Chad Brown, MSFP, CLF, RICP, CEPA, CPFA
Founder
Compass Financial Strategies
1210 E. Main St.
Ashland, OH 44805
United States
Phone: (844)PLAN4IT
Mobile: (567)349-4239
Fax: (567)203-4900
Email: cbrown@compass-financialstrategies.com
Website: https://www.compass-financialstrategies.com
Training: Active Registered Life Planner® more info
I specialize in two areas. As one of the few professionally trained Life Planners in Ohio, I guide clients to align their financial plans with their deepest aspirations. I'm also a Certified Exit Planning Advisor®, skilled in aligning business, personal, and financial goals for business owners. With a master's degree in financial planning, I bring a high level of technical expertise to my practice.
About My Practice
In 2010 I founded Compass Insurance & Financial Group as an independent property & casualty insurance agency as well as a financial services firm. In 2022, the company was split into separate entities with the insurance agency taking on new leadership and Compass Financial Strategies coming into existence.
About Chad Brown
I believe in the power of creating a life plan where financial planning is just one part of a larger vision. My role is to help clients bring that vision to life, whether they're growing a business or planning for personal milestones. For business owners, this includes enhancing business value to support their life plan now and during any future transitions. Each person has one life, and I am dedicated to making it truly meaningful for them. It's incredibly rewarding to witness clients enjoy what matters most, knowing I contributed to their journey. I am often struck by how biases and misinformation shape financial decisions. Many people trust "expert" advice from media personalities without a proper framework to evaluate it. Our education system falls short in equipping individuals with the knowledge to integrate their financial lives effectively. People often do the opposite of what's beneficial, thinking they're on the right path. Just as one would seek multiple opinions for medical advice, financial decisions deserve the same diligence. Working with a dedicated professional can help avoid these pitfalls. Having lived in the Ashland area for 24 years, I appreciate its small-town charm and shared values. My wife and I have raised four children here, all of whom graduated from Hillsdale High School. Our family is spread across Wooster and Mansfield, with our youngest serving in the Army National Guard. In my free time, I enjoy beekeeping, ministry, teaching, camping, hunting, and music. These passions, alongside my professional journey, shape who I am today.
Ideal Clients
Our clients are composed of all sorts of demographics, but the majority are ages 45-75 and are upper middle class, mass affluent, or high net worth individuals and families. Our ideal client is friendly, happily married with children, responsible, and serious about their life and money.
Qualifications
I am one of very few financial advisors throughout the U.S. to have earned a Master of Science degree in Financial Planning/Financial Services. My Concentration is in Retirement Planning. For comparison, the Certified Financial Planner® (CFP) designation, which is often considered the gold standard in our industry, requires completion of only eight undergraduate-level courses and passing one comprehensive exam. I also hold the graduate-level Chartered Leadership Fellow® designation, the Retirement Income Certified Professional® designation, the Certified Exit Planning Advisor® designation, and the Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor® designation. I also have extensive training and experience in late-stage college planning, where I help students and families save ON the cost of a college education, not just FOR it. I am an alumnus of Kent State University and The American College of Financial Services, and a member of the Exit Planning Institute, the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors, the Society of Financial Service Professionals, and the National Association of Plan Advisors.
Compensation
I am a fee-based independent advisor. I primarily charge a flat fee for financial planning and an annual advisory fee for assets under management. When the situation warrants, I receive a commission for selling investments or insurance (such as life or long-term care insurance, Medicare plans, or annuities). I am held (by my securities registrations and professional designations) to the same fiduciary standard of professionalism, ethics and continuing education as a fee-only advisor. However, in my extensive experience, financial planning involves both investing and risk management, and good plans are rarely complete without both. I am company and product agnostic; I recommend and implement whatever solution is best for my client's specific situation in my professional opinion, regardless of whether it involves a commission or a fee. Despite some of the misleading advertising, I do NOT believe that a compensation model that ignores many valuable (and non-duplicatable!) solutions is legally, morally or ethically superior, nor do I believe it can achieve the same results for the client. I DO believe that a true fiduciary puts the interests of the client first... period.
Industry Start Date
1997
Compass Financial Strategies
1210 E. Main St.
Ashland, OH 44805
United States
Phone: (844)PLAN4IT
Mobile: (567)349-4239
Fax: (567)203-4900
Email: cbrown@compass-financialstrategies.com
Website: https://www.compass-financialstrategies.com
Training: Active Registered Life Planner® more info
Securities and advisory services offered through LPL Financial, a registered investment advisor, Member FINRA/SIPC.
SpecialtiesI specialize in two areas. As one of the few professionally trained Life Planners in Ohio, I guide clients to align their financial plans with their deepest aspirations. I'm also a Certified Exit Planning Advisor®, skilled in aligning business, personal, and financial goals for business owners. With a master's degree in financial planning, I bring a high level of technical expertise to my practice.
About My Practice
In 2010 I founded Compass Insurance & Financial Group as an independent property & casualty insurance agency as well as a financial services firm. In 2022, the company was split into separate entities with the insurance agency taking on new leadership and Compass Financial Strategies coming into existence.
About Chad Brown
I believe in the power of creating a life plan where financial planning is just one part of a larger vision. My role is to help clients bring that vision to life, whether they're growing a business or planning for personal milestones. For business owners, this includes enhancing business value to support their life plan now and during any future transitions. Each person has one life, and I am dedicated to making it truly meaningful for them. It's incredibly rewarding to witness clients enjoy what matters most, knowing I contributed to their journey. I am often struck by how biases and misinformation shape financial decisions. Many people trust "expert" advice from media personalities without a proper framework to evaluate it. Our education system falls short in equipping individuals with the knowledge to integrate their financial lives effectively. People often do the opposite of what's beneficial, thinking they're on the right path. Just as one would seek multiple opinions for medical advice, financial decisions deserve the same diligence. Working with a dedicated professional can help avoid these pitfalls. Having lived in the Ashland area for 24 years, I appreciate its small-town charm and shared values. My wife and I have raised four children here, all of whom graduated from Hillsdale High School. Our family is spread across Wooster and Mansfield, with our youngest serving in the Army National Guard. In my free time, I enjoy beekeeping, ministry, teaching, camping, hunting, and music. These passions, alongside my professional journey, shape who I am today.
Ideal Clients
Our clients are composed of all sorts of demographics, but the majority are ages 45-75 and are upper middle class, mass affluent, or high net worth individuals and families. Our ideal client is friendly, happily married with children, responsible, and serious about their life and money.
Qualifications
I am one of very few financial advisors throughout the U.S. to have earned a Master of Science degree in Financial Planning/Financial Services. My Concentration is in Retirement Planning. For comparison, the Certified Financial Planner® (CFP) designation, which is often considered the gold standard in our industry, requires completion of only eight undergraduate-level courses and passing one comprehensive exam. I also hold the graduate-level Chartered Leadership Fellow® designation, the Retirement Income Certified Professional® designation, the Certified Exit Planning Advisor® designation, and the Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor® designation. I also have extensive training and experience in late-stage college planning, where I help students and families save ON the cost of a college education, not just FOR it. I am an alumnus of Kent State University and The American College of Financial Services, and a member of the Exit Planning Institute, the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors, the Society of Financial Service Professionals, and the National Association of Plan Advisors.
Compensation
I am a fee-based independent advisor. I primarily charge a flat fee for financial planning and an annual advisory fee for assets under management. When the situation warrants, I receive a commission for selling investments or insurance (such as life or long-term care insurance, Medicare plans, or annuities). I am held (by my securities registrations and professional designations) to the same fiduciary standard of professionalism, ethics and continuing education as a fee-only advisor. However, in my extensive experience, financial planning involves both investing and risk management, and good plans are rarely complete without both. I am company and product agnostic; I recommend and implement whatever solution is best for my client's specific situation in my professional opinion, regardless of whether it involves a commission or a fee. Despite some of the misleading advertising, I do NOT believe that a compensation model that ignores many valuable (and non-duplicatable!) solutions is legally, morally or ethically superior, nor do I believe it can achieve the same results for the client. I DO believe that a true fiduciary puts the interests of the client first... period.
Industry Start Date
1997