We are very pleased to announce that Courtney Fraser is our newest CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®) professional at Marotta Wealth Management!
The CFP® certification is the recognized standard of excellence for competent and ethical personal financial planning. To use the certification, you have to meet the initial certification requirements (known as the four “Es”). They are Education, Examination, Experience, and Ethics.
The first requirement of Education, Courtney satisfied in 2016 when she graduated from Virginia Tech’s Financial Planning program , Magna Cum Laude. During her studies, she received the FSP Excellence in Financial Education Award.
As a huge animal lover, she originally attended Virginia Tech to study Pre-Veterinary medicine, but quickly realized that she was too squeamish for medicine. As she started to explore other options, she discovered the Financial Planning program. Attracted to it by her enjoyment of math and numbers, she ended up pursuing the program because of its promise of using math to work directly with clients rather than alone in a cubicle farm.
Her junior year of college, Courtney met Marotta Wealth Management for the first time when David John Marotta gave a presentation at Virginia Tech’s Financial Planning Association meeting. That summer, she joined Marotta Wealth Management as an intern and at the end of the summer was offered a full time position starting after graduation.
By winter, Courtney satisfied the Examination requirement, passing the six-hour exam on the first try.
Courtney Fraser
Since then, she has become our IRA specialist overseeing both our Required Minimum Distribution (including QCDs) and Roth conversion services, one of our primary portfolio managers rebalancing portfolios, and the primary point of contact for over 70 clients.
After two years of mentoring under David John Marotta, CFP®, Courtney satisfied the Experience requirement May 2018. She submitted her final application and background check to the CFP Board and was accepted, passing the Ethics requirement and making her a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional. For more information about this designation, see the CFP Board website.
As a child, Courtney was first introduced to money through “Moneymakers: Good Cents for Girls,” which was one of her favorite books. Her mother was a stock broker for Hambrecht and Quist, a brokerage firm that brought many technology companies onto the public market in the early 1980’s. Although she went to college in Blacksburg, Courtney was raised in Charlottesville and is grateful to be a part of the Marotta Wealth Management team here. In her spare times she enjoys reading; horseback riding; walking her dog, Emma; and spending time with her friends and family.
A Brief Interview with Courtney
What is your favorite Marotta Wealth Management service?
My favorite service is the Cash Flow/Safe Withdrawal Rate analysis. Clients are worried about running out of money, so it is so great to be able to hand them a target for what they can safely spend each year and see the relief on their face. It’s also great if you are working with a couple who can’t agree on how much money they should spend, because the analysis gives them a great guideline for what more (or less) can be spent each month or each year.
What is your favorite part of being a wealth manager at Marotta Wealth Management?
I love that I have a job that combines my love of analyzing numbers and my love for working with people. It keeps things interesting because there are often numerous psychological reasons why clients don’t pick the mathematical “right” answer. Working directly with people provides great context and meaning to the work at hand, and it feels great to know that I am helping people meet goals and make a difference in their day to day life.
What is your favorite Marotta Wealth Management article or series?
I get a lot of questions from friends about what they need to be doing now that they have jobs and are starting to earn money. I love directing them to articles such as “Which Retirement Account Should I Fund?” and Marotta’s Gone Fishing Portfolio.
I also enjoy the Kittenomics series. The articles are short and keep it interesting for readers who may not be as interested in all the details as we are!
What advice do you give to those who are just getting started with investing?
Investing is for the long term! You are much better off investing in a “boring” index fund than jumping on the next bandwagon “investment” like Bitcoin. Investing for the long term also means that it isn’t about getting rich quick. It’s about years of dedicated saving adding up big at retirement. All of that said, the biggest component is having the discipline to save in the first place. Live off of less than you earn and invest the difference.
Courtney’s Latest Articles
How to Open a Fidelity HSA and Transfer HSA Bank Assets
Going forward, the Fidelity HSA® is my primary recommendation for an HSA custodian.
The IRS Waives 2021 & 2022 Penalties Because Its Unclear How the New Inherited IRA 10-Year Rule Works
In 2019, the SECURE Act changed how inherited RMD rules work. After many IRS notices, we now aren’t sure how the new rules work.
#TBT Three Strategies to Avoid Private Mortgage Insurance
Avoiding PMI, if possible, is better for your long-term finances. Here are three strategies to avoid PMI.
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