About Us
ABOUT THE TRUST GROUP
The Trust Group Financial is an independent estate and retirement planning group serving the Tampa Bay community since 1985. For more than 32 years, we have specialized in helping people protect and preserve their hard-earned assets with strategies many financial professionals are unaware of.
From business continuation and key person buy-sell agreements, to retirement income strategies that guarantee our clients' assets will provide for them as long as they live. The Trust Group Financial team is here to help you. We also provide legacy, tax and estate planning techniques that seek to preserve the maximum amount of wealth and ensure that wealth will be there for our clients, ultimately passing that wealth directly to their beneficiaries without the expense and interference from attorneys and the probate court system.
We do many things at The Trust Group Financial, but our priorities are to serve our clients and put their interest first. We do our best to guide clients in accomplishing their goals. We are not in the business of selling financial products like other advisors you may have met in the past. We’re in the business of using our experience, knowledge and access to products to create reliable strategies to get our clients where they need to be.
There are tough and important decisions that must be discussed regarding estate and retirement income planning.
Many clients don’t know their options, and making the wrong decisions could have devastating consequences. We listen to our clients’ needs and goals and work diligently to make sure we’re guiding our clients down the right path, solving the problems they face and most importantly, meeting their expectations.
At The Trust Group Financial Services, we strive to provide our clients with an exceptional level of service and are committed to working with them to accomplish their goals with our innovative four-step process.
It starts with an initial conversation where we get to know the client’s goals, objectives and identify issues that possibly put them at risk. From there, we research, develop strategies and complete a comprehensive analysis of where the client is at and determine a cost-effective course of action. We then implement the strategies discussed to protect and preserve their hard-earned assets and fill the gaps in their estate and retirement income plan. Finally, we provide ongoing service and support to building our relationship and keep our clients on the right path.
Take that first step now! Get to know us and start the conversation today.
MEET JAMES
James was born at St. Joseph Mercy Medical in St. Louis, Missouri, before parents Gary and Patricia Spicuzza moved their family of five to Clearwater, Florida, in 1981.
James’ father will tell you at a young age James always wanted to build something. He loved drawing and creating plans to build many things. The process of creating something from an idea was rewarding. His knack for thinking ahead and creating plans led to a desire to become an architect. Seeing buildings develop from nothing more than an idea and a piece of drafting paper was inspiring to him. Yet, there was one aspect missing from the career of an architect sitting in front of a drafting table: people.
James has a love for interacting with people. He enjoys constantly meeting new people, hearing about where they came from and where they are headed. He loves listening to his clients' stories and learning more about what makes them so amazing. Coincidentally, financial planning has many parallels to being an architect. Financial plans are created from solid principals and ideas, just like architectural plans. Both industries utilize paper to draft these creative ideas. Both industries are inspiring, as one sees the result become a real, tangible thing.
James looks at financial planning much like building a house. Every plan needs a solid foundation of legal and estate protection. Assets structured properly work as building blocks to hold everything together to allow someone to live comfortably for their lifetime. Finally, a roof that ensures no matter what outside forces come, that person will be able to weather the storm.
It wasn’t by chance James became a financial professional. After graduating from Countryside High School, James attended St. Petersburg College and The University of South Florida. After college, James followed the path of his father who has been in the financial services industry serving Tampa Bay since 1985.
James now has more than a decade of experience in retirement income, insurance and estate planning; however, the invaluable knowledge and guidance passed on from his father has allowed him to become an authority in the industry. He was extremely fortunate to receive the training and expertise from his father, who for years, was the number-one agent in the United States for Kentucky Central Life. It's an advantage James utilizes every day for his clients and this knowledge has helped people not only achieve their retirement goals, but also protect their families from the realities of life in retirement. He's also helped countless families from suffering through the probate court system.
James resides in Palm Harbor, Florida and has been blessed with two boys and his wonderful wife, Amie, who is an elementary school teacher for the Pasco County school system. Teaching and helping others are passions James and Amie share.
James loves spending time with his family. A family barbecue or a day on the beach is where you’ll find him on most weekends. He loves the outdoors in his beautiful state of Florida. He has a passion for the ocean, so naturally he is an avid scuba diver and enjoys fishing and boating in his spare time. He is also a head coach for Countryside Little League baseball.
James wants to hear your story, meet James today.
MEET GARY
Before entering the financial services industry in 1985, Gary Spicuzza was a plastic injection mold maker for 14 years in St. Louis, Missouri. Following the addition of his three wonderful children and moving to Clearwater, Florida, it was time for Gary to make a career change.
One evening after a hard day’s work at the factory, Gary was purchasing a life insurance policy to protect his young family. Gary realized at that moment just how important life insurance is and the substantial void in the Tampa Bay community for a highly qualified life insurance agent. From there The Trust Group Financial Services was born.
Yet, Gary wasn't your average insurance agent. He has a distinct drive to be the best and through hard work, dedication and putting his clients interests first, he quickly rose to become the number-one life insurance agent in the country for one of the largest insurance companies, Kentucky Central Life, now known as Lincoln Financial Group.
Quickly into his career, Gary began to see the realities of what happens upon death as spouses and children called him to make their life insurance claims. While the life insurance he provided for his clients protected these families financially, he was astounded by the time, cost and publicity families were suffering from as they had to probate their other assets. From there, estate planning became—and still is—a core aspect of the services he provided to his clients.
Now with his agency providing insurance solutions and estate-planning services to protect his clients families upon death, it became abundantly clear his clients were suffering from another problem while alive: quality retirement advice. He witnessed stockbrokers putting pre-retirees and retirees at unsuitable risk. Being his clients trusted professional, they would turn to him for retirement income recommendations.
This demand for his financial services grew to include retirement planning as an essential service for his clients.
Today and after three decades in the financial industry, The Trust Group Financial Services has grown to become the authority in the Tampa Bay area for offering estate and retirement income planning with an emphasis on utilizing insurance solutions, Social Security maximization and tax-efficient strategies.
Gary was extremely thrilled back in 2006 to have his son, James, follow his path and continue to provide an invaluable service to the community. Sadly on June 1, 2018 Gary Spicuzza passed away. While James has now taken the leadership role of The Trust Group Financial Services, Gary made it a priority over the twelve years they worked together to train James to be just like him: a top professional.
Gary was the proud father of his three children, and had four grandchildren before his passing. He loved spending time with his family and teaching his grandchildren about life. He also developed passions for tennis and bowling and played as often as possible. We miss Gary dearly. If you would like to learn more about Gary please visit his memorial website created by his son James. The Gary D. Spicuzza Memorial Webpage
THE PROCESS
OUR SPECIALIZED FOUR-STEP PROCESS
First, we have an initial meeting to learn about each other and establish our relationship. We determine your objectives to truly understand your unique situation.
From there, we take a look at your complete situation including your income, expenses, assets, tax liabilities, and social security and begin conceptualizing an effective strategy to maximize your retirement, reduce your tax burden and meet your goals, collaborating every step of the way.
We then execute your plan so you can move forward into retirement with confidence and sleep well at night knowing your estate and retirement plan is in place.
Finally, our work is never done. We are committed to providing the highest level of service and support to build on our relationship. Our number-one priority is to create an experience that establishes a relationship that lasts a lifetime.
Our four step process is a proven strategy and allowed us to achieve countless retirement goals for our clients. See for yourself.
You’ve probably been planning for retirement in some way, shape, or form for many years. Maybe you participate in your company’s 401(k) plan or set aside money in a traditional or Roth IRA. Maybe your employer offers a pension plan. As you get closer to retirement, it’s important to plan for your retirement income in specific detail.
Download our complimentary guide today!