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Otto & Associates, Inc.
Norwich, Vermont
Comprehensive Financial Planning: Otto & Associates, Inc. is a Fee-Only financial planning firm providing a full range of financial planning services. These include: investment management, retirement and estate planning, saving for college, insurance analysis, tax planning, budget and cash management, and charitable giving.
Fee-Only: “Fee-Only" means that we do not represent any companies, receive commissions for selling particular products, or accept compensation from anyone other than our clients.
Fiduciary Responsibility: Otto & Associates, Inc. adheres to the fiduciary standard. This means:
• Acting in the best interest of the client at all times
• Avoiding conflicts of interest and disclosing any potential conflicts of interest that cannot be avoided
• Providing oversight to assure that all aspects of a client’s financial life are in order
• Acting in good faith and with candor in every encounter
• Not accepting referral fees or compensation contingent upon the purchase or sale of financial products
What We Do
At Otto & Associates, we believe that making sound financial decisions begins by examining a broad range of issues. Today more than ever, financial questions are interrelated. Thus, we take a comprehensive look at our clients' financial profiles and offer a balanced, integrated strategy to best serve their full range of needs. Otto & Associates works with you to solve basic to complex financial questions and - more importantly - help you achieve your life's financial goals.
The first step is an initial consultation session. Prior to this meeting, we gather documents and information that will help us to understand your overall financial picture. This first session begins a process of assessing the current financial state and looking at the long-term financial future. This meeting can be useful at all stages of life, and is appropriate for young couples buying a first house as well as for individuals who are ready to retire. At this first meeting we give feedback based on the information we have gathered, and also use it as a time for all of us to ask additional questions. The charge for the initial consultation is $500 and the meeting usually lasts for about an hour and a half. Financial issues often need monitoring on an ongoing basis, particularly with investments. Because of this, many clients desire an on-going financial planning relationship.
Our fee for ongoing financial planning is an annual charge of 1% of investment assets per year paid quarterly in advance, with a minimum of $250,000 of investable assets. This fee is reduced to 0.5% for assets in excess of $1,250,000.
Investment Management
Otto & Associates manages investment assets almost exclusively through no-load mutual funds, Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs), and private investments, where appropriate. Our goal is to help clients achieve the security of a diversified portfolio that will provide a solid return without undue risk. We buy and sell investments following guidelines established with our clients and, because we do not accept commissions, our clients receive unbiased asset evaluation, selection, and management.
Retirement Planning
Otto & Associates helps to prepare clients for life after paid work ends. We help clients answer such questions as: "Will I be able to maintain my standard of living when I retire?" and "Which retirement option offered by my employer is best for me?"
Estate Planning
Otto & Associates helps to ensure that the transfer of a person’s wealth and assets after his or her death is done in a smooth and systematic manner. We will help to establish and review estate documents including wills, trusts, health care proxies, and powers of attorney.
Saving For College
Otto & Associates has expertise in college planning, including 529 plans. 529 plans are tax advantaged investment vehicles where money is designated to pay for college expenses.
Insurance Analysis
To protect against unforeseen events, Otto & Associates will examine and evaluate existing life, auto, homeowners, umbrella liability and other insurance policies to determine whether clients have adequate coverage. We do not sell any insurance or receive referral fees when recommending new insurance.
Tax Planning
Otto & Associates reviews taxes annually and works closely with accountants to make sure that tax considerations are an integral part of financial decisions.
Budgeting And Cash Management
Otto & Associates provides advice on loans, credit management, mortgages and refinancing, savings, and gifts to family members.
Charitable Giving
Otto & Associates encourages clients to be generous and thoughtful in their giving, and helps them to understand the tax implications of various gifting options.
our staff
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David W. Otto
David Otto founded Otto and Associates in 1991. Prior to his becoming a Certified Financial PlannerTM professional, David had a career as a clergyman, serving for 10 years as the pastor of a community church in North Salem, NY, and then as the director of the Pastoral Counseling Center in Poughkeepsie, NY.
A graduate of Morningside College in Sioux City, IA, David holds a Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary in NY and a Doctor of Ministry from Andover Newton Theological in Boston. He received his financial planning training through Pace University, during which period he also founded a corporation to manage real estate financing.
In addition to his professional commitments, David has been a volunteer in both the financial planning world, where he has served on committees of the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA), and in the communities in which he lives. In Katonah, he has been president of the Board of the Katonah Village Library and a member of the Zoning Board of Appeals, and in Norwich, he has been president of the Board of High Horses, a therapeutic horseback riding organization, and trustee, treasurer and secretary of the Montshire Museum, a creative science museum. David spends most of his time in the Norwich office and also works in Katonah.
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Deborah Levy Maher
Deborah Levy Maher joined Otto & Associates in 1997. She is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional and holds a BA with honors from Vassar College. She is a member of the Financial Planning Association and has served on the Regional Board. Deborah was formerly a Vice President of Chase Bank and its predecessors Chemical and Manufacturers Hanover Trust, where she worked in a variety of lending and relationship management positions. Her volunteer work includes pro bono financial planning and helping local community groups including Temple Israel of New Rochelle. She and her husband have three children.
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Susan Otto Goodell
Susan Otto Goodell joined Otto & Associates in 2007, after a 15-year career as a teacher at the Newbury, VT Elementary School. She also devotes time to teaching adults and children with disabilities in the High Horses Therapeutic Riding program. Susan is a co-owner of Otto & Associates and brings with her to the Norwich office a familiarity with the Upper Valley and expertise in working with younger families and the varied financial issues that arise for them. She is a graduate of Bates College, has a Master’s Degree from Antioch New England, and is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™. She and her husband live in Newbury and have two children.
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Kathy Patton
Kathy joined Otto & Associates in 2007. She is a Registered Paraplanner (RP®). Kathy’s major area of strength involves creating ways to streamline the office processes and procedures. She received a BS from Georgetown University, after which she worked at Goldman, Sachs & Co. for 14 years. When Kathy is not at O&A she spends her time as an active member of the Board at the Bedford Free Library and as a chaperone and Treasurer of the Fox Lane Ski Club. She and her husband live in Bedford and have three children.
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Joan Poulin
Joan Poulin joined Otto & Associates in an administrative capacity in the spring of 2012. She received a BA (Finance) from Pace University. She was a relationship manager for financial products at the Royal Bank of Canada for 11 years. Joan enjoys contact with O&A clients, organizing and helping to host events, and being a team player. She is an avid reader and an active member of her temple. She and her husband live in Somers and have two children.
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Maria Dantos
Maria Dantos joined Otto & Associates in the summer of 2021. After a career in New York City as a film producer and school director, Maria is now pleased to be part of the O&A team. She brings with her both organizational and business management skills. She holds her BA and MS Ed from University of Pennsylvania and enjoys art, music and spending time with her husband and two children at their home in Norwich.
Otto & Associates, Inc.
P.O. Box 1203
289 Main Street
Norwich, VT 05055
info@ottoandassociates.com
802-649-1946
914-232-5379
Printable Directions
Directions to Otto & Associates, Inc.
Take I-91 to Exit 13, the Hanover/Norwich exit.
At the end of the exit, turn toward Norwich and away from Hanover. (From the north that is a right turn; from the south it is a left turn.)
Proceed into town where you will see the school on your right. The first street on the left (across from the school) is Elm Street. 289 Main Street is located on the corner of Main Street and Elm Street.
Enter the building from the Main Street entrance and we are the first office on your right.Useful Links
www.napfa.org
NAPFA, the National Association of Personal
Financial Advisors, is the organization dedicated
to the advancement of Fee-Only comprehensive
financial planning.www.letsmakeaplan.org
The public website for the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, a non-profit organization whose mission is to benefit the public by setting and enforcing the CFP® designation as the standard of excellence for competent and ethical personal financial planning.www.plannersearch.org/life-events
The public website for the Financial Planning Associationwww.medicare.gov
The official U.S. government site has a lot of useful information on benefits.www.ssa.gov
Another official U.S. government site of the Social Security Administration with information on benefits.www.irs.gov
Yet another useful official U.S. government site.www.savingforcollege.com
Information on saving for college, 529 plans, and financial aid.finance.yahoo.com
Stock, fund, and market quotes, news, and research.www.morningstar.com
Mutual fund and stock research.www.annualcreditreport.com
Annual free credit report.www.advisorclient.com
Online access for TD Ameritrade clients.www.nytimes.com/interactive/your-money/carl-richards-gallery.html
December 2013 Newsletter, Sketch Guy Archive, New York TimesPRIVACY STATEMENT OF OTTO & ASSOCIATES, INC.
A recently enacted federal statute, known as the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act requires us as a “financial institution” to take affirmative steps to explain to you what our specific policy is with regard to the usage of information about you which you may have provided to us or with regard to other information about you that we may have collected about you.
I. CATEGORIES OF INFORMATION WE COLLECT
We at Otto & Associates, Inc. collect nonpublic personal information about you from the following sources:
• Information we receive from you on applications or other forms
• Information about your transactions with us, our affiliates, or others; and
• Information we receive from outside sources such as a consumer reporting agency.
II. CATEGORIES OF INFORMATION WE DISCLOSE
We at Otto & Associates, Inc. may disclose the following kinds of nonpublic personal information about you:
• Information we receive from you on applications or other forms such as your name, your address, your social security number, your asset level and/or your income level.
• Information about your transactions with us, our affiliates, or others such as your account balances, payment history, parties to transactions and credit card usage.
• Information we receive from a consumer reporting agency.
Third Party Vendors
IV. CATEGORIES OF PARTIES TO WHOM WE DISCLOSE
We may disclose nonpublic personal information about you to the following types of third parties:
• Financial services providers, such as other investment advisers, outside custodians, broker/dealers, life insurance agents, banks, etc.
• Non-financial companies such as direct marketers, publishers, etc.
• Others such as non-profit organizations.
V. SERVICE PROVIDER/JOINT MARKETING ARRANGEMENTS
We may disclose the following information to companies that perform marketing services on our behalf or to other financial institutions with which we have joint marketing arrangements:
• Information such as your name, address, social security number, asset level or income levels and other data which we receive from you on applications and other paperwork
• Information which we know about concerning your transactions with us, our affiliates or others such as your account balance, credit history or payment history.
• Information we receive from a consumer reporting agency
VI. YOUR RIGHT TO OPT OUT
If you prefer that we not disclose nonpublic personal information about you to nonaffiliated third parties, you may opt out of those disclosures, that is, you may direct us not to make those disclosures other than those disclosures permitted by law. If you wish to opt out of disclosures to nonaffiliated third parties, you may call our firm at 914-232-5379 or you may fax us at 914-232-5378 or you may contact us by email at info@ottoandassociates.com
VII. CONFIDENTIALITY AND SECURITY
We at Otto & Associates, Inc. restrict access to nonpublic personal information about you to those employees who need to know that information to provide products or services to you. We maintain physical, electronic and procedural safeguards that comply with federal standards to guard your nonpublic personal information.Otto & Associates © | Privacy Policy :: PO Box 1203 289 Main Street, Norwich VT 05055 Phone: 802-649-1946 | 914-232-5379
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Celebrating 25 years of fee-only financial planning
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