Jodi Perez, CFP®, CEPA®
Named on the 2024 & 2023 Top Best-in-State Women Wealth Advisors List by Forbes
Partner, IFS
Senior Financial Advisor, RJFS
Jodi earned her Bachelor’s degree in Marketing from the College of Business Administration at the University of South Florida. As a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®) professional for the past 33 years, Jodi understands the financial planning process and how important it is when collaborating with clients to help achieve financial and personal goals throughout their lifetimes. She is also a CERTIFIED EXIT PLANNING ADVISOR (CEPA®), a planning credential from the Exit Planning Institute that focuses on the Value Acceleration Methodology; helping business owners create more valuable businesses by aligning business and personal goals as they plan an exit. As a CEPA, Jodi helps business owners focus on their personal financial goals and determine how the value of their business translates to meeting those goals. She can also work with business owners to help develop a team of professionals to create positive
change and enable successful exits regardless of the timing.
Jodi has been named to the 2024 and 2023 Forbes Top Best-in-State Women Wealth Advisors List for Florida. The Forbes ranking of Best-In-State Women Wealth Advisors, developed by SHOOK Research, is based on an algorithm of qualitative criteria learned through telephone, virtual and in-person due diligence interviews, and quantitative data such as revenue trends and assets under management. The algorithm additionally weighs factors such as service models, compliance records and industry experience, and focuses on those that encompass best practices in their approach to working with clients.
As a member of the Financial Planning Association (FPA), and past President of the FPA of Tampa Bay, Jodi is very involved in the planning community and mentoring the next generation of financial planners. She is on the Advisory Council for the Financial Planning Degree program at USF’s Muma College of Business and is the past FPA Student Chapter Mentor.
Additionally, she is a current board member of the Business Transition Council of Tampa Bay (BTC), a non-profit organization founded in 2008 by professionals with a common goal of helping small businesses succeed. BTC offers crucial support to local business owners especially in the areas of business transition, succession and exit. Jodi is currently involved in the Institute for Business Owner Excellence (IBex), an elite program offered by Raymond James Investment Banking. The purpose of Ibex is to equip financial advisors with best practices for adding value to business owner relationships through the use of Investment Banking opportunities.
As part of her nearly 40 years’ experience in the financial services industry, Jodi was Vice President at a registered broker/dealer located in Tampa, FL and managed a team of 20 financial planning professionals. This is where Jodi met Jeannie Holliday, her current business partner, and after working together in corporate life, they each decided to work with individual investors for several years. In 2007, they joined forces to create a full-service financial planning and wealth management practice, Independent Financial Services. Together they built a team of 10 professionals to ensure their clients have continuity of advice and relationships as they reach milestones, such as paying for college, accumulating for & living in retirement, planning for their legacy and many more goals over their lifetimes.
Jodi & Jeannie like to be very involved in the communities they serve. They are Co-Directors of the North Tampa Pasco Chapter of Charity Chics. Charity Chics is a unique organization that brings women together who want to combine marketing, philanthropy, and networking in the Tampa Bay area. Since its charter in April 2013, their “Chic” Chapter has donated over $35,000 to local organizations including Dress for Success, Women-n-Charge, United Way of Pasco, and Pace Center for Girls. Jodi is also a past board member of Pace Center for Girls, Hillsborough.
As a Financial Advisor of Raymond James Financial Services, Jodi has access to the incredible resources of one of the largest financial services companies. Raymond James has grown to become a well-respected, widely recognized multinational firm with distinct business units that serve a variety of clients, from individuals and small business owners to municipalities and major corporations. Jodi has been quoted in a Tampa Bay newspaper as well as being a featured guest speaker on a local TV station. Her professional registrations include Series 7, 24, 63, 65 and Florida Life, Health & Variable Annuity insurance licenses.
In her free time, Jodi loves to go “glamping” in her fifth wheel. Yes, you read that right — a more glamorous way of camping and enjoying the great outdoors! She enjoys playing golf with her husband and every several years plans a golf “bucket-list” type trip. She also enjoys teaching her friends and family how to make fresh pasta and mozzarella cheese. She’s been known to have them bring their Kitchen-Aide mixers into her kitchen so they can learn all the tricks to making fresh pasta!
The Forbes ranking of America’s Top Women Wealth Advisors Best -In-State, developed by SHOOK Research, is based on an algorithm of qualitative and quantitative data, rating thousands of wealth advisors with a minimum of seven years of experience and weighing factors like revenue trends, assets under management, compliance records, industry experience and best practices learned through telephone and in-person interviews. Portfolio performance is not a criteria due to varying client objectives and lack of audited data. This ranking is based upon the period from 9/30/22 to 9/30/23 and was released on 02/08/2024. Research Summary (As of February 2024) 44,028 nominations were
received and approximately 1991 women won based on thresholds. This ranking is not indicative of an advisor & future performance, is not an endorsement, and may not be representative of individual clients & experience. Neither Raymond James nor any of its Financial Advisors or RIA firms pay a fee in exchange for this award/rating. Raymond James is not affiliated with Forbes or Shook Research, LLC.
Please visit https://www.forbes.com/lists/best-in-state-women-advisors/?sh=7ae191421d11 for more info. Raymond James Financial Services is not affiliated with the above independent or charitable organizations. Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the certification marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, CFP® (with plaque design) and CFP® (with flame design) in the U.S., which it
awards to individuals who successfully complete CFP Board’s initial and ongoing certification requirements.