Independent, business succession planning financial advisors in St. Petersburg, 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, you need an advisor who understands the full picture of succession planning, not just the sale price. A common mistake is overlooking how tax implications and family dynamics can affect your plan's success. Independent advisors here operate without firm constraints, which can mean more flexible approaches tailored to your unique situation.

  • Tax impact awareness. Florida has no state income tax, but federal taxes and property taxes still matter. Ask how they navigate these to protect your wealth.
  • Family and stakeholder coordination. Succession often involves multiple parties; confirm how they manage communication and expectations among all involved.
  • Exit strategy options. Whether selling, gifting, or passing on control, the right plan fits your goals and timeline—ask how they help you evaluate these choices.
  • Homestead protection knowledge. Florida's strong homestead laws affect asset protection; see how they incorporate this into your succession plan.

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

Want help finding the right advisor?

Answer a few questions to see advisors matched to you.

user avatar

William P

CFP®, PFS™, Series 63, Series 65

St Petersburg, FL

Edelman Financial Engines

William Puckett is a CFP® and PFS™ credentialed advisor at Edelman Financial Engines with 24 years of industry experience. He previously worked at Align Wealth Management for 19 years before joining Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. in 2023. Puckett is involved in managing the winding up of Align Wealth Management following its asset sale to Edelman Financial Engines. Edelman Financial Engines provides technology-enabled investment advisory and financial planning services to individual investors, retirement-plan participants, and institutional clients. The firm utilizes a committee-driven, proprietary modeling process combined with planner delivery and online tools, offering both discretionary and non-discretionary management with an emphasis on diversified portfolios and long-term investment orientation.

Retirement income strategy General retirement planning Tax-loss harvesting Private / alternative investments Concentrated stock management Retired Founder/Business Owner
user avatar

Eric A

Series 63, Series 65

St. Petersburg, FL

STIFEL

Eric Allen is a financial advisor with Stifel in St. Petersburg, FL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 39 years of industry experience. He previously worked at Wells Fargo Clearing and Davidson Investment Advisors, Inc., among other firms. Stifel serves a wide range of clients, including individuals, institutional clients, and charitable organizations, offering brokerage and investment advisory services. The firm employs a proprietary methodology developed by its Investment Strategy Group to provide asset allocation and planning analyses.

General retirement planning Income planning
user avatar

Mark D

Series 63, Series 65

St. Petersburg, FL

Amuni Financial, Inc.

Mark Donohue is a financial advisor at Amuni Financial, Inc. in St. Petersburg, Florida, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with 48 years of industry experience. He has been with American Municipal Securities, Inc. since 1980. Donohue is also a licensed insurance agent in Florida, authorized to sell non-securities insurance products. Amuni Financial, Inc. manages portfolios for individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations using a fundamental, long-term investment approach. The firm combines broker-dealer services, insurance sales, and advisory programs, often managing assets on a non-discretionary basis.

Annuities Active portfolio management
user avatar

Kayla P

Series 66

St. Petersburg, FL

Cambridge Investment Research Advisors

Kayla Pelletier is a Series 66-licensed financial advisor with Cambridge Investment Research Advisors, based in St. Petersburg, FL. She has six years of industry experience and has been with Cambridge Investment Research and its affiliated firms since 2016. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors is a large SEC-registered firm serving a diverse client base, including individuals, retirement plans, and charitable organizations. The firm offers financial planning, investment management, and retirement plan advisory through a network of independent financial professionals, utilizing various portfolio management strategies and platform arrangements tailored to client objectives.

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

Barry H

CFA®, Series 63

St Petersburg, FL

Raymond James Financial

Barry Haas is a financial advisor at Raymond James Financial Services Advisors, Inc. with 29 years of industry experience. He holds the CFA® designation and Series 63 license. In addition to his advisory role since 2002, he has been affiliated with Kaplan Schweser and Hofstra University, where he has worked since 2008. Outside of finance, he serves as CEO of Reet Precision Technologies, LLC, a business where he focuses on strategic direction. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors provides financial planning and investment consulting to a diverse client base, including individuals, institutions, and charitable organizations. The firm emphasizes tailored, non-discretionary planning supported by analytical modeling and offers specialized services such as municipal advisory and SIMPLE IRA Employer Advisory programs.

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

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
user avatar

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
user avatar

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
user avatar

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
user avatar

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
user avatar

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
user avatar

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
user avatar

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
user avatar

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
user avatar

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
Warmer team member

Not sure where to start?

We'll help you think it through—whether you ultimately need an advisor or not. Warmer helps you compare advisors clearly, so you can choose with confidence.

Find your advisor

For advisor listings, we rely on sources including public filings and data provided by advisors, and we cannot guarantee that all information is current or accurate. Advisors are independent and may not have reviewed or updated this information. Please review an advisor’s Form ADV and do your own diligence before deciding whether to work with them.

Advisor matching and introductions are provided by FinanceHQ LLC (“FHQ”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Warmer and an SEC-registered investment advisor. We receive compensation from certain participating advisors for introductions or referrals. This creates a conflict of interest because we have an incentive to recommend advisors who compensate us, including those who pay us more. You pay no fee to use our matching service, and advisor fees are not increased because of a referral or introduction. We do not review the ongoing performance of advisors, manage or hold assets, guarantee performance, or provide advice about specific investments.

By using our service, you agree to our Terms of Service and Advisory Agreement, and acknowledge our Privacy Policy. Please review FHQ’s ADV Part 2A and Form CRS. Logos provided by Logo.dev

© 2026 Warmer Holdings Inc. (“Warmer”)