BARBARA CLARK STEVENSON
Co-owner, American Financial Security, LLC and American Financial Investments, LLC
Every working American knows that money talks, taxes bite and it pays to smartly leverage how the two work together throughout his or her lifetime.
Yet efficiently managing money persists as a stressful and elusive task for many. Not so with the integrated tax and financial planning services offered through American Financial Security, LLC and American Financial Investments, LLC. Tax advisor/planner Barbara Clark Stevenson and investment advisor Ron Stevenson transform money management into prized, trusted, and enduring client relationships.
The couple turns routine appointments into enjoyable and productive encounters. Laughter echoes from client consultations, spurred by the playful antics of Barbara. Ice breakers the likes of rubber noses and Nerf bats are in reserve to ease family tensions.
Clients walk out with smiles on their faces, a twinkle in their eyes, and the confidence that their financial houses rock. The solutions presented under the firms’ integrated financial, investment and tax planning offerings are customized and managed with full client participation.
Attuned to the individual needs and desires of their clients, the entire six-person American Financial team puts customers first in serving up financial security. They dig deep for the best outcomes.
“Being a really good tax advisor is like being a detective,” Barbara explained. “You have to look beyond what’s in front of you. Research establishes direction and identifies options. Answers and recommendations reveal themselves gradually like a puzzle.” The precise fit of those puzzle pieces varies by clients’ circumstances, stages in life, and personal ambitions. Clients include singles and couples in their earning years, child-rearing parents, retired professionals, people anticipating retirement in the near future, and the realtors, mortgage lenders and small business owners dear to her heart.
Barbara credits American Financial’s success to the broad scope of investments and tax planning, teamwork within the office, and Ron’s knowledge, experience, and independence as an advisor. Together, the couple’s unique perspectives enable them to craft integrated plans for their clients’ distinctive situations.
The Stevensons pooled their collective financial wisdom three years ago to write their book, “Pillars of Retirement Income.”
“We all want clients to gain a more informed level of confidence about their financial security and fully understand the plan we create together,” Barbara said.
“We like to hear them say that they don’t have to worry so much anymore about their finances or tax surprises.”
That personal connection with clients is all-important Barbara, who thrives on human interaction, brainstorming, and debate. She and the team identify clients’ underlying hopes and dreams, and then create logical financial plans to achieve them.
“The best problem solving occurs when a team collaborates,” she said. “You look at opportunities differently by putting yourself in someone else’s mindset to learn how they think and listening carefully to glean what’s really important to them. Instead of relying on one person to figure everything out, the team uncovers all the angles.”
Barbara asserts that she has learned more on the job than by earning three degrees. Over a multi-year career spanning 14 countries and innumerable industries, she achieved executive positions at information technology giants Electronic Data Systems (EDS) and Oracle.
She credits those corporate experiences with the critical thinking, strategic insight and problem-solving on which her practice currently flourishes. Thirty-five years of coaching, corporate consulting, global travel, leadership awards, and myriad approaches to finding workable solutions have laid the foundation for the entrepreneur she has become. Her professional passion hinges on cohesively merging diverse interests for clients’ well-being.
“Our clients love what we do for them – and how we do it,’ Barbara summarized. “It’s our amazing clients who keep our business interesting and rewarding.”
