Top general estate planning guidance financial advisors in White Plains, NY

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.

You need a general estate planning advisor when you want to organize your assets and wishes clearly to avoid surprises for your heirs. A common mistake is underestimating how estate tax cliffs can trigger large tax bills just above exemption limits.

  • Tax cliff awareness. Confirm the advisor understands how small changes in estate value can cause big tax jumps and plans accordingly.
  • Will and trust integration. Ask how they coordinate wills with trusts to ensure your intentions are legally clear and effective.
  • Asset protection strategies. Inquire about methods they use to shield your estate from unnecessary taxes or claims.
  • Beneficiary coordination. Check how they handle beneficiary designations to align with your overall estate plan.

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

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Jason D

Series 65

White Plains, NY

Milagre Wealth Management, Inc.

Jason Dos Santos is a financial advisor at Milagre Wealth Management, Inc. with a Series 65 designation and two years of industry experience. His prior roles include work at the Virtual Civilization Initiative and Marist College. Milagre Wealth Management offers fee-based investment management and financial planning services to individuals, trusts, and estates. The firm employs a range of analytical methods and trading strategies, tailoring portfolios based on client risk profiles while managing a large client base from multiple offices.

Active portfolio management
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John B

Series 63, Series 65

White Plains, NY

Hightower Advisors

John Buffa is a financial advisor with Hightower Advisors in White Plains, NY, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and possessing 28 years of industry experience. He has worked at Hightower Advisors since 2017 and previously spent nearly a decade at Morgan Stanley in various capacities, including Morgan Stanley Private Bank and Morgan Stanley Smith Barney. Hightower Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to a diverse client base, including individual and institutional investors. The firm employs a multi-manager approach with access to affiliated and third-party managers, proprietary research, and a range of investment vehicles, serving clients through discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting.

Wealth management Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Tax-loss harvesting Founder/Business Owner Executive
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Frank D

Series 63, Series 65

New York, NY

ARCH Global Advisors, LLC

Frank Davidson is a financial advisor at ARCH Global Advisors, LLC with 33 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 63 and Series 65 designations and has previously worked at Cadaret, Grant & Co., Inc. and Prudential Financial Planning Services. Outside of advisory work, he is involved in insurance sales and related activities. ARCH Global Advisors serves individuals, trusts, estates, businesses, and retirement plans by providing discretionary investment management, financial planning, and retirement-plan advisory services. The firm uses customized portfolios with ETFs, equities, and mutual funds, and may utilize options and margin to pursue specific objectives.

Options & derivatives strategies
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Lawrence B

Series 63, Series 65

White Plains, NY

OSAIC

Lawrence Brown is a financial advisor at OSAIC with 33 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and has worked at firms including American Portfolios Financial Services, Inc., Park Avenue Securities, and The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America. Outside of his advisory work, he owns an accounting and tax preparation business serving individuals and small closely held companies and serves as trustee for multiple family trusts. OSAIC serves a diverse client base comprising retail and institutional investors, offering integrated brokerage and advisory services, financial planning, retirement consulting, and access to third-party money managers. The firm employs asset-allocation tools and managed-account platforms to construct portfolios across multiple asset classes and supports legacy platform integrations and third-party services.

Annuities Wealth management Tax-loss harvesting Private / alternative investments Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Founder/Business Owner Executive
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John F

Series 63, Series 65, Series 66

White Plains, NY

J.P. Morgan Securities

John Ford is a financial advisor at J.P. Morgan Securities with 28 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63, 65, and 66 licenses and has previously worked at firms including Charles Schwab, TD Ameritrade, and Fidelity Investments. J.P. Morgan Securities provides institutional consulting services to corporations, foundations, and defined contribution plan sponsors, offering asset allocation advice, investment manager searches, and customized performance reporting. The firm combines large institutional advisory operations with brokerage and investment management capabilities, delivering non-discretionary wealth advisory services supported by a centralized due-diligence framework.

Wealth management Executive Founder/Business Owner
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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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Kayla S

Series 63, Series 65

Warwick, RI

Mass Mutual Investors Services

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.

Divorce financial planning General estate planning guidance Multi-generational wealth transfer Cash flow / budgeting Founder/Business Owner Attorney Executive Married/Couples/Partners Divorced

Gordon B

Series 66

Luling, LA

Edward Jones

Gordon Brown III is a financial advisor at Edward Jones with 18 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and has been with Edward Jones since 2008. Edward Jones is a full-service wealth management firm serving over four million individual and institutional clients, with approximately $1.01 trillion in assets under management. The firm offers a range of advisory programs and investment options, operating under a fiduciary standard.

Retirement income strategy General estate planning guidance Multi-generational wealth transfer Wealth management Oil & Gas Engineering Professional
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William S

Series 63, Series 65

College Station, TX

Smith & Wyatt

William Soltow is a financial advisor at Smith & Wyatt with 13 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked previously at CoreCap Advisors and Cambridge Investment Research. Outside of his advisory role, he is the founder of Frontier Wealth Management and works as an independent insurance agent with Goosehead Insurance. Smith & Wyatt serves individuals, including high-net-worth clients, and corporations, managing approximately $207 million for around 724 clients through a team of eight advisors. The firm offers financial planning, discretionary portfolio management, and estate-planning consulting, tailoring investment advice to clients’ objectives and risk tolerances primarily through mutual funds and ETFs.

Government Employee
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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
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