Live Your Life.

We'll Take Care of the Details.

Why "Pisces"?

In addition to being the astrological sign of the firm’s founder (not that he’s into that sort of thing), the most common Pisces traits happen to be ones that we think best serve our clients.

Creativity

There are plenty of calculators and websites that claim to give you “the answer.” But when it comes to your unique situation, you’ll want a living, breathing advisor to help you think creatively.

Empathy

A computer can spit out the best, most analyzed investment solution for you. It can’t hold your hand when your spouse dies, your parents are diagnosed with dementia, or you’re just plain scared.

Generosity

Pisces are known for placing the needs of others ahead of their own. At our firm, we always put client’s best interests first while acting as a fiduciary at all times.

Also, the founder’s kids really liked the name, and their votes count twice.

We'll answer your most pressing financial questions. Then we'll ask the ones you haven't thought of yet.

Let us think about the little things, so that you can spend time experiencing the big things.

At Pisces Financial Advisors, we’re building an intentionally select community of clients, so that we always have time for a thoughtful, personalized approach. We look at the entirety of our clients’ financial lives, and provide advice without selling any products, taking commissions, or accepting or paying referral fees.

In the name of growth and efficiency, many advisory firms try to aggressively scale themselves to serve more clients. While understandable, this can lead to pared back services and less time for conversations and deep thinking about planning.

What many people don’t expect when they work with us — we’re human too. We’ve all made our fair share of mistakes in this world; many of these mistakes helped us become the competent advisors we are today. Without these lessons, we would be left referencing textbook material and subjective news commentary, and that’s no way to run a business.

Our hope for every one of our clients is that after each meeting, you’ll feel more confident and rest assured that your money is here to be an engine of opportunity.

Benjamin Birken, CFP®

Founder/Financial Advisor

Read Bio

Ben Birken, CFP®

ben@piscesfinancial.com

I didn’t grow up wanting to be a financial advisor. In fact, I didn’t know that such a job existed until my late 20s.

In college, I studied exercise physiology and history. I loved the precision required by science, while at the same time embracing the idea that we can’t possibly understand how things are today without knowing how we got here. The combination of the statistical analysis of science, the storytelling power of history, and the academic rigor required by both prepared me well for the world of financial advice, even if I didn’t know it yet.

I didn’t grow up reading the Wall Street Journal, and while I knew that the stock market was a thing, I had no clue how it worked. So when I had to pick the investments for my 401k at my first job out of college, I had to ask my roommate what a mutual fund was.

Luckily, I came across a book at a used book sale that opened my eyes to the world of intelligent investing and the power of personal financial planning. That started me on a path that included brazenly asking for (and getting) a financial planning internship while in the middle of my own planning engagement!

That internship led to a full-time job and a 14-year run as an advisor at an independent wealth management firm. It was a great experience, but I needed a change. I started Pisces Financial Advisors to create a different kind of client experience. I wanted to offer a select group of clients the opportunity to work with a firm that had the resources and flexibility to spend as much time as needed on deeper, more personal levels of planning.

In my spare time, I love reading, stand-up comedy, playing guitar, classic movies, singing poorly at karaoke (but always performing like a superstar), and, most importantly, spending time with my two children.

Different Approaches for Different Situations.

Rather than force everyone into a single solution, let's find the one that works for you.

We believe that the financial world overemphasizes investments and spends too little time on the underlying components of a financial plan. This is like deciding to make chocolate chip cookies and spending 30 minutes choosing between five different expensive brands of chocolate chips without realizing that you don’t have any flour.

It’s the compilation of decisions you make over time as part of that long-term plan that have the biggest impact on your financial success, not if you bought the perfect stock at just the right time.

Yes, investments are important. But equally – if not more – important are the other parts of your financial picture, including:

Cash flow
Spending and savings
Tax planning
Retirement planning
Workplace benefits
Estate planning
Risk management and insurance planning

We consider all of these elements in each of our two service offerings: Wealth Management and Financial Planning. Both are designed for people seeking professional advice from a partner who will keep them accountable to the financial goals and values that are most important to them, while simultaneously placing their interests ahead of the firm’s. We do this in part by not selling any products, taking any commissions, or paying or accepting referral fees.

Situation	Solution
You are looking for ongoing, proactive financial planning services and investment management.	Wealth Management Accomplish your short- and long-term objectives with an investment portfolio tailored according to your unique risk profile, combined with regular reviews of your tax, estate and insurance situations. LEARN MORE
You want to talk about one or two specific questions or elements of your financial life, or you have a contained project	Financial Planning Address your specific needs at the present time in a cost-effective manner LEARN MORE

Our Wealth Management service is for folks who are looking for both ongoing financial planning and investment management.

This is a good fit for you if:

You want someone to proactively think about potential changes and improvements to your long-term plan, without you always having to initiate conversations.
You want to build a lasting, trusted relationship, so that any advice is better suited to your unique situation.
You’d rather not spend your time staying up to speed on the latest developments in income taxes, estate planning, insurance and retirement planning.
You’re ready to delegate the hassle and stress of staying on top of investment research, portfolio construction, and regular rebalancing.

Unlike most of the asset management industry, the fees for our Wealth Management service aren’t based exclusively on how much money we manage for you. Instead, we also consider investment and planning complexity and ongoing planning needs to arrive at a fee that stays flat over a two-year period. We revisit that fee at the end of the period and set it for the next two years. The minimum fee for this service is $5,000/year.

Our Hourly Planning service is for people who may only want to talk about one or two elements of their financial lives, or who are looking for a contained project.

This is a good for you if:

You only have a handful of pressing questions
Your income tax situation is stable, predictable and uncomplicated
You’re not ready or not interested to have someone else manage your portfolio, and you’re comfortable implementing investment suggestions on your own

We only take on a limited number of hourly engagements at any one time, so it’s best to ask if we’re taking any right now. Our rate for hourly planning is $250/hour.

As of August, 2022, the wait list for hourly planning is currently at capacity.

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Getting Started is Easy

While every conversation is different, you should expect to cover some general information and get a sense of what it’s like to collaborate with us.

To help prepare for this meeting, you should have a basic idea of your current financial picture and financial goals. How are things now? Do you have any concerns? What do you hope to accomplish in the next few years and longer term?