Tampa Bay financial planning guides
Straight-talk guides for the financial planning questions Tampa Bay families run into most. Learn what to check yourself, what to ask, and when it's time to get matched with a licensed planner.
Guides and how-tos
10 Questions to Ask a Financial Planner Before You Sign Anything
A first meeting with a planner is also an interview you're conducting. These are the questions that surface how they get paid, whether they're a fiduciary all the time, and what happens if the fit isn't right.
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A Florida Retirement Checklist by Decade: Your 50s, 60s, and 70s
What actually needs attention changes by decade, and Florida adds its own layer with the homestead exemption, no state income tax, and Medicare enrollment timing that trips up new residents mid-move.
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How Florida's Homestead Exemption Affects Your Estate Plan
Florida's homestead protections are unusually strong, and they catch new residents and longtime Floridians alike off guard when it comes to estate planning. A plain language walkthrough of what homestead status actually changes.
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How to Run Your Own Portfolio Fee Audit in 20 Minutes
Expense ratios and advisory fees are often the single biggest drag on long-term returns, and they're one of the easiest things to check yourself using numbers already sitting in your account statements.
Read guideWhen should you stop and call a professional?
Some situations are past a DIY fix. If you see any of these, stop and get a second set of eyes before you sign anything or move money. Waiting turns a fixable mistake into a costly one, or worse.
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You've read the Form ADV or checked BrokerCheck and something in the disclosures does not make sense, or you find a disciplinary event. That is not a call to make alone, get a second set of eyes before you sign anything or share account information.
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You're facing a major life event, an inheritance, a divorce, a job loss, or settling a parent's estate, where a decision made in the next few weeks has consequences that last for years.
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Two calculators, two articles, or two well meaning friends gave you different answers on when to claim Social Security or how much you can safely spend in retirement.
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You own or are being pitched a product you do not fully understand, an annuity, a variable life policy, or a non traded investment, especially if the person selling it also profits from the sale.
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Your tax situation changed in a way a spreadsheet cannot reasonably model on its own, you moved to Florida from a state with income tax, sold a business, or triggered a large capital gain.
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You have done the reading and still do not have an actual plan, just a list of decisions you keep putting off. That gap, not a lack of information, is what a matched planner closes.
Video guides from trusted channels
Hand-picked explainers from established finance channels. Good for understanding the basics before you call. The specifics of your own situation still belong with a licensed planner.
When Should I Hire a Financial Advisor?
The Ramsey Show Highlights
FINANCIAL ADVISOR Explains: Retirement Plans for Beginners (401k, IRA)
Humphrey Yang
More financial planning resources worth reading
Investor.gov: SEC Office of Investor Education and Advocacy
Plain language guidance from the SEC on evaluating investments and financial professionals before you commit any money.
FINRA BrokerCheck
Free tool to check a financial advisor's licensing history, employment record, and any disclosed complaints or disciplinary actions.
SEC Investment Adviser Public Disclosure (IAPD)
Where to pull a registered investment advisor's Form ADV directly, including the fee schedule and disciplinary history referenced in these guides.
IRS.gov: Retirement Plans
Current year contribution limits, required minimum distribution rules, and retirement account guidance straight from the source.
Florida Department of Financial Services
Florida's state regulator for insurance producers and financial licensing, useful alongside FINRA and SEC checks for anyone licensed to sell insurance or annuities in the state.
Still stuck? Get matched with a licensed planner.
If the guide didn't solve it, a real planner probably can. Free matching across the Tampa Bay area, no cost or obligation.