Curtis Crossland

I began my career in the financial services industry nearly ten years ago. Prior to founding Dreamfield Planning Group, I served as an associate wealth management advisor at Sconset Wealth Management—an advisory practice nested in the downtown Boston office of Northwestern Mutual—where I developed financial plans and managed investment assets. In a preceding role in the same office, I led an internal business unit providing investment consulting services to multiple financial advisors representing more than $200 million of assets under management (AUM). Previous to that, I served as an associate financial advisor at a Foxborough, Massachusetts financial planning practice and as a research analyst at a Cambridge, Massachusetts public policy research firm. I hold a Bachelor of Arts in History from Hendrix College and a Master of Public Policy from Georgetown University. I am both a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and a CFA Charterholder. I have lived for many years in Milton, Massachusetts with my wife Allie and our son Ben. In my spare time, I enjoy travel, reading, playing guitar, and taking long walks with the family dog, Louie.

I have been a financial planner for over a decade, working with individuals and families to help them with all aspects of their financial lives. Prior to founding Hark Financial Planning, I worked as a senior advisor and financial planner at firms based in Boston, MA and Reston, VA. In those roles, I have been a member of an investment committee, founded and managed a tax practice, advised a Fintech start-up, and, most importantly, worked with clients to achieve their goals. One of my main motivations for leaving those firms and founding Hark was my belief that there is more to helping clients than just having good technical knowledge and offering investments. Like in legal practice, technical knowledge of the subject matter is critical but is only a foundational part of the work. The next steps are to understand what the client actually wants to accomplish with your engagement and to tailor your work for the specific matter at hand given the client’s objectives. For me, that means spending a lot of time listening to my clients and asking questions to explore what their real objectives are before just jumping into applying technical skills. I am a CFP® professional and IRS Enrolled Agent. I have an MBA from The Kenan-Flagler Business School at UNC Chapel Hill and a BA from The College of William & Mary.

Hi there! I'm Ashley Rittershaus, CFP®, founder of Curious Crow Financial Planning, an advice-only firm dedicated to helping clients achieve the life they dream about and feel more confident managing their money on the path to financial freedom. I believe the concept of traditional retirement is outdated and that it is possible to live your best life now, while also taking care of your future self. Money is simply a tool to live the life you want. Whether you're interested in FIRE, changing careers, early retirement, taking a sabbatical, working less, financial independence, starting a business, or anything else, let's develop a plan to make it happen! I offer a flat-fee 6-month comprehensive financial planning engagement, during which we'll review all aspects of your financial life and develop a plan to get you where you want to go. During the first 3 months, we'll focus on building your plan and recommendations, over the course of 4 meetings. The next 3 months will be focused on implementing the recommendations and ensuring you are set up for success going forward. By the end of the 6 months, the goal is that you will have the planning recommendations implemented and will also have the skills, knowledge, and systems in place to feel confident managing your finances on an ongoing basis. Some of the areas we'll cover are: - Cash Flow Analysis - Financial Freedom & Retirement Projections - Investment Strategy - Tax Planning - Risk Management & Insurance - Estate Planning We'll also cover any other areas that apply to you, including: - Debt Management - Employee Benefits Optimization - Charitable Giving Strategy - Education Planning - Small Business Planning - Major Purchase Planning - and anything else related to your finances! Advice-only is a great choice for DIY investors or for anyone who prefers to learn how to manage their own investments, rather than delegating asset management to an advisor. I provide investment advice as part of my overall comprehensive financial planning services, without managing your investments or charging AUM (assets under management) fees. I'm based in the Greater Boston area, but provide 100% virtual services, which allows me to work with clients anywhere in the United States.

My Philosophy on Money While there is plenty of academic research that suggests money doesn’t make you happy once your basic needs are met, I do think it has a lot of potential to make you unhappy no matter how much you have. I, therefore, seek first and foremost to use money as a tool for achieving equanimity and peace of mind for my clients. My goal is not to help you maximize your net worth or income but instead to help you think through your values and act accordingly. Money, when handled correctly, can be an incredible tool for reducing stress, achieving a feeling of security for you and your family and giving you the freedom to pursue your dreams. My hope is that I can be a coach and guide to help you along that path. My Qualifications Other than your health, your money is perhaps the most personal and impactful area of your life. Just like with your doctor, trust is crucial. So why should you trust me to know what I’m doing? Here are a few of the things that I’ve done that have prepared me to handle your money with care and expertise. - I have nearly two decades of experience in financial services at multiple well-known firms, including Fidelity Investments, Charles Schwab and Goldman Sachs. - I have earned the well-regarded Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation. If you’re unfamiliar with the CFA you can read more about it on the CFA Institute website, but the following is a brief excerpt: “The CFA designation is one of the most respected and recognized investment management designations in the world. To earn the charter, candidates must pass all three levels of the exam, which is considered to be the most rigorous exam in the investment profession … Less than one in five candidates who begin the program end up finishing … Candidates study approximately 1,000 hours on average to master 8,500 pages of curriculum. The CFA Program curriculum includes ethical and professional standards; financial reporting and analysis; corporate finance; economics; quantitative methods; equity; fixed income; alternative investments; derivatives; portfolio management; and wealth planning.” - I have an MBA in Finance from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, ranked by Forbes Magazine as the #1 MBA program in the country and by US News and Bloomberg BusinessWeek as among the top 3. On a personal note I live with my wife and two young children in Boston, Massachusetts where I enjoy spending as much time as possible outside with my family and appreciating everything the city has to offer. I’ve run nearly a dozen marathons, including a personal best of just under 2 hours 55 minutes at the 2017 Boston Marathon. In my spare time I love to learn about anything and everything and am an avid reader of books of all types.

Brett founded Impact Financial after spending nearly a decade working at some of the largest Registered Investment Advisory firms in the country. Brett held a variety of investment, tax, financial planning and business consulting roles, which contributes to his comprehensive approach that he maintains today. During this time, Brett saw that there was a need for services tailored to each individual/family, considering businesses/private assets and tax complexities as well as opportunity to add more meaning to investments through impact investing (aligning investments with values). Brett founded Impact Financial to offer this comprehensive approach and to help people make the impact they want, not only once they’ve accumulated savings, but before and while accumulating assets as well. Brett earned an undergraduate and master’s degree in personal financial planning from University of Illinois and Texas Tech University, respectively. After graduation, Brett earned his CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERTM (CFP®) designation and his Certified Exit Planning Advisor designation (CEPA). In his free time, Brett loves to catch a Cubs game or great concert. Brett and his wife, Jenny, also love being outdoors on a bike ride, a run or trying to learn to sail. Brett and Jenny currently split their time between Boston and Chicago.

After a winding path of studying dance, working in theater, and various corporate jobs, Sylvie followed a passion for finance and realized she could offer something unique to support fellow creatives: financial planning and expertise, tailored to the unique lifestyles and demands of a career in the arts. She founded The Financial Grove to help remove the burden of financial worry for creatives in the arts. Through this work, she hopes to enable a newfound freedom of choice in projects, without having to decide based on a feeling of scarcity, or a fear of the unknown. Sylvie believes in the power and utmost significance of storytelling, and has witnessed how ingrained financial trauma, coupled with gaps in literacy, can prevent creatives from making decisions motivated by expression and passion. Her mission is to support storytellers to express their voice authentically. She currently lives in Cambridge, MA with her family, but frequently finds herself back in her hometown of New York City (and often forgets she doesn't still live there).