To start, can you share your background? What got you into financial planning? 

I got into financial planning when I was at Bentley University as an undergraduate, after taking Intro to Financial Planning in my junior year. I really enjoyed it, so I accepted an internship in financial planning at Prudential when I was a senior. It was a horrible internship; they basically had me cold-calling people. However, it allowed me to see the side of financial planning that I didn't want to do. At the time, Bentley had a master's degree program in financial planning, where you attended four years of an undergraduate program and one year of graduate school. As a member of this program, you were allowed to take classes for the master's when you were a senior. I took two master's classes in financial planning as a senior and then went right into the master's program. That's where I met Jen. We had one or two classes together and did a group project. From there, I moved to Colorado and did an internship at a private bank. They offered me a full-time job, and I worked there until 2008. After that, I moved to Fort Drum in New York to work for a Department of Defense program that was geared toward helping service members understand personal finance. Fifteen months later, I moved back to Boston and worked for the National Guard until 2015. I started with Milestone in 2016.  

What led you to Milestone Financial Planning? When did you join the company?  

After working for the National Guard, I moved to New Hampshire, where my wife is from. I needed a job in the area and had a friend from Fort Drum who worked at a financial planner recruiting company. He sent me an opportunity for Milestone. I interviewed with Jen, remembering her from Bentley. At the time, there were four people working for the company.  

When did you become a co-owner? What was the process like?  

After starting with Milestone in 2016, I found out I was deploying in 2018 for a year. Jean Fullerton was considering retirement during this time, and conversations had already been had about my becoming a co-owner. While I was deployed, Jen and Jean worked on creating a succession plan and an operating agreement. Everything was finalized when I came back, including the succession and transition plan.  

What has been the biggest learning curve for you when you were becoming a leader of the company? 

The investments. I was very knowledgeable about the planning side of things but had nothing to do with the investments while I was working at the private bank in Colorado; the firm had a portfolio management team that took care of investment decisions. Over the years at Milestone, I've improved my understanding of portfolio management theory and am now the leader of the investment committee. Using the efficient portfolio theory, we determine what asset classes and allocation to have. To stay up to speed on what is going on in the markets and industry, we go to conferences, take continuing education classes on both the planning and investment side, and share information within our community. You can never take your foot off the gas pedal of learning.  

How has Milestone grown since you joined?  

Milestone has grown from four employees to 15, plus now it has multiple locations. We do more mentoring now, by starting the internship program, hiring a lot of college graduates, and getting them through the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) program by teaching different aspects of financial planning. I expect that this growth will continue well into the future.  

What is attractive to clients when they're looking at Milestone? What do you think is Milestone's greatest differentiator?  

I believe that clients who're looking for an advisor come to us looking for fee-only services. They know that Milestone is not commission-based and that we are not pushing products. Additionally, they are looking for an advisor who's geographically close to where they live. Most people want to know the person they are working with and meet them in person at least once. Clients want to have a good rapport with their advisor and to find an advisor who provides the services they are looking for.   

Can you talk about Milestone's tax planning and what you think are the biggest benefits? 

Taxes are an integral part of people's finances. A lot of financial advisors only manage money and do not look at the general financial planning, risk management, estate planning, and tax planning sides of things. Our tax planning allows us to assess how a client's overall tax situation from year to year is going to affect their financial plan. Jen has been preparing tax returns for over 30 years and brings a great deal of experience and knowledge to tax planning for our clients. We do tax planning for all our clients, whether they do their tax prep with us or not. A lot of firms say they do tax planning, but they do not actually do the detailed planning we are able to do because of our tax prep business.  

How do you manage the client-advisor relationship?  

All clients have some questions and goals that they wish to accomplish. The clients are evaluating you, so as an advisor you want to be able to answer their questions or tell them how you will answer them. You want to have a clear understanding of their financial goals. Listening is a large part of the process. Being empathetic is also an important aspect of the relationship.  

Has your point of view on financial planning changed over the years? 

I have learned a lot over the years. Because I have been in the fee-only space since I started, the fiduciary piece of the role has not changed. Trying to do what is in the best interests of the client has remained constant. However, laws and methods have changed. It is a constant evolution. We attend continuing education classes and/or events as a company to stay up to date, and both Jen and I present training seminars to our staff and our clients. 

What are you most proud of when it comes to being a co-owner of Milestone? 

Jen and I have built a great business that has grown consistently over time. We've been very selective about who we have hired and consequently have hired great people. I am most proud of our team members. We are a very teamwork-oriented group. Nobody is out for themselves; everyone is trying to contribute to the good of the whole. I like coming to work. I like being here and working with everyone.  

Outside of work, what are your hobbies and interests? 

I have been in the Army for 15 years. That has taken a lot of time in my life over the years. Currently, I am in a post-deployment period where I do not have many responsibilities besides my monthly drills. My family is an important part of my life. I coach soccer and baseball for my kids and play in an adult soccer league. I enjoy traveling with my family. This year we went to Maine, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Quebec, and Washington, D.C. We love to ski. With an EPIC ski pass each winter, we try to get on the slopes 10 to 15 times per year. Most recently, we held our annual cider party at my house. We made 40 gallons of apple cider and had about 60 people attend. My wife and I are also into gardening and landscaping. We live on part of her family's 40 acres of land and have taken full advantage of the space to create a very intricately designed hardscape with flowers, shrubs, bushes, and other plants.