Florida physicians earn about $239,000 a year (BLS). Yet six-figure student loans, malpractice exposure, and sudden jumps into higher tax brackets can make wealth building feel anything but simple. According to White Coat Investor, roughly 80 percent of doctors come out ahead when they work with a fiduciary advisor. Add Florida’s no-income-tax rules and lawsuit-shielding homestead laws, and choosing the right expert turns into a high-stakes decision. This guide ranks the seven best Florida physician financial advisors—so you can skip the search and move straight to scheduling discovery calls.
How we built the ranking
We reviewed more than 20 Florida-based advisory firms from industry directories, physician forums, and peer referrals. From that pool, we applied a three-step filter:
- Fiduciary status. If a firm is not a Registered Investment Adviser or collects commission revenue, we excluded it; physicians need advice, not product sales.
- Florida presence. We required at least one in-state office, because Florida’s no-income-tax rules shape every plan.
- Physician focus. Each firm had to show meaningful experience with medical professionals (dedicated service pages, physician testimonials, or MD staff).
Seven firms cleared all three hurdles, and we ranked them with a five-factor rubric, weighted by the potential impact on your wallet:
- Fee structure and transparency: 25 percent
- Depth of physician specialization: 25 percent
- Breadth of doctor-centric services: 20 percent
- Advisor credentials and firm stability: 15 percent
- Verified client satisfaction and reputation: 15 percent
According to Signature Financial Solutions’ public explanation of fiduciary responsibility, a fiduciary advisor is legally and ethically required to put client interests ahead of the firm’s interests at every stage of planning and portfolio design.
Taking that definition as your baseline makes it easier to tell the difference between fee-only planners who document their recommendations and salespeople who are paid more to push certain products.
Any firm you interview should be able to point you to a written fiduciary commitment on its website or in its Form ADV before you move assets.
Numbers, not opinions, set the final order. Review the criteria, decide which levers matter most to you, and feel free to reorder the shortlist before you schedule discovery calls.
1. Signature Financial Solutions: Tampa’s full-service powerhouse
Why it leads our list: Anchored on Westshore Boulevard, a team of financial advisors in Tampa coordinates Signature’s 14-office network—stretching from Miami to Panama City—giving most Florida physicians the option to meet face-to-face without burning PTO. That reach lets most physicians meet their advisor face to face without using PTO.
Signature operates as a fiduciary Registered Investment Adviser and charges a sliding assets-under-management fee (about 0.80 percent on the first $1 million, per Form ADV). Every client signs the same fiduciary oath, and fees are disclosed in writing before assets move.
What you get under one roof:
- Investment management, tax strategy, insurance analysis, and estate coordination, all handy for dual-physician households that want a single point of contact.
- Florida-centric planning: advisors layer in homestead protection, no-income-tax arbitrage, and umbrella liability limits sized for malpractice risk.
- Digital client portal plus 14 brick-and-mortar offices, so you choose whether the next review happens over Zoom or with a cappuccino.
Watch-outs:
Signature also serves entrepreneurs and retirees. Confirm during your discovery call that your lead planner regularly handles physician contracts, student-loan payoff strategy, and 403(b)/457 quirks. Nail that fit, and Signature offers statewide convenience few rivals can match.
2. Wealth Care LLC: concierge planning from a physician-turned planner
Why it ranks #2: Founded in 2002 by Steven Podnos, MD, CFP, Wealth Care serves about 130 physician families nationwide from its Merritt Island headquarters. The MD pedigree means your advisor has lived hospital schedules, malpractice fears, and student-loan math firsthand.
Fee-only clarity. Wealth Care charges 1 percent on the first $1 million, 0.50 percent on the next $2 million, and 0.25 percent above that, with a $7,500 annual minimum (fee details per firm disclosures). No commissions, ever.
What sets it apart
- Family-office coordination. One team integrates investments, tax moves, insurance, and estate documents, so nothing falls through the cracks.
- Asset-protection playbooks. Advisors routinely structure homestead exemptions, umbrella liability, and LLC titling to shield wealth from malpractice claims.
- Anytime access. Concierge service means evening or weekend calls are welcomed, not resented, which helps surgeons on variable shifts.
Fit check
Wealth Care caps its client roster to keep response times swift. If you’re comfortable with the $7.5k floor and want MD-level insight plus white-glove access, this Space Coast boutique brings surgical precision to your finances.
3. Medicus Wealth Consultants: Tampa Bay’s doctor-first playbook
Why it lands at #3: For more than 20 years Medicus has served physicians almost exclusively, guiding over 300 medical families through debt payoff, practice buy-ins, and early retirement planning.
What stands out
- Physician-only roots. Every workshop, case study, and blog post tackles issues like SAVE repayment quirks, non-compete clauses, and other pain points generalist advisors rarely see.
- 360° “second opinion.” Your first meeting mirrors an outside MRI read: advisors review debt, insurance, retirement buckets, and taxable accounts, then flag blind spots you can fix between OR cases.
- In-house specialists. Disability-insurance veteran next door, practice-finance consultant on speed dial, all coordinated under one plan, so you spend fewer weekends in spreadsheets.
Fees and fit
Medicus is a fee-only RIA. Management fees start around 1.0 percent on the first $1 million and decline on larger balances, per Form ADV, and planning is bundled. While no formal asset minimum is published, most clients are mid-career attendings or dual-physician couples.
If you want a boutique that speaks fluent medical finance without the corporate gloss of a national chain, Medicus could be the right prescription.
4. Doctors Wealth Care: Southwest Florida boutique with national cred
Why it earns #4: Medical Economics named Doctors Wealth Care (DWC) to its “150 Best Financial Advisers for Doctors” list, a nod few Gulf Coast firms can claim.
Physician-exclusive focus. Based in Fort Myers, DWC works only with doctors, dentists, and advanced-practice providers. Advisors start with a detailed intake—career stage, call burden, burnout risk—then layer strategies like cash-balance pensions, back-door Roth IRAs, and practice-exit valuations.
Flexible fee models. Physicians can choose:
- Assets-under-management service (tiered percentage disclosed in Form ADV) for hands-off investors.
- Subscription planning starting at about $300 per month for attendings, $50 for residents, ideal if you prefer to DIY investments but want ongoing advice.
Retirement and protection edge. The team pairs extra tax-advantaged savings vehicles with Florida homestead and tenancy-by-entireties rules to keep wealth lawsuit-resistant.
Fit factors. DWC limits its roster to keep callbacks quick and respectful of OR blocks. If you practice in Naples, Fort Myers, or across the Gulf Coast and want big-firm expertise with small-town access, DWC belongs on your discovery-call list.
5. McDonough Capital Management: Orlando’s long-game strategist
Why it ranks #5: Founded in 1999, McDonough Capital offers more than 25 years of market experience and a dedicated Financial Planning for Physicians division that guides doctors from residency paychecks to seven-figure practice exits.
Planning in practice
- Holistic blueprint. Advisors sync student-loan payoff, 403(b)/457 maximization, and malpractice coverage, then display everything in a secure mobile dashboard, so you can track net worth between cases.
- Team-based coordination. The firm works with your CPA on tax moves, attorneys on asset-protection trusts, and brokers when it’s time to sell the practice, keeping every dollar in concert.
- Seasoned risk management. Decades of navigating crashes (2000, 2008, 2020) shape portfolios designed to protect high incomes from sudden drawdowns.
Fees and fit
McDonough is a fee-only RIA. Asset-management fees start near 1.0 percent on the first $1 million and decline on larger balances, per Form ADV. The typical asset minimum is $500k, so early-career physicians should confirm eligibility before booking a consult.
If you’re a Central Florida doctor seeking a steady-hand advisor who blends modern tech with quarter-century market savvy, McDonough Capital belongs on your shortlist.
6. HCP Wealth Planning: flat-fee clarity for early-career doctors
Why it ranks #6: HCP Wealth is one of the few fee-only firms in Florida that charges a transparent subscription instead of a percentage of assets, making professional advice more accessible for residents and new attendings.
Pricing you can budget. Choose a one-time “By-the-Gig” plan for $1,800 or ongoing guidance at $325 per month (about $11 a day), with no asset minimums.
Student-loan expertise on tap. Lead planner Justin Chidester, CFP®, also holds the Certified Student Loan Professional (CSLP®) designation, so you’ll leave the first meeting knowing whether SAVE, PAYE, or refinancing saves more interest over the next decade.
How the service works
- Comprehensive plan, DIY execution. HCP maps budgeting, tax moves, insurance needs, and investment allocations, then lets you implement through a robo-advisor or low-cost index funds, keeping total costs down.
- Rate perks. The firm negotiates lender discounts when refinancing is the right move.
- Education first. Expect screen-share walkthroughs, plain-English summaries, and Oxford-comma-friendly clarity, so you understand why each step matters.
If transparency, education, and cost control top your wish list, HCP Wealth flips the traditional advisor model in a way early-career doctors will appreciate.
7. WealthKeel LLC: Gen X and Gen Y physicians, simplified
Why it ranks #7: WealthKeel serves as a personal CFO for more than 100 physician families across 32 states and oversees $256 million in assets under advisement.
Planning in one page. Upload practice equity, 529 accounts, HSA balances, and more, and the team turns everything into a single-page “action map” that tells each dollar where to go next, easing the load for doctors juggling OR time and toddler carpools.
Transparent fees.
- Inpatient plan (ongoing advice plus investment management): $3,000 setup, from $700 per month.
- Outpatient plan (one-time roadmap): $7,000 flat.
WealthKeel caps its roster to keep response times under 24 hours.
High-touch extras
- Quarterly tax reminders, market-dip check-ins, and newborn-budget updates.
- Education first: every recommendation comes with a plain-English “why,” helping physicians avoid emotion-driven trades.
- Tech forward: 24/7 dashboard access, secure mobile app, and constant net-worth tracking.
If you’re a 30- or 40-something doctor looking for high-touch guidance without corporate gloss, WealthKeel blends empathy, rigor, and modern tech, finishing our list with boutique punch.
Side-by-side comparison: which firm fits your situation
| Firm | Fee model (examples) | Physician focus | Stand-out strength | Typical client stage | Florida presence |
| Signature Financial Solutions | Tiered AUM, about 0.80 percent on first $1M | Broad HNW, many MDs | One-stop, 14-office statewide network | Mid- to late-career attendings seeking full service | Tampa HQ plus 13 satellites |
| Wealth Care LLC | Flat retainer (minimum $7,500) | 100 percent physicians | MD founder, concierge access | High-net-worth docs wanting white-glove planning | Merritt Island (Space Coast) |
| Medicus Wealth Consultants | AUM, 1.0 percent to 0.60 percent | 100 percent medical | Debt-to-retirement playbook | Early- to mid-career doctors juggling loans | Tampa Bay |
| Doctors Wealth Care | Subscription ($300 per month) or AUM | 100 percent medical | Retirement-gap solutions | Practice owners planning exit | Fort Myers / Naples |
| McDonough Capital | AUM, starts near 1.0 percent | Dedicated MD division | 25-year track record, tech portal | Mid- to late-career physicians | Orlando |
| HCP Wealth Planning | Flat fee: $1,800 one-time or $325 per month | 100 percent healthcare | CSLP® student-loan expertise | Residents, fellows, new attendings | Jacksonville (virtual statewide) |
| WealthKeel LLC | Flat plan ($3,000 setup, $700 per month) plus AUM | Gen X and Gen Y physicians | Personal-CFO model | Busy dual-income families | Tampa |
Conclusion
Treat the grid like a worksheet. Before each discovery call, jot notes on minimum assets, response times, and chemistry. When one row meets every need, you’ve probably found your match.
