Certified Financial Planning®
in New York State's North Country
Financial Peace of Mind Starts with a Certified Financial Plan
Create a custom roadmap for saving, investing, and retiring.
Certified Financial Planning is a comprehensive approach to managing your finances with clarity, strategy, and confidence.
As a Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®), I help you align your goals – whether it’s retirement, education funding, or wealth building – with personalized, actionable strategies.
You benefit from objective advice that looks at your full financial picture, not just your investments.
What sets me apart is the combination of deep expertise, fiduciary responsibility and a commitment to treating your financial success as personally as my own.
Financial Planning for Real-Life Situations
A personalized financial plan isn’t just theory – it’s a practical tool that guides your most important financial decisions. Here are some common ways clients put their plans into action:
- Retiring with Confidence – Knowing exactly when you can retire and how much income you’ll have
- Funding College Without Derailing Retirement – Balancing education costs with long-term goals
- Minimizing Taxes Each Year – Coordinating tax strategies across investments, income, and deductions
- Navigating a Career Transition – Managing benefits, stock options, and cash flow changes
- Protecting Loved Ones – Using insurance and estate planning to secure your family’s future
- Building a Legacy – Structuring charitable giving or inheritance in a tax-smart way
CFP® Services in New York State's North Country
You can get financial advice anywhere, but it’s good to have a seasoned professional in your own backyard. Someone to talk to when get some surprising financial news. Someone who understands where you live and work. Someone who might even be your neighbor.
We proudly serve clients from Henderson to Watertown, NY and throughout Jefferson County. Whether you're a Fort Drum retiree, a local business owner, or lifelong resident, our local expertise ensures your financial plan is built with your specific goals and community in mind.
Of course, we also provide remote services for clients hundreds of miles away.
FAQs about Certified Financial Planning®
Q1: What is a Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®)?
A: A CFP® is a financial professional who has met rigorous education, examination, experience, and ethical standards. They are trained to provide comprehensive financial guidance across all areas of your finances — not just investments.
Q2: How is this different from investment management?
A: Investment management focuses primarily on your portfolio. Certified Financial Planning takes a broader view — addressing retirement, taxes, insurance, estate planning, cash flow, and more — to ensure everything works together.
Q3: Do I need a high net worth to work with a financial planner?
A: Not at all. Many people benefit from financial planning at all stages of life, whether they’re just starting out, growing their wealth, or preparing for retirement.
Q4: How often do we update the plan?
A: Your plan is a living document. We typically review and update it annually or whenever you experience a major life event — like a job change, home purchase, or the birth of a child.
How We Can Work Together
We offer two flexible service options—you can choose either, or both depending on your needs:
We help you create a comprehensive, personalized financial plan tailored to your life today and your long-term goals.
Your plan may include:
- Retirement and cash flow projections
- Investment and tax strategy
- Insurance and estate planning review
- Education funding
- Health care and long-term care considerations
We charge a one-time flat fee for this service, which varies depending on the complexity of your situation. We recommend reviewing and updating your plan periodically, especially after major life changes.
If you need ongoing professional help managing your investments, we offer portfolio management and ongoing financial planning services:
- If we've created your financial plan, it guides our investment strategy.
- If you already have a plan or none at all, we begin with a strategy meeting to understand your risk tolerance and goals.
Our portfolio management fee is based on a percentage of your portfolio, using a sliding scale tied to the size of your assets. Included in this service is ongoing financial planning to ensure that your financial plan continues to meet your current life situation and priorities.
Discount for Both Services
If you choose to have us manage your investments after completing your financial plan, we’ll apply your planning fee toward your investment management fee—helping to reduce or offset your first year’s cost.
We’d Love to Hear from You One Way or Another
As a first step, let’s acquainted. Please click on the link below to schedule a 15-minute introductory Zoom meeting or phone call.
There’s no obligation. It’s just a way to see if it makes sense to work together.
Not ready for a meeting? Then sign up for my FREE weekly-ish newsletter where I write about everything financial – as it relates to you, your family and your financial future.