Bryan Haggard CFP®, CFA
Bryan Haggard CFP®, CFA is the founder and CEO of RetireMitten Financial, LLC. RetireMitten is a fee-only financial planning firm located in Milford, Michigan that specializes in helping families live a stress-free retirement. Bryan is a CFP® and CFA and a graduate from the University of Michigan with an economics degree. Bryan Haggard also is an expert in cross-border financial planning. Specifically helping families understand the complicated financial and tax planning strategies that result in working in both the U.S. and Canada.
My Story
Early in my career, I was working at Charles Schwab. It was 2008 and a woman, Carol Johnson, called in tears. Carol had retired just over a year ago. She was managing her own money and had lost over 50% of her investments. It was the depth of the financial crisis and she didn’t know what to do. Go back to work? Pull everything out? She hadn’t slept in days as she spent every waking moment watching financial networks for clues on what will happen next. Needless to say, this wasn’t how she pictured retirement. I was determined to help people like Carol live a better retirement.
Education
I knew in order to help people live a better retirement, I needed more education. University of Michigan gave me a solid foundation of the stock market, the economy, and investing. However, retirement planning is much more than just analyzing the stock market.
The Certified Financial Planner (CFP) is known as the most prestigious financial planning designation available to financial planners. In 2010, after studying for a little more than a year, I got the CFP certification.
Investment Management is also a huge part in creating a stress-free retirement. I want to make sure that I am able to deliver the best investment advice available to retirees. The Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) is a masters level designation that focuses on Investment Management. After nearly three years, a thousand hours of studying, and a very understanding wife, I received my CFA designation in August 2016.
Experience
I started my career at Charles Schwab over 10 years ago in the middle of the Great Recession. I immediately realized the stress that many people felt during retirement with money, especially when the financial markets crash. I left Charles Schwab to work with one of the Big 4 accounting firms, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). This gave me a tax background to help clients maximize income while minimizing taxes. Helping analyze and do long-term tax planning is one of the best ways I can help families have a more fulfilling retirement. Most recently, I had worked over 6 years at one of the largest independent financial advisors in Michigan. There I had the opportunity to work with hundreds of families reach their goal of a stress-free retirement.
My Family
I was born and raised in Michigan, and outside of an eight-year “ski trip” to Colorado, I have spent my whole life here. I met my wife in Colorado and after getting married and deciding to start a family, we moved back to Michigan to be closer to family. We have a young son that constantly keeps us laughing.
When not at the office you will find us on the golf course, ski hill, or slowly cruising by on the pontoon boat.
That’s my story, and I’d love to hear yours. Schedule a meeting at the button below so that we can help you live a stress-free retirement.
Michael Brasza CFP®
Michael Brasza is a Certified Financial Planner and received his degree in Finance from Oakland University. His career spans 23 years helping individuals and families planning for retirement and accomplishing specific financial goals. Michael’s career began with Smith Barney (now Morgan Stanley) where he worked with a team of advisors providing comprehensive financial guidance and management to high-net-worth families. He then worked for Fidelity Investments as a Financial Planning Consultant in Farmington Hills Michigan.
Mike determined along this career path that it was in the best interest of both himself and his clients that he be able to work as a true fiduciary to his clients, free of any conflicts, which eventually lead him to Retiremitten Financial.
Michael and his wife Sandy met in elementary school and have lived in the metro Detroit area their entire lives. They along with their children spend much of their free time in northern Michigan doing a variety of activities such as boating, skiing, golfing, or relaxing on the beach.