Clarity Financial Planning
Washington, D.C. metro area
I’ve always been fascinated by money and the role it plays in our lives. Growing up in the metropolitan Washington DC area, I was inspired by watching my parents create both an interesting, adventuresome life and a substantial investment portfolio out of a lower-middle-class income. I see financial confidence as part of the foundation of a well-rounded, satisfying life, and my goal is to help other women achieve that confidence.
Twenty-some years ago, after the death of my father, I found it more-than-a-little sobering to realize that my mother had absolutely no idea of the financial situation she had inherited, despite being a very intelligent woman. Why should men dominate the financial sphere, I wondered, and shortly thereafter entered graduate business school to major in finance. Afterwards, I worked for a bank regulatory agency, earning the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation while there. When a friend of mine suddenly found herself on her own after a whirlwind separation and divorce, I was stunned at the highly aggressive investment choices dictated to her by the financial advisor her brother recommended. Employed part-time and with a child who would soon be ready for college, she needed a portfolio allocated with her personal short- and longer-term goals in mind, not one almost entirely weighted toward risky and expensive speculative products. The almost-daily trading in her account earned large commissions for the advisor and lots of fees for the brokerage but did little to serve my friend’s best interests. That experience put me on the road toward becoming a comprehensive financial planner, one who would listen to clients and put their interests first.
Get to know Claire better by visiting her website, www.BringClarityToYourFinances.com.
Or click here to read a blog she wrote about the basics of credit card strategy.
