William A. Smith

The founder and CEO of W.A. Smith Financial Group and chief strategist of Great Lakes Retirement Inc., William A. “Bill” Smith, MFRCTM, has been serving clients through holistic financial planning, disciplined investment strategies, and proactive personal services since 1995.

With locations in Cleveland, Sheffield Village, and Sandusky, Ohio, W.A. Smith Financial Group was named “#1 Fastest-Growing Registered Investment Advisor” by Crain's Cleveland Business, “#6 Fastest-Growing in Asset Category $150m < $300m” by Financial Advisor Magazine, and “One of America’s Fastest Growing Private Companies” by Inc. 5000 in 2019 and 2020. Their mission is to ensure “clients worry more about their life and less about their money.” To that end, they have created a proprietary Retirement Tune-UpTM financial review, which is designed to look at the key principles of any retirement plan.

Currently, Bill co-hosts with television news anchor Robin Swoboda the television show “Retirement Solutions,” on which he addresses the top concerns of retirees. The show airs Sundays at 11:30 a.m. on WKYC 3 and at noon on News 5 in Cleveland.

Bill has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Smart Money magazine, Yahoo! Finance, AOL Finance, SecondAct.com, CNBC.com, Forbes.com, and Kiplinger.com.

Bill’s professional credentials include Master Registered Financial Consultant with the International Association of Registered Financial Consultants. He is a licensed insurance professional and holds a Series 66. Bill is an Investment Advisor Representative of Great Lakes Retirement Inc., an SEC Registered Investment Advisor.

Bill and his wife, Erica, have been married since 1995. They have three children, daughter Hallee and sons Blake and Cameron. Bill enjoys spending time with his family, boating on Lake Erie, eating out, fishing, hunting, and golf.