The Financial Finesse Think Tank

Financial Finesse's Think Tank of Certified Financial Planner™ professionals develop research on trends in employee financial issues by tracking and analyzing primary data from employees' financial questions and concerns. The Think Tank publishes research on key financial trends, retirement preparedness, and financial wellness, and studies topics such as the gender gap in financial literacy and generational issues. The team is responsible for measuring the success of different financial education programs and has established best practices for the industry.

Liz Davidson, Founder and CEO

Liz Davidson started Financial Finesse in 1999 in the emerging industry of financial education in order for companies to provide unbiased financial education as an added benefit to employees. Liz has been tracking and analyzing trends in employee financial issues for over 11 years and has been providing commentary to Financial Finesse's corporate clients as well as to human resources and financial media. Liz earned an M.B.A. from the UCLA Anderson School of Management. She also writes a weekly column for Forbes.com and has been featured in various publications including BusinessWeek and Fast Company.

Think Tank of Certified Financial Planner™ professionals

Nancy L. Anderson, CFP^®, AFC

Nancy Anderson is the head of Financial Finesse's Think Tank. She provides research and commentary to Financial Finesse clients as well as to human resources and financial media. Nancy has over 25 years of experience in the field of financial planning, and earned her Certified Financial Planner™ designation in 1990. To Nancy, the research is about helping people make positive changes in their lives. She digs into financial issues that most affect consumers in her monthly podcast, Your Money Minute. She also writes a weekly blog on financial issues and behavioral finance, as well as authoring our monthly newsletter, Money Matters. She oversees the publication of the company's research, position papers, and content.

Gregory A. Ward, CFP^®, AFC

Greg Ward is a Senior Resident Financial Planner at Financial Finesse and is our chief financial research analyst. He has over 16 years of experience in the financial services industry, and earned his Certified Financial Planner™ designation in 2004. Greg is responsible for all of the data, statistics, and fact checking at Financial Finesse as well as providing service delivery of the company's Financial Helpline, Workshops, and Webcasts. Not only does Greg oversee our fact checking, but in terms of data, he is an expert at reading the story it tells, picking up trends and reporting them on our quarterly report and annual year in review report.

Linda Robertson, CFP^®, ChFC, CEBS, MSFS

Linda Robertson is a Senior Resident Financial Planner at Financial Finesse. Her background includes 18 years in the financial services industry with positions ranging from Banking to Tax Specialist to Financial Planner. She achieved the Certified Financial Planner™ designation in 1999 and the Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC) designation in 2001. Linda has a keen ability to bring financial planning and workplace benefits planning together to help employees maximize their benefits. Linda is a widely sought after public speaker specializing in workplace employee financial issues and writes a weekly blog on the subject. She is responsible for our studies on financial stress and wellness.

Diane Winland, CFP^®, CPA

Diane Winland is a Resident Financial Planner at Financial Finesse. Her primary role at Financial Finesse includes providing service delivery of Ask-a-Planner Days as well as playing a lead role in keeping the planners informed of legislation and tax changes that affect our clients and their employees. Her background includes over 20 years experience in public accounting, banking, education, and financial planning. She earned her Certified Financial Planner™ designation in 2005 and her Certified Public Accountant (CPA) license in 1995. Diane also holds an M.B.A. with an emphasis in accounting. She is responsible for research on the Gender Gap in Financial Literacy and works on the Retirement Preparedness research.

Erik Carter, CFP^®, JD

Erik Carter is a Resident Financial Planner at Financial Finesse. His primary role is in service delivery of Workshops, Ask-a-Planner Days, and the Financial Helpline. His background includes over ten years in the financial services industry, part of which was advising members of Congress as the dedicated financial advisor at the Congressional Federal Credit Union. He holds a B.A. in Economics from New York University, and a law degree from the University of San Diego. He earned the Certified Financial Planner™ designation in 2005. Erik contributes to and writes curriculum for Financial Finesse. He has an expertise in generational issues and heads the team for any research or content in that area.

Michael Smith, CFP^®

Michael Smith is a Resident Financial Planner at Financial Finesse with over 15 years experience in financial planning and service. His primary role is in service delivery of Workshops, Ask-a-Planner Days, and the Financial Helpline. He achieved the Certified Financial Planner™ designation in 1999. He writes a weekly blog for Financial Finesse on the ins and outs of daily life as a financial educator. Michael is an expert in retirement planning and heads the research on Retirement Preparedness.

Bruce Young, CFP^®

Bruce Young is a Senior Resident Financial Planner with Financial Finesse. He manages our team of Resident Financial Planners and is head trainer for service delivery. His background includes over 13 years experience in the financial services industry. He achieved the Certified Financial Planner™ designation in 2003. Bruce incorporates behavioral finance research into the work Financial Finesse does with employees and has helped to achieve award winning behavioral change results. He is also the writer of Financial Finesse's weekly blog answering questions on financial topics from readers. On the research team, he is responsible for gathering primary data from our workshops and webcasts to spot early economic trends.