Top college savings (529s, UTMA, etc.) financial advisors in Waterbury, CT

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.

Saving for college often starts when you want to ease future tuition costs or manage gifts and inheritances for education. Without careful planning, you might miss out on tax benefits or choose the wrong account type for your goals.

  • Account type clarity. Understand the differences between 529 plans and UTMA accounts, including tax treatment and control over funds.
  • Gift and estate tax impact. In a state with high wealth concentration, ask how contributions might affect your estate or gift tax planning.
  • Investment options. Check how the advisor selects and manages investments within college savings accounts to align with your timeline.
  • Withdrawal strategies. Confirm how they plan distributions to maximize tax advantages and avoid penalties.

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

Want help finding the right advisor?

Answer a few questions to see advisors matched to you.

user avatar

Brianna G

CFP®, Series 66

Waterbury, CT

Ameriprise

Brianna Gambacini is a CFP® and Series 66-registered financial advisor with Ameriprise in Waterbury, CT, bringing two years of industry experience. Her background includes roles at Gentle Care Animal Hospital and academic positions at the University of Connecticut and North Carolina State University. She is also involved in managing her own advisory business, Honey Badger Management. Ameriprise provides retirement-income planning services primarily for individuals approaching or in retirement with significant investable assets, combining research, modeling, and tax-efficiency analysis to deliver tailored, non-discretionary recommendations.

Retirement income strategy Income planning Social Security optimization Retirement withdrawal strategies Approaching retirement
user avatar

Conrad T

CFP®, Series 63

Waterbury, CT

Independent Financial Group, LLC

Conrad Tarte is a CFP®-designated financial advisor with over 45 years of industry experience. He is currently with Independent Financial Group, LLC and has held roles at Grove Point Advisors, Continental Nine Financial Management, and Grove Point Investments. Outside of his advisory work, he is the sole owner of Continental Nine Financial Management, providing fee-based investment advisory, tax preparation, and estate planning services. Independent Financial Group, LLC offers investment advisory and brokerage services to a wide range of clients, including individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, and institutional accounts. The firm employs strategic asset allocation with a combination of active and passive management, utilizing both in-house and third-party models to tailor client investment strategies.

Wealth management Active portfolio management Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Founder/Business Owner Executive Retired
user avatar

Thomas M

Series 63, Series 65

Oakville, CT

OSAIC Institutions, INC.

Thomas Moran is a financial advisor with OSAIC Institutions, Inc. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 38 years of industry experience. His prior work includes roles at Infinex Investments, Inc., LPL Financial, LLC, Uvest Financial Services Group, Inc., and Webster Investment Services, Inc. OSAIC Institutions, Inc. is an SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, ERISA retirement plans, trusts, estates, and corporate clients through a network of investment adviser representatives. The firm offers customized advisory services, financial planning, ERISA plan services, wrap programs, third-party asset manager referrals, and access to alternative investments and lending solutions, operating with a hybrid adviser/broker-dealer structure and utilizing independent promoters.

Annuities Tax-loss harvesting Founder/Business Owner Executive
user avatar

Klaus E

CFA®, ChFC®, Series 63, Series 66

Middlebury, CT

Edward Jones

Klaus Engstler is a CFA® and ChFC® credentialed financial advisor with seven years of industry experience, all of which has been with Edward Jones since 2019. He is based in Middlebury, CT. Edward Jones is a full-service wealth management firm serving over four million individual and institutional clients, including a broad range of households, pension plans, corporate clients, and charitable organizations. The firm offers a variety of investment strategies and advisory services supported by a large national network of financial advisors and branch offices.

Wealth management Tax-loss harvesting Multi-generational wealth transfer Retired Founder/Business Owner Executive
user avatar

Emily M

Series 63, Series 65

Waterbury, CT

LPL Financial

Emily Medrek is a financial advisor with LPL Financial in Waterbury, CT, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and 24 years of industry experience. She previously worked at People's Securities, Inc. for 24 years and has been with Webster Bank since 2023. LPL Financial is a national broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, retirement plan participants, banks, trust companies, and other institutions through a large network of investment adviser representatives. The firm offers a range of financial planning and asset management services employing various strategies and advisor-support tools.

Wealth management Retirement income strategy College savings (529s, UTMA, etc.) Tax-loss harvesting Annuities Retired Founder/Business Owner Executive
user avatar

Hassan A

Series 63, Series 65

Rockville, MD

LPL Financial

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.

Wealth management Retirement income strategy College savings (529s, UTMA, etc.) Tax-loss harvesting Annuities Retired Founder/Business Owner Executive
user avatar

Richard B

Series 63, Series 66

Austin, TX

Charles Schwab

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.

Private / alternative investments Real estate investing Multi-state taxation College savings (529s, UTMA, etc.)
user avatar

Thaddeus P

CFP®, Series 63, Series 65

Grand Rapids, MI

Advance Wealth Management Service, LLC

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.

College savings (529s, UTMA, etc.) Charitable giving & philanthropy General estate planning guidance General tax planning Options & derivatives strategies
user avatar

Paul K

CFP®, Series 65

Zimmerman, MN

Longview Financial, Inc.

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.

General tax planning College savings (529s, UTMA, etc.) Cash flow / budgeting

Justin S

CFP®, ChFC®, Series 66

Prairie Village, KS

Edward Jones

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.

College savings (529s, UTMA, etc.) General estate planning guidance Multi-generational wealth transfer Retirement income strategy General retirement planning Retired Founder/Business Owner Executive
Warmer team member

Not sure where to start?

We'll help you think it through—whether you ultimately need an advisor or not. Warmer helps you compare advisors clearly, so you can choose with confidence.

Find your advisor

For advisor listings, we rely on sources including public filings and data provided by advisors, and we cannot guarantee that all information is current or accurate. Advisors are independent and may not have reviewed or updated this information. Please review an advisor’s Form ADV and do your own diligence before deciding whether to work with them.

Advisor matching and introductions are provided by FinanceHQ LLC (“FHQ”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Warmer and an SEC-registered investment advisor. We receive compensation from certain participating advisors for introductions or referrals. This creates a conflict of interest because we have an incentive to recommend advisors who compensate us, including those who pay us more. You pay no fee to use our matching service, and advisor fees are not increased because of a referral or introduction. We do not review the ongoing performance of advisors, manage or hold assets, guarantee performance, or provide advice about specific investments.

By using our service, you agree to our Terms of Service and Advisory Agreement, and acknowledge our Privacy Policy. Please review FHQ’s ADV Part 2A and Form CRS. Logos provided by Logo.dev

© 2026 Warmer Holdings Inc. (“Warmer”)