Investment Management in Tampa
CFA-led portfolio management for Tampa Bay families. Your investments, tax, and plan, coordinated.
Fee-Only
Compensated solely by our clients. No commissions. No conflicts.
Serving Florida Since 1995
Three decades of fee-only fiduciary wealth management.
After the Business, Your Portfolio Becomes the Business
Every portfolio governed by a CFA charterholder. Every decision documented in your Investment Policy Statement.
For years, your investment portfolio played a supporting role. The business was the main event. But after a liquidity event, the dynamic reverses entirely. Your portfolio is now responsible for every dollar your family spends, saves, and gives for the rest of your lives.
That transition requires a different discipline. Not the instinct and improvisation that built your company, but a written Investment Policy Statement that defines how capital is allocated, when it is rebalanced, how taxes are managed on every transaction, and what happens when markets decline 20% in a quarter. For Raymond James employees with concentrated RJF equity, the challenge is similar: navigating blackout periods, insider restrictions, and tax-efficient disposition within a documented framework. View our investment management approach
Your Tampa FinancialTeam
Christopher Cannon, CFA
Chris is a CFA charterholder with 33+ years of investment experience spanning institutional trading, arbitrage, and private client management.
William J. Kearney, Jr.
Bill serves as President and Business Manager of FirsTrust, overseeing the firm's day-to-day operations. He is often the first voice to welcome prospective clients to the firm.
Investment Considerations for Tampa Bay Families
Raymond James Concentration Management
Systematic disposition of RJF equity with awareness of blackout periods, pre-clearance requirements, and multi-year tax bracket management.
Pre-Exit Business Portfolio Positioning
Before a sale closes, your portfolio is positioned to receive and deploy proceeds. After, a written Investment Policy replaces ad-hoc decision-making.
Professional Athlete Stewardship
Buccaneers, Lightning, and Rays athletes need accelerated wealth accumulation, multi-state tax-aware investing, and career-transition income strategies.
Corporate Relocation Portfolio Transition
Families arriving from other states with existing advisor relationships and legacy portfolios need a tax-aware transition plan that preserves value.
Common Questions About Investment Management in Tampa
Employees of public companies are subject to trading restrictions during blackout periods and may need to pre-clear transactions through their compliance department. Your Investment Policy Statement accounts for these restrictions, and your FinancialTeam schedules transactions around known blackout windows. If you are subject to Section 16 reporting or other insider restrictions, we coordinate accordingly. This is not legal advice regarding insider trading compliance; consult with your company's legal counsel.
After a significant liquidity event, the immediate priority is preserving capital while developing a deliberate investment strategy. Your FinancialTeam establishes a written Investment Policy Statement before deploying proceeds, rather than making investment decisions under the emotional pressure of a recent transaction. The deployment timeline may span six to twelve months or longer, depending on market conditions and your income needs. Short-term holdings (money markets, short-duration bonds) provide stability while your plan is finalized. Investment outcomes cannot be predicted; past performance does not guarantee future results. Learn more about investment management
Before an exit, your investment portfolio plays a supporting role to your primary asset (the business). It should provide liquidity, diversification, and risk management that your business equity cannot. After an exit, the portfolio becomes your primary income-generating asset. The Investment Policy shifts from supporting a business owner's lifestyle to funding a post-business lifestyle entirely from financial assets. This typically means greater emphasis on income generation, inflation protection, tax efficiency, and preservation. Your FinancialTeam recalibrates the Investment Policy to reflect this fundamental change.
Portfolio transitions from previous advisors involve reviewing existing holdings, cost basis records, unrealized gains and losses, and management fees. We develop a transition plan that sequences changes to minimize tax impact, replacing holdings only where there is a clear improvement in cost, tax efficiency, or alignment with your Investment Policy. Accounts transfer to Charles Schwab & Co. as custodian, and you retain full access throughout the process. Learn more about our new client process
All client investment accounts are held at Charles Schwab & Co., Inc., one of the nation's largest institutional custodians. FirsTrust never takes possession of your funds. You authorize transactions, retain full access, and receive statements directly from Schwab. This separation of custody from advice is a fundamental protection. Learn more about our approach