Alan joined Raymond James in April 2016 as a Managing Director, Senior Vice President of Investments. In this role he oversees the strategic allocation of several hundred million dollars of assets under management.
Prior to Raymond James, he spent nearly 30 years as an investment advisor at William Blair, a global investment banking and wealth management firm headquartered in Chicago. During his time at William Blair, Alan continued to grow his advisory practice and was named a Principal in 1994. He started his professional career with Detroit Bank & Trust (1982) and served as a Trust Officer at Harris Bank in Chicago (1985). He has more than 40 years of experience and has developed a deep understanding of the investment advisory industry.
Alan holds a BA in Economics and an MBA in Finance from Indiana University. He also received a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation, one of the most respected designations in finance and the gold standard in the field of investment analysis.
Alan constructs portfolios of mostly individual stocks and bonds with help from the excellent research and resources at Raymond James. As such, a significant part of his day is monitoring and assessing these securities to determine if they should be held or replaced.
Alan’s substantial experience, serious academic background and breadth of knowledge give him a different perspective in the financial advisory industry. He takes pride in managing his client’s assets and accepts the responsibility of selecting and evaluating individual securities for their portfolios.
He strives to help his clients achieve their ambitious financial goals and, more importantly, relieve them of the challenges and burden of managing their wealth.
Alan has a direct, honest approach and knows his clients appreciate these qualities. Between the excellent service and support of the Raymond James team and his dedication as a trusted consultant who has been recognized by Forbes on the 2026 Best-In-State Wealth Advisors list, he stands apart from other advisors.
The investment management business is extremely challenging, dynamic, fast paced and ultra- competitive. At the same time, it allows for great personal and professional satisfaction when clients achieve their financial goals. Alan was attracted to Raymond James because it feels like a boutique money management firm but has the resources of a major Wall Street bank.
Our clients include both individuals and generations of families. They range from entrepreneurs to retired professionals, the ultra-high net worth and self-made millionaires. They are sophisticated, intelligent and well- traveled.
Outside of the office, Alan serves on several private foundation boards. He is also very passionate about health care and educational philanthropy.
He enjoys fine restaurants, nature on all levels, the great state of Arizona where he has a second home, his farm in Southern Illinois, movies and television both old and new, and golf (albeit rather poorly).
Alan grew up on Chicago’s far South Side and currently lives in the Southwest suburbs.
He and his wife Mary have three children: Dr. Alan Lazzara, Philip Lazzara and Laura Lazzara Waldron and six wonderful grandchildren.
Alan is grateful for his hard working, extremely intelligent, trustworthy, partner Leah Baker. Leah is also a Certified Financial Planner® professional (CFP) who helps develop comprehensive, long-term plans for our clients. Their clients’ regularly compliment Leah’s work and relentlessly positive attitude. In similar fashion, Alan is proud to collaborate with multiple departments at Raymond James and extend their specialized expertise and solutions to his clients.
The Forbes Best-in-State Wealth Advisors 2026 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 6/30/2024 to 6/30/2025 and was released on 4/7/2026. Those advisors that are considered have a minimum of seven years of experience, and the algorithm weighs 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 52,043 nominations, roughly 11,302 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. Compensation provided for using the 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.
CFA® and Chartered Financial Analyst® are registered trademarks owned by CFA Institute.
Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Center for Financial Planning, Inc. owns and licenses the certification marks CFP®, Certified Financial Planner®, and CFP® (with plaque design) in the United States to Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc., which authorizes individuals who successfully complete the organization's initial and ongoing certification requirements to use the certification marks.