Richard F. Dunn CFP®

“Having grown up the son of two teachers, I am passionate about helping people learn reliable financial strategies. I am dedicated to helping clients realize their retirement dreams.”

I am a veteran financial planner with more than 20 years’ experience helping families build wealth and move toward achieving their financial goals. In 2002 I started his financial planning practice in Maplewood, Minnesota, working with a large national brokerage firm.

My financial planning experience is informed by a childhood on an Illinois farm and a 15-year career educating and communicating with companies and business owners. I work to bring the best financial planning strategies to bear on the challenges facing families in the retirement red zone – the five years prior to and the 10 years after retirement.

I stress wealth building and tactical asset management to protect principal and reduce risk.  By working with me as an independent, fiduciary, fee-first advisor, clients receive advice with all conflicts of interest disclosed.  I can work with clients on comprehensive financial planning or asset management.  Most clients work with me using a combination of both services.  Similar to other service providers, fees can be charged by the hour, as a flat rate, or as a percentage of assets under care.

I currently hold the Certified Financial Planner^® professional designation, the Accredited Investment Fiduciary^®(AIF^®) designation, and the Accredited Asset Management Specialist^SM or AAMS® designation.

Certified Financial Planner® professionals must develop their theoretical and practical financial planning knowledge by completing a comprehensive course of study at a college or university offering a financial planning curriculum approved by the CFP Board. Other options for satisfying the education component include submitting a transcript review or previous financial planning-related course work to CFP Board for review and credit or showing the attainment of certain professional designations or academic degrees.

CFP® practitioners must pass a comprehensive two-day, 10-hour CFP® Certification Examination that tests their ability to apply financial planning knowledge in an integrated format. Based on regular research of what planners do, the exam covers the financial planning process, tax planning, employee benefits, and retirement planning, estate planning, investment management, and insurance.

CFP® professionals must have three years minimum experience in the financial planning process prior to earning the right to use the CFP® certification marks. As a result, CFP® practitioners possess financial counseling skills in addition to financial planning knowledge.

As a final step to certification, CFP® practitioners agree to abide by a strict code of professional conduct, known as CFP Board’s Code of Ethics and Professional Responsibility that sets forth their ethical responsibilities to the public, clients and employers. CFP Board also performs a background check during this process, and each individual must disclose any investigations or legal proceedings related to their professional or business conduct.

Once certified, CFP® practitioners are required to maintain technical competence and fulfill ethical obligations. Every two years, they must complete a minimum 30 hours of continuing education to stay current with developments in the financial planning profession and better serve clients. Two of these hours are spent studying or discussing CFP Board’s Code of Ethics or Practice Standards. In addition to the biennial continuing education requirement, all CFP® practitioners voluntarily disclose any public, civil, criminal or disciplinary actions that may have been taken against them during the previous two years as part of the renewal process.

The Accredited Investment Fiduciary^®(AIF^®) designation means that Rich has a thorough knowledge of best fiduciary practices and the ability to serve as a fiduciary on behalf of his clients. Through various AIF training programs, Rich has become familiar with the 21 fiduciary best practices for investment advisors. Rich serves in the important role of legal and financial fiduciary, by helping clients implement prudent processes and proper policies and procedures.

For the AAMS designation Rich has completed a course of study encompassing investments, insurance, tax, retirement, and estate planning issues and passed an end-of-course examination testing his ability to synthesize complex concepts and apply theoretical concepts to real-life situations.