Large-firm financial advisors working with clients approaching retirement in Wilson, NC

John Ausley is a Series 66 licensed financial advisor with Thrivent Investment Management, based in Wilson, NC, and has two years of industry experience. Prior to joining Thrivent, he spent four years at Wilson Christian Academy and four years at Pensacola Christian College. Thrivent Investment Management provides Dedicated Planning Services to individuals, families, businesses, and nonprofit clients, offering comprehensive written recommendations on retirement, tax, estate, and other planning topics. The firm emphasizes holistic, goal-based analyses and maintains a separation between planning and managed-account services.

Adam Ward is a Financial Consultant at Fidelity Investments, where he has been serving since 2023. Prior to this role, he worked as a Planning Consultant at Fidelity Investments from 2021 to 2023. Before joining Fidelity, Adam was a Senior Financial Services Officer at State Employees' Credit Union from 2016 to 2021. Adam focuses on comprehensive financial planning tailored to clients' goals. He works closely with clients to provide education and recommendations on appropriate strategies and helps them adjust their plans in response to life's changes. His approach involves identifying the purpose behind clients' assets and utilizing Fidelity's offerings to build effective financial plans. Outside of his professional responsibilities, Adam enjoys family activities, social events with friends, golf, music, outdoor adventures, and tennis.

Tom Bardin Jr. is a financial advisor with Equitable Advisors, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and having 44 years of industry experience. He has worked with Equitable Advisors since 2015 and previously with Axa Advisors, LLC and Osaic FS, Inc. Mr. Bardin is based in Wilson, North Carolina. Equitable Advisors serves individual clients across wealth levels, pension and profit-sharing plans, corporations, charitable organizations, and institutional clients. The firm’s approach involves assessing risk tolerance and matching clients to program models or discretionary managers, utilizing a range of investment products and advisory platforms without sponsoring its own wrap fee program.

Michael Wetherington is a financial advisor with Ameriprise in Wilson, NC, holding a Series 66 designation and 13 years of industry experience. He has been with Ameriprise and its affiliated entities since 2012. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as a Wilson County Commissioner and is a member of the KRMW Airport Board of Directors. Ameriprise offers a retirement-income planning service targeting individuals approaching or in retirement with significant investable assets, providing written Recommendation Reports that address income sources, Social Security, and tax-efficient withdrawal strategies. The firm combines research, modeling, and tax analysis in its advisory approach and supports a broad range of advisory, brokerage, and insurance solutions.

Sheila Hernandez Calzada is a financial advisor at Wells Fargo Clearing with Series 63 and Series 65 credentials. She has been with Wells Fargo Clearing since 2025 and has prior experience at Wells Fargo Bank, Smithfield Foods, Conestoga Wood Specialist, Florida Blue, and Piggly Wiggly. Wells Fargo Clearing provides retirement plan consulting to qualified ERISA plans and non-qualified deferred compensation plans, offering services such as investment policy statement preparation, investment recommendations, performance reporting, and participant education. The firm’s advisory process is IPS-driven and grounded in modern portfolio theory, with a range of investment options including insurance-related vehicles and bank deposit sweep programs.

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, previously serving at Axa Advisors and MSI Financial Services. Outside of advising, he is a co-chairman of a fundraising campaign for Alpha Light Fund Inc., a nonprofit focused on renovating the House of Alpha. Equitable Advisors serves a range of clients including individuals, pension plans, corporations, and charitable organizations, providing financial planning, retirement consulting, and asset management through a network of representatives and third-party managers. The firm offers various investment vehicles and ERISA fiduciary services, relying on third-party program sponsors and an affiliation with a publicly traded parent company.

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.

Jeffrey Park is a financial advisor at Merrill with eight years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at Merrill and affiliated firms since 2011, including roles at JPMorgan Chase Bank and J.P. Morgan Securities. Outside of his advisory work, he is a sole owner and co-owner of family rental properties in Lawrenceville, Georgia. Merrill, together with its affiliate Managed Account Advisors LLC, provides managed account services to Bank of America fiduciary clients through the Select Portfolio Solutions Program, offering model-based and discretionary strategies for individuals, high-net-worth clients, and institutional investors.

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.

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.

Wesley Pool is a financial advisor at Wells Fargo Clearing with 15 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and previously worked at JPMorgan Securities LLC for seven years. Outside of finance, he has been involved with #TagMeBro LLC and Fry Street Public House. Wells Fargo Advisors is a national securities firm serving individual, corporate, and institutional clients with investment advisory services, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting. The firm manages approximately $671 billion in assets and offers both brokerage and advisory solutions.

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, previously serving at Axa Advisors and MSI Financial Services. Outside of advising, he is a co-chairman of a fundraising campaign for Alpha Light Fund Inc., a nonprofit focused on renovating the House of Alpha. Equitable Advisors serves a range of clients including individuals, pension plans, corporations, and charitable organizations, providing financial planning, retirement consulting, and asset management through a network of representatives and third-party managers. The firm offers various investment vehicles and ERISA fiduciary services, relying on third-party program sponsors and an affiliation with a publicly traded parent company.