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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.
Membership is based mainly on assets under management, education, credentials and fiscal year production. Requalification is required annually. The ranking may not be representative of any one client’s experience, is not an endorsement, and is not indicative of an advisor’s future performance. No fee is paid in exchange for this award/rating.
The Forbes Top Wealth Advisors Best-In-State 2024 ranking, developed by SHOOK Research, is based on an algorithm of qualitative criteria, mostly gained through telephone and in-person due diligence interviews, and quantitative data. This ranking is based upon the period from 6/30/2022 to 6/30/2023 and was released on 4/3/2024. Those advisors that are considered have a minimum of seven years of experience, and the algorithm weights factors like revenue trends, assets under management, compliance records, industry experience and those that encompass best practices in their practices and approach to working with clients. Portfolio performance is not a criteria due to varying client objectives and lack of audited data. Out of approximately 42,108 nominations, roughly 8,500 advisors received the award. This ranking is not indicative of an advisor's 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/best-in-state-wealth-advisors for more info.
Paul C. Allen, CFP®, MS
President & CEO
Paul is the president and CEO of Wealth Strategies Partners and a financial executive with more than three decades of industry experience. Paul founded Wealth Strategies Partners in 2014 to provide comprehensive, white glove financial planning services to retirees, entrepreneurs, business owners and executives. He and his experienced team work with clients on an individual basis to create customized, strategic, financial plans that are tailored to their unique needs.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Tennessee and subsequently earned his master’s degree in personal financial planning from the College for Financial Planning. He went on to hold executive positions at global financial firms, including Prudential Securities and Aintree Capital, LLC, where he rose to the role of vice president.
Paul was named a Best-in-State Wealth Advisor by Forbes magazine in 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021 and 2018. He has also been named a member of the Raymond James Financial Services’ Chairman’s Council, a distinction given only to those financial advisors who have demonstrated an unparalleled commitment to personal service and lead the largest revenue-producing branches, for five years in a row since 2019. He has achieved the Certified Financial Planner™ certification, which is earned after completing a rigorous CFP® exam and meeting ongoing certification renewal requirements.
Paul is a sought after speaker on timely financial topics and industry trends such as charitable giving strategies, stock market history and performance, generational wealth planning and more. He is frequently engaged to speak to leading institutions and conferences, such as the Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota, Sarasota Chamber of Commerce and the Invest: Tampa Bay and Invest: Nashville Conferences. Regarded as an industry thought leader, his insights have been published by the Tampa Bay Business Journal, Tennessean, Nashville Business Journal, Sarasota Business Observer, and other prominent print and digital publications.
Paul is a Nashville native and splits his time between the practice’s offices in Nashville and Sarasota. He believes in investing in the community and currently serves on the board of Harpeth Conservancy, a leading conservation organization dedicated to restoring and protecting clean water and healthy ecosystems for rivers in Tennessee, and is a Circle Member at the Ringling Art Museum in Sarasota. He is also a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha Alumni Association, Alpha Pi Chapter, and attends Spero Dei Church in Nashville.