BWFA News

I first began to think about starting BWFA back in the mid-1980s, when I was working in banking. I noticed several trends that I thought might create an opportunity for a new type of financial services firm: Traditional pension plans… Read More

New Staff Member at BWFA BWFA welcomes new employee, Alece Drnec, CPA, who has joined our tax team as an accountant and tax planner. Alece has worked with Ernst & Young, The Rouse Company, and others. She and her husband,… Read More

The Senior Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) in Howard County provides advice on Medicare and other health insurance issues for county residents over the age of 50 and for Medicare beneficiaries of any age. SHIP also offers introduction-to-Medicare presentations. Call… Read More

New BWFA Summer Hours 9 AM-5 PM Monday-Friday In Effect from Memorial Day to Labor Day Offices Closed for Federal and NYSE Holidays    

Everyone keeps telling us that the strength of a business is measured by its profits. In college, the professors called it “maximizing the value of the firm.” Consultants today select the “top” firms in our industry based on the size… Read More

One of the great things about my job is that I get to travel around the country and listen to very smart people who know things most of us don’t about our economy, the financial markets and the politics that… Read More

Mike Couch, CFP® Mike joined BWFA’s Tax Services team in 2008, and he has since added responsibilities in planning and investments. He is a Certified Financial Planner®, with experience in addressing the needs of high-net-worth individuals. Mike’s previous experience includes… Read More

Many professions require that practitioners complete ongoing education on a regular basis. The financial planning profession is no exception. The major financial planning organization that BWFA belongs to, the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA), requires that its members… Read More

Are you Really Ready for Retirement—It’s not just about your wallet!   Thursday, November 12, 2009, 7 – 9 p.m. Parsons Auditorium at the Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, MD 20723 Mark your calendar for this special program! Learn about… Read More

Even though the stock market was reaching lows for the year back in November 2008, we decided to go ahead with our “one question” survey to our clients about the quality of our services. We received valuable feedback. If you… Read More

Susan Frillman has joined BWFA as operations manager. She oversees the account opening process, reconciles daily trades, manages billing, coordinates check and electronic disbursements, and generally keeps our back office working smoothly. She’s always available to help you navigate TD… Read More

BWFA and a panel of Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) retirees will give you insights and valuable advice on successfully navigating the transition to retirement. The event will be held on Tuesday, October 21, from 7 – 9 p.m. at the… Read More

To follow on my last article, “Good Old-Fashioned Service,” I wanted to tell you about how we are working to improve customer service with a new client satisfaction survey, and also to introduce you to another member of our team,… Read More

We value good service at BWFA. When you call, you’ll get someone on the phone rather than voicemail. When you have an appointment, the whole office knows you are coming and is ready to greet you. When you have a… Read More

Conclusion of a three-part conversation about BWFA’s succession plan This article is my third in a series on the subject of succession planning — in other words, how the firm will continue to operate when some of our leadership team… Read More

E-mail Alert Our firm’s policy is to respond promptly to every communication you send us. However, from time to time you might send us an e-mail from an address that we do not have on file for you. When this… Read More

During our annual meetings with clients, as we talk about retirement plans, we are asked about our own retirement plans and the future of BWFA. It’s a reasonable question. We emphasize long-term planning for our clients, and our clients have… Read More

Saying Goodbye — Regretfully… Kim Anderson, who has been with BWFA for almost 13 years, is leaving the firm to stay home with her family. Kim was an important part of our team, always participating in many of our important… Read More

Our Mission Our mission has remained consistent since the start of our firm — Provide the very best financial solutions to help our clients achieve their goals. We don’t expect this mission to change in the coming years. We will… Read More

BWFA conducts seminar at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. The first half of the seminar included a presentation by BWFA about the financial aspects of retirement. The second half was devoted to a panel of six clients who had already… Read More

We are always trying to bring better financial ideas to our clients. In this regard, we encourage everyone to consider the advantages of using the banking services of a credit union. Credit Unions are an excellent alternative to traditional for-profit… Read More

Baltimore-Washington Financial Advisors is pleased to welcome Robert Wasilewski as a new advisor with the firm. Previously, Robert was a managing director and head of Fixed Income at ASB Capital Management in Washington, D.C. He has over 20 years’ experience… Read More

Congratulations to Tage Pearson. Tage became our first client centurion by turning age 100 on Friday, January 12, 2007. Tage chronicled his life and many achievements in a book published in 2003. And now a new chapter begins. Happy Birthday,… Read More

Final Quarterly Seminar is Nov. 9, 2006 Please join us for our last Estate Planning seminar of the year: More Important than Taxes, Protecting Your Family. Previous seminars focused on reducing or eliminating estate taxes on large estates. This seminar… Read More

Here’s the way it typically happens… Mr. and Mrs. S. Tate finally decide that they should update their will. They know someone who knows an attorney, so they make an appointment to see him. They make a few simple decisions,… Read More

As more and more personal information is provided and transmitted electronically, identity theft is becoming a real threat. Identity theft occurs when someone obtains key information, such as your Social Security or driver’s license number, without your permission, and uses… Read More

At a recent meeting of our Client Advisory Board, members posed questions to Saxon Birdsong, President of BWFA, about the company’s history and where it is headed in the future. Joe Garber: How did BWFA come about? Saxon: After spending more… Read More

Great organizations have people who share the same values. These values become the foundation for the organization’s culture, and the culture influences how people do their jobs. Once the organization’s culture is established, everyone knows what to do because they… Read More

From time to time, our clients offer to share ideas or opportunities with the rest of our clients and friends. Here’s one we’d like to tell you about. One of our Client Advisory Board members has offered a discount (ranging… Read More

We’re sorry to say that our Director of Client Services, Jesse Sternberger, has decided to leave BWFA. We’re happy to announce that he has taken a full-time position as the Director of the Montgomery General Hospital Foundation, where he will… Read More

Every investor’s nightmare is a thick envelope full of legal documents which only a securities lawyer might understand. What do you do with it? You’ve tried to read the fine print before, and tried to follow the instructions, gather the… Read More

Suppose you need legal advice. And suppose you have a choice between two attorneys, A and B. You know that Attorney A is required by law to do everything within her power to make sure you get the very best… Read More

New Director of Client Services We’re pleased to announce that Jesse Sternberger has joined our team as Director of Client Services. In this role, Jesse will concentrate on developing new business for BWFA through our existing referral networks. He brings… Read More

In any service business like ours, the most valuable information business owners can get is how their clients feel about them and the job they are doing. Knowing this, three years ago we formed a Client Advisory Board that agreed to provide… Read More

We expect BWFA to reach $100 million in managed assets by the time you read this early in April. This marks the first milestone we set for the company when we consolidated our operations back in September 1996. We want… Read More