Jing Zheng

I started my career in the tax arena and quickly found my passion in financial planning. In 2019, I started Birch Street Financial Advisors to provide proactive tax-focused financial advice. I help pre-retirees (5-7 years), retirees and widowers align their human and financial resources with their values, solve complex financial problems and minimize taxes to achieve financial security. My role is to be your thinking and accountability partner; empowering you to create, modify and implement financial strategies that give you the comfort to sleep at night. Since launching my firm, I have been featured in numerous publications including InvestmentNews, Money, and U.S. News & World Report to provide insight on tax law changes, Roth IRA conversion strategies, charitable giving and gift & estate planning. I speak on charitable giving strategies to help clients achieve their philanthropic endeavors in a tax optimized way. I have my CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™; and CPA/PFS designations which support my commitment to maintaining a high standard of professionalism in my practice. I am the proud graduate of the University of VA McIntire School of Commerce with both a Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Accounting with a Specialization in Taxation. Our financial lives have many moving parts - retirement, cash flow, income tax, investment and estate planning. Each part is a different piece of a complex financial puzzle. I help client's piece the puzzle together and hone in on what's important to them about money and how they can use it to meet their goals. In my spare time, I decompress with Crossfit workouts with my husband, play never ending catch with my rescue dog Macie and experiment with native gardening.

I started Pacesetter Planning back in 2016 to help couples use their money to create the lives they love - together. I work best with two types of couples: 1) Engaged and newlywed couples looking to prepare for their future by setting themselves up for financial success and minimizing the risk of money conflict in their new marriage. 2) Couples who fight about money or struggle to make financially-related decisions as a team. I am a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and Certified Financial Therapist™. I care about the "why" behind your money just as much as "what" you do with it. More importantly, I want you and your spouse to feel confident and empowered by the way you manage money as a team such that your finances become an asset to your relationship, rather than a liability. (See what I did there?) Numerous studies have shown that financial conflict is pervasive in American marriages and is one of the leading indicators of divorce. There's no denying that the way you manage money with your spouse can be detrimental to your marriage. But I believe that the opposite is equally true - if you improve the way you manage your finances with your spouse, your marriage will get stronger. I'm here to show you how to make this a reality. If you’re interested in learning more, you can book a free introductory call at pacesetterplanning.com/contact

Patrick founded Ortman Financial Planning in 2016, a financial planning and investment management firm located in North Bethesda, MD. He holds the Certified Financial Planner® (CFP®) designation and earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with an emphasis in Finance at the Catholic University of America. Patrick has a strong focus on his clients’ overall financial wellbeing and recognizes that money is only a tool to help achieve the vision each person has for their life. He focuses on providing a very deep level of service balanced with simplicity to provide each client with greater peace of mind around their finances. Patrick and his wife, Kate, have four boys ranging from elementary school through high school. He coaches various youth sports teams and is an active volunteer at his children’s schools. Patrick is active in the financial planning community and is a member of XY Planning Network and the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA).

Lamar Watson, a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional, founded Dream Financial Planning to serve the needs of young professionals and minorities who typically don’t have access to fee-only and fiduciary financial planning. Prior to founding Dream, Lamar worked at a wealth management firm in Reston, VA, for over a decade. At his most recent firm, he served as the lead research analyst on a team of advisors that managed approximately $2 Billion in assets. He also served as a Vice President and Financial Advisor in the Private Wealth Management division. In this role, he worked with hundreds of clients across the country to help them meet their financial goals. Lamar’s proprietary process, the DREAM Financial Planning Process™, is the culmination of 15+ years of industry insight and experience. Less than 30% of all CFPs nationwide are in their 20s and 30s. I use The DREAM Financial Planning Process ™ to help my clients save, grow, and protect their wealth. We operate as a virtual firm and offer evening and weekend meetings for our client’s convenience. Ask about our unique pricing structure that starts at $100 per month for young professionals. We don’t have asset minimums for our clients. Less than 3.5% of all the 80,000 Certified Financial Planners (CFPs) in the United States are black or Latino, according to a new survey from the CFP Board Center for Financial Planning. Put another way; there are just 2,700 black or Latino CFPs in America; 1,200 blacks and 1,500 Latinos. Born in D.C. and a lifelong resident of Virginia, Lamar is a die-hard fan of many Washington D.C. area sports teams, most notably the Washington Redskins. His love for the Redskins all began when his grandfather started taking him to games when he was just eight-years-old. Previously, Lamar served as a volunteer basketball coach for the Chantilly Youth Association and Frederick County Parks and Recreation. In his free time, Lamar enjoys working out, biking on the Washington & Old Dominion Trail, and traveling. Feel free to contact me to schedule a complimentary 30-minute phone call to see if Dream Financial Planning is a good fit for you and your family.

When you choose to work with Discovery Wealth Planning, you work directly with the firm’s founder, Chris Urban. He offers Hourly, Retirement-Focused Personal Financial Planning with an emphasis on Cash Flow Planning, Investment Advice, Tax Strategies, and Insurance Guidance Ideal for Ages 55+. Chris has the CFP®, RICP® and TPCP® certifications. Chris employs a life-centered approach to helping clients achieve their financial goals. He takes time to understand each client’s current situation, goals, values and purpose before proposing strategies to grow and protect their wealth. His specialties include retirement income, tax and investment planning. Chris has more than 20 years of experience in the financial services industry. Prior to founding Discovery Wealth Planning, Chris served as a wealth advisor at an investment advisory firm in Northern Virginia. He previously held various roles in the capital markets and investor services divisions at a large institutional firm, working in both Boston and Los Angeles. Chris is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® practitioner, a Retirement Income Certified Professional (RICP®) and a Tax Planning Certified Professional (TPCP®). Chris has a bachelor’s degree in finance from Bentley University in Waltham, Massachusetts, and a Master of Business Administration from Boston University. Chris lives in Vienna, Virginia, with his wife Lauren and daughters Avery and Sienna. In his free time, he enjoys running, biking, playing golf and pickleball, and watching college football and golf on TV.

I founded Luminate Financial Planning because I am passionate about the power of planning and about helping you build a life based on what matters most to you. Financial planning is a mix of art and science. It’s not just about the numbers, but what the numbers mean for you. It's how you can use money as a tool to build your own great life. I will work with you to simplify and take control of your financial life. I will empower you to align your financial assets with your own values and goals. I believe that financial planning should be transparent, using a fee-only structure to minimize conflicts of interest. No commissions and no hidden fees. I personally understand the transformative power of sound financial planning and advice. Before leaving my prior career in corporate finance, and before I knew financial planning was even a profession, I built my own extensive plan for my family. We wanted to figure out if I could take time off of my career to start a family and become a stay-at-home mom while our kids were young. That basic plan (built with an Excel spreadsheet) served as a guidepost for the financial decisions my family and I have faced. My background  I have an MBA in Finance from Georgetown University and an undergraduate degree in Business Administration from Bloomsburg University. I hold the CFP® certification and passed the Series 65 Uniform Investment Adviser exam. I worked as an associate financial advisor and wealth planner for an independent broker-dealer before launching my own practice.