Peter J. McKennaCFP®, MBA
Wealth Manager
Peter’s main responsibilities include helping clients develop their financial plans, implementing wealth management strategies and managing client investment portfolios.
What sparked your interest in financial planning? What fuels you every day in your work?
When I began my career in financial services I noticed there were very few people in the office over the age of 60. Those folks that were in that age group appeared to fall into two camps, workaholics or people who had not planned well for their future. I didn’t want to be in either of those camps, so my wife and I set out to live below our means and prepare for an uncertain future. While we made some good and bad decisions along the way, we were in a reasonably good position when my employer of 20 years, Lehman Brothers, went bankrupt in 2008. While that was a devastating blow to the plan we had in mind, it presented an opportunity to leave that career path and embark on this one. I love helping people make better-informed, decisions so that they can live their best possible lives.
What’s a particularly rewarding example of how you helped to create impact for a client?
I worked with a couple who were about to experience incremental career success. They had positioned themselves well, but were not sure if they were okay. We created a plan to assist with college funding, diversify a concentrated stock position, and plan for retirement. With college expenses and the stock exposure under control, we were able to take advantage of some generous corporate benefits without putting them unduly at risk.
What do you enjoy most about working at Modera?
I love the depth of thought that goes into our client advice at Modera. The firm is staffed with passionate people from many different disciplines. For example when I have a tax or estate planning question there are a number of qualified individuals that can and do freely share their perspectives and expertise so that I can bring our best thinking to the client.
When you retire you’re going to…?
In my previous career, I was shooting for a mid 50’s exit from the rat race into some form of semi-retirement. Having found this calling and transitioning into this career over the past ten years, I don’t see myself fully retiring. I feel invested in the plans I’m creating with clients and selfishly, I want to see them come to fruition. I want to see the lives that our work together has helped to create for them and their families.