory Corp with 26 years of industry experience. He has worked at Westminster Financial Advisory since 2011 and previously was with RBC Capital Markets Corporation from 2008 to 2011. He holds the Series 66 designation. Westminster Financial Advisory Corporation provides investment supervisory services and financial planning to individuals, families, trusts, estates, fiduciaries, charitable organizations, small businesses, and retirement plans. The firm employs a strategic asset allocation approach with tactical overlays and uses a buy-and-hold framework combined with discretionary trading and option strategies.