Donna Graber, JD, CFP, ChFC, CLU
Planning Sense, Inc. (formerly Financial Solutions, Inc) developed from Donna Graber’s desire to use a broad knowledge base to create unique experience for clients who would become more than clients.
Donna began her working career teaching and although junior high school music was the topic, tax reduction was also a passion. She became an expert on tax deductions for teachers including elective TSA contributions, deducting home office expenses, a piano and all kinds of music used in the classroom (she wrote her own curriculum). “I hate paying income taxes and want to legally reduce them to the lowest possible level. You often can make more money by paying less taxes than you can by making more money.” Donna got into the fee side of planning by doing real estate investment analysis for a local law firm (and for her own rental real estate purchases). Understanding rental real estate tax issues has saved clients many tax dollars and also formed the basis for strategies involving tax efficient ways for HNW parents to pay for college educations.
After entering the financial field in 1974, Donna quickly became involved with pension and retirement plan design. She worked in the area of life and health insurance and received her CLU (Chartered Life Underwriter) designation (the only professional designation available at that time) in 1977.
In the 1980s Donna was teaching classes on how to decrease taxes and increase financial aid eligibility at OCC Excell. She finished the advanced coursework for the ChFC (Chartered Financial Consultant) designation – a degree leading to advanced knowledge in estate and financial planning as well as wealth management. Donna quickly realized that the traditional methods of doing business in the financial arena were too transaction oriented and in 1984 she affiliated the company with a financial planning firm in Ohio – where one of the creators of financial planning as a science had built a thriving teaching practice.
In 1995 Donna decided that an advanced degree would benefit her clients and looked for an MBA program with appropriate coursework. She couldn’t find one. It appeared that the most useful coursework would be found in the legal area – concentrating in tax and estates with additional work in contracts, secured transactions, elder law, mediation and family law. In preparation for law school entrance (remember she has only a degree in voice performance and German), Donna studied for and took the LSAT (Law School entrance exam). Then, realizing she would be committed to several years of school, she decided to take the CFP (Certified Financial Planner) 10 hour exam on a challenge basis. This designation is geared more toward investment issues. (This love of learning is the reason for all the fruit salad after her name!)
The summer before law school started Donna was approached to do a radio show on a local station. She realized that her classical music background made her lean more toward investing the time in WCNY Classic FM. After a discussion with Art Levy and Don Doloff, Planning Sense went on the air. In spite of predictions that shows of that type would run out of material in a year or two – Planning Sense was on the air for 8 years.
After graduation and passing the bar exam in 2000, Donna came back to the firm full time and began to help clients with a heightened level of really useful knowledge. The integration of tax, finance and legal issues in planning makes the advice given comprehensive and the perspective unique.
Working with several business coaches and a business psychologist, Tim and Donna realized that client relationship and using their combined knowledge to help people were primary motivators for each of them and began reconstruction of the company focus in 2003.
Donna has two grown children and lives near Fayetteville, NY. Her hobbies include Scrabble, playing (or faking as she calls it) on piano, playing guitar, reading mysteries and self-help books, playing volleyball and the card game golf. She currenlyt serves on the board of the Rescue Mission, the Women’s Leadership Council, and is a co-leader of a vibrant teaching ministry focused on singles issues through her church.
For more information on areas of expertise, please click on the link below. |