Our Advisors

Business experience

• Investment Adviser Representative of Commonwealth Financial Network^®
• 2000–2008: Financial Consultant, Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc., Alpharetta, Georgia
• 1989–2000: Consultant, Health Care, specializing in orthopedics, Atlanta, Georgia

Certifications, designations, and degrees

• CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ practitioner
• Accredited Investment Fiduciary^®
• BS, 1985, Finance, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina
• BS, 1985, Management, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina

Personal interests

• Enjoy outdoor activities, including golf, bike riding, and scuba diving

Community service

• Dunwoody Methodist Church, member, Dunwoody, Georgia
• Atlanta Athletic Club, member, Duluth, Georgia
• University of South Carolina Association of Baseball Letterman, member, Columbia, South Carolina

Areas of focus

• Personal financial planning for retirement income strategies
• Investments
• Estate planning
• Charitable giving techniques

Business experience

• 2009–Present: Financial Advisor and Investment Adviser Representative of Commonwealth Financial Network^®
• 1997–2008: Financial Advisor, Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc., Alpharetta, Georgia
• 1988–1996: Regional Financial Consultant, General Electric Capital Corporation, Atlanta, Georgia

Certifications, designations, and degrees

• CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ practitioner
• Financial Planning Association member
• Five Star^SM Service Award recipient*
• MBA, 1988, Finance and Real Estate, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina
• BS, 1983, Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan

*Based on 10 objective eligibility and evaluation criteria, including a minimum of 5 years as an active credentialed financial professional, favorable regulatory and complaint history, accepts new clients, client retention rates, client assets administered, education, and professional designations. 2,852 Austin wealth managers were considered for the award; 592 (21 percent of candidates) were named 2013 Five Star Wealth Managers. (The criteria provided reflects the most recent year for which advisor received the award. The criteria used, the number of wealth managers considered for the award, and the percentage of those who receive the award, may vary from year to year.) These awards are not indicative of the wealth managers' future performance. Your experiences may vary. For more information, please visit www.fivestarprofessional.com.

Personal interests

• Attending sporting events, golf, billiards, movies, reading, and coaching

My business vision
(What am I trying to accomplish for the families I work with?)

To positively influence the history of a few select families by applying excellent, client-centered advice that creates a mutually beneficial and enjoyable long-term relationship. 

Business mission 
(How do I plan to accomplish my vision?)

1. David plans to positively influence the history of a few select families by:
   • Understanding that every family has unique needs, values, and goals
   • Helping you make smart, well-informed decisions about your money . . . ultimately providing you with greater financial independence, confidence, and security
2. David plans to deliver client-centered advice by:
   • Realizing that families want unbiased financial planning advice from an experienced professional. By affiliating with Commonwealth Financial Network, David is in a position to offer a full spectrum of investment options free of any proprietary company products.
   • Putting clients' interests and objectives first in all situations
3. David plans to create a mutually beneficial and enjoyable long-term relationship by:
   • Not taking himself too seriously but realizing that a family's finances are a serious subject
   • Disclosing risks and costs, as well as benefits, in advance
   • Continuing to create and nurture an atmosphere of openness and trust
   • Maintaining a profitable business enterprise

Benefits of using a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™

A financial planner helps you:

• Set realistic financial and personal goals
• Assess your current financial health by examining your assets, liabilities, income, insurance, taxes, investments, and estate plan
• Develop a realistic, comprehensive plan to meet your financial goals by addressing financial weaknesses and building on financial strengths
• Put your plan into action and monitor its progress
• Stay on track to meet changing goals, personal circumstances, stages of your life, products, markets, and tax laws

Why use a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP^®) professional?

A CFP^® professional is an individual who has a demonstrated level of financial planning technical knowledge and experience in the field, and holds to a client-centered code of ethics. 

Four Es to becoming a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™

• Education: CFP^® practitioners develop theoretical and practical financial planning knowledge by completing a comprehensive course of study at a college or university offering a financial planning curriculum registered with the CFP Board of Standards. 
   
• Examination: CFP^® practitioners must pass a comprehensive two-day, 10-hour CFP^® Certification Examination that tests their ability to apply their financial planning knowledge in an integrated format. Based on regularly updated research of what planners do, the CFP^® Board's exam covers the general principles of financial planning, insurance planning and risk management, employee benefits planning, investment planning, income tax planning, retirement planning, and estate planning. 
   
• Experience: CFP^® practitioners must have a minimum of three years' experience working in the financial planning process prior to earning the CFP^® mark. As a result, CFP^® practitioners have demonstrated a working knowledge of counseling skills in addition to their financial planning knowledge. 
   
• Ethics: As a final step to certification, CFP^® practitioners must pass an ethics review and agree to abide by the CFP Board's Financial Planning Practice Standards and a strict code of professional conduct, known as the CFP Board's Code of Ethics and Professional Responsibility. The Code of Ethics states that CFP^®practitioners are to act with integrity, offering professional services that are objective and based on client needs. 
   
• Recertification: It is also necessary for every CFP^® certificant, once certified, to complete a recertification every two years. Those seeking to maintain their certification must attain a minimum of 30 hours of continuing education in order to stay current with developments in the financial planning profession and to better serve their clients. Two of these hours must be spent studying the CFP Board's Code of Ethics and Professional Responsibility or Planning Practice Standards.

Find out more: http://www.fpaforfinancialplanning.org/

Copyright © 2009 FPA. All rights reserved. 

Who might benefit?

Professionals

• Description: Established and successful sales representatives, marketing executives, engineers, operations management, vice presidents, and CEOs. Works for a major company or regional office. Outgoing and respected in his or her community. 40+ years old. Happily married, strong family values. Friendly, helpful, open-minded, and influential. Recently changed companies. Recently promoted. Wants to have the option to retire within five years. Will retire within the next 12 months. Recently was offered or accepted a buyout or early termination package. Youngest child recently graduated from college. Interested in starting his or her own business. Wants to plan for the endowment of a long and comfortable retirement, with no compromises in lifestyle
• The ability to make a meaningful legacy to a much-loved church, school, charity, or other institution
• To intervene meaningfully in the financial lives of one's children, during one's lifetime, and/or in the form of legacies
• Interested in learning about the options available to create a savings plan for children's/grandchildren's education
• The capability to provide care for self or parents in the later years

Retirees

• Description: Worked at a large company with at least 20 years' seniority or owned a business. 55–75 years old. May be consulting at his or her former company or may have started his or her own business. Likes to socialize. Likes to volunteer. Happily married, strong family values. Friendly, helpful, open-minded, and influential. Recently retired. Recently sold his or her business. Recently widowed. Approaching or recently turned 70 years of age. Recently accepted a buyout or early termination package. Wants to plan for the endowment of a long and comfortable retirement, with no compromises in lifestyle.
• The ability to make a meaningful legacy to a much-loved church, school, charity, or other institution
• To intervene meaningfully in the financial lives of one's children, during one's lifetime, and/or in the form of legacies
• Interested in learning about the options available to create a savings plan for children's/grandchildren's education
• The capability to provide care to self or parents in the later years

Successful Entrepreneurs:

• Description: Owns an established, highly successful business or franchise. Respected in the community. In business for more than 10 years. 50+ years old. Happily married, strong family values. Friendly, helpful, open-minded, and influential. Interested in preparing a business succession plan. Experienced the death of a spouse or other close family member. Wants to sell business. Wants to plan for the endowment of a long and comfortable retirement, with no compromises in lifestyle
• The ability to make a meaningful legacy to a much-loved church, school, charity, or other institution
• To intervene meaningfully in the financial lives of one's children, during one's lifetime, and/or in the form of legacies
• Interested in learning about the options available to create a savings plan for children's/grandchildren's education
• The capability to provide care for self or parents in the later years

Financially Independent, Single Women

• Description: Family oriented. Outgoing and social. Young at heart. 45+ years old. Open to learning. Recently divorced. Recently widowed. Recently accepted a buyout or early termination package. Recently changed companies. Recently promoted to a higher level of responsibility. Wants to have the option to retire within five years. Will retire within the next 12 months. Wants to plan for the endowment of a long and comfortable retirement, with no compromises in lifestyle
• The ability to make a meaningful legacy to a much-loved church, school, charity, or other institution
• To intervene meaningfully in the financial lives of one's children, during one's lifetime, and/or in the form of legacies
• Interested in learning about the options available to create a savings plan for children's/grandchildren's education
• The capability to provide care for self or parents in the later years

David Ward is proud to have been recognized as a Vista Club advisor for 2022—a distinction based on annual production that places him among the top 26 percent of advisors affiliated with Commonwealth Financial Network.

Each year, Commonwealth, the broker/dealer–RIA that helps us process investment transactions on your behalf, recognizes Vista Club advisors by inviting them to an exclusive gathering of their peers, leading industry experts, and Commonwealth home office staff. Vista Club advisors benefit from an intensive learning and networking experience designed to help them hone their expertise, share best practices, and provide ever-higher levels of service, education, and leadership to their clients.