Peter Ankeny

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.

Joseph Balsamo is a Senior Resident Director and Wealth Management Advisor at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management in Portsmouth, NH. With over 37 years of experience in financial services, he specializes in providing financial advice and guidance to individuals and families. Joseph focuses on understanding clients' priorities to design and implement customized wealth management strategies that help pursue personal financial goals while managing investment risk. He serves as Senior Vice President of the Merrill Lynch office and employs a high touch client service model to review performance and progress frequently. Before joining Merrill in 2005, Joseph spent 20 years in corporate banking, underwriting and managing highly leveraged complex transactions. His background reflects a passion for entrepreneurship, capital markets, risk management, and financial planning. His areas of expertise include college education planning, family wealth management strategies, legacy planning, retirement income, socially responsible investing, and tax minimization. Joseph holds several professional designations including CERTIFIED PLAN FIDUCIARY ADVISOR (CPFA), Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor (CRPC), Personal Investment Advisor (PIA), and Retirement Accredited Financial Advisor (RAFA). He earned a Bachelor's degree from the University of Massachusetts System. Joseph is involved in his community through service on the Seabrook Beach Village Planning Board. He and his wife, JoeAnn, have been married for 33 years and live on the New Hampshire Seacoast with their two sons and dogs. His personal interests include biking, golfing, skiing, and traveling.