Miguel Viyella,
CIMA®, IWA
Managing Director
International Wealth Advisor
With more than four decades of industry experience, Miguel guides families and institutions in pursuing important objectives. He helps clients articulate their goals fully and clearly on an ongoing basis, ensuring they are incorporated into the design of investment plans and policies. His approach to doing business has gained industry recognition. He was named to both Barron’s list of America’s Top 1,200 Financial Advisors* and Forbes’ Best-In-State Wealth Advisors list** in 2021. He also received the honor of being named to the 2024 edition of Forbes list of Top Best-In-State Wealth Advisors, which spotlights advisors across the country who were nominated by their firms – and then researched and interviewed within their respective states.
Miguel has earned the Private Wealth Advisor designation from Raymond James. This designation reflects his experience in managing the financial concerns of families, individuals and organizations of significant wealth, and his mastery of methods and resources necessary to support their expansive financial interests.
His team supports families, pension funds, financial institutions, corporations, foundations and endowments.
Miguel’s early career background in corporate and government finance for international and emerging markets provides him with broad perspective on opportunities and risks in the global markets. He became an advisor in 1998 at Prudential Securities, a legacy firm of Wells Fargo Advisors where he spent 23 years serving clients. There, he earned the distinction of Premier Advisor and Chairman’s Council Advisor****. He joined Raymond James in 2021. Bilingual in English and Spanish, he also has working knowledge of French. A Certified Investment Management Analyst℠, he earned a B.A. from McGill University in Montreal and an MBA from the University of Western Ontario.
Giving back to the community is a priority for Miguel. He has served as chairman on the board of directors for the Children’s Home Society of Florida Foundation since 2009, and has been involved with the organization in various roles since 2001. Miguel and his wife, Sonnia, received the R. David and I. Lorraine Thomas Child Advocates of the Year Award in 2017, the organization’s highest honor. In 2020, Miguel received the organization’s Lifetime Leadership Award. Miguel is also a contributor and volunteer for Catholic Charities, the Order of Malta and other charitable works of the Catholic Church. He is a contributor and volunteer for medical missions that the Order of Malta organizes in the Dominican Republic at the Institute of Latin American Concern in Licey al Medio. He received the Distinguished Alumni Award***** from Carol Morgan School in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, in 2019. Miguel is also a member of the Founders Society of Baptist Health Foundation, where he is a contributor to the mission of Baptist Health South Florida.
Miguel has been married to Sonnia for over 30 years, and they have raised four children together. He considers his family, which also includes three grandchildren, his greatest achievement.
Miguel was named to the 2024 and 2025 edition of the Forbes list of Best-in-State Top Wealth Advisors †.
Investments & Wealth Institute™ (The Institute) is the owner of the certification marks “CIMA®” and “Certified Investment Management Analyst℠.” Use of CIMA® and/or Certified Investment Management Analyst℠ signifies that the user has successfully completed The Institute's initial and ongoing credentialing requirements for investment management professionals.
Raymond James is not affiliated with the above organizations and/or charitable causes.
Investing involves risk and you may incur a profit or loss regardless of strategy selected. International investing involves special risks, including currency fluctuations, differing financial accounting standards, and possible political and economic volatility.
*Barron’s “Top 1,200 Financial Advisors,” March 2021. Barron’s is a registered trademark of Dow Jones & Company, L.P. All rights reserved. The rankings are based on data provided by over 5,000 individual advisors and their firms and include qualitative and quantitative criteria. Factors included in the rankings: assets under management, revenue produced for the firm, regulatory record, quality of practice and philanthropic work. Investment performance is not an explicit component because not all advisors have audited results and because performance figures often are influenced more by clients’ risk tolerance than by an advisor’s investment picking abilities. The ranking may not be representative of any one client’s experience, is not an endorsement, and is not indicative of advisor’s future performance. Neither Raymond James nor any of its financial advisors pay a fee in exchange for this award/rating. Barron’s is not affiliated with Raymond James.
**The Forbes ranking of Best-In-State Wealth Advisors, 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. Those advisors that are considered have a minimum of seven years’ 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. Out of approximately 32,725 nominations received, based on thresholds, more than 5,000 advisors received the award. Portfolio performance is not a criteria due to varying client objectives and lack of audited data. Neither Forbes nor SHOOK receives a fee in exchange for rankings. This ranking is not indicative of 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. For more information: www.SHOOKresearch.com.
***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.
****Chairman's Council 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.
****This ranking is not based in anyway on the individual's abilities in regards to providing investment advice or management. This ranking is not indicative of advisor’s future performance, is not an endorsement, and may not be representative of individual clients’ experience. Raymond James is not affiliated with Carol Morgan School.
The Forbes Best-in-State Wealth Advisors 2025 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 6/30/2023 to 6/30/2024 and was released on 4/8/2025. 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 48,944 nominations, roughly 9,722 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.
Private Wealth Advisor is a designation awarded by Raymond James to financial advisors who have demonstrated mastery in anticipating and managing the expansive financial needs of high-net-worth individuals, families and organizations.
