Linda Bentley Gillespie, CFP®, MBA

Founder

Linda, founder of Real World Financial Planning, is a Newton, MA based CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ working with individuals, families and small business owners on a fee-only basis to achieve their financial goals.

Linda takes a practical, evidence-based approach that seeks to educate clients and give them control of their financial decision making.

Before launching Real World Financial Planning, Linda spent 15 years in financial publishing including eight years at Forbes Media managing Forbes’ Investment Newsletter division. Linda worked with Forbes’ top investing editors to offer affordable and top-quality investing content for subscribers. In addition, she was integral in launching Forbes’ digital conference business producing digital conferences for financial advisors and individual investors.

Linda is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ practitioner and a member of the Garrett Planning Network, National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA), and the Financial Planning Association.

She is a registered Investment Advisor Representative in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, CRD #7050239.

She holds an MBA from Columbia Business School, an undergraduate degree from Tufts University, and completed the Boston University Financial Planning Certificate Program.

My story

My journey into financial planning started fifteen years ago when a relative asked me to help her find a financial advisor. She was looking for affordable, straightforward help and wanted to start a relationship with someone local. It surprised me how hard it was to find personalized financial advice at a reasonable price. The other thing that surprised me was that many advisors are only interested in talking about your investments rather than about all the other components that make up your financial life such as cash flow planning, retirement, insurance, estate planning and taxes.

Before becoming a financial planner, there have been many times in my own life when I could have used the advice of a trained and impartial professional. For example, when I took on student debt for graduate school, before we took out our first mortgage, having our first child while cutting back on work hours, saving for retirement as an independent contractor, and home renovations. I was fortunately able to successfully navigate each of these milestones on my own and with my spouse, however, it became clear to me how even small mistakes can snowball over time and that a little planning goes a long way. I am also well aware of how easy it is to feel overwhelmed by information overload when it comes to making important financial decisions at turning points in your life which are often emotional and hectic times.

Through my own life events and during my time at Forbes working with highly regarded investing editors, I became increasingly interested in becoming a financial planner to provide high-quality and affordable financial planning services on a one-on-one basis.

Today I work with individuals, couples and families to help them achieve their financial goals. I strive to provide independent, holistic financial planning at a straightforward and affordable price.

SERVING YOU AS A FIDUCIARY

As a fiduciary, I am legally bound to act in my client’s best interest. I accept no commissions or referral fees from any provider of financial products or services. I get paid only by my clients directly. Thus I can provide un-compromised, unbiased advice in the best interests of my clients at all times.

Depending on your needs, we can work together on an hourly basis or a fixed fee project basis. If that sounds like a good fit for you, please set up a time for us to talk.