Financial Advisor in Tampa, FL

Financial planning for Tampa families, professionals, and business owners.

Tampa is no longer a sleepy Gulf Coast city. Between the Westshore business district, the medical corridor around Tampa General and Moffitt, the growth of downtown and Water Street, and the steady stream of corporate relocations, the financial profile of a typical Tampa household has changed a lot in the last decade. Plans need to keep up. We work with clients across Hillsborough County to build coordinated plans that account for how Tampa actually earns, spends, and saves.

Mike Garcia, AAMS, is a financial advisor with BRIA Capital Group serving the greater Tampa Bay area.

Who we typically work with in Tampa

• Two-income professional households in South Tampa, Westshore, and New Tampa juggling W-2 pay, equity comp, and rental property
• Physicians and clinicians at Tampa General, Moffitt Cancer Center, and AdventHealth balancing high income with delayed savings starts and student debt
• Business owners in Ybor City, Channelside, and the I-275 corridor planning around growth, partner buy-ins, or eventual exits
• Active-duty and retired military connected to MacDill AFB navigating the SBP, TSP rollovers, and the move from federal pay to civilian compensation
• Finance and technology professionals at Raymond James, Citi, and other Westshore-area employers managing deferred comp and concentrated stock positions

Local context that shapes financial decisions

Tampa has a few financial-planning realities that don’t apply the same way elsewhere:

• No Florida income tax, but federal complexity is high. Tampa households often have multiple income streams: W-2, K-1, rental, RSUs, deferred comp. We coordinate with CPAs to keep marginal-rate planning honest year over year.
• Property insurance and flood zones. South Tampa, Davis Islands, and waterfront Westshore properties carry meaningful flood and wind exposure. The 2026 Florida insurance market is steadier than it was two years ago, but premiums still drive real planning decisions. Reviewing limits and deductibles annually is part of the work.
• MacDill and military transitions. For service members separating or retiring at MacDill, the move from federal benefits to civilian planning is its own project: TSP allocation, SBP decisions, VA disability coordination, and a new tax picture without the BAH.
• Concentrated stock and equity comp. Raymond James, Bloomin’ Brands, and other public-company employees often hold large positions in company stock. Diversifying without creating a surprise tax bill takes a real plan, not a single transaction.

Common planning topics we cover for Tampa clients

• Retirement planning including Roth conversion strategy for high earners and pre-retirees
• Investment planning with attention to tax location, concentrated positions, and risk tolerance
• Estate planning coordination for blended families, business owners, and multi-state assets
• Business planning for owners weighing succession, ESOPs, or third-party sale
• Risk management covering life, disability, long-term care, and Florida property and flood

How meetings work

We meet Tampa clients in person across the metro, including South Tampa, Westshore, Downtown, and Brandon, or virtually by Zoom or phone. Many of our two-physician and two-professional households prefer evening virtual meetings; many business owners prefer a working breakfast. First conversations run 30 to 45 minutes with no obligation. Expect a response within one business day, and faster during active planning seasons.

A note on Florida

Florida is one of nine states with no individual income tax, no state estate tax, and no state-level tax on Social Security or qualified retirement distributions. For Tampa professionals, that creates real planning leverage: deferred compensation, large Roth conversions, and the timing of equity events can be coordinated to take maximum advantage of the Florida treatment. The flip side is hurricane-season risk. Heading into the 2026 season (June 1 through November 30), we look at property insurance, flood coverage, umbrella limits, and emergency liquidity together. In Tampa, financial planning and risk planning aren’t separate conversations.

How much does a financial advisor cost in Florida?

Most ongoing relationships are priced as a percentage of assets under management, commonly around 1% a year, usually on a sliding scale that drops as the balance grows. Flat planning fees and hourly engagements are also normal. Insurance products typically pay a commission from the carrier rather than an invoice you receive.

Ask for the number stated two ways, as a percentage and as a dollar figure for the last twelve months. Then ask what you are paying that never appears on the invoice, because fund expense ratios and platform fees usually add up to more than people realize. The full breakdown is in what a financial advisor actually costs.

What is a red flag for a financial advisor?

Vagueness about compensation is the clearest one. If someone cannot tell you plainly how they are paid, that matters more than any performance number they show you.

Others worth watching: pressure to decide quickly, a product recommendation that arrives before anyone has asked about your goals, reluctance to put things in writing, and any discomfort when you say you want to check their record.

You can look up any advisor’s licensing, employment history, and disciplinary record free on FINRA BrokerCheck and the SEC adviser search. It takes five minutes. Anyone worth hiring will tell you to do it rather than wait for you to ask.

Is a CPA better than a financial advisor?

Neither is better. They solve different problems and answer to different regulators.

A CPA handles tax preparation and tax strategy, and is licensed by a state board of accountancy. A financial advisor handles investments, retirement income, insurance, and long-term planning under securities and insurance registration.

Most Tampa households with a business, equity compensation, or a retirement date within a decade end up working with both. The value shows up when the two coordinate rather than each optimizing their own piece. I went through the four situations that genuinely need both in CPA or financial advisor.

Is it worth paying a financial advisor?

It depends on how complicated your situation is, and the honest answer for some people is no.

If your income is steady, your taxes are a W-2 and a standard deduction, and you are comfortable holding index funds, you may not need one. Plenty of people do not.

Advice tends to earn its cost when a mistake would be expensive: retirement withdrawal sequencing, Social Security timing, selling a business, sizing insurance, or inheriting a large sum. Ask any advisor to tell you specifically what you get for the fee each year, and treat a vague answer as an answer.