Vourdanne Ignegongba

For years Quentara was the unexpected primary caregiver for her father who was diagnosed with Alzheimers. During his transition she continued to work, buy a house, get married, and start a family. She founded Powwow with the intent of helping other families prioritize their goals that are often neglected due to the in-the-moment demands of kids and aging parents. Powwow is fee-for-service, meaning a family's net worth, relationships, goals, and concerns are discussed and illustrated without the need to invest assets or purchase product. If you have questions related to every day goals, elder care transition, and kids you've come to the right place. Quentara has been featured in numerous publications, including NerdWallet, CBS MoneyWatch, and Financial Planning Magazine. She has also been invited to present on financial planning and elder care topics throughout Massachusetts. Follow her on social media and reach out to schedule a free consultation.

I was hanging on every word… It was a beautiful spring day in Palo Alto in 1996. My Modern Portfolio Theory professor – Nobel laureate Bill Sharpe – was explaining the “illusion of stock picking skill” and the idea that stock pickers as a group lose big to the stock market as a whole. I remember closing my eyes and taking it all in. Was it possible that a several hundred billion dollar industry was just harming investors? That the whole thing was built on an illusion? Even a lie? I was just entranced. (It turns out I caught a brief glimpse of my true calling that day, but it would be another 17 years before I actually took concrete steps to become a financial advisor.) But then the class ended, and I went back to the business of graduating from Stanford Business School. I headed back to consulting for a couple years, and then co-founded a dot com. But in 2003, I ended up in awkward position. An awkward position that ultimately lead me to my true calling. I had accepted the position of Publisher & Chief Marketing Officer at The Motley Fool, the personal finance website. I loved the people, and rocked the job. But something was wrong. You see, one of my responsibilities was to convince millions of investors that we had superior stock picking skills. There was just one problem with this – I didn’t believe it. Beliefs are a funny thing. I came to believe back in 1996 that stock picking skills are an illusion, and that belief had just stuck. And I couldn’t unstick it. I eventually left The Fool with mixed feelings. I was proud of our commercial success, and my role in that. But I also felt like I had betrayed my beliefs. It wasn’t a good feeling. I tried jobs in other industries, but something kept pulling me back to investing and personal finance. And then it finally hit me. I knew what I was meant to do, and I set out to form my financial advisory firm, Clark Asset Management, LLC. Now I get to help people directly, and do it in a way that’s 100% consistent with my beliefs. I get to leverage a career’s worth of skills in financial planning and analysis, problem solving and client communication. And I get to do my part to help transform an often shady industry into a helping profession. It’s awesome. …if you’d like to learn more, I encourage you to download one of my complimentary guides or schedule a complimentary phone consultation.

Bryce Haynes is a Planning Consultant at Fidelity Investments, where he partners with local individuals and their loved ones to develop comprehensive financial plans. He emphasizes connecting on a personal level to understand client preferences and utilizes Fidelity's resources to align plans with their financial goals. Bryce has accumulated experience in various roles at Fidelity Investments since 2021, including Relationship Manager, Financial Representative, Retirements Representative, and Customer Relationship Advocate. Prior to joining Fidelity, he worked as an Insurance Representative at Mutual of Omaha from 2020 to 2021. Outside of his professional work, Bryce has interests in comedy, cooking and baking, golf, movies, pets, and traveling.

Robert Kochakian is a Wealth Management Advisor at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, co-leading Degraeve, Kochakian & Associates, a full-service wealth advisory practice with offices in Andover, Beverly, and Boston, Massachusetts. He joined Merrill Lynch in 2016 after ten years with U.S. Trust Family Office and prior experience at Fidelity Investments. Robert works with individuals, families, and business owners, including successful professionals and corporate executives, to build, preserve, and administer their wealth through personalized and actionable wealth management and investment strategies. Robert’s expertise encompasses corporate executive services, retirement and education planning, executive and equity compensation, liquidity management, tax minimization, and individualized investment strategies. He utilizes a goals-based wealth management process to help clients identify life goals, simplify financial complexities, and make impactful financial decisions. Robert collaborates with specialists to address various aspects of his clients' financial lives, including long-term care, insurance needs, and access to banking and lending solutions through Bank of America. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from the University of Lowell and an MBA from Babson College. Robert is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certificant, a Certified Private Wealth Advisor®, and a Personal Investment Advisor. He is fluent in English and Armenian. Outside of work, Robert enjoys spending time with his family and engaging in activities such as golfing, ice hockey, music, swimming, and traveling.