10 Financial Advisors to Know If You're a Founder
Kimberly Green | 2026-03-25
The financial advice industry was built for a different kind of person.
Someone with steady income. A 401(k) they contribute to each year. A portfolio that grows slowly and predictably.
Founders don't look like that. Your income is uneven. Your net worth is often locked inside a company. You're making decisions — about how to pay yourself, when to take equity off the table, what the tax hit of a liquidity event looks like — that a standard wealth management model doesn't cover.
These are the financial advisors on Sam's List who understand that problem.
Founder-Focused Financial Advisors
1. Anthony Syracuse, CFP
Location: Scottsdale, AZ | Fee: $7,500/year flat | Rating: 5.0 (5 reviews)
Fee-only fiduciary who works with high earners and tech professionals. His "Return on Life" framework focuses planning on what founders actually want their wealth to do, not just how to grow it.
Flat annual fee means no surprises as your assets grow.
2. Capital Area Planning Group (Malcolm Ethridge, CFP, EA)
Location: Washington, DC | Fee: 0.25%–1.5% AUM | Rating: 5.0 (2 reviews)
The CFP + IRS Enrolled Agent combination is rare. Malcolm advises on financial planning and tax strategy without handing you off — critical for founders navigating RSUs, concentrated stock, and equity-driven complexity.
CNBC contributor and author. His thinking is on record.
3. Ian Weiner, CFP, CEPA
Location: Serves nationally | Fee: 0.5%–1.75% AUM | Rating: 5.0 (1 review)
The CEPA credential (Certified Exit Planning Advisor) means Ian works specifically with business owners in the years before a sale. Wealth preservation, tax reduction, and exit strategy are his core.
The advisor to find before the term sheet arrives.
4. Bull Oak Capital
Location: Rancho Santa Fe, CA | Fee: $15,000/year flat, 0% AUM on first $1M
Full-service advisory — financial planning, investment management, tax strategy, and tax prep — under a flat annual fee. No AUM percentage that compounds as your portfolio grows.
A clean structure for founders who are actively building.
5. Pillar Wealth
Location: Franklin, IN | Rating: 5.0 (10 reviews on Sam's List)
Pillar Wealth serves business owners and high-net-worth clients and takes a planning approach that does not rely on a traditional AUM-only model. Its current Sam's List profile is a useful comparison for founders who want to evaluate fee structure and fit before booking a call.
Deeper: What Separates a Founder-Ready Advisor
These questions will tell you faster than any credential or review:
"Walk me through how you'd handle a client whose net worth is 90% in one illiquid asset."
If they hesitate, they've never had that client. You want someone who sees this as normal.
"How do you approach the tax planning in the year of a business sale?"
There's a specific answer here involving timing, structure, and Qualified Small Business Stock provisions. An advisor who works with founders will have it mapped.
"What's your fee model, and how does it change if my assets double?"
An AUM fee that scales with portfolio growth is fine for some clients. But for founders who will accumulate wealth unevenly, you need to know what you're paying.
"Have you worked with clients through a liquidity event before?"
Ask for specifics. What kinds of events? What was the tax situation? What did they do?
The Questions Founders Usually Forget to Ask
Most founders spend more time vetting their accountant than their financial advisor. That's backwards.
Your accountant files what happened. Your financial advisor shapes what happens.
The decision about how to structure your compensation, when to take capital off the table, what entity structure minimizes your tax exposure — those decisions are made in planning, not in a tax return.
Find an advisor who makes you feel like the planning conversation is the main event, not the onboarding paperwork.
A Note on Fee Structures for Founders
Most financial advisors charge a percentage of assets under management (AUM). On a $2M portfolio, that's $20,000 to $30,000 per year at typical rates.
For founders, AUM-based fees can create a strange incentive structure. Your advisor earns more when your portfolio grows — but if most of your net worth is in your company and not in the portfolio they manage, you're paying a full fee for partial coverage.
Look for advisors who offer flat fees, retainer structures, or AUM models that account for the full picture of your wealth, not just the liquid portion they manage.
When you find one, you've found a real advisor.