Biography:
Stephen C. Craffen is a Partner and Senior Wealth Manager with Stonegate Wealth Management.
Steve founded Stonegate Wealth Management (formerly known as the Baron Financial Group) in 1993. Stonegate Wealth Management became a fee-only firm in 1998 so it could provide its clients with the highest level of financial planning and investment advisory services on a cost-effective basis and without bias.
Steve acts as the chief investment officer for the firm.
Steve’s analytical background and his ability to sort financial complexities (in particular issues related to retirement, estate and tax planning) benefits clients greatly. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst charterholder. The Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charter is recognized as a hallmark of excellence in securities analysis throughout the U.S. and the world. Requirements for this designation are acknowledged to be among the most difficult in the financial services industry, requiring passing three sequential examinations over a minimum of three years, working in investment analysis and money management for more than three years and abiding by the CFA Institute’s stringent code of ethics and standards of professional conduct.
He has held many workshops for the public and charitable organizations over the years on a variety of financial planning and investment topics. Steve has been a regular guest and occasional guest host for a radio show devoted to financial planning for consumers. He is often quoted by local and national publications including Investors Business Daily, The Chicago Tribune, Bloomberg Personal, Business Week Online, the Associated Press, the Bergen Record, Investment News, Financial Advisor Magazine, the Newark Star Ledger, the Daily Record, the Smart Money Guide to Real Estate, (Gerri Willis, author) and the Physician's Personal Advisory. He has written articles for the American Association of Individual Investors, the NAPFA Advisor and the Bergen Record. He has also appeared in the Wall Street Journals print and online editions.
In 2008 Steve was named as one of the top 250 advisors in the country by Worth Magazine.
