Hazel S. Secco

Align Financial Solutions | Financial Advisor at Align Financial Solutions LLCAFFILIATED WITH ALIGN FINANCIAL SOLUTIONS

HOBOKEN, NJ

CRD#: 6233372

Professional summary

Hazel Secco, CFP®, CDFA® is the founder of Align Financial Solutions, a fee-only, fiduciary RIA based in Hoboken, NJ, serving clients virtually nationwide. She specializes in retirement planning for women in their 40s and 50s — Roth conversions, Social Security timing, tax-efficient drawdowns, and pension elections — as well as equity compensation planning (RSUs, ISOs, NQSOs, ESPPs), single stock concentration and strategic divesting, and layoff and career transition planning. She is a member of NAPFA and the XY Planning Network. She receives no commissions and sells no products.

Core Areas of Focus

Tax Planning & Strategy

Portfolio Optimization

Retirement Income Planning

Financial Planning for Women

Tax-Loss Harvesting

Client Tip

Retirement doesn't automatically lower your tax bill. Without a drawdown strategy, RMDs, Social Security, and investment income can push you into a higher bracket than when you were working.

Published Content (3)

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Quick read

She Did Everything Right. But No One Had Ever Connected the Dots.

She'd done everything the financial blogs said to do. Maxed her 401(k) for years. Had a brokerage account, a Roth, some company stock. What she didn't have was a plan connecting all of it. She came in at 51, about 12 years from the retirement she actually wanted. On paper, she looked fine. But when we mapped how her accounts would work together in retirement, the tax picture shifted. Her 401(k) was going to generate taxable RMD income right when Social Security kicked in. She had a window, years before that happened, to do Roth conversions that would permanently lower that bill. She'd never been told it existed. We built the plan. Reordered the sequence. Shifted the heavy lifting into tax-free accounts before the window closed. She's on track to keep significantly more of what she's already built. Not by earning more, but by stopping the tax leak that was hiding in plain sight. That's what financial planning actually is. A coordinated strategy for the money you've already worked ha

Financial Planning for Women

Quick read

She Retired Early. Here's What We Did Before the Stock Dropped 40%.

She came in with $1.4M in one stock. Twenty years of holding it — through the ups and downs — and it had done well. Selling felt like leaving a bigger gain on the table. We built a divesting plan across three tax years to manage the capital gains hit. Sold in layers. Reinvested into a portfolio built around her retirement income needs. She didn't know the drop was coming. Neither did I. But I ran the scenario — showed her exactly what a 40% hit would do to her retirement picture. That's how we made the case to act. Eighteen months later, the stock dropped 40%. Had we waited, her net worth takes that hit. Here's the question I ask every client sitting on a concentrated position: what happens if that drop hits during your distribution stage? You're not just watching a number fall — you're selling shares at the bottom to fund your life. That math doesn't recover. The stock may bounce back. But her retirement wasn't built to wait on it. She retired early. On her terms.

Portfolio Optimization

Quick watch

Why Tax Planning Matters More NOW Than Ever

Tax Planning & Strategy

Biography

Hazel Secco, CFP®, CDFA® is the founder of Align Financial Solutions, a fee-only, fiduciary registered investment advisory firm based in Hoboken, NJ. She works with clients virtually across the country.

Hazel started her career at large financial firms — and left because the incentive structure made it impossible to serve clients the way they deserved. Align Financial Solutions was built from that conviction: no commissions, no proprietary products, no conflicts of interest. Just financial planning anchored entirely in the client's interest.

Her clients are primarily women in their 40s and 50s who have spent decades building financial complexity and are now 10 to 15 years from the retirement they actually want. They are the primary financial decision-makers in their household. They want a clear plan, straight answers, and someone who can help them make the big, irreversible decisions correctly the first time.

Hazel's areas of focus:
- Retirement planning — Roth conversion windows, Social Security timing, tax-efficient drawdowns, sequence-of-returns risk, pension elections, inherited IRAs, and healthcare before Medicare.
- Equity compensation — RSUs, ISOs, NQSOs, and ESPPs. One of the most frequently mishandled areas in financial planning, and one of Hazel's sharpest technical edges.
- Layoff and career transition planning — When clients face a layoff or career change, timing and sequencing matter enormously. Hazel helps them work through severance terms, unvested equity decisions, 401(k) rollovers, and the full tax picture before they make moves they can't undo.

Hazel is a member of NAPFA and the XY Planning Network, and was recognized as a 2025 Wealthtender Voice of the Client Highly Rated Advisor. She hosts the Align Your Retirement podcast.

Fee structure: Fee-only. No commissions. No products.
Service area: Virtual, nationwide.
Website: alignfinancialsolutions.com

Question & Answer

What makes you the best choice for clients?

Clients choose me for clarity and partnership. I help women in leadership simplify complex finances, focus on what matters, and make confident decisions without feeling overwhelmed.

What are your service offerings?

Insurance Planning

Comprehensive Financial Planni...

Small Business Planning

Education Planning

Investment Planning

Retirement Planning

Estate Planning

Which demographics do you typically serve?

Gen X (44-59)

Baby Boomers (78-60)

What is your current number of clients?

Under 50

What is your minimum asset requirement?

How do you get paid?

Percentage of Assets

Are you a "fiduciary"?

Yes

Personal quote

"Most people don’t need more information. They need clarity and a trusted partner to take consistent action that matters."

Aliases

Hazel Secco | Huikyeong Secco | Huikyeong Seo

Other business activities

Outside business activity is any business or activity undertaken by an advisor that is outside the scope of their relationship with their firm (e.g., consulting services, real estate, freelance work, teaching, etc.). Investors should stay informed about these activities to ensure no conflicts of interest.

The advisor shows no other business activity.

Blog Corner

CRS (Client Relationship Summary) - RIA

Click below to view Hazel Seo Heegyung Secco's CRS (Customer Relationship Summary).

Certified licenses

Advisors may have various certifications and credentials from different organizations. AdvisorCheck highlights these seven certifications - AIF®, CFP®, ChFC®, CFA, CLU®, CIMA®, CPWA®

CFP^®

Certified Financial Planner

Start date: 2016

Education

University at Buffalo

Bachelor of Arts - Psychology

2013

Experience

Current

October 21, 2025 - Present

ALIGN FINANCIAL SOLUTIONS

RIA

CRD#: 329945

HOBOKEN, NJ

Past

May 8, 2019 - April 18, 2023

THE ASTORINO FINANCIAL GROUP, INC.

RIA

CRD#: 120217

FAIRFIELD, NJ

Past

April 11, 2019 - October 21, 2025

LPL FINANCIAL LLC

RIA

CRD#: 6413

HOBOKEN, NJ

Past

March 29, 2019 - October 21, 2025

LPL FINANCIAL LLC

CRD#: 6413

HOBOKEN, NJ

Past

December 1, 2017 - April 2, 2019

MML INVESTORS SERVICES, LLC

CRD#: 10409

NEW YORK, NY

Past

August 12, 2015 - December 12, 2017

PRUCO SECURITIES, LLC.

RIA

CRD#: 5685

Englewood Cliffs, NJ

Past

August 13, 2013 - December 12, 2017

PRUCO SECURITIES, LLC.

CRD#: 5685

Englewood Cliffs, NJ

State Registrations and Notice Filings

Listed states reflect where the advisor is authorized to serve clients under state regulations.

IAR

means the advisor is registered as an Investment Advisor Representative in this state and is authorized to provide investment advice to clients there.

Highlighted states indicate IAR registrations

IAR

New Jersey
(10/21/2025)

Don't see your state listed? The advisor may still be able to work with you under the federal De Minimis Rule, which allows up to five investment advisory clients in a state without registration. Some states, like TX, LA, NE, and NH, may still require registration or notice filing. Contact the advisor or their firm to confirm their investment advisory availability in your state.

Exams

State Security Law Exam

IAR

Series 65

Date: 7/16/2015

Uniform Investment Adviser Law Examination

State Security Law Exam

Series 63

Date: 8/16/2013

Uniform Securities Agent State Law Examination

General Industry/Product Exam

SIE

Date: 10/1/2018

Securities Industry Essentials Examination

General Industry/Product Exam

Series 7

Date: 3/23/2017

General Securities Representative Examination

General Industry/Product Exam

Series 6

Date: 8/13/2013

Investment Company Products/Variable Contracts Representative Examination

Current Firm

ALIGN FINANCIAL SOLUTIONS

ALIGN FINANCIAL SOLUTIONS | ALIGN FINANCIAL SOLUTIONS LLC

CRD#: 329945 / SEC#:

New Jersey

Registered Investment Advisory firm - (10/20/2025 Approved)

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Contact information

Main Address

Hoboken, NJ

Mailing Address

50 Harrison St Ph433, Hoboken, NJ 07030

Phone number

(201) 655-6572

Established

Firm type

Fiscal year end

# of Employees

Documents

Latest Form ADV

Regulatory assets under management

Total Number of Accounts	53
AUM (Assets Under Management)	$ 22,360,000

Red Flags

Disclosures can be potential red flags, including customer disputes, regulatory fines, employer terminations, bankruptcies, judgments, liens, or certain criminal activities.

Check for any disclosures as part of your thorough research when choosing an advisor.

Contact information

(xxx) xxx-xxxx

xxxxx@xxxx.xxx

xxxxxxx

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Advisor Monitoring

Firm Stability Insights

Hazel S. Secco

Professional summary

Core Areas of Focus

Client Tip

Published Content (3)

She Did Everything Right. But No One Had Ever Connected the Dots.

She Retired Early. Here's What We Did Before the Stock Dropped 40%.

Biography

Question & Answer

Personal quote

Aliases

Other business activities

Blog Corner

CRS (Client Relationship Summary) - RIA

Click below to view Hazel Seo Heegyung Secco's CRS (Customer Relationship Summary).

Certified licenses

Education

University at Buffalo

Experience

ALIGN FINANCIAL SOLUTIONS

THE ASTORINO FINANCIAL GROUP, INC.

LPL FINANCIAL LLC

LPL FINANCIAL LLC

MML INVESTORS SERVICES, LLC

PRUCO SECURITIES, LLC.

PRUCO SECURITIES, LLC.

State Registrations and Notice Filings

Exams

Series 65

Date: 7/16/2015

Series 63

Date: 8/16/2013

SIE

Date: 10/1/2018

Series 7

Date: 3/23/2017

Series 6

Date: 8/13/2013

Current Firm

ALIGN FINANCIAL SOLUTIONS

Contact information

Documents

Regulatory assets under management

Red Flags

Company Information

ALIGN FINANCIAL SOLUTIONS

DBA Information

TRUST BUT VERIFY

Contact information

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