50 years of service – CPS Investment Advisors Continues to Grow
CPS Investment Advisors continues to expand adding new employees and promoting one to president – all so it can remain committed to providing the best customer service possible to its clients.
The company celebrated its 50th anniversary in July 2025.
After the passing of its founder, Chas Smith, 10 years ago, Peter Golotko took over running CPS. He recently decided to name a president, Michael Riskin. Golotko now has the role of CEO.
“Michael has close to 20 years as a personal finance specialist, helping clients build wealth,” Golotko said. “He was doing most of the president’s job without the title. I decided to make him president so he could continue to do that. I am now CEO, so I handle the strategy, and he runs the day-to-day operations.”
The move was also a strategic one, he said “It looked like one person was running the firm, but 62 are. This is about continuity, bringing up more people to run the business if something happens to me.”
The Company Mission
Part of the company’s mission is to bring “clarity to complex financial situations,” something that’s changed over the years, Golotko said.
“When we first started, we were a traditional tax and accounting firm, even though we still tried to bring clarity to complex financial situations,” he said. “What we always did well was educate people so they can make better decisions. As time went on, they wanted us to take control of their finances — that’s how we got into investment advising. We’re still educating them so we can make better decisions for their future, but it’s beyond taxes. It also includes savings, retirement plans, wills and life insurance – anything that has to do with their financial well-being.”
CPS’ competitive advantage is the trust their clients have in them.
“We’re CPAs (certified public accountants) and we’re fiduciaries. We have to act in the clients’ best interests every time. That’s our competitive advantage,” Golotko said. “Doing comprehensive financial planning for clients is the first step in taking over their investments and making the best moves for their situation.”
The Future for CPS
The firm has more than 60 employees, and although it has only one office, it serves clients nationwide when it helps other CPAs around the country with their clients, Golotko said. It has no plans to open more offices, but it is growing and hiring more advisers.
“We’re attracting the next generation of talent so we can provide more people to service our clients,” he said. “We want to continue to help our clients, holding their hands to get their estate planning done and saving enough money to reach their goals. In the next five years, we want to do a lot more of that.”
Brand Director Erica Lupercio and Financial Planning Director Tony Carrao were promoted to partners to help Golotko manage the company and provide quality customer service.
“Bringing on Erica and Tony as partners relieved a lot of the responsibility from other partners, who have jobs that are specific,” Golotko said. “They pitch in and help as we grow and learn from the business masters. Eventually they will be in charge. My goal is to give them enough runway to leave them in a position where they don’t have to figure everything out when I’m gone. It’s all about continuity of service to our clients. For the next 50 years, nothing will change – it’s all about providing quality service and educating our clients. We’re very successful at what we are focused on.”
Awards
CPS has collected numerous awards through the years, some of the most recent ones including:
- One of the Best Places to Work by CareerSource Polk for three years, making it an Employer of Distinction from 2023 to 2025.
- One of the Best Companies To Work For by Florida Trend.
- A 2024 Best Place to Work by Accounting Today, which also named it a Top Firm by AUM (Assests Under Management).
- One of the Largest Investment Firms in the Tampa Bay Area by the Tampa Bay Business Journal.
- A Top RIA (Registered Investment Adviser) Firm by Financial Advisor Magazine.
“These awards mean we are doing something right,” Golotko said.
Additionally, Lupercio said, “We’re very proud of the recognition we receive.”
The Founder’s Thoughts
Chas Smith died in 2015 following a cardiac event that led to a bicycle accident in North Carolina.
“When I first took over after Chas died, I told myself the one thing I wanted to do was make him proud. I think he would be proud — how we run the business and take care of clients, how we’re involved in the community. The entire staff gives back with time and effort. The community has made us successful and we want to give back. Chas would see that that complements the business so well.”
Lupercio, who helped launch CPS Cares—a 501(c)3 initiative aimed at uplifting those in need through collaboration with nonprofits – went further.
“Chas would be very proud of Pete,” she said. “He has grown the company significantly and has taken care of employees and clients. This company wouldn’t grow if he didn’t preach to us on a daily basis to take care of the clients, take care of our people. It starts from the top – if you don’t have leadership that believes you need to take care of employees, clients, community, no one else will believe that.”
Golotko said happy employees who aren’t afraid to come to work helps the company make money.
“We’re happy to have the opportunity to help people build wealth and make their dreams come through.”
