Chris Fontana

My previous firm was focused on their priorities, not mine. I didn’t have the support I needed from management to grow my practice. I wanted to become a more holistic, well rounded financial advisor. They said I needed to stick to just managing the investments in the 403b plan. I didn’t feel like I could work in the interests of my clients when I am only working with a portion of their finances. That’s when I ultimately knew I needed to make a change.

The response I received from the clients when I would share with them our planning process. It was finally a foolproof method that allowed me to be more holistic and to better cater to my clients and their personal needs. The support I received from leadership and mentors to help me grow my practice here at Westshore was remarkable. I knew I would find success within this organization. I couldn’t imagine I would have as much flexibility to spend time with my family with this profession. I also didn’t understand the value of I could build in my practice and have the opportunity to sell it in the future.

Westshore is a local firm with local leadership. I can walk into management’s office and tell them the goals I want to achieve and know that they will respond with a supportive attitude. But because Westshore is supported by the Guardian network, a Fortune 250 company, they can provide access to distinguished tools I need to grow. The planning process we use here is way more advanced than what I had at my other firm. Westshore has really allowed me to specialize my practice to focus on the medical field and create my own practice brand. I founded Florida Medical Advisors in 2018 so I could focus on the unique needs of my medical clients. Guardian gives me access to some of the best disability and life insurance tools focused specifically on physicians so I could dial down on my own specific niche.

I would tell myself as they say, “there are riches in the niches”. It takes time but you need to find an area that you want to specialize and go after it. There is another saying “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go with others” and that speaks volumes in this business. Don’t be afraid to team up with another financial advisor who is more specialized in an area where you want to be more successful in. Lastly, this is your business. Don’t think you necessarily have to work with every client or every type of client. You can specialize and you’ll find that you’ll be more successful.

Over the next several years, I hope to move forward into other diverse subspecialties and broaden my reach of Florida Medical Advisers geographically. I want to continue to add more advisors to my team, expanding the scope of my practice. I love what I do, and my business continues to evolve and stay exciting – as for now, I never see myself retiring!