Page 35 - Investment Advisor May 2021

and the concomitant shift to online education, has led to a rapid maker Reality Shares. The former Merrill advisor also is the
increase in demand” for content on Kitces.com, he said recently. founder of 401STC, a storytelling consultancy, and a 2004
Olympic Trials qualifier in track and field.
Renée Baker leads Raymond Ross keeps active in other ways by speaking out on Twitter
James Private Client Group’s and advising young professionals around the issues he’s most
Advisor Inclusion Networks, passionate about. “It’s #FinancialLiteracyMonth so I’m bang-
which includes its Women ing this drum all month! Lack of financial literacy is a crisis in
Financial Advisors Network, this country. Here’s my 3E’s on we all can help change it,” he
Pride Financial Advisors tweeted in early April, referring to exposure, education and
Network and Black Financial empowerment of youth, young adults and others.
Advisors Network. She joined
Raymond James in 2017 and led Ric Edelman — author and founder of RIA Edelman Financial
marketing for Carillon Tower Engines — leads the RIA Digital Assets Council, which just
Advisers, after working for Aberdeen Standard Investments. formed a strategic partnership with the Financial Planning
Baker also is active in the Tampa, Florida, chapter of the Association to provide educational programming and content
CMO Club, for chief marketing officers, is a board member to help FPA members understand the complexities of cryp-
for Community Action Stops Abuse and serves as a trustee for tocurrencies and how these issues can affect their clients’
American Stage Theatre Company and a co-chair of its equity, financial plans.
diversity and inclusion committee. She recently became a
board member of Susan G. Komen.
Active on social media, Baker is one of the most important voices
pushing the financial services industry to embrace the power of
diversity and the importance of inclusion. “There is power in step-
ping out of your comfort zone. I’d rather be uncomfortable and
grow than feel safe and be stagnant,” she recently said on Twitter.

Jeff Levine, CPA/CFP, serves as
Kitces.com’s lead financial plan-
ning nerd and recently was tapped
for the role of chief planning officer “Gaining vital knowledge about this new asset class will
for Buckingham Wealth Partners, help financial planners attract more clients and serve them
where earlier he served as its better,” Edelman explained. The RIA Digital Assets Council
director of advanced planning. also offers a certificate program for financial planners to
He’s now a tax planning specialist obtain proficiency in blockchain and digital assets to help
for Holistiplan, which makes tax manage their clients’ investment management strategy.
planning software for advisors.
A constant presence on Twitter Rachel Robasciotti is the
via the handle @CPAPlanner, Levine has shared highly detailed founder of the socially con-
summaries and thorough insights of major legislation affecting scious investment advisory firm
advisors and investors during the pandemic — regardless of Adasina Social Capital and also
how many hundreds of pages the new laws entailed — making the director of Advocacy and
him the “go to” source on such matters. He recently signed on Engagement for RIA Abacus
to advise Holistiplan on ways Wealth partners; she took on the
it can further tweak how its latter role after Robasciotti &
software reviews clients’ tax Philipson merged with Abacus.
returns for potential financial Earlier this year, Robasciotti
planning issues. — who recently testified before
a U.S. Senate Banking Committee on the GameStop trading
Tyrone Ross Jr. is the CEO of frenzy — worked with Abacus CEO Brent Kessel and oth-
Onramp Invest, a fintech alter- ers on the Due Diligence 2.0 Commitment. This effort asks
native investment app and asset managers to reform traditional due-diligence and risk-
platform, and he serves on assessment frameworks to increase the flow of capital to Black,
the board of advisors for ETF Indigenous and other people of color.

MAY 2021 INVESTMENT ADVISOR 33