Since I ask my clients to share very personal information about themselves and their families, it is time for me to share “My Story”. 

My parents were “depression babies”, neither of whom had the opportunity to earn a high school diploma.  They had no choice but to leave school at an early age and seek employment to financially assist their families. Without the ability to further their education they realized how difficult it was to “get ahead" so they instilled in me the value of hard work and the importance of an advanced degree.

My Dad was a machinist who had the attributes to be a great engineer.  He could envision almost anything and then actually build it. We use this same “hands on” approach when working individually with each of our clients to provide personalized advice.

My Mom was a great cook, and she passed on that passion to me.  Cooking is a mixture of science and creativity.  Like cooking, our recommendations take into account our knowledge, experience, and ability to think outside of the box. This comprehensive strategy is what helps us provide unique guidance. 

I have three great boys (now men!)   two of which received special education services.  As parents, we know that the need   for special education services has nothing to do with "intelligence". Each of us learns differently. For instance, some of us are auditory and some are visual learners. Once a personal learning style is identified it can be used to help us better absorb and understand content.

I mention this because some of the topics we discuss with clients involve complex financial terms and strategies.  We want our clients to be fully informed and comfortable with their investment decisions.  We are very adept at breaking down and presenting these potentially difficult concepts in various ways to be more easily understood.  

Our oldest, Christopher, earned his Bachelor of Arts in Statistics from the University of Vermont.  He is employed in the banking industry. Devin is a professional videographer, primarily focused on the snowboard industry.  Our youngest, Hunter, is a National Snowboarding Champion, now working towards his doctorate in Psychology.  Our hope is that we have passed on the values we learned from our parents to our boys.

 I am very involved within our community and believe in helping others.  I love to travel and I'm an outdoor sports enthusiasts.  My activities include fitness training, skiing, cooking, and pickleball.

I thoroughly love what I do, which is assisting our clients in the pursuit of their financial goals. I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to make a positive impact not only on our client’s lives, but on that of their families as well. Our clients are our extended family. We are fortunate that this “family” continues to grow because of the value of the advice we provide.   Our hope is that our clients continue to  share their positive experience of working with us with their friends, family, and colleagues so we can continue to help others also feel confident in their financial future.  

From the heart: Craig Bernard