Forward-thinking financial planning is about respecting you and your values for who you are by taking an open-minded, holistic, and pragmatic view of your goals, the economy, and what money can do.
I work with
· LGBTQ+ people
· Single people, unmarried or child-free families
· Any other open-minded, forward-thinking person
This is a safe space to discuss any matter. I work with clients from anywhere in the US (virtually) and am physically located in Charlotte, NC.
My Services
Fee-based financial planning, investment management, project based, financial counseling.
Education and Experience
I’ve been in financial services for more than 30 years (Now I feel old!). I hold Series 7 & 66, and am licensed for life insurance, annuities, and long-term care. My designations:
CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Professional. When it comes to your financial security, it’s all about partnering with someone who is committed to putting your interests first. CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professionals have attained the standard of excellence in financial planning by meeting education, experience and ethical standards, and as part of their certification, they have made a commitment to CFP Board to serve your best interests today to prepare you for a more secure tomorrow.
Accredited Domestic Partnership AdvisorSM (ADPA®), the only designation to address the unique planning needs specific to unmarried, coupled persons, and how wealth transfers, federal taxation laws, retirement laws and benefits, and planning for end-of-life needs are different than they are for married people.
I’ve been an advisor since 2018. Prior to that, I worked for MetLife and Allmerica Financial (visit my LinkedIn for full details).
Why I am a Financial Planner
In my career, I held roles such as helping advisors develop and implement executive benefit plans, and in product development and management. For most of my career, I led teams. It was very important to me to help my team members grow and develop, and to achieve career goals.
I also worked with “Diverse Markets.” Bluntly, financial companies have a tendency to focus on their core customer (usually straight people with 2.5 children and a dog…people who are always pictured spending their retirement sailing for some reason). When they developed products or services, they would simply take the marketing for those people and swap out pictures of black people, or Asian people, or a gay couple. But we need more. We need good financial advice that reflects our actual lived-in experiences as people and as marginalized communities.
That’s why I decided to be a financial planner: Because the thing I loved most was helping people grow and achieve their goals. As a gay man, I understand the needs of LGBTQ+ people, and my diverse background helps me understand the needs of other marginalized communities.
Community Involvement
I founded Rainbow Foster Network, dedicated to supporting LGBTQ youth in foster & kinship care and LGBTQ+ adults who would like to foster or adopt. I’m active with the Alzheimer’s Association in their outreach to the LGBTQ+ community, and the Charlotte Lesbian and Gay Fund.
Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. (CFP Board) owns the CFP® certification mark, the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification mark, and the CFP® certification mark (with plaque design) logo in the United States, which it authorizes use of by individuals who successfully complete CFP Board’s initial and ongoing certification requirements.
