Wealth Management for
Fernandina Beach and Amelia Island, Florida
Retirees and Pre-Retirees
Personalized wealth guidance for your retirement in Fernandina Beach and Amelia Island:
- Personalized Wealth Management
- Retirement Income Strategies
- Investment Risk Management
- Fiduciary Guidance
Are Your Retirement Savings Ready for Island Life?
Maybe you've just moved to the island, or maybe you've called it home for decades and retirement is finally in sight. Either way, it's natural to wonder whether your savings are set up for the years ahead. SBC Wealth Management offers fiduciary, fee-based wealth management and investment advisory services to pre-retirees and retirees in Fernandina Beach and across Amelia Island. Stacy Summerlin, our Founder & Lead Advisor, has more than 29 years of industry experience and is licensed in Florida and Georgia. Our main office is just across the bridge in Yulee; call 855-809-2894.
LOCAL INSIGHT
Many people use "Fernandina Beach" and "Amelia Island" interchangeably, but they're not exactly the same. Fernandina Beach is the historic city located on the northern end of Amelia Island. Because residents often identify with both names, you'll hear them used together throughout Northeast Florida. Whether you call it Fernandina Beach or Amelia Island, you'll find the same welcoming coastal community that has made this area one of Florida's most desirable places to retire.
Who We Serve in Fernandina Beach and on Amelia Island
Few places in Northeast Florida have as many retirees per capita as this island. The Census Bureau estimates Fernandina Beach's population at 13,869 as of July 2025, and nearly 38% of residents are 65 or older. Add the neighborhoods outside the city limits, from Amelia Island Plantation to Summer Beach and the south end, and you have a community where retirement decisions come up in everyday conversation.
Our clients here are generally 50 to 75, financially established, and ready to hand the day-to-day oversight of their investments to someone they trust. Some moved to the island after careers elsewhere. Others have spent decades working at the WestRock and Rayonier Advanced Materials mills, the Omni Amelia Island Resort and The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island, Baptist Medical Center Nassau, or the Nassau County School District. Many own small businesses along Centre Street and the historic downtown.
Here's what usually brings island residents to our door:
- Moving IRAs and workplace accounts after relocating from another state
- Deciding what to do with a 401(k) or pension at retirement from a local mill, resort, or hospital
- Bringing order to accounts spread across past employers and a business
- Making sure investments still fit their comfort with risk now that retirement is close
- Splitting time between Amelia Island and another home and wanting one advisor who keeps track of it all
Why Island Residents Choose SBC Wealth Management
On an island where people tend to know their neighbors, relationships matter. Our clients want an advisor who explains things in plain English, answers the phone, and is still there years from now.
SBC Wealth Management is a fiduciary, which means we're required to act in your best interest. Our advisory services are fee-based, with no commissions on advisory accounts, and we lay out every potential cost before you decide anything. You'll work directly with Stacy, and your accounts receive ongoing monitoring and periodic reviews rather than a once-and-done setup.
Stacy has guided individuals, families, and business owners through important financial decisions for more than 29 years. She believes informed clients make better decisions, so she takes the time to explain the reasoning behind every recommendation. You can
meet Stacy Summerlin and read more about her background.
What Sets Us Apart
- A fiduciary, required to put your interests first
- Fee-based advisory services with no commissions on advisory accounts
- Every potential cost disclosed before you begin
- 29+ years of industry experience; licensed in Florida and Georgia
- A main office in Yulee, about 25 minutes from downtown Fernandina Beach
- Ongoing monitoring and periodic reviews
Florida Retirement Tax Facts for Fernandina Beach and Amelia Island
Florida's tax rules are one reason so many retirees settle on Amelia Island. The overview below is general education, not tax advice, so please review your own situation with a tax professional.
- No state income tax. Florida doesn't tax Social Security benefits, pensions, or IRA and 401(k) withdrawals. Federal income tax still applies.
- Homestead Exemption. If your island home is your permanent residence, you can exempt up to $50,000 of its assessed value, with the second $25,000 adjusted for inflation each year. Applications are generally due by March 1.
- Save Our Homes. After your home is homesteaded, increases in its assessed value are limited to 3% a year or the change in the Consumer Price Index, whichever is lower.
- Property taxes on the island. For the 2025 tax year, properties inside Fernandina Beach city limits carried a total of about 18.31 mills across Nassau County, the city, the school district, and other local authorities. Parts of Amelia Island outside the city don't pay the city's levy.
- No estate or inheritance tax. Florida doesn't impose either one at the state level.
On November 3, 2026, Florida voters will consider Amendment 3, a proposed constitutional amendment that would increase the homestead exemption for non-school property taxes beginning in 2027. As written, it would phase in the larger exemption over five years for people who become Florida residents after December 31, 2026.
Even with no state income tax, federal taxes still affect how and when you draw from your accounts, so investment decisions are best made with the full picture in view and in coordination with your tax professional.
Tax Tip
for New Amelia Island Residents
Florida's lack of a state income tax applies once Florida is your legal residence, or domicile. Many newcomers file a Declaration of Domicile with the Nassau County Clerk of Court, update their driver's license and voter registration, and apply for the Homestead Exemption by March 1. If you still own a home in another state, that state may have its own residency rules, so confirm your situation with a tax professional.
How SBC Wealth Management Helps Island Investors
We begin by listening: what you want retirement on the island to look like, when you expect it to start, and how you feel about risk. Our wealth management services then come together in three ways.
Wealth management. Guidance shaped around your goals, timeline, and comfort with risk, so your accounts work together as one plan instead of a collection of separate pieces.
Ongoing investment oversight. We select professionally managed model portfolios that fit your objectives. Independent third-party managers design, maintain, and trade those portfolios, while we monitor your account on an ongoing basis and recommend changes when your goals, your circumstances, or the markets shift.
Retirement planning support. We help you see how savings, investments, income needs, and long-term goals fit together, whether you're still working at the mill or the resort or you're already enjoying retirement near Main Beach.
You'll also receive Gibbs Wealth Management's Form CRS and Form ADV, which describe our services, fees, and potential conflicts of interest in plain language.
Getting Started From Fernandina Beach
Taking the first step is easy, and there's never an obligation.
- Call 855-809-2894 or request a complimentary retirement review.
- Talk with Stacy in person or by phone about your goals, timeline, and comfort with risk.
- We review the accounts you have today, including any you brought with you from another state.
- You receive personalized recommendations, with every potential cost disclosed up front.
- As a client, your accounts receive ongoing monitoring and periodic reviews.
Meetings are held in person at our Yulee office or by phone, so you won't need to drive to Jacksonville.
Fernandina Beach & Amelia Island, FL Wealth Management FAQs
Where is SBC Wealth Management's office relative to Fernandina Beach?
Our main office is at 57 Homegrown Way, Unit 301, in Yulee, about 25 minutes west of downtown Fernandina Beach via A1A/SR 200 and the Shave Bridge. We also meet by appointment at offices in Jacksonville, Orange Park, and St. Simons Island, Georgia, and we're happy to meet by phone. Call 855-809-2894 to schedule.
I'm moving to Amelia Island from another state. What happens to my retirement accounts?
Your IRAs and workplace retirement accounts move with you; a new address doesn't change the accounts themselves. What can change is how withdrawals are taxed at the state level once Florida becomes your legal residence. It's also a good time to update addresses and beneficiaries and review whether your investments still fit your goals. We coordinate with your tax professional on residency questions.
I split my time between Amelia Island and another home. Can I still work with SBC Wealth Management?
Yes. Many island residents live here part of the year. We meet in person when you're in town and by phone when you're away, so your accounts receive the same ongoing monitoring wherever you are. Which state counts as your legal residence for tax purposes depends on your domicile, so we encourage you to confirm that with your tax professional.
I own a business downtown or work in the island's hospitality industry. Can you help with my retirement savings?
Yes. Business owners and hospitality professionals often end up with savings spread across IRAs, old employer plans, and business accounts. We help you see everything in one place, understand how much risk you're taking, and decide what changes, if any, fit your goals and timeline. Every potential cost is explained before you make a decision.
I'm retiring from WestRock or Rayonier Advanced Materials. How should I think about my pension and 401(k)?
If your plan offers choices, such as how your pension is paid or whether to roll over your 401(k), each option affects how much of your retirement money you'd invest yourself and how flexible your income will be. We'll look at how your pension, 401(k), Social Security, and other savings fit together before recommending anything.
Does Florida tax retirement income for Fernandina Beach residents?
No. Florida has no state personal income tax, so Social Security, pensions, and withdrawals from IRAs and 401(k)s aren't taxed by the state once you're a Florida resident. Federal income tax still applies. SBC Wealth Management doesn't provide tax advice, so please coordinate with your tax professional as you make investment decisions.
What does it mean that SBC Wealth Management is a fiduciary?
It means SBC Wealth Management is required to act in your best interest and not put its own interests ahead of yours. Our recommendations are based on your goals, timeline, and comfort with risk, and potential conflicts of interest are disclosed in writing, including in Gibbs Wealth Management's Form CRS and Form ADV.
How is SBC Wealth Management paid?
SBC Wealth Management is fee-based. Advisory clients pay an asset-based advisory fee, and there are no commissions on advisory accounts. Every potential cost, including adviser, management, and custodial fees, is disclosed up front, so you know what you'll pay before you begin. You'll also receive Gibbs Wealth Management's Form CRS, which explains fees and costs in plain language.
What happens at a complimentary retirement review?
It's a no-pressure conversation with Stacy, in person at our Yulee office or by phone. We'll talk about your goals, your timeline, how much risk you're comfortable with, and the accounts you have now. You'll come away with a clearer view of where you stand, with no obligation to move forward.
How is SBC Wealth Management related to Summerlin Benefits Consulting?
They're separate businesses. Advisory services are offered through SBC Wealth Management, which operates through Gibbs Wealth Management (“GWM”), an SEC‑registered investment adviser. Insurance products and services are offered through Summerlin Benefits Consulting Inc., which is independent of GWM. This page describes only SBC Wealth Management's advisory services.
Visit Our Yulee Office
Main office: 57 Homegrown Way, Unit 301, Yulee, FL 32097 · 855-809-2894
- Monday–Thursday: 8:30 AM–4:30 PM (closed 12:00–12:30 PM for lunch)
- Friday: 8:30 AM–1:30 PM
- Saturday and Sunday: Closed
What Does an Ongoing Relationship Look Like?
Once we're working together, we keep watching. Your account is monitored on an ongoing basis and reviewed periodically to confirm it still matches your goals and comfort with risk. We take a fresh look whenever life changes, such as a retirement date, a move to or from the island, an inheritance, or a new view on risk, and when markets move significantly.
When something should change, we recommend the adjustment and explain why. If you spend part of the year away, nothing falls through the cracks; you keep one consistent point of contact who knows your story.
Retirement, Island Style
People come to Amelia Island to slow down, enjoy the beaches and the historic downtown, and spend time with family. Our role is to help you do that with a clear understanding of your investments and a steady guide close to home.
Let's Talk About Where Your Retirement Savings Stand
Call 855-809-2894 or
request a complimentary retirement review. Meet with Stacy in person at 57 Homegrown Way, Unit 301, Yulee, FL 32097, just across the bridge, or by phone.
