Forza Wealth Management founder Michael DeMassa recognized as 2026 Five Star Wealth Manager
This is the tenth consecutive year that DeMassa has been honored by Five Star Professional with Five Star recognition in our region
SARASOTA, FL (September 21, 2026) – Forza Wealth Management is pleased to announce that founder and principal Michael E. DeMassa, CFA, CFP®, AEP® has been recognized as a 2026 Five Star Wealth Manager by Five Star Professional. This marks the tenth consecutive year that DeMassa has received the Five Star Wealth Manager recognition.
DeMassa founded Forza Wealth Management, a Sarasota-based independent registered investment adviser, in 2015. The firm provides fee-only fiduciary financial planning and investment management for individuals and families, with an emphasis on personalized advice, customized investment portfolios, and retirement planning.
“Being recognized as a Five Star Wealth Manager for the tenth consecutive year is a meaningful milestone,” said DeMassa. “I’m proud that our Sarasota-based team continues to earn the trust of families who rely on us for independent, fee-only fiduciary financial planning and investment management.”
DeMassa earned his bachelor’s degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and holds the CFA®, CFP® and AEP® professional designations. Before founding Forza Wealth Management, DeMassa served as a Senior Portfolio Manager at Northern Trust, where he managed investment portfolios for high-net-worth individuals, foundations, and institutions.
Since its founding, Forza Wealth Management’s portfolio has grown to more than $400 million in assets under management. Forza executives have maintained a steady growth approach to the business management, with word-of-mouth referrals from clients and associates serving as the main driver of the firm’s growth.
The 2026 Five Star Wealth Manager recognition is based on Five Star Professional’s published eligibility and evaluation criteria. During the most recent research period, from February 18, 2026 through August 31, 2026, just 60 of 969 of Sarasota-area wealth managers that were considered – approximately 6% – were named 2026 Five Star Wealth Managers.
Wealth managers do not pay a fee to be considered or placed on the final list of Five Star Wealth Managers. For more information on the Five Star Professional’s research methodology, visit fivestarprofessional.com
Methodology
This award was issued on 09/11/2026 by Five Star Professional (FSP) for the time period 02/18/2026 through 08/31/2026. Fee paid for use of marketing materials. Self-completed questionnaire was used for rating. This rating is not related to the quality of the investment advice and based solely on the disclosed criteria. 969 Sarasota-area wealth managers were considered for the award; 60 (6% of candidates) were named 2026 Five Star Wealth Managers. The following prior year statistics use this format: YEAR: # Considered, # Winners, % of candidates, Issued Date, Research Period. 2025: 827, 60, 7%, 11/1/25, 1/8/25 – 9/16/25; 2024: 756, 68, 9%, 10/1/24, 1/9/24 – 8/9/24; 2023: 661, 60, 9%, 10/1/23, 1/9/23 – 7/31/23; 2022: 603, 67, 11%, 10/1/22, 1/31/22 – 8/12/22; 2021: 613, 51, 8%, 10/1/21, 1/11/21 – 7/30/21; 2020: 579, 49, 8%, 10/1/20, 1/13/20 – 8/21/20; 2019: 602, 60, 10%, 10/1/19, 1/28/19 – 8/16/19; 2018: 626, 52, 8%, 10/1/18, 1/30/18 – 8/20/18; 2017: 434, 40, 9%, 10/1/17, 2/3/17 – 8/18/17; 2016: 464, 96, 21%, 9/1/16, 3/16/16 – 8/25/16; 2015: 602, 112, 19%, 10/1/15, 3/16/15 – 8/11/15; 2014: 849, 146, 17%, 10/1/14, 3/16/13 – 8/11/13; 2013: 652, 141, 22%, 10/1/13, 3/16/12 – 8/11/12; 2012: 530, 149, 28%, 10/1/12, 3/16/11 – 8/11/11.
Wealth managers do not pay a fee to be considered or placed on the final list of Five Star Wealth Managers. The award is based on 10 objective criteria. Eligibility criteria – required: 1. Credentialed as a registered investment adviser (RIA) or a registered investment adviser representative; 2. Actively licensed as a RIA or as a principal of a registered investment adviser firm for a minimum of 5 years; 3. Favorable regulatory and complaint history review (As defined by FSP, the wealth manager has not; A. Been subject to a regulatory action that resulted in a license being suspended or revoked, or payment of a fine; B. Had more than a total of three settled or pending complaints filed against them and/or a total of five settled, pending, dismissed or denied complaints with any regulatory authority or FSP’s consumer complaint process. Unfavorable feedback may have been discovered through a check of complaints registered with a regulatory authority or complaints registered through FSP’s consumer complaint process; feedback may not be representative of any one client’s experience; C. Individually contributed to a financial settlement of a customer complaint; D. Filed for personal bankruptcy within the past 11 years; E. Been terminated from a financial services firm within the past 11 years; F. Been convicted of a felony); 4. Fulfilled their firm review based on internal standards; 5. Accepting new clients. Evaluation criteria – considered: 6. One-year client retention rate; 7. Five-year client retention rate; 8. Non-institutional discretionary and/or non-discretionary client assets administered; 9. Number of client households served; 10. Education and professional designations. FSP does not evaluate quality of services provided to clients. The award is not indicative of the wealth manager’s future performance. Wealth managers may or may not use discretion in their practice and therefore may not manage their clients’ assets. The inclusion of a wealth manager on the Five Star Wealth Manager list should not be construed as an endorsement of the wealth manager by FSP or this publication. Working with a Five Star Wealth Manager or any wealth manager is no guarantee as to future investment success, nor is there any guarantee that the selected wealth managers will be awarded this accomplishment by FSP in the future. Visit www.fivestarprofessional.com.