When Steve Voss looks back at his career path, it’s clear that adaptability has been his greatest asset. A CPA by training, Voss started in the demanding world of Big Four accounting before taking an unexpected turn into entrepreneurship and eventually financial services. Today, as founder of CPX Partners, a firm whose goal is to help financial advisors move, scale, and exit, he’s using those experiences to guide financial advisors through some of the biggest decisions of their careers.
“I went to Florida State, got my accounting finance degree in undergrad, and then I went on to get my master’s in accounting to pursue my CPA,” Voss told InvestmentNews. Early experience taught him more about what he didn’t want than what he did. “I didn’t like the audit world, but I knew I really loved business,” he said. That realization led him to run operations for a manufacturing company, where he learned the fundamentals of hiring, growth, and ownership. When the company was sold, Voss joined Raymond James, supporting independent advisors transitioning from W-2 to 1099 models.
“For the 10 years that I was there, it was a really cool experience to be a part of — not only building out a team of resources, but also finding key contacts in the industry to help advisors be successful business owners,” Voss said. “It was about helping them be more transparent and providing some paths to that business owner hat and the responsibilities that come with it.”
Voss has always been willing to shift directions, but a health scare deepened his perspective. “I went through cancer two years ago, and that was a huge turning point in my life,” he said. “You really have no problems in your life until you have a health problem. Until you understand that, it starts to make the conversations you have a lot easier.”
That experience shaped how he now connects with clients. “For me to be able to pivot into different conversations, it’s just understanding who you’re talking to and being relatable and connecting,” he said. “If you can connect with people, you really are able to provide guidance and be a helpful resource.”
It also motivated him to launch his own practice. “I wanted to do more with my life. I realized there was a lot of opportunity. The stars kind of aligned — it was a perfect time for me. I have three young children, and I always thought I’d have to wait for the right time. I had a wake-up call that there’s never a right time. Things aren’t always perfect.”
Many advisors, Voss said, are drawn to independence for different reasons. Some are frustrated with their current firms, others want to build true equity in their businesses, and many fear the unknown of going out on their own.
“I think having a coach and having someone to walk them through is huge,” he said. “Here are all the different milestones you have to be thinking about. These are your options. Here’s your playbook. You have someone on your team to guide you through that transition.”
With CPX Partners, Voss wants to provide more than a transition service. “The beautiful part about what CPX Partners is able to do today is provide an end-to-end solution,” he said. “Not only can we help with an advisor’s transition, but also with bookkeeping, financials, scaling, and succession planning. For me, that’s really cool — to have that 360 approach.”
Technology is a critical part of Voss’s model. “We definitely help stack the technology for a business,” he said. “Depending on what the needs are, we figure out which direction is best, the pros and cons for each software package, and what you’re really getting for what you pay for.”
CRMs in particular are a focus. “The communications with clients, and the ability to track conversations and notes, that’s important,” Voss explained. “It’s about a deep analysis of how they’re leveraging tools today and what they could be doing differently.”
He also encourages firms to outsource where it makes sense. “The more you can offload the administrative pieces, the more successful these firms will become,” he said. “It might be an upfront cost, but long term it makes sense because it provides more room for growth.”
Voss is optimistic about the future, both for his firm and for the advisors he supports. “For 2025, I want to really make an impact, not only locally here in the community, but also in the financial advisor community,” he said. “I want to provide clear advice, transparent planning, and execution. By 2026, hopefully I’ll have a whole 20-person team underneath me because things are so successful.”
At the same time, he knows success comes from focus and patience. “It’s one step at a time so you don’t get too far ahead of yourself and fumble the ball,” he said. “For me, it’s just to stay focused on what makes me happy. Success will come just by doing what I’ve always done in the past, which is just be me.”
For Voss, that authenticity is the throughline — from his CPA beginnings to his entrepreneurial future. “I didn’t want to wake up one day and wonder, 'what if?'” he said. “You don’t know until you try. You just put your faith into it and take the leap.”
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