Clearwater, FL North Belcher Rd Office

Team
Updated today
Independent Financial Partners logo

Independent Financial Partners

Enterprise

Firm-wide stats for Independent Financial Partners

Total advisors

316

Across 167 offices

Clients per advisor

166 Very High

Avg AUM per client

$225,569 Very Low

HNW client ratio

35% High

About

Independent Financial Partners provides investment advisory, financial planning, trust and retirement-plan services through a nationwide network of independent Investment Adviser Representatives. As disclosed in its Form ADV, the firm reported $12,538,891,425 in assets under management as of December 31, 2024 and supports a multi-advisor platform of roughly 261 advisors serving tens of thousands of individual, charitable, corporate and high-net-worth clients.

IFP’s advisory model is decentralized: investment strategies and philosophies are set by individual IARs but clients can also elect to use centralized IFP Asset Management (IFPAM), third‑party asset managers, or wrap programs. Accounts may be managed on a discretionary or non‑discretionary basis, clients can impose written restrictions, and the firm maintains ongoing supervisory and transaction‑review processes overseen by a home‑office compliance and supervision team.

What is most notable versus many peers is the firm’s formal retirement‑plan advisory and pension consulting capability — including both ERISA 3(21) (non‑discretionary) and 3(38) (discretionary) services, IPS development, QDIA and vendor due diligence — and its written processes to comply with DOL rollover guidance (PTE 2020‑02). IFP also partners with National Advisors Trust to provide directed trustee services for trusts and non‑registered assets, and operates affiliated broker‑dealer and insurance entities that the firm discloses and supervises to address related conflicts of interest.

Based on Independent Financial Partners

Expertise

Retirement income strategy Tax-loss harvesting

Based on Independent Financial Partners

Occupation focus

Founder/Business Owner Executive Retired

Based on Independent Financial Partners

Location

1811 North Belcher Rd, Suite I 3

Clearwater FL 33765

Advisors at this office

2

Advisors at this office

user avatar

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
user avatar

James A

Series 63, Series 65

Clearwater, FL

Independent Financial Partners

James Appelt Jr. is a financial advisor with Independent Financial Partners, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 28 years of industry experience. He has held roles at IFP Securities, LLC, Independent Financial Partners, LPL Financial, and has operated his own CPA and accounting firms for over two decades. Outside of advising, he serves as president of Appelt & Associates, a CPA firm providing tax preparation and accounting services. Independent Financial Partners offers investment advisory, financial planning, trust, and retirement-plan services through a nationwide network of independent advisors. The firm supports a multi-advisor platform and features a decentralized advisory model with notable retirement-plan consulting capabilities.

Retirement income strategy Tax-loss harvesting Founder/Business Owner Executive Retired
View complete list of advisors at this office
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