Top business succession planning financial advisors in Sarasota, 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 ownership or retire, you need an advisor who understands the complexities of business succession planning. A common mistake is underestimating how intertwined business value, tax implications, and family dynamics can affect your plan's success.

  • Federal tax focus. Since Florida has no state income tax, ask how they optimize for federal taxes, property taxes, and sales taxes that impact your succession.
  • Homestead protection knowledge. Confirm they consider Florida's strong homestead laws, which can influence asset protection and wealth migration strategies.
  • Family and stakeholder coordination. Effective succession plans balance business goals with family or partner interests; ask how they manage these relationships.
  • Exit strategy options. Explore how they evaluate different exit paths, such as sale, transfer, or liquidation, tailored to your business and personal goals.

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

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Gina T

Series 66

Sarasota, FL

Newedge Advisors

Gina Tedesco is a Series 66-credentialed financial advisor with five years of industry experience, currently with NewEdge Advisors. Her prior work includes roles at Equitable Advisors and WR Wealth Planners LLC, as well as entrepreneurial and instructional positions such as an entrepreneurship instructor at the State College of Florida 26 West Entrepreneurship Center. Outside of her advisory work, she co-owns the Women's Power Forum, a professional networking group. NewEdge Advisors is an enterprise-scale registered investment adviser serving a wide range of clients, including individuals, pension plans, corporations, and charitable organizations. The firm offers diversified portfolio management and consulting services through multiple program structures, combining in-house and third-party manager selections with technology-supported client solutions.

Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Founder/Business Owner Executive
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Joseph L

Series 65, Series 66

Sarasota, FL

Hightower Advisors

Joseph Levine is a financial advisor at Hightower Advisors in Sarasota, FL, holding Series 65 and Series 66 licenses with three years of industry experience. Prior to joining Hightower in 2025, he was involved in the wine industry through ownership roles at Suncoast Wine Cellars LLC and VinoVino LLC. Levine also owns a custom wine cellar business, Bespoke Wine Cellars FL, which is in the process of transitioning to a new owner. Hightower Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to a diverse group of individual and institutional clients, offering portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement consulting through a multi-manager approach that includes both affiliated and third-party managers.

Wealth management Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Tax-loss harvesting Founder/Business Owner Executive
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Nicholas F

Series 63, Series 65

Sarasota, FL

Steward Partners Investment Advisory, LLC

Nicholas Fiegoli is a financial advisor with Steward Partners Investment Advisory, LLC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and over 30 years of industry experience. He has worked with firms including UBS Financial Services and Raymond James Financial Services. Outside of his advisory role, he has a personal investment in the Grand Hyatt at Pagent Beach. Steward Partners Investment Advisory, LLC is an SEC-registered enterprise-scale RIA managing approximately $36.7 billion in assets. The firm serves a broad client base including individuals, pension plans, corporations, and charitable organizations, offering a range of portfolio management and financial planning services.

ESG / Sustainable investing Private / alternative investments Concentrated stock management Business sale tax planning Retirement income strategy Executive Founder/Business Owner Retired HENRY (High Earners, Not Rich Yet) Mid-Career Professionals
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Keith W

Series 66

Hanover, MA

Investment Advisory Group LLC

Keith Whitt is a financial advisor with Investment Advisory Group LLC, holding a Series 66 designation and 16 years of industry experience. He has worked at Investment Advisory Group since 2018 and has been with Maritime Wealth Advisors LLC since 2011. Prior to that, he was employed at Geneos Wealth Management, Inc. from 2006 to 2018. Investment Advisory Group LLC manages approximately $1.2 billion in assets for individuals, high net worth clients, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations. The firm employs a five-advisor team and uses a disciplined investment approach based on Modern Portfolio Theory, the Fama-French three-factor model, and behavioral finance, primarily utilizing diversified portfolios of mutual funds, ETFs, and fixed income securities.

Wealth management Passive / index investing
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Erik F

Series 66

Sarasota, FL

Mass Mutual Investors Services

Erik Fischer is a financial advisor with MassMutual Investors Services in Sarasota, FL, holding a Series 66 designation and 11 years of industry experience. His career includes multiple roles within MassMutual and affiliated firms since 2015. He serves on the boards of two charitable organizations, Round of a Lifetime and A Kid’s Place, where he contributes to leadership and financial oversight. MassMutual Investors Services operates as a broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser, providing comprehensive financial planning and asset management services to individuals, business owners, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and employers.

Divorce financial planning General estate planning guidance Multi-generational wealth transfer Cash flow / budgeting Founder/Business Owner Attorney Executive Married/Couples/Partners Divorced
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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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