Large-firm, business succession planning financial advisors in Lakeland, 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're preparing to transfer your business to new ownership or family, you need an advisor who understands the full process from valuation to transition. Without this expertise, you risk undervaluing your business or creating a plan that disrupts operations.

Large-firm advisors often bring extensive resources and specialized teams to handle complex succession details.

  • Valuation accuracy. Confirm how they determine your business's worth, considering market conditions and future earnings potential.
  • Transition planning. Ask how they coordinate timing and communication to minimize disruption during ownership changes.
  • Tax implications. Even without state income tax, federal and property taxes can impact your succession strategy; ensure they address these factors.
  • Legacy goals alignment. Check how they incorporate your personal and family objectives into the succession plan to preserve your vision.

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

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Ryan B

Series 65

Lakeland, FL

AE Wealth Management, LLC

Ryan Bates is a financial advisor with AE Wealth Management, LLC in Lakeland, FL, holding a Series 65 credential and 12 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Saxony Securities and Kalos Management. He serves as Chapter President for the American Financial Education Alliance in Polk County, FL, where he conducts financial education workshops. AE Wealth Management provides fee-based portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement-plan consulting to a diverse client base including individual households, corporations, and ERISA plan sponsors. The firm emphasizes model portfolio and direct asset management programs, employing fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis methods across various investment strategies.

Tax-loss harvesting Options & derivatives strategies Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Self-Employed Founder/Business Owner
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Todd B

Series 66

Lakeland, FL

Ameriprise

Todd Barrow is a financial advisor with Ameriprise in Lakeland, FL, holding a Series 66 designation and 32 years of industry experience. His prior experience includes roles at Raymond James Financial and ownership in financial services and real estate-related businesses. Outside of his advisory work, he serves as an Executive Pastor at Family Worship Center. Ameriprise provides retirement-income planning services aimed at individuals approaching or in retirement, combining research and modeling with tax-efficient strategies. The firm serves clients with significant investable assets through a centralized consulting team and offers a broad range of advisory, brokerage, and insurance solutions.

Retirement income strategy Income planning Social Security optimization Retirement withdrawal strategies Approaching retirement
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Carl D

Series 66

Lakeland, FL

Alpha Advisors, LLC

Carl Dockery is a financial advisor with Alpha Advisors, LLC, holding a Series 66 designation and 20 years of industry experience. He has served as a director of Aytu BioScience, Inc., a biotech company focused on treatments for complex central nervous system diseases, since 2016. Dockery is also involved in managing several private investment and holding companies. Alpha Advisors serves individuals, business entities, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations with discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and consulting services. The firm constructs diversified portfolios using domestic and international equities, fixed income, tactical and alternative strategies, and sponsors affiliated private limited partnerships for qualified clients.

Wealth management Active portfolio management Real estate investing Life insurance needs analysis Founder/Business Owner Executive
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Matthew A

CFP®, Series 63, Series 65

Lakeland, FL

LPL Financial

Matthew Antos is a CFP® professional with 30 years of industry experience, currently serving at LPL Financial since 2008. Prior to joining LPL, he spent six years with Citigroup Global Markets. Outside of his advisory role, he manages operations for a nonprofit organization supporting Florida nurserymen, growers, and landscapers. LPL Financial is a national broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser that provides advisory and brokerage services to individuals, retirement plan participants, banks, trust companies, and institutions. The firm offers a range of financial planning and investment solutions, utilizing model portfolios, third-party subadvisors, and customized strategies supported by advanced operational tools.

Wealth management Retirement income strategy College savings (529s, UTMA, etc.) Tax-loss harvesting Annuities Retired Founder/Business Owner Executive
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Joel T

Series 65

Lakeland, FL

Invst, LLC

Joel Thornton Jr. is a financial advisor at Invst, LLC with six years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has previously worked at Jarred Bunch Consulting, LLC since 2019 and Park Avenue Securities from 2009 to 2019. Invst, LLC serves individual clients, including high-net-worth individuals, as well as pension and profit-sharing plans, providing financial planning, investment management, and retirement plan consulting. The firm employs a combination of fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis to construct diversified portfolios and manages approximately $1.565 billion in assets for over 2,100 clients.

Wealth management Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Business exit / sale strategy Real estate investing Tax strategies for small businesses Founder/Business Owner Executive
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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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Jeffrey P

Series 66

Dacula, GA

Merrill

Jeffrey Park is a financial advisor at Merrill with eight years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at Merrill and affiliated firms since 2011, including roles at JPMorgan Chase Bank and J.P. Morgan Securities. Outside of his advisory work, he is a sole owner and co-owner of family rental properties in Lawrenceville, Georgia. 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, offering model-based and discretionary strategies for individuals, high-net-worth clients, and institutional investors.

Tax-loss harvesting Active portfolio management Wealth management
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Scott M

Series 63, Series 65

New York, NY

Morgan Stanley

Scott Mahoney is a financial advisor with Morgan Stanley in New York, NY, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and bringing 34 years of industry experience. He has been with Morgan Stanley since 2009, including roles at Morgan Stanley Private Bank, N.A. Outside of his advisory work, he is involved with Giants Foot Cubed LLC. Morgan Stanley Wealth Management is a large SEC-registered investment adviser and broker-dealer that serves both individual and institutional clients. The firm offers a wide range of advisory programs and financial planning services supported by structured planning tools and broad investment resources.

General estate planning guidance
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Elizabeth B

Series 66

New York, NY

J.P. Morgan Securities

Elizabeth Brown is a Series 66 licensed financial advisor with J.P. Morgan Securities in New York, NY, where she has worked since 2012. She has 26 years of industry experience. J.P. Morgan Securities provides institutional consulting services to clients such as corporations, foundations, and defined contribution plan sponsors, offering asset allocation advice, investment manager and fund searches, and customized performance reporting through a select group of Wealth Advisors. The firm combines large institutional advisory operations with brokerage, distribution, and investment management capabilities.

Wealth management Executive Founder/Business Owner
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Wesley P

Series 63, Series 66

Fort Worth, TX

Wells Fargo Clearing

Wesley Pool is a financial advisor at Wells Fargo Clearing with 15 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and previously worked at JPMorgan Securities LLC for seven years. Outside of finance, he has been involved with #TagMeBro LLC and Fry Street Public House. Wells Fargo Advisors is a national securities firm serving individual, corporate, and institutional clients with investment advisory services, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting. The firm manages approximately $671 billion in assets and offers both brokerage and advisory solutions.

Retired Founder/Business Owner
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Willie M

Series 63, Series 66

Cary, NC

Equitable Advisors

Willie Myles is a financial advisor with Equitable Advisors in Cary, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 16 years of industry experience. He has worked at Equitable Advisors since 2016, previously serving at Axa Advisors and MSI Financial Services. Outside of advising, he is a co-chairman of a fundraising campaign for Alpha Light Fund Inc., a nonprofit focused on renovating the House of Alpha. Equitable Advisors serves a range of clients including individuals, pension plans, corporations, and charitable organizations, providing financial planning, retirement consulting, and asset management through a network of representatives and third-party managers. The firm offers various investment vehicles and ERISA fiduciary services, relying on third-party program sponsors and an affiliation with a publicly traded parent company.

Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Business exit / sale strategy Concentrated stock management Equity Recipients (RS/RSU, SOP, ESPP) Long-term care insurance Founder/Business Owner Retired Executive Approaching retirement Sandwich Generation
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