Anthony J. Razzano
The story
behind
the standard.
CPA. MST. Registered Investment Advisor. NFLPA Certified Contract Advisor. Author. Twenty years of building something most people said couldn't be built.
— Rocky Bleier, Four-Time Super Bowl Champion
The Story
Twenty years.
One standard.
Anthony J. Razzano founded his tax advisory practice in Pennsylvania in 2005. He was 29 years old, starting from nothing, in a profession where reputation is built one client and one tax return at a time.
Over the next two decades, he built something most practitioners never build — not a firm dependent on a single advisor's effort, but a documented operating standard capable of delivering the same quality of advice to every client on every engagement, regardless of season, staffing, or circumstance.
That standard didn't emerge from theory. It was refined through 20 years of actual client work — business owners navigating entity elections, retirees managing income tax exposure in withdrawal, NFL draft prospects signing their first contracts, families planning across generations. The practice tested every principle against real conditions, real deadlines, and real consequences.
The result is what Razzano Consulting, LLC is today: a governing advisory standard that operates across five distinct platforms — tax advisory, investment management, athlete representation, practitioner licensing, and AI infrastructure — all built on the same foundation.
The book tells the rest of the story. Against All Odds is not a business book. It is an honest account of what it costs to build something worth building — the faith it requires, the obstacles that test it, and what it means to refuse to stop.
Against All Odds
Published by
John Wiley & Sons.
Wiley is one of the most respected academic and professional publishers in the world. A Wiley imprint is not a self-publication — it is a third-party editorial validation that the work meets a standard of substance, credibility, and professional significance.
Against All Odds: A Story of Faith, Courage and Never Giving Up is Anthony’s memoir — an Amazon bestseller endorsed by Rocky Bleier, four-time Super Bowl Champion with the Pittsburgh Steelers. It is the story of building a practice, a family, and a life in the face of everything that tried to stop it.
The advisory philosophy in this practice did not come from a textbook. It came from the experience the book describes — which is why clients who understand the story understand the practice differently than those who don’t.
Awards & Recognition
Recognized by.
Honored for.
Selected as a finalist in the Nonfiction Inspirational category by the International Book Awards — one of the most recognized independent book award programs in the country. Presented for Against All Odds, published by John Wiley & Sons.
Selected as the first-ever recipient of the Salute to Courage Award, presented by St. Francis Hospital in recognition of extraordinary perseverance following the 1987 accident. Awarded on the 25th anniversary of survival — a milestone doctors said would never come.
Advanced to the quarterfinals of the 13th annual North American One-Armed Golfer Association match play championship — played on PGA National's Champion Course, home of the Honda Classic. Also won the closest-to-the-pin competition. Driving 240–260 yards with a handicap that dropped from 20 to 10 after developing a custom grip technique.
Advisory Philosophy
Why the practice
is built the way
it is.
Six convictions. All of them tested over 20 years of actual practice. None of them theoretical.
Tax-led means tax-first — always.
Every financial decision has a tax dimension. Investment allocations, retirement income sequencing, entity structure, insurance strategy — the tax picture coordinates all of it. An advisor who doesn’t start there is starting in the wrong place. A CPA who also holds the RIA credential can do what most advisors cannot: manage the whole picture from a single point of accountability.
Doctrine survives. Effort doesn’t.
Twenty years of practice taught one lesson above all others: quality built on individual effort is fragile. The advisor who is exceptional but undocumented leaves nothing behind. The practice built on a documented standard — with defined workflows, required artifacts, and consistent processes — is the one that outlasts any single person, including the founder. That conviction is the origin of the Tax-Led Advisory OS.
Fiduciary is a standard, not a marketing term.
The RIA registration exists because it creates a legal obligation to act in the client’s best interest — not because it’s a differentiator to advertise. Fixed and fixed indexed products only. Non-discretionary investment management — every trade requires client approval. No double-dipping between advisory fees and insurance commissions. These are operating requirements, not talking points.
Documentation protects everyone.
Advice given verbally is advice that didn’t happen when it matters most. Every engagement produces four mandatory artifacts — an accuracy exception report, a planning flags memo, a client summary, and workpaper documentation. Not because regulators require it on every return. Because the file needs to tell the story. That discipline, applied consistently across 20 years, is what makes every engagement defensible.
Technology deployed without discipline is a liability.
Most firms approach technology in one of two ways: they avoid it out of fear, or they adopt it blindly because a vendor told them to. Both are expensive mistakes. Technology that is implemented without a governing process doesn’t accelerate a practice — it accelerates its existing disorganization. The Tax-Led Advisory OS exists to govern the technology layer, not the other way around. The system tells the tools what to do. Not the reverse.
The multi-disciplinary advisor is the future of this profession.
Automation is already compressing the margin on compliance services. The CPA who only files returns is being commoditized in real time. The practitioners who lead the next decade will hold the tax expertise, the RIA credential, and the insurance license — operating as a single point of accountability rather than sending clients to three professionals who don’t talk to each other. Tax, retirement, and overall financial strategy working together rather than competing. Less fragmented. More effective. That is the model this practice has operated on for 20 years. It is not a prediction. It is a proof of concept.
Technology & The Profession
Intelligent technology.
Responsible implementation.
Automation will not eliminate the tax professional. It will separate those who adapt from those who don’t — and the adaptation required is not simply adopting new tools. It is building the judgment layer that governs them.
Compliance services — data entry, return preparation, document assembly — are being automated faster than most practitioners want to acknowledge. The fees attached to those services will compress accordingly. The practices that survive on compliance volume alone are already operating on borrowed time.
What cannot be automated is judgment. The planning conversation. The ability to look at a completed return and know what it means for the next three years of a client’s financial life — and to deliver that insight in a structure the client can act on. That is where the value migrates. That is where this practice has always operated.
The name is not a brand choice. It is a statement of principle. Intelligent means the technology is governed by process, applied with judgment, and implemented with a clear understanding of where it helps and where it does not. Unintelligent technology adoption — buying tools without doctrine — drags productivity and erodes profit. The OS governs the intelligence layer.
This practice invests in best-in-class infrastructure across every layer: AI-assisted document extraction, secure client portals, practice management, tax preparation, and investment management on the Charles Schwab platform. The specific tools are proprietary. The principle is not: every tool in the stack is evaluated against the OS — does it strengthen the standard or create noise around it?
The CPA, MST, RIA, and insurance license held by a single advisor is not credential accumulation — it is a structural answer to a fragmented industry problem. Most clients today have a tax preparer, a financial advisor, and an insurance agent who have never spoken to each other. Their tax strategy, retirement income plan, and protection strategy are designed in isolation and occasionally in direct conflict. One advisor who holds all three disciplines eliminates that fragmentation at the source.
This practice has operated on the right side of every one of these shifts for 20 years. The OS makes it deployable for others.
Credentials & Licenses
Every credential.
Publicly verifiable.
Press & Media
Featured in.
Spoken on.
A selection of verified press appearances, podcast features, and editorial coverage.
Client Testimonials
What clients say about
working with us.
The following reviews were submitted publicly on Google. All clients are Lakewood Ranch Tax Advisors clients.
"I can't say enough great things about the service I've received from Lakewood Ranch Tax Advisors. Anthony is professional, responsive, and incredibly knowledgeable. He took the time to research and explain everything clearly and make sure I understand my options, which gives me so much confidence and peace of mind. What really stands out is their attention to detail and proactive approach. They don't just file paperwork — they look for opportunities to save money, improve finances, and plan ahead strategically. Every question I've had has been answered promptly and thoroughly."
"Absolutely incredible partner in all things business. Anthony and team helped untangle a nightmare of administrative burdens that we had and then set us up for success. From quarterly filings to strategy and advice, our business has done a 180 based on his team's impact."
"Anthony provided the most efficient tax guidance and business strategies I've encountered. Going on 3 years as my personal and corporate preparer. If you're a high-net-worth individual and/or self-employed, I highly recommend speaking to Anthony as soon as possible."
"Anthony has provided excellent service for me and my family with tax services, business advice and investments. Highly recommend!"
"They are professional, detail-oriented, and always willing to answer questions. They truly make you feel taken care of. Highly recommend their services!"
"Anthony has been amazing through the entire tax process. Couldn't ask for better."
Media & Speaking
Available for
the right conversation.
Anthony speaks and writes on tax-led advisory practice, the future of the CPA in an AI-accelerated profession, athlete financial literacy, and the story behind Against All Odds.
He is available for podcast interviews, conference keynotes, panel discussions, and media commentary on tax, RIA compliance, and the profession’s next chapter.
All media and speaking inquiries are handled directly. No publicist. No green room requirements. Just a direct conversation about whether the fit is right.
- The Tax-Led Advisory OS — building a doctrine-based practice
- The multi-disciplinary advisor — why CPA + RIA + insurance is the future
- Intelligent AI adoption — why technology without governance is a liability
- The end of compliance volume — where advisory revenue replaces filing fees
- Athlete financial literacy — what NFL rookies aren’t told before signing
- Against All Odds — faith, resilience, and the cost of building something real
- Podcast — tax, finance, RIA, or practitioner audiences
- Conference keynote or breakout — CPA and financial advisory events
- Panel — AI in professional services, athlete representation
- Media commentary — tax policy, RIA regulation, financial planning
Start a Conversation
The work speaks.
The standard delivers.
Two tracks. Select the one that applies.