Morningstar Advisor - August/September 2013 - (Page 13)

had not wanted the responsibility of managing clients’ assets and had walked them through a do-it-yourself model using Vanguard accounts. Mark Zaifman, Founder, Spiritus Financial Planning “After resisting assets under management for seven years, now I’m absolutely nuts for it,” he says. He uses Schwab’s institutional platform and adheres to the investment philosophy pioneered by Vanguard founder John Bogle. Spiritus has about $17 million under management. Zaifman’s objective is to reach $50 million. Growth Opportunities How he caught our eye: Takes a holistic approach to financial planning derived from principles in Your Money or Your Life. roles at firms such as Fair Isaac and Texas Instruments. He launched Spiritus Financial Planning in 2003. Career path: Earned a bachelor’s degree in tax accounting from Monmouth University in 1983. He left a career in accounting to become a partner in New Jersey-based executive search firm Management Recruiters of Bridgewater, which focused on filling chief financial officer and tax director roles at Fortune 500 firms. He sold his partnership shortly before getting married in 1992 and then moved to the San Francisco Bay area. Over the next 10 years, he held recruiting Personal: Married to Patricia Chiappa for 21 years. Both are outdoor enthusiasts who enjoy hiking, kayaking, and skiing. They also spend time organic gardening. Favorite Funds: Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF VTI, PowerShares FTSE RAFI US 1500 SmallMid PRFZ, Schwab Fundamental Emerging Markets Large Company Index Fund SFENX, PIMCO Unconstrained Bond Fund PFIUX. Zaifman has resisted using traditional methods to grow Spiritus, such as advertising and cold calling. However, he and wife Patricia have embraced online marketing as a way to reach new clients. Zaifman is active on Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest. “I’m trying to find people who are interested in a more sophisticated relationship with a financial planner, but want a soulful approach,” he says. The marketing efforts “are all coordinated to give people the idea of who they are going to talk to when they have a complimentary consultation. By being authentic and talking values and money and life planning, I’m getting the right people to reach out.” These days, Zaifman particularly enjoys the retirement-planning aspect of his practice. He continued doing seminars and speaking events in those early years, getting himself in front of as many potential clients as possible. In 2008, Robin, who had become a friend, asked Zaifman to contribute to a revised edition of Your Money or Your Life. A West Coast book tour introduced him to more people who were interested in his planning services. About 70% of his clients are women. “At first that was surprising, but if I step back and think about it, women generally have an easier time sharing their feelings,” he says. “Men tend to be a little more buttoned up, and it’s a little more challenging to talk about money beyond the investment return.” Another significant client base consists of doctors and dentists. Zaifman built those relationships in his early days in the Bay Area, when he did a brief stint as a medical practice-management consultant. These clients were the reason Zaifman began managing assets three years ago. As some of the doctors and dentists began selling their practices, they asked Zaifman to manage their money. He “There are so many baby boomers who have done really well, who learned how to save and have their financial houses in order,” he says. “I really love not only helping them get to that stage of financial independence, but realizing the value when they are retired of having someone manage their income strategy, and to be their co-pilot through the transitions of retirement and a long life.” K Kate Stalter is an investment advisor with Portfolio LLC. She is also a columnist for RealMoney.com MorningstarAdvisor.com 13 http://www.RealMoney.com http://www.MorningstarAdvisor.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Morningstar Advisor - August/September 2013

Morningstar Advisor - August/September 2013
Contents
Contributors
Letter From the Editor
Under Pressure
Has Your View of Bonds Recently Changed?
The Simple Life Cuts a Path to Prosperity
How Extended Is Your Bond Fund?
A Bond Contrarian Scours the Globe for Value
Investments á la Carte
Investment Briefs
Bond Market Behemoths
Shopping in the Digital Age
Shopping in the Digital Age
Diverse Crowd
Motor City Meltdown
Bond Convergence
Corporates Are Fairly Valued, but Opportunities Will Arise
A Legend Still Pines for the Good Fight
Greener Pastures
Forecasting Market Bubbles and Crashes
Forecasting Market Bubbles and Crashes
Home-Court Advantage
Overcoming Technophobia
These Funds Are Counting on Undervalued Sectors
Our Favorite Mutual Funds
50 Most-Popular Equity ETFs
Undervalued Stocks With Wide Moats
What Price Advice?

Morningstar Advisor - August/September 2013