Karla Gifford has devoted 30+ years of her professional career to working with individuals and families on personal finance management, wealth accumulation, and legacy planning through her work in banking, non-profit development and as a financial advisor with Raymond James and Associates. In order to further enhance the value she adds to her client experience, in 2013 she chose to go back to graduate school and completed her Executive MBA at the University of Illinois graduating with high honors. In addition to her MBA, Karla holds Series 7 and 66 licenses, the Accredited Asset Management Specialist^SM (AAMS^®) designation, as well as Life and Health Insurance licenses. In 2019 she earned the Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor (CPFA) designation.

Karla serves as a committed partner to her clients providing guidance and assistance on:

• retirement funding analysis and planning
• investment portfolio guidance
• estate planning
• insurance analysis; as a foundation to asset and family protection
• education funding strategies
• executive compensation analysis
• comprehensive goal planning and monitoring platform analysis and plan implementation.

With her experience as a human resource professional working closely with corporate retirement plans and her experience as a development professional working closely with non-profit foundation investment policy and portfolios, Karla also partners with small businesses and corporations on their employee retirement plans and with non-profit foundations investment portfolio guidance.

Karla's passion is to help position her clients to be able to retire WHEN and HOW they want to retire and to leave the desired legacy for their families.

Karla is Experienced, Knowledgeable, Compassionate, Kind, Concerned, Client Focused, and Family Focused.

Karla has served her community in a variety of ways as a member of the Schlarman Foundation Board, United Way campaigns, Rotary Board, Association of Fund Raising Professionals Board, school athletics coach, youth summer league coach, and active parish community volunteer.

Karla and her husband, Rob, and two children, Ryan and Reagan, and beloved Golden Retriever, Lambeau, are a very close knit and involved family who love to spend their time outdoors in nature and just being together!

Accredited Asset Management Specialist^SM and AAMS^® are trademarks or registered service marks of the College for Financial Planning in the United States and/or other countries.