V. RAYMOND FERRARA

FOUNDER, PROVISE MANAGEMENT GROUP, CLEARWATER

Ferrara founded ProVise in 1986, growing the financial planning and investment management firm into a 30-person team with clients in more than 30 states and more than $2 billion in assets under management. He has served on the national board of directors for the Institute of Certified Financial Planners, the Financial Planning Association and the CFP Board of Standards. In 2019, he helped bring about the merger of Clearwater’s two chambers of commerce into Amplify Clearwater. Mentoring is a passion. “Being an elder statesperson, it is the obligation of a professional to pass along the knowledge obtained over the years,” Ferrara says. “On a volunteer basis, I have taught multiple financial planning courses in a formal setting. The greatest satisfaction is to influence a young person’s career and life in such a way that years later they tell you about the positive impact.”