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Steven Smith

Advisor at Creative Financial Solutions, LLC

Updated today

Location

Barboursville, WV 25504

Credentials

Series 63

Industry experience

38 years

About

Steven Smith is a financial advisor with Creative Financial Solutions, LLC, holding a Series 63 designation and 38 years of industry experience. He has been with Creative Financial Solutions since 2008 and also maintains dual registrations with Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. Outside of his advisory work, Smith is a part owner of Esquire Country Club in Barboursville, WV. Creative Financial Solutions provides customized financial planning and advisory services for individuals, families, small businesses, and trusts. The firm focuses on individualized planning supported by third-party research and does not take custody of client assets, with investment activities managed through dual-registered advisors and custodial platforms.

Client services

Based on Creative Financial Solutions, LLC

Financial planning

Expertise

Based on Creative Financial Solutions, LLC

General retirement planning Income planning General tax planning Life insurance needs analysis

Fee options

Fixed

Fixed fees for financial planning engagements based on complexity and time required

Commissions

Commissions earned from investment and insurance products sold by advisors

Project-based

Fees based on hourly charges as needed for limited scope services

Subscriptions

Annual retainer fee for ongoing financial planning services (not deducted from accounts)

Other

Minimum fee: Minimum fee of $750.00 for financial planning services Fee-only: Financial planning fees based on complexity and net worth (starting at 0.5% of net worth) with minimum of $750; annual retainer fee for ongoing planning services

Location

6354 Us. Rt. 60 East, Suite 9

Barboursville, WV 25504

Most active in

West Virginia

Work history

Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc

2014 - Present (12 years)

Cambridge Investment Research Inc

2014 - Present (12 years)

Creative Financial Solutions, LLC

2008 - Present (18 years)

Disclosures

Exclamation point means they have disclosures of this type. Check mark means no disclosures of this type were found.

Business activities & affiliations

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Ethan L

Series 65

Barboursville, WV

Layne Financial Group

Ethan Layne is the sole advisor at Layne Financial Group, an independent registered investment adviser based in Barboursville, WV. He holds a Series 65 designation and has worked in financial and accounting roles since 2020, including running his own tax and accounting firm, Layne Tax Solutions. Outside of advisory services, he is involved in a printing company and was previously associated with a video advertising business. Layne Financial Group provides discretionary asset management and wealth planning for individual clients and institutional sponsors, including corporate retirement plans and nonprofit organizations. The firm employs a factor-based, academic evidence approach to dynamic asset allocation and offers pension and nonprofit consulting alongside standalone financial planning.

Factor investing / smart beta Wealth management Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) General estate planning guidance
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Joseph S

Series 63

President & Ceo, WV

The Spano Group Wealth Managers

Joseph Spano is the President and CEO of The Spano Group Wealth Managers with 30 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 63 designation and has worked at multiple firms including Freedom Financial Advisors and Potter & Spano Financial Group. The Spano Group Wealth Managers provides financial planning, portfolio management, and retirement plan consulting to individuals, high-net-worth clients, corporations, and charities. The firm uses fundamental analysis to construct portfolios and offers ERISA-related retirement plan consulting and co-advisory services.

Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) General tax planning General estate planning guidance Active portfolio management Options & derivatives strategies
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Malcolm M

Series 65

Huntington, WV

Global Value Investment Corporation

Malcolm Maclaren is a financial advisor at Global Value Investment Corporation with three years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has a background that includes legal and compliance roles, such as positions at the Law Offices of Malcolm J. MacLaren and The Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois. Outside of his advisory role, he is a co-member of Machair, LLC, a commercial real estate business. Global Value Investment Corporation provides discretionary portfolio management to individual and high-net-worth clients, as well as sub-advisory services to other registered investment advisers. The firm emphasizes fundamental research to identify undervalued securities and employs both short- and long-term investment strategies, including activist and concentrated positions.

Active portfolio management Concentrated stock management Options & derivatives strategies Private / alternative investments
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Joseph U

Series 63, Series 65

Huntington, WV

Foundations Investment Advisors LLC

Joseph Unger is a financial advisor at Foundations Investment Advisors LLC with 13 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and previously worked at Mutual of Omaha Investor Services and Mutual of Omaha Insurance Company. Unger is also licensed as an insurance agent, handling life, health, annuity, property, and casualty insurance. Foundations Investment Advisors provides investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, trusts, estates, retirement plans, and businesses. The firm offers portfolio management, financial planning, education workshops, and sub-advisory services through a large network of affiliated offices and utilizes model allocations and third-party sub-advisers.

Wealth management Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Founder/Business Owner Executive
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Robert B

Series 66

Ceredo, WV

United Brokerage Services, INC

Robert Brewster II is a financial advisor at United Brokerage Services, Inc. with 22 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and has been with United Brokerage Services since 2005. United Brokerage Services, Inc. provides investment advisory and brokerage services to individuals, corporate pension and profit-sharing plans, and trust clients through various wrap fee and advisory programs. The firm primarily manages client assets on a non-discretionary basis and is affiliated with United Bank through its parent company, United Asset Management Corporation.

Tax-loss harvesting Wealth management
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Sarah A

Series 66

Huntington, WV

The huntington Investment company

Sarah Aluise is a Series 66-licensed financial advisor with 13 years of industry experience. She has worked at The Huntington Investment Company since 2019 and previously held positions at Northwestern Mutual Investment Services LLC and Wesley H Richardson. The Huntington Investment Company, operating as Huntington Financial Advisors, provides advisory and wrap-fee programs to individual, charitable, corporate, and retirement clients. The firm manages approximately $6.3 billion in assets across nearly 400 advisors and offers an open-architecture, model-driven platform with discretionary investment authority and specialized program options.

ESG / Sustainable investing Options & derivatives strategies Tax-loss harvesting
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