Erik Nero

Advisor at First Step Wealth Planning

Updated today

Location

Wilton, NY

Credentials

CFP®, RICP®

Industry experience

25 years

About

First Step Wealth Planning is a firm that serves people seeking guidance on retiring with financial and emotional confidence. Our clients are nearing or already retired, looking for advice on retirement income, tax planning, and investments, and typically have accumulated over $1.5 million.

The traditional method of retirement planning is broken. It's about facts and figures as a means to sell products. A traditional firm's business model relies on managing investments for a percentage fee, and they dedicate their time and resources to convincing you that their investment opinions are superior to those of other firms.

After over 20 years of working for those firms, I broke away and started First Step Wealth Planning to provide people with the guidance they seek without feeling pressured to purchase investment and insurance products.

Guided Planning is a method that helps people clarify their emotional goals and align them with their money. It’s a way to help people figure out for themselves what really matters to them and how money will play a role in those relationships. By the end of the process, they feel confident that their plan accurately reflects who they are, what they want to do, and why. They are clear on their goals, the reasons behind them, and what they need to do to move forward.

Guided Planning aligns all aspects of your wealth with how you want to spend your time in retirement and is offered at a flat rate. Half up front, the rest at completion.

Implementation of the plan and ongoing guidance include tax planning, investment management, income maximization, and wealth transfer planning. All provided for a flat monthly rate.

If this sounds like the type of relationship you would like to have with a financial planner, visit the website to set up a complimentary consultation to see how Guided Planning may be a good fit for you.

Client services

Based on First Step Wealth Planning

Financial planning Portfolio management Selection of other advisers

Expertise

Income planning Wealth management Retirement income strategy

Demographic focus

Baby Boomers (Born 1946-1964)

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Fee options

Flat

$4,400+/engagement

Monthly

$1,000/mo

Location

Wilton, NY

Most active in

New York

Work history

Origin Financial

2022 - 2023 (1 year)

First Step Wealth Planning, LLC

2022 - Present (4 years)

Morgan Stanley Private Bank, N.A

2019 - 2022 (3 years)

Unemployed

2018 - 2019 (1 year)

Walthausen & Co. Llc

2016 - 2018 (2 years)

Fidelity Investments

2011 - 2016 (5 years)

Disclosures

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

Business activities & affiliations

user avatar

Neal S

CFP®, ChFC®, Series 63, Series 65

Wilton, NY

WealthPro, LLC

Neal Solomon is a CFP® and ChFC® with 41 years of experience in financial services. He is the founder and managing member of WealthPro, LLC and has held roles at The Strategic Financial Alliance, Inc. since 2005. Outside of advising, he occasionally sells internet domain names and serves as an expert witness and consultant in litigation matters. He is also involved in an audiology practice as a chief financial officer and manager. WealthPro, LLC provides financial planning, investment consulting, and portfolio management to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, corporations, and other business entities. The firm primarily recommends and monitors independent investment managers and strategist-driven model portfolios, with a significant portion of assets managed on the AssetMark platform.

Wealth management Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Founder/Business Owner Retired
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Adam M

Series 66

Saratoga Springs, NY

McNeill Capital, LLC

Adam Mc Neill is the sole advisor at McNeill Capital, LLC, an independent advisory firm based in Saratoga Springs, NY. He holds a Series 66 designation and has four years of industry experience. Prior to founding McNeill Capital, he was with McNeill Financial Group, LLC from 2010 to the present. McNeill Capital, LLC is an SEC-registered, fee-only firm serving high-net-worth individuals, trustees, charitable organizations, and employer-sponsored retirement plans. The firm focuses on strategic asset allocation using a core-and-satellite approach with actively managed mutual funds and passive ETFs, offering comprehensive financial planning, discretionary investment management, and retirement-plan consulting.

Private / alternative investments Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Founder/Business Owner
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Rachel S

CFP®, Series 63, Series 66

Glens Falls, NY

Sloan Advisory Group, Inc.

Rachel Sloan is a CFP® professional with 21 years of experience in financial advising. She has led Sloan Advisory Group, Inc. since 2009. The firm offers discretionary investment management and comprehensive financial planning to individual and high-net-worth clients, managing approximately $63.6 million in assets. Its investment approach focuses on asset-class allocation and Modern Portfolio Theory to create diversified portfolios tailored to client objectives, with periodic reviews and discretionary implementation. The firm also provides educational seminars and workshops on general financial topics to organizations and the public.

General retirement planning Income planning General tax planning College savings (529s, UTMA, etc.)
user avatar

Cynthia Z

CFP®, Series 63, Series 65

Saratoga Springs, NY

Saratoga Investment Solutions Inc.

Cynthia Zalewsky is a CFP®-certified financial advisor with Saratoga Investment Solutions Inc. in Saratoga Springs, NY, bringing 4 years of industry experience. She has been affiliated with Saratoga Investment Solutions and Commonwealth Financial Network since 2000. Outside of finance, she has long-term involvement with several health and fitness businesses, including Total Body Infecta, Golds Gym, Visions Health & Fitness, and Training Unlimited. Saratoga Investment Solutions provides financial life planning and investment advisory services to individuals and certain businesses, focusing on retirement, income distribution, estate, and elder-care planning. The firm offers individualized portfolio management and operates on a non-discretionary, client-directed basis using retainer and hourly billing without commissions or percentage-of-AUM fees.

General retirement planning Retirement income strategy Elder care planning Cash flow / budgeting
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Thomas D

Series 65

Saratoga Springs, NY

Dubois Capital Management LLC

Thomas Dubois is the sole advisor at Dubois Capital Management LLC in Saratoga Springs, NY. He holds a Series 65 designation and has two years of industry experience. Prior to founding his firm, he worked at Sentio and Exabel, among other roles. Outside of financial advising, he serves as an Enterprise Account Executive at a software company, Daloopa. Dubois Capital Management LLC provides discretionary asset management, financial planning, and consulting services primarily to individual and business clients. The firm offers tailored investment strategies based on clients’ goals and risk tolerance, combining fundamental and technical analysis, and is notable for regularly conducting public educational seminars and workshops.

Options & derivatives strategies College savings (529s, UTMA, etc.) Tax-loss harvesting Retirement income strategy
user avatar

Paul G

CFP®, Series 63

Saratoga Springs, NY

Portfolio Allocators LLC

Paul Gemmiti is a CFP® and Series 63 credentialed financial advisor with four years of industry experience. He is the principal of Portfolio Allocators LLC, an independent advisory firm based in Saratoga Springs, NY. In addition to his advisory role, he operates a CPA tax preparation practice, Paul J Gemmiti CPA PLLC, which he has owned since 1985, primarily preparing individual, corporate, nonprofit, and trust tax returns. Portfolio Allocators LLC serves a small group of individual clients and a charitable foundation by providing tax consultation and related advisory services connected to clients’ investment portfolios. The firm does not manage portfolios directly but refers clients to unaffiliated investment advisors while focusing on coordinating tax-related matters and advising on investment risk.

General tax planning General estate planning guidance
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