Why did I decide to become a financial planner?
I used to work for a coaching/consulting firm called the Halftime Institute that serves successful people in mid-life who are trying to discern how best to steward their time, talent, and treasure. I often worked closely with our client's financial advisor, which gave me a great opportunity to observe how meaningful an advisory relationship could be, especially when it went beyond the numbers.
What specific task do you enjoy carrying out most for your clients?
I most enjoy delivering progress reports during regular meetings because it gives clients peace of mind knowing that they're on track to their goals. And if for some reason they've gotten a bit off track, we can proactively and quickly plan to start making progress again.
What is the most powerful lesson you learned about investing?
There are three very natural human impulses that act against investment success.
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Market losses feel twice as bad as market gains feel good.
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In most aspects of life, we experience lower prices as good. In investing, we experience lower prices as bad.
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As markets fall and fear rises…It’s only human that we lose the ability to distinguish between temporary decline and permanent loss.
We wouldn’t be human if we didn’t feel this, but feeling it and acting on it are two very different things, and helping clients not give in to it may very well be my most critical job as your advisor.
Independent Advice
FOOTLAMP FINANCIAL is an independent wealth adviser. We don't represent any bank, investment firm, or insurance company which means we have no financial products to sell, and the recommendations we make are made because they are in the best interests of our clients.
​We are fee-only advisers. That means that the only fee we receive is what is paid directly to us from our clients, and we do not receive any commissions from any investment or insurance company. In most cases we charge a flat-fee for investment management and financial planning services.
FOOTLAMP does not safe keep securities in our offices. We safe keep client assets with a qualified custodian and our clients receive independent statements from the custodian in addition to our customized reports. This places our clients in a position of overview, control, and security. We operate like your personal Chief Financial Officer.
​Ed Kerns, CFP® background information:
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Hometown: Clarksburg, West Virginia
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B.A. Economics and Business, Virginia Military Institute – 1993
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US Army Veteran
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Series 65 License – Investment Advisor
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Univ. of Georgia – Terry College of Business, Executive Program for Certified Financial Planner Certification - 2010
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CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® professional (CFP Board ID: 255008)
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Member, Lee County Sunrise Rotary Club
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Member, Saint Michael the Archangel Catholic Parish
A generous person will be enriched,
he who refreshes others will also be refreshed.
- Proverbs 11:25
334.203.2495 (AL) or 404-476-2236 (GA)