CFP®-certified, business succession planning financial advisors in Bellevue, WA

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.

If you're preparing to transfer your business to new ownership or planning your exit strategy, you need an advisor who understands the full scope of business succession planning. A common mistake is overlooking the tax implications and timing that can significantly affect your financial outcome. CFP® certification means these advisors have formal training in financial planning, including tax and estate considerations relevant to business transitions.

  • Tax impact awareness. Ask how they navigate federal taxes alongside Washington's 7% capital gains tax on large gains, ensuring your plan minimizes unexpected tax burdens.
  • Ownership transition timing. Confirm how they help schedule ownership changes to align with your personal and business goals, avoiding rushed or poorly timed transfers.
  • Estate and legacy planning. Inquire about strategies they use to integrate succession with your estate plan, protecting your legacy and beneficiaries.
  • Coordination with legal experts. Effective succession often requires legal input; check how they collaborate with attorneys to cover all bases.

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

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Justin Y

Series 65

Bellevue, WA

Opal Advisors

Justin Young is a financial advisor at Opal Advisors in Bellevue, WA. He holds a Series 65 designation and has been with Opal Advisors since 2025. Prior to his advisory role, he spent ten years at Flow Fitness. He is also the founder of Kahu LLC, a technology company based in Seattle, where he develops the business plan. Opal Advisors is an SEC-registered, fee-based investment adviser managing approximately $121.5 million for about 221 clients. The firm serves individuals, small businesses, and retirement plans, offering discretionary portfolio management, integrated financial planning, and pension consulting.

Options & derivatives strategies Concentrated stock management Active portfolio management Private / alternative investments Founder/Business Owner
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Adam D

Series 63, Series 65

Bellevue, WA

Waterrock Global Asset Management

Adam Droker is a financial advisor at Waterrock Global Asset Management in Bellevue, WA, with 20 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has been with Waterrock Global Asset Management since 2011. Outside of advisory work, he is active as president of the Bellevue Kiwanis Club and is involved in local youth sports as a softball and little league umpire and as a fundraising director. Waterrock Global Asset Management provides discretionary portfolio management and financial planning primarily for individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm employs a range of investment strategies including passive, tactical, and actively traded models, utilizing fundamental, technical, quantitative, and qualitative analysis, with discretionary authority commonly granted by clients.

Active portfolio management Options & derivatives strategies Passive / index investing
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Trevor F

Series 66

Bellevue, WA

Transamerica Financial Advisors

Trevor Foster is a financial advisor with Transamerica Financial Advisors in Bellevue, WA, holding a Series 66 designation and one year of industry experience. His prior work includes roles at Edward Jones, Farmers Insurance/Tru Family Agency LLC, and WFG. He is also the owner of Foster Family Freedom LLC, an investment-related entity. Transamerica Financial Advisors serves a diverse client base including individual investors, retirement plans, trusts, and corporations, offering both advisory and broker-dealer services with proprietary and third-party model portfolios. The firm operates as both a registered broker-dealer and an RIA, providing a range of discretionary and non-discretionary investment programs.

ESG / Sustainable investing Concentrated stock management Wealth management Founder/Business Owner
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Jay P

Series 63, Series 65

Bellevue, WA

Realta Investment Advisors, Inc

Jay Porter is a financial advisor with Realta Investment Advisors, Inc. in Bellevue, WA, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and possessing 43 years of industry experience. He has been with Realta Investment Advisors and its affiliated firm, Realta Equities, Inc., since 2015. Prior to that, he operated Porter Advisory Group, a stock broker DBA based in Sammamish, WA. Realta Investment Advisors provides discretionary and non-discretionary investment advisory and financial planning services to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, and various institutional clients. The firm emphasizes individualized advice based on client goals, risk tolerance, and time horizon, implementing diversified investment strategies across multiple asset classes and utilizing third-party manager programs and aggregation platforms.

Options & derivatives strategies Private / alternative investments Founder/Business Owner
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Esther L

Series 63, Series 65

Bellevue, WA

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services, LLC

Esther La Marche is a financial advisor at Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services, LLC with six years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked previously at The H Group Washington, Inc. and Harvest Capital Advisors, Inc. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services provides financial planning, asset management, and retirement-plan consulting to individuals, high-net-worth clients, corporations, and retirement plans. The firm manages over $122 billion in assets through a large advisor network and uses a diversified, risk-class based investment approach that combines passive and active management overseen by an internal Investment Committee.

Active portfolio management Factor investing / smart beta Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Business exit / sale strategy Executive Founder/Business Owner Retired HENRY (High Earners, Not Rich Yet) Mid-Career Professionals Approaching retirement Baby Boomers (Born 1946-1964)
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Ethan S

CFP®, Series 65

Auburn Hills, MI

Plante Moran financial advisors

Ethan Siekkinen is a CFP® and holds a Series 65 license, currently serving as a financial advisor with Plante Moran Financial Advisors. He has one year of industry experience and has previously worked at J Wilson Wealth Management and operated Rizzo Lawn Care. Plante Moran Financial Advisors, LLC provides investment advisory, financial planning, and estate planning services to a diverse client base including individual households, institutional clients, and sovereign wealth funds. The firm employs a multi-disciplinary investment process and offers both discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, manager search, and tax-lot accounting services.

Active portfolio management Options & derivatives strategies Private / alternative investments Concentrated stock management Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Founder/Business Owner Executive
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Michael I

Series 63, Series 65

Livingston, NJ

Raymond James Financial

Michael Ipp is a financial advisor with Raymond James Financial, holding Series 63 and Series 65 designations and bringing 42 years of industry experience. He has been with Raymond James Financial Services Advisors since 2010 and serves as an independent contractor for 1792 Wealth Advisors. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors provides financial planning, investment consulting, and advisory services to a diverse client base, including individuals, high-net-worth clients, corporations, and institutional clients. The firm offers tailored, non-discretionary planning and uses analytical tools to support client decision-making, while also maintaining specialized programs such as municipal advisory services and SIMPLE IRA Employer Advisory & Consulting Services.

Wealth management Tax strategies for small businesses Business succession planning General estate planning guidance Founder/Business Owner Executive
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Jeffrey M

CFP®, ChFC®, Series 66

Greenville, DE

Investment Management & Planning LLC

Jeffrey Macdonald is a CFP® and ChFC® with 18 years of industry experience. He has worked at Investment Management & Planning LLC and LPL Financial since 2010, following two years at Wells Fargo Clearing. Investment Management & Planning LLC provides investment advisory and financial planning services primarily to individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm constructs tailored portfolios using mutual funds, ETFs, equities, and fixed-income securities, employing fundamental analysis and continuous supervision, and operates as both a wrap program sponsor and affiliated registered representatives of LPL Financial.

General retirement planning Business succession planning Tax strategies for small businesses Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Founder/Business Owner Executive Mid-Career Professionals Approaching retirement
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Patrick F

Series 66

New Market, MD

Intentional

Patrick Ferguson is a financial advisor at Intentional with 17 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at firms including Purshe Kaplan Sterling Investments, Commonwealth Financial Network, and LPL Financial. In addition to his advisory role, he is a licensed agent involved in the sales of fixed and traditional insurance products. Intentional provides discretionary portfolio management and financial planning services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, families, businesses, and institutions. The firm offers pension consulting, estate planning support, business exit planning, and due diligence on alternative investments, utilizing a combination of fundamental, technical, and economic analysis within a fiduciary framework.

Business exit / sale strategy Multi-generational wealth transfer Private / alternative investments Founder/Business Owner
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Jerald L

Series 63

San Antonio, TX

Frost Investment Services

Jerald Liesman is a financial advisor at Frost Investment Services with 33 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 63 designation and has worked at Frost Brokerage Services, Inc. and Frost Bank since 1993 and 1987, respectively. Frost Investment Services is a retail-focused, SEC-registered adviser serving individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and business entities. The firm offers discretionary portfolio management, comprehensive financial planning, and managed account programs that integrate model portfolios from its affiliate with third-party managers, utilizing a research-driven investment process and providing optional tax and ESG overlay services.

Tax-loss harvesting ESG / Sustainable investing Retirement income strategy General estate planning guidance Business succession planning Founder/Business Owner Executive
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Sarah C

CFP®, Series 63, Series 65

Boston, MA

Santander Securities LLC

Sarah Currier Barrella is a CFP® professional with 26 years of experience in financial advisory services. She currently works at Santander Securities LLC and Santander Bank, NA, having previously held positions at TD Bank and Citizens Securities, Inc. Barrella is based in Boston, MA. Santander Securities LLC serves a broad retail client base with approximately $3.14 billion in regulatory assets under management across 10,800 client relationships. The firm offers investment advisory services, portfolio management through wrap-fee programs, and financial planning, operating both as a registered investment adviser and a FINRA-registered broker-dealer.

ESG / Sustainable investing Tax-loss harvesting General retirement planning Income planning Founder/Business Owner
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Elanna G

CFP®, Series 66

Cleveland, OH

Cambridge Investment Research Advisors

Elanna Gould is a CFP® professional with six years of experience, currently advising at Cambridge Investment Research Advisors in Cleveland, OH. Her background includes roles at PepsiCo and The Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Center, as well as academic experience at The Ohio State University. She is also an independent insurance agent for various companies. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors serves a broad client base, including individuals, retirement plans, and charitable organizations, offering financial planning, investment management, and retirement advisory services through a network of independent professionals. The firm provides a range of portfolio management options, proprietary and third-party strategies, and various custody platforms tailored to client objectives.

Wealth management Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Retirement income strategy Annuities Self-Employed
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Ethan S

CFP®, Series 65

Auburn Hills, MI

Plante Moran financial advisors

Ethan Siekkinen is a CFP® and holds a Series 65 license, currently serving as a financial advisor with Plante Moran Financial Advisors. He has one year of industry experience and has previously worked at J Wilson Wealth Management and operated Rizzo Lawn Care. Plante Moran Financial Advisors, LLC provides investment advisory, financial planning, and estate planning services to a diverse client base including individual households, institutional clients, and sovereign wealth funds. The firm employs a multi-disciplinary investment process and offers both discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, manager search, and tax-lot accounting services.

Active portfolio management Options & derivatives strategies Private / alternative investments Concentrated stock management Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Founder/Business Owner Executive
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Jace H

CFP®, Series 63, Series 66

Rockwall, TX

Rockwall Wealth Management

Jace Hart is a CFP® with nine years of industry experience and currently serves as a financial advisor at Rockwall Wealth Management. His prior experience includes roles at Leo Wealth, LPL Financial, and Fidelity Brokerage Services. Rockwall Wealth Management provides portfolio management, financial planning, and consulting services to individuals, trusts, plans, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm emphasizes diversified, low-cost ETF model portfolios with a focus on tax efficiency, liquidity, and systematic macro tilts, offering both traditional and advanced investment strategies tailored to client objectives.

Active portfolio management Options & derivatives strategies Private / alternative investments Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Retirement income strategy
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Jeffrey M

CFP®, ChFC®, Series 66

Greenville, DE

Investment Management & Planning LLC

Jeffrey Macdonald is a CFP® and ChFC® with 18 years of industry experience. He has worked at Investment Management & Planning LLC and LPL Financial since 2010, following two years at Wells Fargo Clearing. Investment Management & Planning LLC provides investment advisory and financial planning services primarily to individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm constructs tailored portfolios using mutual funds, ETFs, equities, and fixed-income securities, employing fundamental analysis and continuous supervision, and operates as both a wrap program sponsor and affiliated registered representatives of LPL Financial.

General retirement planning Business succession planning Tax strategies for small businesses Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Founder/Business Owner Executive Mid-Career Professionals Approaching retirement
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