Your Financial Guide While Climbing The Retirement Mountain

For over four decades I have been motivated to help my clients achieve their financial and retirement goals through education and empowerment. Having witnessed firsthand the negative impact of market volatility and risk on retirement plans, I understand the importance of guiding individuals towards long-term financial well-being. Many people are unaware of how their present decisions can profoundly affect their financial security. My mission is to provide unbiased information and personalized financial advice tailored to each client's specific circumstances. As independent advisors, we have the freedom to explore a wide range of options to meet my clients' needs effectively.

I live in the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains in New York with my wife, Melinda, who is also the Director of Operations. We are blessed with five children and seven grandchildren. I am an animal lover, especially dogs,  and we enjoy volunteering at our local animal shelter. Spending time with loved ones is precious to us, and we cherish moments with family and friends. Traveling, camping, and hiking are activities we relish, especially when surrounded by mountains and lakes. On a personal note, skiing has been a lifelong passion for me since my childhood in Vermont. I also have a deep fondness for classic sports cars, particularly convertibles, and the thrill of motorcycle touring.

Melinda is a retired educator with a remarkable 30-year career in the education and corporate training fields. For a decade, she dedicated herself to teaching math to middle and high school students, followed by 20 years in state government, where she educated fellow employees using technology-based training methods.

At Mansfield Financial Strategies, Melinda has found the perfect opportunity to apply her wealth of experience and expertise in instructional technology. Currently, she is pursuing an insurance license to further enhance her ability to serve the company's clients effectively.

During her leisure time, Melinda indulges in her passion for gardening and takes pride in creating various jams, jellies, pickles, and relishes using produce from her own vegetable garden. Besides gardening, she enjoys baking and immersing herself in a good book. Melinda's dedication to horticulture is evident as she actively completes the Master Gardener program with her local Cooperative Extension.

On a more personal note, Melinda cherishes her family, including her children and grandchildren, holding them dear to her heart. She cherishes quality time spent with her husband Gary, whether they're working together or, ideally, exploring new places through travel.

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James has worked in the financial services industry his entire professional career starting right out of college. He has a passion for working with clients and helping them achieve their long-term financial goals. His main area of focus is on the investment management side of financial planning. James has a focus on risk management and wants to ensure that during the investment process, the focus stays on reducing risk and volatility in clients’ portfolios while still achieving the returns needed to accomplish the objective of the client. James has achieved the Certified Financial Planner CFP®, less than 20% of all financial advisors are CFP® and this advanced training and education allows James to provide the highest quality service and value to clients. He has also achieved the Chartered Financial Consultant CHFC®, Chartered Life Underwriter CLU®, Retirement Income Certified Professional RICP®, and Accredited Estate Planner AEP®. These designations have given James more training and insight on a wide variety financial planning areas. James is married to his wonderful wife Abbey, and they have a 2 year old son and 1 year old daughter together and enjoy spending time at the lake as a family.

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Jim Haass is a seasoned financial professional with an impressive track record spanning over two decades as a special agent with Northwestern Mutual, where he honed his expertise in guiding clients through complex financial landscapes. He further excelled as a financial advisor, contributing his insights to some of the industry's largest commercial banks, including JP Morgan and HSBC, for a commendable 15 years. In his commitment to education, Jim served as a presenter of enlightening "Taxes in Retirement" seminars for two years, empowering individuals with essential knowledge.

Peter has loved art since as far back as his memories go - and has been drawing his world for about the same. But when he was asked to design his first logo when he was 15, he knew that he had found his calling.  Passion is knowing that what you do makes a difference.  Peter takes ideas from his clients, and turns them into designs, and then develop those designs into forms that rock our world.

Joseph Clark of Brokers’ Choice of America has been providing assistance to retired, pre-retired clients and also independent advisors throughout the country for twenty-three years. He is an experienced teacher, published author and financial educator. He has extensive knowledge in the areas of preservation and distribution of wealth, retirement planning strategies, reduction of financial risk, lowering of taxes and protecting assets.

Joseph prides himself on his ability to provide his clients with proper planning and sound advice. His career in the Financial Services industry began as a Marketing Consultant. Joseph has earned his CFEd® certification with the Heartland Institute of Financial Education.

Joseph teaches health care planning and Income planning for retirees and pre-retirees. This experience has allowed him to become a successful advisor while assisting his clients in enhancing their piece of mind.

Joseph and his wife, Kimberly reside in Littleton, Colorado. They are the proud parents of three children: Haily, Kaira and Ivaiah, Grandson Makaio.