I specialize in helping single women make sense of their money and their taxes. As a Fee-Only financial planner, I take a holistic approach to smart financial management: I focus on teaching my clients in addition to assisting them in getting all aspects of their financial house in order.
I’ve been interested in personal finance since I was little. I remember being awed as the balance of the savings account my grandmother established for me rose through the magic of compound interest. Of course, interest rates were a lot higher then! Today we have many more options for saving and investing. Navigating these choices can be overwhelming, but I believe the best probability of achieving financial freedom belongs to those who create, implement and diligently follow a plan.
I have a BS in Microbiology (paid for in part by Grandma’s savings account). I spent two years in the Lutheran Volunteer Corps working in an inner-city medical clinic and later graduated from a Physician Assistant (PA) program. I worked as a PA for fifteen years in a variety of clinical and managerial settings. Eventually I decided to change gears. I started by taking a tax course which led to tax preparation work and financial planning certification at Boston University.
Remarkably I have found the fields of medicine and financial planning are not as different as you might think. Both involve helping people identify the problems that are giving them discomfort and coming up with a plan to solve those problems. On the bright side, clients in financial planning leave their clothes on during the interview!
I speak regularly on the subject of financial planning and tax to women-focused and community groups and have been quoted in The Boston Globe and other media. I am also the publisher of Allegro con Brio, a free monthly newsletter providing “practical information about money for single women (and the people who love them).” In addition to being a Certified Financial Planner®, I am an Enrolled Agent with the IRS and a member of the Alliance of Comprehensive Planners.
I live in Quincy, MA with Matt Jarpe, my husband of 27 years, our teenage son, and a dopey English Setter named Gambit.