Molly Balunek, CFP^®

Co-Founder & Financial Planner

I believe that helping clients make smart money decisions begins with building a foundation based on an understanding of motivation and beliefs of what truly motivates each client and the individual core values and beliefs which drive their goals. I came to this belief from my own personal experience. With 25 years of financial planning, I know there is a growing need for values-based financial planning for people who seek financial freedom.

I have had the good fortune to be invited to present and comment on personal finance and have been quoted in various publications, including Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Investment News, and the Wall Street Journal. Most recently contributed to Bloomberg BusinessWeek discussing frugality in retirees and how they can learn to let go and live it up. In June 2019, I served as an Ambassador for the FPA NextGen Gathering conference, leading a session on Building a Network with Intention.

In the community, I served on the National Board of Directors for the Financial Planning Association (FPA) from 2017-2019. I have served as a host for the Business Success Knowledge Circle of the FPA (2014-2016). Locally, I served seven years on the Board of the FPA of Northeast Ohio (President in 2012) and helped develop content for and presented at the President-Elect track at the annual Chapter Leaders Conference of the FPA (2011 – 2013). I am active in the Estate Planning Council of Cleveland, the Northern Ohio Planned Giving Committee of the American Cancer Society, the Estate Planning Advisory Council at Case Western Reserve University, and the Diamond Advisory Group of University Hospitals.

My family contributes as volunteer puppy raisers for Guiding Eyes for the Blind, Cleveland Region. We raised a puppy, teaching basic commands, house manners and socialization in preparation for formal guide training. We continue to work with puppies as sitters, caring for the puppies when their raisers travel for work or vacation.

I earned a Bachelor’s degree from John Carroll University, the Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) designation from the College of Financial Planning and the Accredited Estate Planner (AEP) designation from the National Association of Estate Planners & Councils. I spend over 30 hours a year on continuing education, which helps me stay on the cutting edge of knowledge and tools to help clients achieve their goals.

My husband, Peter, and I have two daughters, Emma and Sophia. We love to travel and spend time in nature. We are an entrepreneurial family – among us, we own 4 businesses and one non-profit charitable organization. We live in Chagrin Falls, Ohio.