James Brewer, MBA, CFP®, AIF®, CRPC®, CFSLA is the founder and CEO of Envision Wealth Planning Inc., a state of Illinois, Registered  Investment Adviser. Envision has been named by Expertise recognized Envision’s holistic and comprehensive planning approach worthy of being designated to the Best Financial Advisors in Chicago list since 2017. He is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, considered the gold standard of financial planning. He holds many designations including Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor, Accredited Investment Fiduciary, and College Funding and Student Loan Advisor.

He is one of the creators of subscription-based financial planning. He created this business model to help high-income professionals, who did not have large investable assets, make smarter money moves. He has been called part wealth planner, part life coach, part architect, part cheerleader. He focuses on crafting plans that incorporate and honor each client’s unique values.

As a portfolio strategist, he created ]the Envision Justice Series™ portfolios to help investors pursue their need for investment returns while staying true to their values. The EJS portfolios consider gender empowerment and racial equity advocacy goals as part of the investment selection decision. This started with JB’s frustration in not being hired by companies because of his skin color. Furthermore, he detests the idea of making money based on someone else needing to be incarcerated.

He Co-Authored, “Chapter 19, Individual Biases in Retirement Planning and Wealth Management”, Financial Behavior: Players, Services, Products, and Markets, Oxford University Press, 2017. He is a Personal Finance Contributor to Forbes.com. He has been syndicated and quoted in such publications as the New York Times, If You Live to 100, You’ll Need More Than Money, Business Insider What is a fiduciary financial advisor and why does the title matter? , CNBC, and The Wall Street Journal. He is a former Adjunct Professor at the College for Financial Planning. He earned an MBA and a Science Master from The Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Advocating for racial diversity in the financial planning profession, James Brewer was Past President of the Association of African American Financial Advisors in 2015. As an African American, he brings unique sensitivities in working with clients from diverse money and language backgrounds.  As a fan of Brené Brown, he understands the feelings of shame and vulnerability that often come with money.

EDUCATION

  • General Motors Institute, Bachelor of Science, Industrial Administration, Marketing, Finance (1985)
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Master of Business Administration and Science Master (2000)

LICENSES AND REGISTRATIONS

  • Registered Representative (FINRA Series 7)
  • Investment Advisor Representative (FINRA Series 66)
  • Licensed in Life, Health, Long-Term Care and Disability Insurance

DESIGNATIONS

  • CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®)is a standard certification for advisors, designees are exposed to nearly 100 topics on integrated financial planning. Major topics include, but are not limited to: insurance, employee benefits, securities, state and federal tax, estate tax and planning, asset protection, etc.
  • Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor (CRPC®) is a program that focuses on the pre-and post-retirement needs of individuals, allowing you to transform the retirement planning process into a positive experience
  • Accredited Investment Fiduciary® (AIF®)designation represents a thorough knowledge of and ability to apply fiduciary practices.
  • The College Funding and Student Loan Advisor Designation (CFSLA)provides the financial information advisors need to help students and families through the entire college financial decision process- saving for college, paying for college, student debt, and asset utilization, as well as student loan repayment and forgiveness.

 

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