Founder-Focused Financial Advisors on Sam's List
Kimberly Green | 2026-03-05
Founder-Focused Financial Advisors on Sam's List Most financial advisors are built for people who have already accumulated wealth. You have a portfolio, you have a 401(k), and you need someone to manage it. Founders have a different problem. Your wealth is illiquid and concentrated. Your income is lumpy. Your tax situation changes every year. You're making decisions — about equity structure, compensation, business sales — that a wealth accumulation model doesn't cover. The advisors on this list understand the difference. They've built practices around founders, not after them. Financial Advisors Who Understand Founder Economics 1. Anthony Syracuse, CFP — Scottsdale, AZ Anthony works with high earners and people building wealth with intent. The framing he uses — "Return on Life" — is easy to dismiss as marketing, but it's actually a meaningful distinction from the standard model. Most advisors optimize for portfolio growth. Anthony optimizes for what you want your money to do. For founders who've spent years sacrificing salary for equity upside, that distinction matters. The question isn't just "how do I grow this?" — it's "what is this actually for?" Fee-only fiduciary structure means no commissions, no product sales, no conflicts. Flat retainer at $7,500/year. You know the number before you start. Services include comprehensive financial planning, investment management, tax strategy, and what he calls a "personalized financial architecture" — a plan that connects your decisions today to the life you're trying to build. vetted for: High earners and tech professionals who have income and some assets but haven't built a real financial plan yet. Also founders who want an advisor who thinks in terms of goals, not just portfolios. Find him on Sam's List 2. Capital Area Planning Group (Malcolm Ethridge) — Washington, DC Malcolm Ethridge is a CFP and IRS Enrolled Agent — that combination is unusual, and it matters for founder complexity. He built his practice around one specific problem: equity compensation. RSUs, stock options, concentrated positions — the financial and tax decisions that come with building something at a company or building the company itself. The CFP + EA combination means Malcolm can advise on both the financial planning side and the tax side without handing you off to a separate professional for the part that matters most. For tech founders and executives, that's not a nice-to-have — it's core. He's a CNBC contributor and author of Financial Independence Doesn't Happen by Accident . This isn't someone who learned the talking points. He's...
