Andy Whitaker
Andy joined the financial services industry to apply his business and finance skills to help you plan for, and achieve, your long-term retirement goals. He holds Series 7 and 66 securities licenses, as well as the Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) and Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor (CRPC®) designations. He most recently worked as a financial advisor with Merrill Lynch and Community First Credit Union where he helped members with their financial and retirement planning needs. After several years at the credit union, Andy felt he wanted to explore opportunities for assisting clients to plan and secure their future in a more comprehensive way. This search ultimately led him to Gold Tree.
Andy earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Florida State University in 1992 and spent almost a decade as a Project Manager in the oil and gas industry in Atlanta and New Orleans. From there he moved to the Chicago area and attended Northwestern University where he earned a Master of Business Administration from the Kellogg School of Management and a Master of Engineering Management from the McCormick School of Engineering in 2002.
Originally from Florida’s hilly capital city of Tallahassee, Andy has lived in the Jacksonville area with his wife and two boys since 2005. He enjoys outdoor motorsports with his family and golfing and fishing with his boys. He coaches baseball and serves as the league’s Coaching Coordinator for the Little League Board of Directors in Hilliard, FL.
Filipe De Barros Gusmão
Filipe De Barros Gusmão, AAMS®, (k)RS™ is a financial planner with Gold Tree Financial. Filipe comes from a family that through hard work and determination built three businesses from the ground up into booming organizations. His family, while reaping the benefits of their success, did not employ the services of an advisor to ensure their financial plan was sound and in turn their businesses fell victim to the 2008 financial crisis. He joined the financial services industry in 2010 to ensure his clients do not suffer the same circumstance.
Filipe helps investors navigate the myriad of available investment options with professional service and a personal commitment. He provides a comprehensive approach to financial planning to individuals, families and businesses. He holds FINRA Series 7 and 66 securities licenses, the Accredited Asset Management Specialist (AAMS®) designation, and the 401(k) Rollover Specialist ((k)RS™) designation.
He has worked as a financial advisor with Merrill Lynch and Raymond James. After spending several years with Raymond James as a solo practitioner Filipe wanted to join a like-minded senior advisor within an independent practice in a quest to provide comprehensive financial planning to those in need. This ultimately led Filipe to Andy Whitaker and Gold Tree Financial.
Filipe graduated from University of North Florida with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. He is active in the community as a volunteer for organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, Boys & Girls Clubs, and Junior Achievement of North Florida. He is a member of the Rotary Club of West Jacksonville, and the North East Florida chapter of the Financial Planning Association. In his free time, Filipe enjoys spending time with his family, training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, powerlifting, surfing, reading and supporting the local visual/performance arts. Filipe was originally born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He is fluent in Portuguese and speaks conversational Spanish.
Gold Tree Financial is not affiliated with the above organizations.