Gratitude For the Halpern Team
In the spirit of gratitude and thankfulness this season, we want to take a little time to celebrate each one of the wonderful members on our Halpern Team. In the coming months, you'll get to know a little more about each of the dedicated people in our offices and why we find each of them to be invaluable assets to our financial planning firm.
Here's what our team members had to say about one another:
Ted Halpern
President & Founder
"Ted is a phenomenal leader. He has inspired me to achieve much greater things personally and professionally than I would have thought possible. He expects great things from all of us on the team, and has helped us all grow. I’m eternally grateful to Ted for taking a chance on adding me to the HFI family almost 20 years ago and feel so lucky that I found my ‘forever home’ with Halpern Financial at such a young age!"
"Very caring and thoughtful leader. Great idea sharer and a great storyteller. Changed my life!"
"Is extremely generous. This is especially true with how much thought and consideration he gives to each team member's unique circumstances, needs, and goals."
"Amazing at seeing what is coming around the corner, preparing the business, and "eating his own cooking". It's easy to follow a leader who believes in and actually enacts the advice we give clients."
Melissa Sotudeh, CFP ®
Director, Advisory Services
"Passionate about our process and wonderful teammate."
"Has a real gift for helping me and others simplify and prioritize workflow. She can really help calm me down when I feel overwhelmed by giving me a clear path forward."
"A phenomenal financial planner and manager - she is able to create business processes that support world class planning advice. This in turn creates efficiencies, and keeps costs reasonable for our clients."
"Melissa has SUCH a big heart! Melissa once made me home-made soup and drove an hour to deliver it to my door when I was sick! Melissa is incredibly smart, and I have great respect for her never-ending knowledge on anything an Advisor could possibly ever have to know! We also share the identical taste in books, movies and TV shows and love discussing them after!"
Daniel Trumbower
Senior Wealth Advisor
"Dan is hilarious! He has a very dry sense of humor which cracks me up, and I’m always impressed by his incredible golf and woodworking skills! From a work perspective, there isn’t anything that Dan doesn’t know about employee stock compensation plans, and we are so happy he brings that expertise to the team."
"Kindness over the top with clients"
"Cares a TON about his clients. I secretly think some clients consider Dan to be family."
"Dan is always happy to be part of a team and he's always ready to collaborate to get the job done."
Aaron Clarke
Wealth Advisor
"His effort to each and every task with both heart and business sense involved."
"Aaron is an old soul who takes on each task with a focused determination"
"Aaron is so thorough and detailed. Any question asked of Aaron will be met by a truly comprehensive and well thought-out answer whenever he is on the case. I also love that Aaron is knowledgeable, and willing to engage on almost any topic! We have the best conversations about a wide variety of subjects and I always appreciate his point of view."
"Super sweet, and there's no stopping his enthusiasm."
Kirsty Peev, CFP ®
Director, Portfolio Management
"She's truly energizing. Her own positive energy, interest, patience to explain any given nuance, and incredible work ethic are naturally energizing to be around."
"Personality Plus! Hysterically energetic."
"I am grateful that Kirsty loves what she does here. I don't, and won't even begin to understand the nuances of what she knows regarding investments."
"Kirsty is whip smart and so amazing to work with. Her spirit and dedication encourages me to be the best I can."
Jennifer Davis, CFP ®
Head of Planning
"She manages the entire planning team with a heart of gold and an eye toward efficiency!"
"Jenny is smart, thoughtful, and kind beyond belief and it shows through the plans she prepares for clients. Plus she gives the best hugs."
"She adds some of the best consistency on a detail level one could hope for. She will always catch the smallest mistakes in plans, typos, or other areas of detail. This helps elevate the level of our planning to an ever higher professional level."
"Jenny is kind and so caring and genuinely wants the best for every single one of our clients, and for every member of the HFI team. Her responses and feedback are always incredibly well thought out and she will always make sure that any information she provides is thorough, accurate, and helpful. Jenny also gives the BEST hugs a person could ever get and you truly feel how much she cares through that alone!"
Jennifer Wood
Director, Client Experience
"Jen always thinks outside of the box and goes beyond the ask. If she doesn't know the answer, she doesn't stop until she has it."
"This ship could not run without Jennifer at the helm, keeping us all on the right track. She is insightful and smart and she genuinely cares about our clients from a personal standpoint. I can count on Jennifer to help with anything at all without complaint. Jennifer and I have been friends and colleagues for almost 2 decades, and I count myself very lucky because of that – she is a wonderful person in every way!"
"She has an uncanny maternal ability to sense when a coworker needs a little extra support or needs to take a break. As the years have passed, I am only just starting to appreciate how important her awareness, sensitivity, and attentiveness are."
"She's our quarterback!"
Lindsie James
Operations Manager
"Loyal. Lindsie is one of the most loyal and trustworthy people I know. She is always helping us at the drop of a hat. Even though we don't ask for "right now", it is often done just as quick as we ask!"
"Lindsie is an absolute master at keeping us all organized and on the right track….and even more importantly, ensuring that everything is documented so that processes are efficient and repeatable. Lindsie ensures that HFI is ultra-efficient from every standpoint and keeps us all running smoothly. Lindsie is kind and caring and she is the most stylish person I know!"
"Lindsie is extremely reliable on taking ownership and following through."
"Wonderful to work with and extremely helpful, especially on the technology side."
Susan Grimail
Client Administrator
"Wonderful soul. She smiles through the phone."
"Susan is the most positive and cheerful person you will ever meet. She is unfailing in her joy and enthusiasm with every person she interacts with, and truly everybody loves Susan, it’s impossible not to!"
"She is patient, warm, and caring - for every person who walks in our doors or calls on the phone."
"Susan brings the familial warmth. Feels like a family around here? That's because Susan (and Jen) are always taking care of us, bring treats, and doing the small things that make us all smile."
Nisha Patel
Retirement Plan Consultant & Portfolio Administrator
"Nisha is very zen and is always willing to help."
"An unbelievable workhorse! Sometimes I wonder if there are two of her working here."
"Nisha puts the ‘team’ in teamwork! Nisha puts everybody else before her and will truly do anything to ensure that the team is taken care of and is successful. Nisha is a rock-solid team member who I couldn’t be without. She is kind, caring, efficient and generally an all-around lovely person."
"A master of staying calm while wearing many hats. Nisha helps us all - from trading to planning. She's a quick study and I'm grateful she part of our team!"
Olivia Luper
Communications Coordinator
"Brilliant communications, ideas, and writing style. Love what she's been doing so far!"
"Olivia provides much needed and appreciated support."
"A megaphone!"
"Olivia is the picture of efficiency! Our entire approach is tailoring our messages to ‘an audience of one’, and Olivia is the backbone of this strategy. She has a way of turning our ‘finance and investment related jargon’ into beautiful pieces of writing which are engaging and interesting to people, regardless of their own experience."
Cody James
Wealth Planner
"As the newest member of the Halpern Financial family, Cody brings a sense of energy and forward-looking positivity that is truly refreshing. He is an incredibly hard worker, smart, and thoughtful – and he asks excellent questions. His thirst for knowledge is great!"
"Cody is a breath of fresh air and we are happy to have him on board. I know he will accomplish great things here with his abilities, ideas, and great attitude."
"Sincere, smart and caring!"
"He is the newest member of our team and has already shown the kind of critical thinking, curiosity, and interest that we all appreciate in our team. He is also ready for Halpern team participation in next year's Tough Mudder!"