Money With a Mission

Money With a Mission/FAFN has been helping people connect their values with their money since 1992. On the investment side, we do this by helping you manage investments using environmental and social screens, as well as financial risk and return analysis. Every portfolio we work with has an Investment Policy Statement completed. On the financial planning side, we provide a comprehensive overview that outlines your risks and opportunities, as well as ways that you can integrate your values deeper into your financial life.

The core of Money with a Mission/FAFN is on the East Coast, in Charleston, SC and Ithaca, NY, though we serve clients all over the Carolinas, New England, and New York. Let’s meet the staff……

.

GREG GARVAN – After working primarily with foundations and on charitable/tax planning in the 1980s, Greg obtained licenses to practice investment management and financial planning in 1992.  As an Investment Advisory Representative with the First Affirmative Financial Network (FAFN) he became a fee-only advisor in 1995. An extensive profile is available at the FAFN website.

.

Brady Quirk-Garvan – Brady is excited to be joining Money With A Mission to assist with business development. He is currently studying for his license and will continue to grow his role with the organization.

Brady currently serves on the board of the Charleston Development Corporation, the non-profit Remember Niger, and serves on the SC Democratic Party State Executive Committee. Brady is also a member of the Second Presbyterian Church of Charleston. When not at work Brady enjoys almost any live music and traveling.

.

We also work with a broad team of related specialists: private money managers, proxy vote and shareholder activists, tax and estate planning specialists, charitable and community investment leaders, insurance consultants, and others.

HOW WE OPERATE

INVESTMENT ORIENTED clients have found our years of experience with environmentally and socially responsible holdings to be a great help. We have built relationships with many of the leaders of the SRI world, and FAFN is the largest SRI independent advisor group in the country. We strive to anchor our work to both the financial realities of the world and the opportunity to make a difference using social screens; this has really provided for some exciting opportunities.

FINANCIAL PLANNING clients (for whom we often manage assets) have found over the years that as we build relationships together we are often deeply involved myriad decisions that face individuals and families: how to allocate current retirement options, which car to buy, how much to give to a charity, at what age to give money to children, etc. We value and welcome these opportunities to work at a core value level with you, as you realize how you can use money and assets. We believe there are simple tools that can be used in ways that are better for you. Much of the work we do in this category falls under the rubric of “personal coaching” today, although we have been doing it for years. Our goal is to help you use the tools in ways that help empower your life plans.

We are absolutely committed to working with you to gain an understanding of your present financial situation and to help you identify and clarify your life, social, and financial goals. Once we have this information we develop a comprehensive financial plan. The plan typically encompasses managing liabilities, investments, insurance, retirement interests, estate and tax planning, charitable giving, and practical steps towards financing life goals. We believe this “big picture” financial planning is the best way to help you set your goals and future direction.

Money with a Mission/FAFN, Inc., donates more than 10% of its annual profits to charitable organizations and is committed to providing pro bono services when possible to people in need. We also are on the “Honor Roll” for having more than 1% of assets held in community investments. In 2005, these investments were actually just over 2% of assets.

Education

Greg received his Master of Science in Management degree from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He participates in many continuing education programs, including the annual industry premier event, “SRI in the Rockies,” the Financial Planning Association regular meetings and trainings, the LLIS insurance conference, and the “Technology Tools for Today” (T3) annual training. Ongoing education is critical to being a successful advisor, given all the changes in laws and regulations that occur. This training dovetails well with Greg’s experience over the past few decades, including his earning both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s in management from UNC Charlotte. Focusing primarily on foundation work and charitable/tax planning in the 1980s, Greg founded Money with a Mission and obtained licenses to practice investment management and financial planning in 1992. Greg became a fee-only advisor in 1995, as an Investment Advisory Representative with the First Affirmative Financial Network, FAFN.

In 2003, Greg obtained the Accredited Investment Fiduciary® (AIF®), designation. A fiduciary must be able to demonstrate that portfolio assets are being prudently managed and that sound investment practices are being followed to a legal standard.  This includes a comprehensive overview of fiduciary standards of care, asset allocation, preparation of investment policy statements, manager search and due diligence, performance measurement, and other related subjects. Being an AIF makes Greg part of a small minority of advisors.