+ What are your credentials, licenses and certifications?

I am a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ practitioner. I have an MBA from Columbia Business School and a BA from Tufts University. I also completed the required coursework for the CFP® certification in the Boston University Financial Planning Certificate Program.

I am also a registered Investment Advisor Representative in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, CRD #299632.

Before launching Real World Financial Planning, I spent 15 years in financial publishing including eight years at Forbes Media in their Investment Newsletter division working with Forbes’ top investing and finance editors to bring high-quality, independent investing advice to subscribers. I managed Forbes Newsletters’ day-to-day operations, offering affordable and top-quality investing content for subscribers.

I am a member of the Garrett Planning Network, the Financial Planning Association, and National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA).

+ How do you get paid for your services?

I get paid for my financial planning services on a straight-forward project basis for new clients and on an hourly basis for returning clients. Before any services are provided, you (the client) and I will mutually discuss the scope of the work to be done based on your needs. From there I will give you an estimate of the hours you can expect the scope will take to complete and you can decide whether to proceed.

I am a fee-only advisor. This means I receive no compensation or referral fees from any third parties. I have no financial products to sell you and the only compensation I receive is from my clients.

You pay only for any previously agreed upon work. I provide prospective clients with firm quotes of their estimated fees at the end of an initial no-obligation Get Acquainted session. If you need further assistance at a later point or decide to expand the scope, I will give you a revised quote so that there are no surprises.

+ What is your investment approach?

My investment approach in a nutshell: low-cost, tax efficient, broadly diversified investing. This means a long-term buy-and-hold strategy using low-cost index funds and ETFs with periodic rebalancing.

A broadly diversified portfolio with an asset allocation based on your goals, time horizon and risk tolerance, combined with a focus on minimizing investment expenses and taxes, will increase the likelihood of reaching your goals.

Index Investing
I take an evidence-based approach to financial planning and investing. Therefore, I am a proponent of low-cost index investing which has been proven to outperform active management over the long term.

As championed by John Bogle, founder of Vanguard, Burton Malkiel, author of the seminal investing book A Random Walk Down Wall Street, and even Warren Buffett himself, index investing is a passive investing strategy that seeks to match the returns of a broad market index.

Instead of trying to beat the market, as few active fund managers have been consistently able to do over a long-term basis, index or passive investing is all about matching the market’s performance using mutual funds and ETFs with extremely low expense ratios.

Minimizing Costs
Mutual fund expenses can take a big chunk out of your investment returns over several decades. When it comes to investment expenses, if you watch the pennies then the dollars really will take care of themselves in the long-run. And using low-cost index funds and ETFs is a great way to minimize investment expenses.

Asset Allocation
Asset allocation comes down to allocating your portfolio's assets according to your goals, risk tolerance and time horizon. I can help you to make sense of the risk/reward tradeoffs that every investor faces. And also help you discover what particular portfolio allocation is going to help you reach your goals and also allow you to sleep well at night, during (inevitable) market downturns, knowing that you aren't taking on more risk than you need to.

After settling on a target asset allocation, periodic rebalancing ensures that the risk level of your portfolio doesn’t inadvertently creep up and you remain on track to reach your goals.

Asset Location
Another aspect of my approach is making sure you are holding the right assets in the right accounts from a tax perspective. If you think about your various accounts, such as taxable brokerage accounts, tax deferred IRAs, 401ks, and 403bs, and after-tax Roth accounts as containers, you want to hold the right investments in the right containers. We can work together to make sure you aren't paying more taxes than you have to and making the most out of the various account options you have.

Further Reading
If you are not familiar with index investing or the large body of evidence supporting it as a more effective approach compared to using actively managed funds or trying to select individual stocks on your own, here are a few articles to get you jump started:

• Mutual Funds That Consistently Beat the Market? Not One of 2,132. No actively managed stock or bond funds outperformed the market convincingly and regularly over the last five years. Index funds have generally been better
• What Is an Index Fund? An Easy Way to Enter the Stock Market
• Warren Buffett Recommends Index Funds for Most Investors

Anything written by Jack Bogle, founder of Vanguard, is also great resource. Here is one of his most recent books that he updated before he passed several years ago and I highly recommend it: The Little Book of Common Sense Investing: The Only Way to Guarantee Your Fair Share of Stock Market Returns.

Another great and very concise book that I highly recommend is The Elements of Investing by Burton G. Malkiel and Charles D. Ellis.

+ What about Socially Responsible Investing?

I also work with clients interested in Socially Responsible Investing (S.R.I.) which is also referred to as Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance (E.S.G.) investing. With this type of investing, there are many approaches to take from a socially responsible focus to an environmental lens or through impact investing which seeks not only good returns but also measurable social benefits. I can work with you to align your portfolio with your values. Once again, even when it comes to E.S.G. investing, I focus on minimizing costs and taking taking an index approach with an ESG screen.

+ Do I need to have lots of money to work with a financial planner or advisor?

I believe that personalized financial planning should be available to everyone. To that end, I charge on a straight-forward project basis for new clients and on an hourly basis of $320 an hour for returning clients in order to ensure maximum flexibility, transparency and value for you as a client.

+ Are you a Fee-Only Advisor? (And what does Fee-Only really mean?)

Yes, I am a fee-only advisor. I get compensated by my clients on a project or hourly basis. Fee-Only means I receive no compensation or referral fees from any third parties or financial institutions for any actions I take on your behalf. I have no financial products to sell you and the only compensation I receive is directly from my clients.

Before working with anyone, make sure you understand the different ways an advisor or financial planner can get paid:

Fee Only: As defined by NAPFA, a Fee-Only financial advisor charges the client directly for advice and does not receive commissions on actions taken on a client’s behalf. With a Fee-Only structure, the advisor gets compensated directly by the client in one of several ways: based on an hourly rate, a percent of assets managed, a flat fee, or a retainer. All NAPFA members are Fee-Only financial advisors and fiduciaries, working in their client's best interest.

Hybrid Commission and Fee Basis: Some advisors may charge you on a hybrid Commission and Fee basis which is not the same as a Fee-Only basis. Per NAPFA, Commission and Fee advisors charge clients a fee for the advice delivered, but they can also receive payments from third parties for products they sell or recommend. Any outside compensation from commissions lessens the advisor’s ability to keep the clients’ best interests first and foremost.

Commission Only: Per NAPFA, an advisor who is compensated through commissions only makes money if a client buys a product the advisor is able to sell. Commission-based advisors may receive higher commissions on some products than on others, which may influence their decision to recommend investment products that are not in a client’s best interest.

Please view this helpful infographic from NAPFA (National Association of Personal Financial Advisors) for further info on understanding the different compensation methods of financial advisors.

+ Are you a Fiduciary? (And what does Fiduciary really mean?)

Yes, I am a fiduciary. The fiduciary standard is the highest standard of care. It means always acting in my client's best interest. As a registered investment advisor in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, I am legally required to act as a fiduciary. Additionally, as a member of the Garrett Planning Network and the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA), I am required to adhere to the CFP® Board Code of Ethics and Practice Standards and NAPFA'S Fiduciary Oath.

According to the Securities and Exchange Commission, the fiduciary duty also entails:

• Acting with undivided loyalty and utmost good faith
• Not misleading clients
• Providing full and fair disclosure of all material facts, defined as those which "a reasonable investor would consider to be important"
• Avoiding conflicts of interest (such as when the advisor profits more if a client uses one investment instead of another or trades frequently) and disclosing any potential conflicts of interest
• Not using a client's assets for the advisor's own benefit or the benefit of other clients

Click here to read more about what it means to be a Fiduciary on the NAPFA website.

+ What types of clients do you specialize in?

My clients are at many different junctures in their financial lives including young professionals, young families, mid-career folks, people starting to think about retirement, those on the cusp of retirement, and those already in retirement focused on tax efficient withdrawals strategies.

I work with clients based in the Boston Metrowest area including Newton, Brookline, Boston, Needham, Dedham, Weston, Watertown and Waltham as well as throughout Massachusetts.

Please note that I do not work with expats.

+ Can you help me with maximizing Financial Aid and Student Loans?

Student Financial Aid: Please note that although I work with clients on education funding, I do not advise on maximizing financial aid or specifically on the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid).

Student Loans: Similarly, while I am happy to advise on a strategy for paying off your student loans, please be aware that I am not a student loan specialist. While there are advisors and planners that specialize in these areas, I am not one of them.

+ Why Work with an Independent Financial Planner

Building a long-term relationship with an independent financial planner is an investment in itself. Someone who will take the time to get to know you, your family, and your values—someone who will work side-by-side with you to reach your financial goals.

Advice from an independent financial planner can pay immediate dividends by saving you from costly mistakes such as high investment expenses and fees, or overlooked opportunities to reduce your tax bill. These types of mistakes can snowball over time, taking a big chunk out of your portfolio over several decades.

We all have multiple financial priorities that we are juggling at the same time such as saving for retirement, funding your child's college education, buying a new car, or taking a trip. A financial planner can help guide you through these competing priorities and set up a plan for long-term success.

Just as you might see a personal trainer to get your health back on track, seeing a financial planner can be invaluable in getting your financial life on track to meet your goals.

The most important thing you can do is to get yourself started while time is on your side.

+ Why is your firm named Real World Financial Planning?

I provide practical, actionable advice no matter where you are on your financial journey.

And I take an evidence-based approach to financial planning that seeks to educate clients and give them control of their financial decision making.

After 15 years spent in financial media, I've seen how many financial products and services are designed to confuse in order to charge investors higher fees. I work to help clients cut through the smoke and mirrors that are rife in the financial services industry and to focus on practical, low-cost solutions.