Independent, equity compensation tax strategy financial advisors in Clearwater, FL

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 have equity compensation like stock options or restricted stock units (RSUs), you need an advisor who understands how to minimize the federal tax hit when you exercise or sell. Without this expertise, you might pay more taxes than necessary or miss timing opportunities.

Independent advisors here work without firm constraints, which can mean more flexible advice tailored to your tax situation.

  • Federal tax focus. Since Florida has no state income tax, ask how they optimize your federal tax bill on equity compensation events.
  • Timing strategies. Confirm how they plan the exercise and sale dates to manage tax brackets and avoid surprises.
  • Property and sales tax awareness. Good advisors consider Florida’s property and sales taxes as part of your overall tax picture.
  • Homestead protection knowledge. If you’re relocating or own a home, check how they incorporate Florida’s strong homestead protections into your wealth plan.

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

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Steven Z

Series 63, Series 65

Clearwater, FL

Atlantis Wealth Advisors LLC

Steven Zerbarini is a financial advisor with Atlantis Wealth Advisors LLC in Dunedin, FL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 28 years of industry experience. He has worked with Atlantis Wealth Advisors since 2018 and has longstanding roles at Sower Realty, Inc. and Sower Wealth, LLC, where he is involved in tax preparation and insurance sales alongside his advisory work. Atlantis Wealth Advisors provides financial planning, asset management, and consulting services to a diverse client base that includes individuals, high-net-worth clients, pension plans, trusts, and charitable organizations. The firm employs a combination of proprietary strategies and third-party managers, using both top-down and bottom-up investment approaches across multiple teams and offices.

Medicare planning Charitable giving & philanthropy Wealth management Debt management
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Craig K

CFP®, Series 63, Series 65

Clearwater, FL

Independent Financial Partners

Craig Koller is a CFP® with over 30 years of experience in financial services. He is affiliated with Independent Financial Partners and has held roles at IFP Securities, LLC and LPL Financial. Koller's other business activities include managing a wealth management practice affiliated with LPL Financial and involvement in an insurance-related entity. Independent Financial Partners provides investment advisory, financial planning, trust, and retirement-plan services through a nationwide network of independent advisors. The firm supports a multi-advisor platform and offers both discretionary and non-discretionary account management, with notable expertise in retirement-plan advisory and pension consulting.

Retirement income strategy Tax-loss harvesting Founder/Business Owner Executive Retired
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Nicole C

Series 66

Clearwater, FL

Chronos Wealth Management, L.L.C.

Nicole Chamberlain is a financial advisor at Chronos Wealth Management, L.L.C. in Clearwater, FL, with 21 years of industry experience. She holds a Series 66 designation and previously worked at Morgan Stanley for 23 years. Chamberlain is also a licensed independent insurance agent. Chronos Wealth Management provides discretionary portfolio management and financial planning services to individuals, including high-net-worth clients, as well as pension and business entities. The firm employs a variety of analytical methods and focuses on long-term trading strategies across multiple asset classes, including U.S. large-cap equities, mutual funds, fixed income, and alternative investments.

Annuities
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Megan M

Series 66

Clearwater, FL

Merrill

Megan Martinez is a financial advisor at Merrill with six years of industry experience. She holds the Series 66 designation and has been with Merrill and Bank of America N.A. since 2019. Prior to that, she worked at Cascle Inc. and Applied Technology Resources, among other roles. 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. The firm offers model-based and discretionary investment strategies for individuals, high-net-worth clients, pension plans, corporations, and charitable organizations.

Tax-loss harvesting Active portfolio management Wealth management
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Benjamin C

CFP®, Series 63

Clearwater, FL

Simplicity wealth

Benjamin Clark is a CFP® with three years of industry experience, currently affiliated with Simplicity Wealth in Clearwater, FL. He has worked at Simplicity Wealth since 2024 and also operates Clark Wealth LLC, where he is involved in wholesale insurance sales. Prior to his current roles, he held positions at Universal Financial Consultants and Ernst & Young Investment Advisers LLP. Simplicity Wealth serves a diverse client base, including individual and high-net-worth investors, retirement plans, corporations, and other financial firms. The firm utilizes a fund-of-funds strategy incorporating ETFs, mutual funds, and individual securities, and offers a turnkey asset management platform with model portfolios, third-party manager oversight, and technology-driven solutions for advisers.

Tax-loss harvesting ESG / Sustainable investing Passive / index investing Wealth management Retired Founder/Business Owner Values-based investing
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Lee C

Series 63, Series 65

Pasadena, CA

UBS Financial Services

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.

General retirement planning Cash flow / budgeting Equity compensation tax strategy Executive Founder/Business Owner Mid-Career Professionals Approaching retirement
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James C

Series 65

Eagle, ID

Cannon Wealth Group LLC

James Cannon is a financial advisor at Cannon Wealth Group LLC in Eagle, Idaho, with 14 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has led his independent firm since 2014. Cannon Wealth Group LLC is a fee-based financial planning and investment management firm serving individuals, high-net-worth clients, and employer retirement plans. The firm offers tailored investment programs, comprehensive planning, and specialized pension consulting, including ERISA advisory and discretionary investment manager services.

Equity compensation tax strategy
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Joseph N

CFA®, Series 63

New York, NY

Jefferies Investment Advisers LLC

Joseph Niehaus is a financial advisor at Jefferies Investment Advisers LLC with three years of industry experience. He holds the CFA® designation and Series 63 license. Prior to joining Jefferies in 2023, he worked at Golden 1 Credit Union and SAFE Credit Union. He also serves as a part-time lecturer at California State University, Sacramento, teaching a graduate-level financial markets course. Jefferies Investment Advisers LLC provides fee-based financial planning services to individuals, trusts, estates, foundations, charitable organizations, corporations, and other business entities through a customized planning process that includes balance sheet reviews, tax and estate planning, executive compensation, and philanthropic planning.

General retirement planning Income planning Equity compensation tax strategy Concentrated stock management Charitable giving & philanthropy
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Seth H

Series 66

Dallas, TX

Goldman Sachs Wealth Services

Seth Halley is a financial advisor with Goldman Sachs Wealth Services in Dallas, TX, holding a Series 66 designation and six years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at The Ayco Company, L.P./Mercer Allied and Tyson Foods/GDH Consulting. Goldman Sachs Wealth Services advises a diverse client base ranging from individual investors to institutional clients, offering financial planning, portfolio management, and specialized services such as Private Family Office and Executive Wealth programs. The firm integrates strategic allocation models, manager selections, and advanced analytics within the broader Goldman Sachs network to tailor solutions for client objectives.

Wealth management Equity compensation tax strategy Tax-loss harvesting Executive Founder/Business Owner Intergenerational Families
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Eldin F

Series 63, Series 65

Southfield, MI

Sterling Advisory Group LLC

Eldin Foco is a financial advisor at Sterling Advisory Group LLC with 18 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at several firms including CIG Capital Advisors and Cco Investment Services Corp. since 2012. Sterling Advisory Group provides portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement-plan consulting to individuals, families, trusts, foundations, businesses, and employer-sponsored plans. The firm manages client accounts on a tailored basis and also serves institutional clients, offering a range of strategic investment models that emphasize asset allocation, diversification, and Shariah-compliant selection.

ESG / Sustainable investing Private / alternative investments Equity compensation tax strategy Business succession planning Retirement income strategy Founder/Business Owner Executive Values-based investing
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Jared F

Series 65

Huntington Beach, CA

Northwest Asset Management

Jared Fruth is a financial advisor at Northwest Asset Management with four years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and previously worked at Securities America, Inc., KMS Financial Services, Inc., Oppenheimer Funds, and John Paul Mitchell Systems. Northwest Asset Management is a registered investment adviser managing approximately $3.6 billion for nearly 3,000 clients, including individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, charities, and corporations. The firm employs a customized, fiduciary approach using Modern Portfolio Theory and strategic asset allocation, combining fundamental and technical analysis to build diversified portfolios with periodic rebalancing.

Retirement income strategy Wealth management Active portfolio management Founder/Business Owner
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Edwina M

Series 65

Cincinnati, OH

Waverly Advisors, LLC

Edwina Martin is a Series 65 licensed financial advisor with two years of industry experience, currently with Waverly Advisors, LLC. She previously worked at 9258 Wealth Management for five years and was employed at Teradata Corp for eleven years. Martin also serves as assistant director of tax planning at 9258 Tax and Planning, a non-investment related business. Waverly Advisors is a multi-team registered investment adviser managing portfolios for individuals, retirement plans, and pooled investment vehicles. The firm combines traditional equity and fixed-income strategies with alternative and private-market allocations, offering a range of investment management and financial planning services.

Private / alternative investments Real estate investing Options & derivatives strategies Tax-loss harvesting Multi-generational wealth transfer Founder/Business Owner Executive
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Craig M

Series 63, Series 65

Columbia, SC

Capital Investment Advisory Services, LLC

Craig Mcdaniel Jr. is a financial advisor with Capital Investment Advisory Services, LLC in Columbia, SC. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 13 years of industry experience. He has been with Capital Investment Group, Inc. and The McDaniel Corporation since 2012. Outside of his advisory role, he is involved in life insurance sales and serves as an independent agent for annuities and related products. Capital Investment Advisory Services, LLC provides investment advisory and supervisory services to individuals, retirement plans, corporations, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations. The firm offers customized investment management through discretionary mandates, third-party managers, and private-label model portfolios, using a blend of analytical methods with ongoing portfolio monitoring.

Active portfolio management Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Annuities Options & derivatives strategies Founder/Business Owner Retired
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David H

Series 65

Irvine, CA

Martin Wealth Management, LLC

David Hart is a financial advisor with Martin Wealth Management, LLC in Irvine, CA. He holds a Series 65 credential and has 15 years of industry experience. Hart previously worked with Safeguard Investment Advisory Group and LifePro Asset Management. He is also a Certified Financial Fiduciary and volunteers as an instructor with the Foundation for Fiduciary Education, providing unbiased fiduciary financial education to the public. Martin Wealth Management offers investment advisory services primarily to individuals and high-net-worth clients by co-advising and directing accounts to a third-party money manager, Matson Money. The firm focuses on client onboarding, documentation, and ongoing review of third-party manager accounts rather than direct asset management.

Medicare planning Annuities
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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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