2010 is the year we will be celebrating Judith Woodard's five-year anniversary with Christopher Street Financial. This gives us the opportunity to spotlight her many accomplishments, so we sat down with her to talk about her practice.

Q: What do you do for your clients as a Financial Planner?

A: "I strive to create a real dialogue about my client's life, and take the mystique out of the numbers. My goal is that they understand their numbers, and that they feel more secure about being able to finance the life that they want to live. I take in their concerns and problems, and assess what's important to them. I then reconstruct their investments so that they can feel comfortable that their financial resources will meet their needs."

  Click here to read the full interview.

Congratulations to Jennifer for being named one of the 2010 Best Wealth Managers of Greater New York  by Newsweek Magazine and 2010 Best Wealth Managers  two years in a row by Westchester Magazine (2009 and 2010.)

Jennifer Hatch
Christopher Street Financial President and Managing Partner

The Advocate, April 2010
Wealth Matters

... "The denial of federal marriage equality in particular presents a money problem for gays. Straight married couples are viewed as one economic entity and are automatically protected when one spouse dies or when that couple divorces. Yet same-sex couples have no such protections and are vulnerable to onerous tax rates or attacks on shared assets by blood relations, whom the government often sees as the next of kin, denying a spousal relationship.
'It boils down to marriage rights,' says Jennifer Hatch, president of Christopher Street Financial, one of the oldest financial advisories for gays and lesbians, based in New York." ...

  Click here to read the full article.

Julie Petrow-Cohen
Christopher Street Financial Senior Financial Advisor

New York Resident Magazine, March 2010
Take A Deep Breath And Do Your Taxes

... "Tired of working with a big firm broker who seemed to view me as nothing but a little peon, I found a much better fit at Christopher Street Financial (christopherstreet.com), an independent advisory firm on Park Avenue South. Financial advisor, Julie Petrow-Cohen, began our meeting asking questions." ...

  Click here to read the full article.

Tina Salandra, CPA
Principal of Numerical, LLC & Christopher Street Financial Associate

The New York Times, February 2010
Answers About Same-Sex Couples and Taxes

... "Tax experts say the best way to minimize the tax bite is to look at both partners as an economic unit. If the higher-earning partner won't get the full child tax credit, should the lower earner take it? Who should file as head of household, which has more favorable rates than the single filing status?
'Gay taxpayers will do best when they look at their tax results as a household, and not as individuals,' said Tina Salandra, a certified public accountant in New York." ...

  Click here to read the full article.