Financial planner

[Anonymous]

Hi everyone -- hubby and I are expecting our first child in July and thought it would be a good idea to visit a financial planner in the next few months. Has anyone else done this and can you recommend someone good?

[Anonymous]

this topic is frequently covered - do a search under general parenting and you will get a lot of information

[Anonymous]

OP here -- actually, there is a discussion in general parenting of financial issues where people discuss the merits of a financial planner -- but I asked specifically if anyone can recommend a financial planner. I did in fact search the forums before I asked the question. So if anyone has recommendations, please pass them on!

Thanks.

[Anonymous]

have you searched the mailing list archives?
I don't have a rec. but have seen related postings there.

[maynie]

There's a lot of this on the old forum. Here's a link:

http://www.dcurbanmom.com/dcurbanmom/index.php?module=pagemaster&PAGE_user_op=view_page&PAGE_id=111&MMN_position=179:36:94

This is what comes up:

Family Financial Advisors

My husband and have been working with a financial planner for the past 6 months or so. He has definitely helped us, as a young couple, to "organize" and "plan" now that we have a baby and are moving forward in our careers. In fact, he and his wife just had a baby themselves, so they have gone through a lot of the processes themselves (e.g. 529 plans, etc.). Jeffrey M. Armstrong Financial Advisor Advisor Coach American Express Financial Advisors Inc. IDS Life Insurance Company Tyson's Corner, Fairfax Square 8045 Leesburg Pike, Suite 500 Vienna, VA 22182 Office: [phone] Mobile: [phone] eFax: [phone]


My husband and I have been trying to find a financial planner as well. Most financial planners seem to want to work on a percentage basis -- for 1.5% of your assets they will meet with you, come up with a plan, and then manage all of your assets. We wanted someone who would work for us on an hourly basis instead. We recently met with someone who seems pretty good. His name is Alp Atabek and his firm is called AFS Financial Group. His office is in Rockville and his phone number is 301-230-2303. Earlier we met with someone named Tricia Tripp at Frederick G. Tripp & Associates (301-721-1800, also in Rockville) but she did not really want to work on an hourly basis. We did have a free introductory meeting with her that was pretty useful.


Please contact my friend, Bruce Wiener, he is located in Montgomery County and services the area. He is really nice and bright and knows his stuff and has a very laid-back approach and is willing to educate on all of the avenues one can take in their financial plans. You can write to him on [e-mail] or call him at 301-765-1129.


My husband, Simon Hamilton, is a financial planner/advisor in Rockville for Ferris, Baker, Watts, a Baltimore-based firm. While I am somewhat biased, I can truthfully say that he is quite good at what he does. He works with a number of families as clients, and he recently set up a 529 college savings plan for our 7 month old daughter. In any case, if you are interested in speaking with him, you can raech him at 301-897-0833 or [e-mail].


My friend & planner is Liz Sullivan - she is right off of 66 in Fairfax. She has been patient & non judgemental of our chaotic finances, and done a good job of balancing my husbands agressive & my conservative strategies. She works with all income levels & is a mom herself. Her number is 703-818-3318 her website is http://www.ElizabethSullivan.com


I saw your post about a financial planner on the DCUM list. My husband And I have been using Eric Jaffe at AXA Advisors for several years. I know Him from my law firm, where he used to work as a lawyer. He has helped us Set up 529 savings plans for our kids' college, helped us purchase Additional life insurance, and helped us roll-over 401(k) accounts, among other things. He is really diligent, smart and caring (even though we don't have tons Of money!), and I totally trust him to help us make good decisions. Just Let me know if you have any trouble opening this attachment with his Contact information. Good luck!


I would strongly recommend the financial planner we have, Kris Kornemann. She has been an invaluable resource for us (a couple with 2 small boys), and is always helpful for other needs, such as finding an attorney to do our wills/trusts, mortgage brokers, realtors, and the like. She will come to your home or office, whichever is most convenient for you. Her contact information: Kris Kornemann Financial Advantage Associates 1803 Research Boulevard, Suite 401 Rockville, MD 20850 [phone], x3017 - work [phone] - cell [e-mail] - email She does work with "load" mutual fund companies, but ones that have very low fees (primarily American Funds, which is known in the industry as "the Vanguard of load funds"), so if you are in it for the long haul, the load you pay tends to be negated.


We use Steve and Cindy Fogelman who are with American Express Financial Planning. Their office is right off of 66 in Fairfax. They are wonderful, very proactive, and they made the entire process so easy for us. They do all of the paperwork, and made all of the adjustments we requested. I don't have their number here with me, but I know it is online and I can get it if you need it!


please call Terry Taylor at AIG 800-892-5558 x89121--he's a friend of mine and an awesome planner--really patient, friendly and experienced!!


We've been working with Tony Laubach (independent advisor) for about three or four years now and have been thrilled, after a less than stellar experience with Legg Mason. He's very low-pressure, very thorough, and very willing to work with any budget and any family situation. He's a dad of two, so he understands family challenges and usually comes to our house after our kids are in bed to work with us. He frequently calls us to bounce ideas off of us on investments, college accounts, disability/life insurance, etc., and has us well founded to retire early (yipeee!!). He's also a decent, honest person and quite nice to work with. Tony's in Silver Spring. His number is 301-625-9633. His assistant is Lori.


I really trust my financial planner...Marie Isabel Laurion. I've been with her for about 3 years (something like that). She manages my entire portfolio from discussing my goals to allocating resources to meet them...she has a really logical, understandable system (I've worked with some financial planners in the past where the goals and the allocation don't seem to have anything to do with one another!) ...and I seem to make money even when the market is down (but I'm a pretty conservative investor). I really love being in this partnership with her!! Marie Isabel works with American Express. Her number is: 703-610-7254.


I like Peg Downey at Money Plans in Silver Spring 301-589-4250. She is fee-based only, which I love and only has your best interests in mind as a result.


I would highly recommend Ted Halpern from Halpern Financial. He is located in Rockville and his number is 240-268-1000 and his website is http://www.halpernfinancial.com. Ted is an independent consultant -- he is not associated with any larger organization. He is very ethical and bright and will meet with you for a discussion to see if there is a fit. He helped some friends of ours get out of debt, purchase a second house while retaining their first as a rental and start a business. He is a dad of twins under two so is understanding of family issues/priorities.


I highly recommend Debbie Marsen. We love her and have used her for yrs. She's independent, smart, frugal and she cares. Investment and Resource Planning Associates 7921 Jones Branch Drive, Ste. 530 McLean, VA 22102 [phone] [e-mail]


We've been using West Financial for years now. They are not affiliated with any products or anything (like a Merrill Lynch, for example), so they aren't ever trying to sell you anything. http://www.westfinancial.com/


Definitely call my friend, Bruce Wiener, he so bright and knowledgeable but very nice and laid-back - happy to inform and no pressure to act. He is a certified financial planner and knows all of the relevant stuff - I have referred a few DCUMoms and they have been so happy with him!He can be reached on 301-762-8857 or [e-mail]


I recommend Steve Talheimer - we were very satisfied with his services and we purposely sought out an independent person so we wouldn't have the "sales pressure." http://www.talheimerfinancialplanning.com


We use and highly recommend Washington Equity Planning - http://www.washingtonequity.com/ - although they are in Tyson's Corner, not DC. They've worked with our budget to provide services - before talking to them, we didn't think we could afford a planner.


Risk Management Group Inc. - Jamie Lapin Financial planner Work: [phone] Fax: [phone] E-Mail: [e-mail] Address: 966 Hungerford Drive, Suite 19B Rockville, MD 20850


My husband and I use Joshua Stark at American Express for our family financial planning. We were very impressed with his knowledge of family financial planning and did not feel pressured into anything. He helped us set up a college plan for our son, as well as life insurance, and several other investments. He is easy and enjoyable to work with--- we highly recommend him (-and he is the top advisor in his department as well). As an added bonus, Costco members get some sort of discount and/or gift certificate to Costco when committing to use his servives. He is located in the Tysons area and has flexible hours. His contact information is as follows: Joshua Stark Financial Advisor Advanced Advisor/Advisor Coach American Express Financial Advisors Inc. IDS Life Insurance Company Fairfax Square - Suite 500 8045 Leesburg Pike Vienna, VA 22182 Bus: [phone] Fax: [phone]


We use Mary Beth Healy as our financial advisor. We highly recommend her as a family-friendly advisor (she has a young daughter herself and has been very helpful in helping us plan for private school, college, etc.). Mary Beth Healy American Asset Management 703-247-2145 [e-mail] http://www.theassets.com