Using education to help people achieve better finances
Who We Are
Jorge Soriano is the founder and CEO of Financial Optimist, not just a fee-only, but an advice-only (fee-for-service) financial planning firm committed to providing financial services to clients regardless of their age or accumulated assets. Jorge loves all things strategy, optimization, personal finance, travel rewards—and a good deal—all while recognizing that relationships are top priority in everything he does.
After spending the first decade of his career working for financial firms in Tampa Bay, he knew it was time to launch his own company. He founded Financial Optimist to guide motivated professionals and mission-driven couples to build solid relationships with their money and create financial planning strategies that are designed to grow wealth. He became a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and an IRS Enrolled Agent professional to help others pursue their goals, with a commitment to keeping things simple, with no fancy financial jargon or complex investment terms. He is passionate about your personal vision and goals, and how he can help you on your way to financial success. One of the most important things to know about him is that he cares, and he cares a lot.
When asked what defines success, Jorge replies, “A healthy, balanced lifestyle; enjoying quality family time; and providing the best advice for my clients to better themselves in life, all while making a difference in the community. If you do what you love, you will never work a day in your life. I’m passionate about helping others live a life they’re proud of.” With the heart and passion of a teacher, he was destined to help others in one form or another.
Outside the office, Soriano has been an advocate for the University of South Florida and nationally recognized financial literacy organizations such as Junior Achievement, Foundation For Financial Planning, and Family Reach. When not helping clients, volunteering, or supporting the local arts, you can find him playing board games or enjoying outdoor activities in sunny St. Pete with the love of his life, his wife Hilary, and their wonderful daughter, Naomi Rose.
What We Stand For
At Financial Optimist, we focus solely on clients’ best interest, all while recommending ways to optimize their financial goals. By offering tax advice/preparation service with comprehensive financial planning, we provide a truly holistic service to our clients and help them better manage their financial future.
Our investment philosophy is simple, yet effective. Stay the course and tune out the noise. At the end of the day, markets are efficient and “beating” the market is highly unlikely and costly to attempt. We recognize that it is impossible to consistently be the first person to act on market changing news, and therefore it is very difficult to get on the right side of momentum when prices change so quickly.
Our strategies are as follows:
Allocate to equities for growth and fixed income to reduce volatility and conserve assets.
Allocation is based on a “bucket” approach to account for an individual's goals, time horizon and risk tolerance for each account.
Diversify broadly across asset classes. Panicked reactions to market swings can lead to a horrible investment experience, so we will rebalance systematically and avoid market timing.
Use passive/index funds to reduce costs, diversify and capture the full market returns.
Use tax-advantaged accounts, and harvest losses to avoid unfavorable tax consequences.
Ready to start taking control of your finances? Schedule a complimentary consultation.
Our Promise For G.O.O.D
Guidance.
Guidance you can trust. As a client, you can be confident that you will always receive honest and unbiased advice that’s best for you and your family.
Organization.
Organization is key to keeping your comprehensive plan on track. We will coach and hold you accountable, while giving you the tools to succeed. So you can have confidence in your financial future. Today, and always.
Optimization.
Optimization of all aspects of your financial life by staying current on industry information, planning strategies, and technology to assist with your needs and provide financial advice tailored to you.
Dedication.
Dedication to you, your family, and our community. A true commitment to helping you achieve your financial and personal goals.
In short, Our Promise For G.O.O.D is simply doing the right thing.
We believe that you deserve a better financial experience. What does that mean to us? Offering all of our clients and potential relationships peace of mind by having a 3-month money back guarantee. That means a no questions-asked, no-obligation-whatsoever, money-back guarantee if you are not satisfied with our services within the first 3 months of working together. That’s, Financial Optimist.
At the core of our company, the values are caring and giving.
Giving unbiased and empowering advice to guide your financial prosperity.
Giving back to the community with financial literacy workshops, educational webinars, and commitment to offer pro bono services to households that need it most.
Giving to strengthen our corporate and personal values while servicing our community for the better.
What Is Your Impact?
Our goal is to educate and empower as many individuals as we can reach. By building a firm based on the core values of caring and servicing, we believe we can all make an impact. We understand that many households cannot afford to have a CFP® professional review their finances and offer guidance. We want to change that.
For every ongoing client we onboard, our firm commits to offering pro-bono financial planning to a family in need. Our firm loves to give back and works best with those that are helpers as well. We also make a concerted effort to support deserving students at the University of South Florida both monetarily and through mentorship. Our founder is proud to support USF’s Alumni Advisory Council, Latin Community Advisory Council, and the Latino Scholarship Program. In short, we love working with individuals who have a giving heart.
We are passionate about financial literacy and are advocates of giving consumers the knowledge they need to make good financial decisions. If you are a nonprofit organization that wants to offer this service to your employees who need a little extra help, please click here to learn more about our pro-bono services. With your goals in mind, Financial Optimist will connect you with one of our financial planners for a free comprehensive financial review. Since everything is done online, you don't need to worry about wasting time traveling to appointments or taking time off work. We will work with you and your employees to make sure they are taken care of.
