Stephen Kates is a Certified Financial Planner™ and personal finance expert specializing in financial planning and education. Now armed with over a decade of experience working with individuals and families who need help with their finances, Stephen leverages his passion for financial literacy, which stems from witnessing friends and family struggle to manage their finances during the 2008 financial crisis while graduating from college in that same environment.

Starting in 2010, Stephen began working his way up the ranks as a financial advisor in Boston, MA. As a financial advisor for two of the largest financial firms in the country, Fidelity Investments and TIAA-CREF, Stephen has worked with hundreds of clients to build comprehensive financial plans to grow and protect their wealth.

Besides his work as an advisor, Stephen has taught and coached youth and adult groups on the fundamentals of personal finance, including topics such as saving, debt management, investing and retirement planning. Stephen’s in-depth financial planning and fintech business experience has made him an in-demand resource for advisors, retirees and first-time savers alike.

Since leaving his position as a full-time financial advisor, Stephen has worked at a major online personal finance brand, at an emerging Insuretech company, and now operates a financial advisory consulting business, Clocktower Financial Consulting. Clocktower Financial works directly with financial advisors, marketers and educators to build process-driven strategies to make financial planning and education approachable and inspiring.

In addition to his own writing, he has appeared on national broadcasts, including NBC, CBS and Fox Business, and has been quoted in leading digital publications.

Stephen currently lives and works in Charlotte, NC, with his wife Kate and son Theodore. He is a passionate Boston sports fan, but still relishes the local football and baseball games in his adopted home. Stephen is an avid traveler and enjoys collecting local artwork while traveling with his family.

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