Ben Samoylov, CFA

61% of Americans over 50 are worried they won’t have enough money for retirement. This statistic hits close to home for me.

My parents emigrated from the Soviet Union during the peak of its collapse. When they arrived in Michigan, they had no pensions, no social security, no savings, and no retirement accounts. They started over at 30, tirelessly moonlighting as translators to save up for a down payment for a house. Every resource that wasn’t selflessly funneled into my education was squirreled away into real estate; a safe harbor that would provide the passive income for lifelong financial freedom. Then 2008 happened.

My background in probability and statistics is useful when it comes to risk management and stock analysis, but the therapist to whom I’m married gives me a perspective that no data can. She reminds me that when it comes to money, it’s not just numbers. It’s numbers that are attached to preferences, biases, or fears, shaped by our individual experiences and history with money. In the worst cases, these experiences can lead to harmful behaviors like keeping your cash in coffee cans, or piling your retirement into crypto – actions borne out of a combination of anxiety and misinformation.

After a long and emotional road my parents are contentedly retired, but I’ve witnessed the lasting stress and damage caused by the absence of comprehensive financial planning and portfolio management. I’m passionate about educating clients on financial misconceptions and constructing well-diversified portfolios that meet your goals, because I want you to rest easy knowing the money you worked so hard to earn is working just as hard for you.