Joel J. Garris, CFP®

Joel J. Garris is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Nelson Financial Planning, Inc. and Nelson Investment Planning Services, Inc. Mr. Garris joined the firm on December 5, 1999. Mr. Garris specializes in bringing all the various parts of an individual’s finances into focus. His areas of expertise include retirement income planning, cash flow planning, retirement planning, tax planning, and estate planning. He recommends effective solutions for efficiently managing cash to meet all needs and develops plans to properly provide retirement income. In addition, Mr. Garris also provides successful strategies to reduce both income and estate taxes.

Prior to joining NIPS, Mr. Garris was a securities law attorney at the law firm of Dickstein Shapiro LLP, a large multi-practiced firm with more than 400 attorneys in Washington, DC. He specialized in initial public offerings, mergers and acquisitions, and debt financing for a wide array of corporate clients, including Fortune 500 companies. Before becoming an attorney, he worked as an engineer at Central Maine Power Company.

Joel is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® Professional, Certified Financial Fiduciary™, and a member of the Massachusetts and Washington, DC bar. He holds various securities licenses including, Series 7 - General Securities Representative, Series 24 - General Securities Principal, Series 27/28 - Financial and Operations Principal, and Series 51 - Municipal Fund Securities Principal.

Joel has served as the Treasurer of the Delaney Park Neighborhood Association and an Assistant Scoutmaster for Troop 24 chartered by First Presbyterian Church of Orlando. He has also served as a youth sports coach on numerous occasions for Delaney Park Little League, Association of Christian Youth Sports, YMCA, and Upward. He is also a member of various organizations, including Mensa, and has been a volunteer for Literacy Volunteers of America and the Veterans’ Administration.

Joel is the current host of Central Florida’s longest-running radio show, which was started in 1984 by Jack Nelson. “Dollars and Sense” is heard live from 9:00 am to 10:00 am every Sunday on WFLA 93.1FM/540 AM. The show is also available on its own YouTube channel and on a wide range of podcast platforms where it has been named one of the Top 25 financial planning podcasts on the World Wide Web. Previously, Mr. Garris was the host of “Moneywise”, a financial call-in talk show on WORL 660 AM, for five years. Mr. Garris also taught a personal enrichment class entitled “Analyzing and Solving Life’s Financial Matters” through Orange County Public Schools.

Joel married Stephanie Nelson on February 13, 1999. Mrs. Garris is the Executive Director of Grace Medical Home and previously served as the Executive Director of the Orlando Metro Area for the American Cancer Society. She is also a past President of the Junior League of Greater Orlando. They have three sons: Nelson is a graduate of Auburn University, Ethan attends the University of Virginia, and Connor attends Northeastern University. In his free time, Joel enjoys running, fishing, traveling, and boating.

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Testimonials

Everyone in the office is dedicated to top-notch service of the client. They treat you like family. In fact, Joel Garris provides highly reliable investment advice and basically uses the same investment choices for his family. Our holdings have done incredibly well over the years to where we are in a very good position at retirement.
Jane Muszynski

I have been with Nelson Financial Planning since 1986. Joel and Jack have always had my best investing strategies as their number one priority. Investing in the right mutual funds to reduce fees and sustain growth is what they always have in mind. I owe NFP a lot for the portfolio growth I have had these last 32 years!
Clyde Burgess

We first started going to Nelson Financial Planning in the early 1990s when it was called NIPS. We had a meager IRA that needed to be rolled over. We were in our mid-40s and began with monthly investments. I would recommend Joel Garris and his team to anyone. We have listened to Joel's wise words... Read More
Gammie Sheilab

One of Orlando's hidden gems. Working with Joel Garris and his staff has been a pleasure. I like the personal service I get from this local operation. The weekly radio show is very informative and has helped me to understand more of how the markets work, especially in this time of turbulent economics and political uncertainty.
Harrison Walker

Joel and his team have been a tremendous help to me, and honestly, I don't know what I would have done without them!

This team has been helping me for 30 years and has definitely gone above and beyond!
Tara Stewart

We have been using Nelson services since early 1988. They are honest and keep their clients' best interest in every decision/suggestion they make. They also provide sound tax advice when making investment decisions which is not always the case with other advisors. They treat you better... Read More
Frank Belaska

This experience may not be representative of other clients' experiences and is not a guarantee of future success or performance.

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