Top financial advisors working with clients approaching retirement in Utica, NY

Joseph Leo is a financial advisor at Quartz Partners Investment Management with 20 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 63 designation and has worked with firms including Benchmark Investments, Etico Partners, Etico Wealth Management, and Dinosaur Securities. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as treasurer and chair of the investment committee for Pathfinder Village, a local nonprofit organization. Quartz Partners serves individual investors, retirement plans, institutions, and financial intermediaries by providing model-based investment management through separately managed accounts, model portfolios, a digital investing platform, and advisory services. The firm combines top-down macro analysis and bottom-up stock selection across multiple model series, managing accounts mostly on a discretionary basis and supporting various platform sponsors through multiple delivery arrangements.

Mark Foresti is a financial advisor at Primerica Advisors in Utica, NY, holding a Series 63 designation with 24 years of industry experience. He has been with Primerica Advisors since 2000 and Primerica Financial Services since 1999. In addition to his advisory role, Foresti serves as an instructor at Utica College. Primerica Advisors offers discretionary asset management through its Lifetime Investment Program, which includes model-delivery strategies and a limited number of separately managed account options for individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm uses third-party asset managers selected through independent due diligence and provides services under a tiered wrap-fee structure.

James Chase is a financial advisor with LPL Financial based in Utica, NY, holding Series 63, 65, and 66 designations and 13 years of industry experience. He has worked at firms including NBT Bank N.A., Wells Fargo Clearing Services LLC, and Key Investment Services LLC. He is also a notary. LPL Financial is an SEC-registered investment adviser and broker-dealer serving individuals, retirement plans, banks, credit unions, corporations, and charitable organizations through a national network of investment adviser representatives. The firm offers a range of financial planning and advisory programs, retirement plan consulting, and brokerage services, utilizing both discretionary and non-discretionary management supported by proprietary and third-party research.

Constance Smith is a financial advisor with LPL Enterprise in Utica, NY, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 14 years of industry experience. She has worked at Prudential Insurance Company of America and its affiliated broker-dealer, Pruco Securities, LLC, since 2011. LPL Enterprise serves a diverse client base including individuals, retirement plans, charitable organizations, corporations, and institutional clients through advisory and brokerage channels. The firm offers financial planning, access to model wealth portfolios, third-party asset management arrangements, and a range of brokerage and insurance products via its integrated platform.

John Clark is a CFA® charterholder with three years of industry experience. He has been with Adirondack Financial Services Corp since 2011. Adirondack Financial Services provides investment advisory and portfolio management services to individual and institutional clients, including companies, trusts, non-profit entities, and defined benefit plans. The firm employs a client-specific investment process that combines quantitative screening with qualitative manager and security review, managing approximately $412 million in assets.

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.

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.

Barbara Brewer is a financial advisor at RBC Capital Markets with 20 years of industry experience. She holds a Series 66 designation and has been with RBC Capital Markets Corporation since 2008. RBC Wealth Management, a division of RBC Capital Markets, serves individual investors, institutional clients, pension and profit-sharing plans, corporations, and charitable organizations. The firm offers various advisory programs with discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, custody, and brokerage services, tailoring strategies to clients’ Advisory Risk Profiles through a mix of in-house and third-party providers.

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.

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.