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PROFESSIONAL PROFILE

Michael McLane, CFP®, CIMA®

Founder
Redwood Financial Planning
1812 Front Street
Scotch Plains, NJ 07076
Office: 908-663-2125
Cell: 908-693-4504
michael@redwoodplanning.com
www.redwoodfinancialplanning.com

Professional Approach

 

I am a  founding member of Redwood Financial Planning. My  passion is helping clients reach financial success

Prior to starting RFP,  I spent 12 years with Penn Mutual after 7 years with MetLife as the Financial Planning Director and Director of Training. At Penn Mutual, I was the Director of Financial Planning and Training for the agency, which had approximately 80 Financial Advisors.  In this capacity, I was responsible for the continued growth of the Agency through the development of all Agents.

My focus was to provide the necessary sales and educational training to help other advisors reach their fullest potential.  I am a Certified Sales Training Instructor, teaching “Dimensions of Professional Selling,” a nationally recognized course.

I have  received the Five Star Wealth Manager Award1 for the state of New Jersey, in 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018,2017, 2015, 2013, 2012.  I was also recognized as one of the Top 401 Retirement Advisors in the country by Financial Times in 2016 and 2015. I was the Chairman of the Financial Planning Association of New Jersey (FPA-NJ) representing approximately 1,200 members in the financial services industry in 2002 and President in 2001. In addition, I have been a subject expert and contributor for many local publications.

I have been an independent financial planner since 2001 and a member of the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT). I has been a Royal Blue Qualifier for 7 of the last 9 years.

I obtained my designation as a Enrolled Agent (EA) in 2012, Certified Investment Manager Analyst® (CIMA®) in 2003 and as a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) in 1998.  In addition, I have prepared tax returns for over 30 years which helps me provide financial planning that encompasses efficient tax planning along with prudent wealth protection and growth to help clients reach their financial goals.  I also have an additional 10 years of sales and sales management experience with Fortune 500 companies, including International Paper and Mobil.

 

This award was issued on 12/1/24 by Five Star Professional (FSP) for the time period 3/13/24 through 10/7/24. Fee paid for use of marketing materials. Self-completed questionnaire was used for rating. This rating is not related to the quality of the investment advice and based solely on the disclosed criteria. 7425 New Jersey-area wealth managers were considered for the award; 431 (6% of candidates) were named 2025 Five Star Wealth Managers. The following prior year statistics use this format: YEAR: # Considered, # Winners, % of candidates, Issued Date, Research Period. 2024: 6,515, 462, 7%, 12/1/23, 3/13/23 - 9/29/23; 2023: 6,606, 407, 6%, 12/1/22, 3/21/22 - 10/18/22; 2022: 6380, 431, 7%, 12/1/21, 4/12/21 - 10/15/21; 6123, 459, 7%, 12/1/20, 3/30/20 - 10/23/20; 2020: 6210, 480, 8%, 12/1/19, 3/1/19 - 10/16/19; 2019: 6097, 477, 8%, 12/1/18, 3/21/18 - 10/12/18; 2018: 4383, 415, 9%, 12/1/17, 2/21/17 - 10/12/17; 2017: 3868, 664, 17%, 11/1/16, 2/25/16 - 10/7/16; 2016: 4143, 626, 15%, 11/1/15, 4/15/15 - 10/16/15; 2015: 5063, 672, 13%, 12/1/14, 4/15/14 - 10/16/14; 2014: 3315, 646, 19%, 12/1/13, 4/15/13 - 10/16/13; 2013: 4049, 733, 18%, 12/1/12, 4/15/12 - 10/16/12; 2012: 1312, 400, 30%, 11/1/11, 4/15/11 - 10/16/11.
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Advisory services offered through Redwood Financial Planning LLC, a Registered Investment Advisor

Securities offered through Purshe, Kaplan Sterling Investments, Member FINRA/SIPC Headquartered at 80 State Street, Albany, NY 12207
Purshe Kaplan Sterling Investments and Redwood Financial Planning are not affiliated companies

1 The overall evaluation score of a wealth manager reflects an average of all respondents and may not be representative of any one client's evaluation. The award is not indicative of the wealth manager's future performance. For more information on the FIVE STAR Award and the research/selection methodology, go to:  

http://www.fivestarprofessional.com/WMSummaryandResearch.pdf

Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the certification marks, CFP ® , CERTIFED FINANCIAL PLANNER TM , which it awards to individuals who successfully complete CFP Board's initial and ongoing certification requirements.

*Winners appearing on this page do not pay a fee to be considered or to win the Five Star Award. Professionals with a digital profile have paid a promotional fee.
Wealth managers do not pay a fee to be considered or placed on the final list of Five Star Wealth Managers. The award is based on 10 objective criteria. Eligibility criteria - required: 1. Credentialed as a registered investment adviser (RIA) or a registered investment adviser representative; 2. Actively licensed as a RIA or as a principal of a registered investment adviser firm for a minimum of 5 years; 3. Favorable regulatory and complaint history review (As defined by FSP, the wealth manager has not; A. Been subject to a regulatory action that resulted in a license being suspended or revoked, or payment of a fine; B. Had more than a total of three settled or pending complaints filed against them and/or a total of five settled, pending, dismissed or denied complaints with any regulatory authority or FSP's consumer complaint process. Unfavorable feedback may have been discovered through a check of complaints registered with a regulatory authority or complaints registered through FSP's consumer complaint process; feedback may not be representative of any one client's experience; C. Individually contributed to a financial settlement of a customer complaint; D. Filed for personal bankruptcy within the past 11 years; E. Been terminated from a financial services firm within the past 11 years; F. Been convicted of a felony); 4. Fulfilled their firm review based on internal standards; 5. Accepting new clients. Evaluation criteria - considered: 6. One-year client retention rate; 7. Five-year client retention rate; 8. Non-institutional discretionary and/or non-discretionary client assets administered; 9. Number of client households served; 10. Education and professional designations. FSP does not evaluate quality of services provided to clients. The award is not indicative of the wealth manager's future performance. Wealth managers may or may not use discretion in their practice and therefore may not manage their clients' assets. The inclusion of a wealth manager on the Five Star Wealth Manager list should not be construed as an endorsement of the wealth manager by FSP or this publication. Working with a Five Star Wealth Manager or any wealth manager is no guarantee as to future investment success, nor is there any guarantee that the selected wealth managers will be awarded this accomplishment by FSP in the future. Visit www.fivestarprofessional.com.