Frequently Asked Questions

One question I am frequently asked is: How Did You Get Into Financial Planning?

Here's the true story.

It began in 1970, when my father died...without a will. Mother and I went to the full-service brokerage houses searching for someone to help us, since she needed to increase her income, having lost my father's social security income.

We were well received and given assistance in developing an income portfolio. In fact, recommendations increased her income by half a percent. The only problem was that after the cost of selling and repositioning her investments, Mother's income was reduced by several hundred dollars from her initial situation.

We looked at each other after discovering the bottom-line figure and decided we could make a lot of mistakes and still come out ahead if we handled things ourselves. And that is how I began my involvement in investments. The stakes were high. If things did not go well, mother would have to move in with us!

As it turns out, we did quite nicely, and other friends began to ask for help. At that point, I decided to take the Certified Financial Planning (CFP) program, since the field was becoming increasingly complex and my background in personal planning needed to be expanded.

And so here I am today, having earned both the CFP and NAPFA accreditation.

There are other questions I am asked on a regular basis, and most of them are covered in my completed NAPFA Questionnaire. I encourage you to download and carefully review the questionnaire, as well our our Privacy Policy.

Don't hesitate to contact me if you need amplification of any responses.