Walsh & Associates CEO Joseph Walsh Jr. was named to the 2019 Financial Times 400 Top Financial Advisers. Members must have more than 10 years of experience, at least $300 million in assets under management (AUM) and rank highly in areas of AUM growth rate, compliance record, industry certifications and online accessibility.

When Walsh entered the field of Finance, he was successfully running a restaurant and just wanted the know-how to manage his profits. But he suddenly found himself in high demand, serving as a resource not only to friends and family who called with their personal finance questions, but also to their friends and family who had been told to “go ask Joe. He’ll know.” The gratification Walsh received from helping others navigate this oftentimes difficult arena set him on a new career path, and he has been happily advising Walsh & Associates clients since 1986.

Walsh is pleased to be one of the independent firms on the FT 400 Top Financial Advisers list, which is comprised mostly of multinational financial services companies. His family firm has just 11 employees, three of whom are his sons Tom, Michael and Joe III.

“We help so many people, and it’s nice to be recognized,” Walsh said in response to the announcement. “I like what we do, how we do it, the people we do it for — they become our personal friends, and I want what’s best for my friends.”

In addition to being an adviser and the CEO of Walsh & Associates, Walsh is a volunteer instructor for Adult & Community Enrichment (ACE) at Suncoast Technical College. His classes cover many of the same topics broached with clients, like Social Security strategies, estate planning and the transition to retirement. He also serves on the volunteer CIMA and CPWA Certification Item/Test Form Review Task Force for the Investments & Wealth Institute (formerly IMCA).

Walsh has an MBA in Finance and CFP, CFA, CTFA, AIFA and CPWA designations.