Senior Financial Advisors in Sarasota, FL

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Seniors Blue Book

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Posted on

Sep 01, 2026

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Retirement changes the questions people ask about money.

During the working years, the focus may be on building savings and investing for the future. Later, priorities often shift toward creating reliable retirement income, managing investment risk, protecting assets, preparing for healthcare expenses, coordinating insurance, planning an estate, and determining what can eventually be passed to children or grandchildren.

A financial advisor can help organize these decisions into a broader strategy.

For people searching for senior financial advisors in Sarasota, FL, Chad Choate of Level Four Financial provides wealth-management, retirement-planning, insurance and related financial services to individuals and families in the Sarasota-Manatee area.


What Does a Financial Advisor Do?

The term "financial advisor" can cover professionals who provide different services, credentials, products, and compensation arrangements.

Depending on the professional and firm, services may include:

  • Retirement planning
  • Investment management
  • Cash-flow planning
  • Insurance analysis
  • Estate-planning coordination
  • Tax-planning coordination
  • Long-term care considerations
  • Business succession planning
  • Risk management
  • Charitable planning
  • Multigenerational wealth planning

A financial advisor does not replace an attorney, CPA, or medical professional. Instead, effective financial planning often involves coordinating decisions across several disciplines.


Level Four Financial – Chad Choate

1001 3rd Avenue West, Suite 500, Bradenton, FL 34205

Phone: 941-730-5983

Chad Choate, III, AAMS®, CEPA® is a Business Unit Leader, Private Wealth Advisor, and Insurance Agent with Level Four Group.

Although the office is in Bradenton, Choate works in the greater Sarasota-Manatee market and is listed by Seniors Blue Book as a financial resource serving area clients.

AAMS and CEPA Designations

Choate holds the Accredited Asset Management Specialist, or AAMS®, designation and the Certified Exit Planning Advisor, or CEPA®, designation.

Professional designations can provide useful information about specialized training, but consumers should still evaluate the professional's services, licenses, compensation, experience, and fit.

FINRA cautions investors not to rely solely on a title or designation when choosing a financial professional and encourages consumers to conduct their own review.

Comprehensive Financial Planning

Level Four describes its approach as integrating several areas of financial planning rather than treating each decision separately.

According to the Seniors Blue Book profile, services available through Choate and the broader Level Four platform include:

  • Financial planning
  • Investment management
  • Retirement planning
  • Insurance planning
  • Estate-planning coordination
  • Family-needs planning
  • Tax-planning strategies
  • Financial organization and analysis

For retirees, this coordinated approach can be useful because one financial decision often affects several others.

For example, taking more from a retirement account may influence taxes. Buying an insurance product can affect available assets. Estate-planning goals may influence investment strategy. Long-term care concerns can affect how much liquidity a household wants to maintain.

Retirement Planning

For many seniors, one of the biggest financial questions is how to turn accumulated savings into sustainable income.

A retirement-planning conversation may consider:

  • Current expenses
  • Social Security
  • Pensions
  • IRA or 401(k) assets
  • Investment accounts
  • Required withdrawals
  • Taxes
  • Healthcare costs
  • Emergency reserves
  • Desired legacy

No advisor can guarantee investment performance or eliminate retirement risk.

A useful planning relationship should instead help the client understand assumptions, risks, trade-offs, and possible strategies.

Investment Management

Level Four offers investment-management resources that include portfolio-management strategies and access to investment products through its financial platform. Its Seniors Blue Book profile identifies stocks, bonds, ETFs, mutual funds, annuities and other investments among the products accessible through the firm's brokerage platform.

Before purchasing any investment, the SEC recommends asking how the investment works, how it fits the investor's goals, what risks are involved, and what total fees may apply.

Insurance and Risk Management

Choate is also identified by Level Four as an insurance agent.

The Level Four platform includes access to insurance-related planning involving:

  • Life insurance
  • Long-term care solutions
  • Medicare-related options
  • Annuities
  • Business insurance considerations

Insurance can be an important part of financial planning, but products differ substantially in cost, guarantees, restrictions, liquidity and suitability.

Clients should understand whether a recommendation is an investment, insurance policy, or combination product and how the professional is compensated.

Business Owners and Exit Planning

Choate's CEPA designation is particularly relevant for business owners.

Level Four offers services involving:

  • Exit planning
  • Business succession
  • Tax planning
  • Employee-retention strategies
  • Executive benefits
  • Retirement plans
  • Risk management
  • Buy-sell planning

For Sarasota-area business owners approaching retirement, personal retirement planning and business-exit planning may need to be coordinated rather than addressed separately.


Why Financial Advice Matters Locally in Sarasota

Sarasota County is one of the country's most retirement-oriented communities.

U.S. Census Bureau estimates show that 38.8% of Sarasota County residents are age 65 or older.

Many residents are managing retirement assets rather than receiving employment income.

That means decisions about investment risk, withdrawals, healthcare expenses, estate planning, insurance and wealth transfer may have a direct effect on whether savings last through a long retirement.

The Sarasota-Manatee area is also home to many current and former business owners, professionals, entrepreneurs, and retirees who may have several types of assets requiring coordinated planning.


How to Get Started

1. Identify Your Financial Priorities

2. Gather Financial Records

Bring information on investment accounts, retirement accounts, insurance, Social Security, pension income, debt and major expenses.

3. Discuss Risk

Be clear about how much market volatility you can tolerate financially and emotionally.

4. Ask How the Advisor Is Paid

Understand every major fee and commission before implementing recommendations.

5. Verify Credentials and Registration

Do not rely only on titles printed on a business card.

6. Coordinate With Other Professionals

Your financial advisor, CPA and estate-planning attorney may need to work together when decisions overlap.

7. Review the Plan Regularly

Update your plan after major financial, health or family changes.


Related Categories

  • Estate Planning Attorneys
  • Retirement Planning
  • Long-Term Care Insurance

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