In 2019, Milestone became the first investment advisor in New Hampshire to achieve B Corporation status. Milestone has been proud to maintain that status by keeping the high standards that B Corporations hold themselves to in social and environmental impact. But what does it mean to be a B Corporation? And how is it different from a traditional corporation?  

What is a B Corporation? 

The best way to understand what a B Corporation is, is to understand what it is not. For a traditional corporation without B Corporation status, the responsibility is to shareholders. The profit they make is passed on to shareholders and growing the business. This thinking isn't bad, but a business has an impact on more than just their bottom line. By focusing only on shareholders and growth, this business model misses the big picture. This can lead to overlooking opportunities that could benefit the community. Or worse, it can lead to negatively impacting their community and dragging it down.  

A B Corporation is different. They operate under the philosophy that business can be a force for good and go beyond the bottom line for their shareholders. B Corporations measure and report their social and environmental impact as part of the certification and recertification process. These social and environmental standards are baked into the governance structure of B Corporations. Every business decision must consider the social and environmental impact. B Corporations then allow their performance to be posted on the certification body's website. This transparency provides accountability so that their B Corporation status is not simply empty words in a mission statement. 

What being a B Corporation means for us… 

For us at Milestone, we want to be a benefit to everyone, not to one narrowly defined group. As a B Corporation, we have committed to being a force of good in our environment, to our clients, to our team, and in our community. We are proud of our team and how they use their skills, knowledge, time, and resources to give back. 

in our environment 

To benefit our environment, Milestone is dedicated to responsible energy use and conservation. We support employees working from home when necessary, set goals for minimum energy use, and use energy-efficient products. To reduce waste, electronic note keeping is encouraged, and electronic document management and dissemination are used.  

with our team 

We can't serve our community without taking care of our team first. Our tax preparation and asset management services are available to our team members at no cost. We offer competitive compensation to all team members, with benefits for our full-time team members, including paid parental leave. We know how important family is, so we extend spousal benefits to any domestic or civil union partner recognized by the local government. Wherever team members start with us in their career aspirations, we want to be part of their journey by providing meaningful professional and educational development. We support our team members in reaching these goals through tuition, study aid, and exam reimbursement programs.  

in our community 

Milestone is lucky to be part of the wonderful Hillsborough County community. We are a locally owned business, and we firmly believe that involvement is what makes a healthy community. That starts from within, which is why we have an explicit written statement to ensure that at least 75% of our clientele are local, although the percentage of our local clientele is even higher than that. Whenever possible, we give preference to local businesses, and one-fifth of our company expenses are paid to local suppliers.  

We support our employees' community efforts by providing one day of paid time off for community service. One of our owners and senior advisor, Jonathan Harrington, serves as the co-chair of the Financial Planning Association of Massachusetts' Pro Bono Military Program, a program offering free financial coaching and planning to service members living in Massachusetts. As a team, Milestone has also had the pleasure of volunteering with Families in Transition, a wonderful program serving people experiencing food insecurity.  

Our CEO and senior advisor, Jennifer Climo, volunteers her time as the stewardship and finance elder for her local church.  

Milestone spends several days per year as a team volunteering at Families in Transition, either working in the food pantry or doing painting projects around their shelter for unhoused people.  

Milestone also supports local organizations that serve the community through charitable donations. We are a proud sponsor of Families in Transition, Seacoast Family Promise, Westford Food Pantry, 68 Hours of Hunger, and local school athletic events.  

with our clients 

Our clients are why we do what we do, so we want to do what's best for our clients. Because of this, we are a fee-only financial planning service, meaning we don't receive commissions from the sale of financial products. As a B Corporation and a fiduciary, we take our responsibility to our clients seriously. We measure our performance through client service feedback, industry standards, regulatory best practices and requirements, and positive outcomes for clients.  

For Milestone Financial Planning, being a B Corporation is an extension of our values and business philosophy. Just as we consider the whole picture with our clients, it is necessary to consider the whole picture of our business. Every business has an impact, and at Milestone Financial Planning, we want our impact to be a positive one in our community. 

If you are interested in learning more about our approach as a client, we encourage you to reach out to our team.