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Diane Esser

Advisor at Direction Financial Management, LLC

Updated today
Direction Financial Management, LLC logo

Firm

Direction Financial Management, LLC

Location

Germantown, WI 53022

Credentials

CFP®

Industry experience

13 years

About

Diane Esser is a CFP® professional with 13 years of industry experience, currently operating as the sole advisor at Direction Financial Management, LLC since 2012. Her background includes integrating financial planning with tax services through her CPA credential and affiliation with an in-house tax practice. Direction Financial Management is an independent, fee-only firm serving individuals, families, trusts, retirees, professionals, and small business owners. The firm provides consultative financial planning and investment advice based on a long-term, passive approach using Modern Portfolio Theory and broad index fund exposure, focusing largely on non-securities planning areas such as tax, estate, and risk management.

Client services

Based on Direction Financial Management, LLC

Financial planning Selection of other advisers Educational seminars or workshops

Expertise

Based on Direction Financial Management, LLC

General retirement planning Cash flow / budgeting General tax planning Retirement income strategy

Occupation focus

Based on Direction Financial Management, LLC

Executive Founder/Business Owner Retired

Demographic focus

Based on Direction Financial Management, LLC

Approaching retirement Retired Sandwich Generation

Fee options

Fixed

Fixed fees for financial planning and Private Client Annual Service determined on a case-by-case basis; Private Client Annual Service is an annual fixed fee paid quarterly, semi-annually, or annually

Project-based

Hourly rate of $360 per hour

Other

Minimum fee: Retainer of one-half the uppermost estimated engagement fee or $1,200, whichever is less, to initiate the project; $1,200 retainer to initiate Private Client Annual Service Fee-only: Hourly financial planning at $360 per hour; Fixed/project fees determined case-by-case based on complexity

Location

W177 N9856 Rivercrest Drive, Suite 214

Germantown, WI 53022

Most active in

Wisconsin

Work history

Direction Financial Management, LLC

2012 - Present (14 years)

Disclosures

Exclamation point means they have disclosures of this type. Check mark means no disclosures of this type were found.

Business activities & affiliations

Brian L

CFP®, CPA, PFS™

Brookfield, WI

Midwest Wealth Solutions LLC

Brian earned his Bachelor of Science degree from UW – La Crosse with a triple major in Accounting, Finance, & Economics. He has a Master's of Business Administration with a specialty in Finance from Marquette University and has post-graduate certificates from Cornell University SC Johnson graduate school of management in Executive Leadership & Leading Management Teams. Brian is a Certified Financial Planner, Certified Public Accountant, Personal Financial Specialist, Certified Global Managerial Accountant, and a Certified Project Management Professional. He started his career working in Public Accounting for a regional CPA firm for a number of years. Then Brian worked in the private sector for a large fortune 30 company and smaller corporations, holding positions in Corporate Finance, Internal Audit, and Strategic Management. After that Brian started his own firm Leben CPA LLC and now Brian is a principal at Midwest Wealth Solutions and CPA firm Lulloff, Leben & Taylor. Brian is an active member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the Wisconsin Institute of Certified Public Accountants (WICPA). In his spare time Brian loves the outdoors (biking, hiking, camping, downhill skiing), Sports (Packers, Brewers, Bucks), and enjoys spending time with his wife Megan and two young daughters.

Liquidity event planning Business exit / sale strategy Business succession planning Executive Founder/Business Owner Parents Gen X (Born 1965-1980)
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Matthew B

Series 65

Glendale, WI

Erenda Capital

Active portfolio management Concentrated stock management Income planning
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Brian C

CFP®, Series 63, Series 66

Whitefish Bay, WI

Clarke Financial Counsel, LLC

Business ownership considerations Cash flow / budgeting College savings (529s, UTMA, etc.) Retirement income strategy General estate planning guidance
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Erik K

CFP®

Milwaukee, WI

Hilltop Financial Advisors

College savings (529s, UTMA, etc.) Student loan debt Cash flow / budgeting General estate planning guidance Approaching retirement
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Mark C

Series 63, Series 65, Series 66

Glendale, WI

Crawford Asset Management, LLC

Concentrated stock management Active portfolio management Passive / index investing
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Peter M

CFA®

Milwaukee, WI

Magis Management, LLC

Options & derivatives strategies Active portfolio management
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