Finding a financial professional you can trust is key to achieving a successful retirement.
Certified Financial Fiduciaries® are sworn to uphold the highest moral, ethical and fiduciary standards of service when providing advice to potential or existing clients. By choosing to work with a Certified Financial Fiduciary® you can be confident that your best interests will always come first!
Monica Szakos Cramer is a Senior Financial Adviser and Partner with Asset Preservation Strategies, Inc. Monica specializes in financial planning and empowerment through education. Her expertise revolves around technical and fundamental investment analysis. This allows her to take the emotion out of investing and focus on managing through market volatility. Monica is actively involved with the Asset Preservation Strategies, Inc. Advisory Board and leads the firm’s Investment Policy Committee. She believes that an effective client-financial advisor relationship is a partnership and requires open and honest communication on both sides.
Monica holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree with a Real Estate emphasis and a minor in Accountancy from the University of San Diego. She holds life insurance licenses as well as her Series 7 and 66 securities registrations through Arete Wealth Management, LLC and Axxcess Wealth Management, LLC. In this capacity, she specializes in investments, portfolio construction, real estate, and financial planning for retirees, women, and young investors. Monica has been with the team since 2011 and became a partner in 2018.
Monica is also a professionally trained presenter and conducts numerous seminars and workshops each year. She is passionate about helping her clients achieve freedom from worrying about money and investments. She strives to bring insight and clarity to complex concepts in a meaningful way. She also serves as an experienced resource for the media and receives media inquiries regularly.
She most enjoys that fact that each client situation is different and uniquely complex. Her goal is to help clients understand what their options are so that they can make the choices that are best for their financial future. Rather than focusing on a particular solution, Monica is invested in educating and guiding her clients. Monica takes pride in the fact that her clients say that she is able to explain financial concepts in a way that is simple, concise, and easy to understand. Her clients also really appreciate the detailed attention she gives to their portfolios and financial lives.
Meet Monica
Monica is originally from San Diego, California. She grew up in a family whose primary investments were in real estate. In college, she worked as a computer consultant where one of her clients was an active stock and options trader. He taught her about market cycles and how he made his investment decisions. He would ask her opinions on some of his trades and he was the first person to suggest that she consider a career as an investment advisor.
Monica’s first job in finance was at the age of 15 where she was taught that hard work, perseverance, and dedication pays off.
Monica still lives in San Diego with her husband Adam and their French Bulldog, Jack. In her free time, she likes to find homes that need TLC and make them beautiful again, collect and restore antiques, spend time with family, and travel to Hungary when she can. She also enjoys sports, fashion, and philanthropic endeavors.
DEVELOPED BY | crystalmarketingsolutions.com
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Fun Facts
● Her family is originally from Hungary and she has a strong bond to Hungarian culture and traditions.
● She plans to obtain her General Contractor's license
● She has a soft spot for animals and supports animal welfare causes when she can
● Although no longer fluent in all, she has utilized 5 different languages over the years.
Education
B.A. in Business Administration, minor in Accounting, University of San Diego, 2007
Certifications
CA Resident Insurance Producer Certified Financial Planner– currently pursuing this designation.
Theodore J. Thatcher Jr., Certified Financial Fiduciary®
Ted Thatcher is the Owner and Principal of Peace In Retirement Financial Services and serves as the President of the American Financial Education Alliance [AFEA - 501(c)(3)] Medford, Oregon and Redding, California Chapters. The passion he has for his field was born from the love of his family and preparing for their future. He cherishes each of them; from his wife Kassandra, to his son Ethan and daughter Olivia. Ted's passion for his family overflows to his office where he prides himself on creating an education-focused environment where the passion he has for his own family's future can be mirrored and focused on you and your future goals. It is Ted's goal that each person he meets have a written plan to protect their retirement. He specializes with those who are just beginning to see retirement on the horizon, going through the phase of beginning their retirement, and with those who are already retired. It is Ted's sincere desire that everyone possess the peace of mind so many only hope to have in their retirement. This peace of mind is achieved by executing a written plan he calls the Peace-Filled Retirement Road Map.
It is with tools like this that Ted has helped people all across the country protect millions of dollars in retirement assets. Ted aims to create a welcoming, service-oriented environment that he found was always present where he grew up in the midwest. It is with this culture that he welcomes new clients into the fold. When he isn't behind his desk, Ted enjoys the outdoors with his family, cheering on his Notre Dame Fighting Irish, going on hunting and fishing outings with his father and brothers, and throwing tennis balls across the yard for his golden retriever, Finn.
Find out more about Ted Thatcher and protecting your retirement at:
PeaceInRetirement.com
Theodore J. Thatcher Jr., Certified Financial Fiduciary®
I offer a holistic approach to financial and retirement planning. I provide a total financial needs analysis with expertise in: advisory services, retirement analysis and programs, estate strategies, employee benefit and retention services, business continuation strategies, and trust services
Completing the Retirement Income Planning Certification designation
Registered representative of and securities and investment advisory services offered through Hornor, Townsend & Kent, Inc (HTK).
Victoria Gunvalson, Certified Financial Fiduciary®
"IF THERE’S SEVERAL WORDS THAT DESCRIBES SELF-MADE BUSINESS MAVEN VICKI GUNVALSON – IT’S ENERGY, COMMITMENT, INTEGRITY."
Vicki Gunvalson started her career in the Insurance and Financial Services industry in the suburbs of Chicago Illinois in 1991 and quickly became the top agent within the first year of her career. With pure sheer determination and passion for business, she was able to build Coto Insurance & Financial Services, Inc., to one of the most successful Insurance Agencies in the United States.
Vicki learned the importance of insurance after her father was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease at a young age of 59 without having any Long Term Care Insurance in force. After seeing the financial toll this took on the family, she decided to focus on helping others in planning for the unplanned.
Vicki surrounds herself with positive, high energy individuals that she loves and trusts and treats all her clients like she treated her father – with passion, devotion and commitment.
With the type of retirement planning Vicki does, she is able to show her clients how to obtain a lifetime guaranteed income stream in retirement which they can never outlive, all while their principle is protected.
Vicki holds various professional designations including:
Member of the Million Dollar Round Table
The American Association of Long Term Care Insurance
A+ Rating from the Better Business Bureau
Orange County’s 5 Star Wealth Manager and the National Ethics Bureau.
Victoria Gunvalson, Certified Financial Fiduciary®
Since 1989, Denielle Cerny, an independent advisor, has assisted her clients with retirement planning and risk management (insurance)services. This includes collaborating with client’s certified public accountants, as well as estate attorneys to ensure comprehensive financial management and estate planning for her clients. Denielle Cerny’s primary commitment is to develop a financial plan custom to each client’s goals and needs.
She believes in building close relationships with her clients and their immediate family members to assist in realistic financial goals. Working with Mrs. Cerny is bringing you one step closer to a financially secure future and one that plan’s for the proper transfer of wealth to the client’s next generation.
Roy C. Jerrolds Jr., Certified Financial Fiduciary®
Roy Jerrolds has been in the financial services industry for over 20yrs and in the capacity as a Financial Advisor for 18yrs. Roy is dedicated to developing true relationships with his clients. Roy served his country in the United States Marine Corps for over 7 years. He’s been married for 19yrs to his amazing wife Heather and live in Brentwood with their five children.
Roy C. Jerrolds Jr., Certified Financial Fiduciary®
Dr. Rafeek Mikhail, Certified Financial Fiduciary®, MD, CRFA, CAS
Dr. Rafeek Mikhail established CaMu Financial and Insurance Services Inc. in Santa Clarita, California, in order to help people navigate sensitive financial issues. He treats his clients with integrity, employing honesty and empathy in all dealings while working in the clients’ best interests. Adding to his high-quality customer service, Dr. Mikhail maintains relationships with the Society of Certified Retirement Financial Advisors, a company that helps advisors stay current in the appropriate use of trusts, long-term care benefits, social security income, and 1035 and 1031 exchanges, among others. Dr. Rafeek Mikhail currently serves on the Board of the organization, a promotion he earned six months after becoming certified. With CaMu, Dr. Rafeek Mikhail and his colleagues focus their efforts on educating clients in order to help them arrive at the best financial conclusions. The company offers complimentary consultations on retirement, consumer debt, insurance, finances, college planning, investing, taxation, estates, and benefits. CaMu also provides assistance with the stock market, providing market watch, market summary, market sector, and market mover services. Dr. Rafeek Mikhail introduces clients to other investment options, estate-gifting strategies, estate-tax minimizing, and generation-skipping taxes. Clients can request quotes for short-term medical insurance, group health, long-term care, life insurance, business insurance, and disability insurance. Because of his expert leadership, Dr. Rafeek Mikhail has been acknowledged by various financial marketing organizations as one of the top agents in his field. As CEO of CaMu, he oversees marketing, training, sales, strategy planning, and performance improvement. Prior to establishing CaMu, Dr. Rafeek Mikhail studied medicine at Alexandria University. He is certified in protecting human subjects in biomedical and genetics research and is a member of the Society of Clinical Research Associates. Dr.Rafeek Mikhail serve as the chairman of the educational department of the society of certified retirement financial advisor. Dr. Rafeek Mikhail & CaMu Financial conducting mentoring classes nationwide for financial advisors & insurance agent on the behalf of some of the biggest financial & insurance marketing organizations as well as insurance company about how manage your business ethically & how you handle your client savings.
Dr. Rafeek Mikhail, Certified Financial Fiduciary®, MD, CRFA, CAS
Mary Mikhail, Certified Financial Fiduciary®, CRFA, CAS, LDA
Mary Mikhail serves as a Certified Retirement Financial Advisor (CRFA) committed to working personally with clients to create market-safe, tax-free investment packages that meet their unique goals. She aims to provide clients with long-term profitability and consistent growth rather than short-term success, and she seeks to offer stability and constant income no matter the client’s situation. Mary Mikhail focuses on offering individuals the support needed to ensure that their savings and retirement funds are protected from the downside and only have the upside potential.
Mary Mikhail encourages her clients to buy insurance policies to help them pay off their mortgage early, as opposed to buying mortgage insurance designed to do so after death. She also assists in finding alternative accounts for her client’s CDs and for their variable annuities accounts and universal life insurance. As a CRFA at CaMu Financial and Insurance Services, Inc., in Santa Clarita, California, Mary Mikhail is also responsible for hiring new employees and training them in the ethical and professional guidelines necessary for success in her field.
Mary Mikhail recommends that her clients seek second opinions on any type of annuity account, as it may not be serving them optimally. Some common annuity accounts are IRAs, SEP-IRAs, CDs, savings, 401(k)s, TSAs, and TSPs. A truly well-modulated annuity account will boast features such as guaranteed life income as long as the client lives and a lump sum to be delivered to beneficiaries. Other features of a good annuity account include the ability to make tax deferred contributions and receive bonuses for every deposit to the account.
In addition, it may be possible to access funds in a retirement account early, without paying the federal penalty, if the account meets certain qualifying conditions. Mary Mikhail can explore this option with interested clients. She also helps her clients with alternative options for CDs and high-risk variable annuity accounts, and other accounts such as rollover IRAs or Roth IRAs can be discussed as well. Mary Mikhail has a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from California State University, Los Angeles. In addition to being a CRFA, she is a licensed notary public and a life agent.
Mary Mikhail always educate her client about how save less and accomplish more for your retirement so you can enjoy living your life. Saving & retirement it's not about your contributions but it's about your account payout and how long it will last for you and your family.
Mary Mikhail, Certified Financial Fiduciary®, CRFA, CAS, LDA
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