Brenda Knox
CFP®, AIF®, APMA®, CRPC®
Financial Elements, Inc.
Owner, Financial Advisor
Brenda Knox
CFP®, AIF®, APMA®, CRPC®
Financial Elements, Inc.
Owner, Financial Advisor
In our work with clients, our objective is to integrate dollars and cents with common sense and compassion. We’ll help you determine what financial stability means to you and design the best plan for you, ensuring that all the pieces and parts are working together, in sync with your goals and dreams. - Brenda Knox, CFP®, AIF®, APMA®, CRPC®
Fee-Only financial planner located in Rolling Meadows, IL, serving clients locally and across the country
Brenda Knox is a Rolling Meadows, IL fee-only financial planner. Financial Elements, Inc. provides comprehensive and objective financial planning and investment management services to help clients organize, grow and protect their assets through life’s transitions. As a fee-only, fiduciary, and independent financial advisor, Brenda Knox is never paid a commission of any kind, and has a legal obligation to provide unbiased and trustworthy financial advice.
Brenda Knox, Founder and President of Financial Elements, Inc., has been a fee-only financial advisor for more than 27 years (1996), and has helped hundreds of clients plan their financial lives. Her passion is developing long-term relationships with her clients and tailoring her services to their individual needs, including investment management, retirement and social security planning, cash flow and savings, insurance, estate, and college planning. She founded Financial Elements, Inc. in 2009 after working for another fee only firm for many years.
Brenda is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERä professional, having completed her course work through the College for Financial Planning. She pursues continuing education on a regular basis and holds certification in the areas of employee and group benefits from the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans. She is also an Accredited Investment Fiduciaryâ, having completed training at the Center for Fiduciary Studies to gain specialized knowledge of fiduciary standards of care and their application to the investment management process. Additionally, Brenda is an Accredited Portfolio Management AdvisorSM and a Chartered Retirement Planning CounselorSM having taken specialized coursework through the College for Financial Planning.
A graduate of Harper College and Roosevelt University, where she was a member of the Franklin Honor Society, Brenda holds a BS in business administration, with a major in accounting. An active member of the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA), she has served as both president and chair of the Midwest Regional Board, chair of the membership and symposium committees, and as a member of the Leadership Development Committee. She also sat on the board of the National Consumer Education Foundation (NCEF), which is NAPFA’s consumer education non-for-profit organization. She has provided pro bono services to veterans working with NCEF. Brenda has also served in an advisory capacity to the University of Illinois Extension Services, reviewing financial planning literature prior to publication. In 2019, Brenda was named as one of the Distinguished Alumni of Harper College.
Brenda has been quoted in several national and local publications including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and the Chicago Tribune.
Brenda lives in Rolling Meadows with her husband. They have two sons – one married and in the United States Space Force and the other working for Financial Elements. She is actively involved in her community, serving as the president of the Harper College Educational Foundation Board and on various committees. She recently “retired” as the Activity Chair for Boy Scouts and Treasurer for Cub Scouts after more than a decade of service. She is past president of her church council and past co-president and treasurer of the PTA. Over the years, Financial Elements has sponsored Rolling Meadows Youth Baseball, Boy Scout and Cub Scout Troop 168, Fremd HS Boosters, Palatine HS Boosters, Partners in Our Communities, Rolling Meadows Community Foundation, Harper College Educational Foundation, and Salute, Inc.
Brenda Knox is a Member of the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors
The National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA) is a leading professional association of Fee-Only financial advisors - highly trained professionals who are committed to working in the best interests of those they serve.
NAPFA members live by three important values:
- To be the beacon for independent, objective financial advice for individuals and families.
- To be the champion of financial services delivered in the public interest.
- To be the standard bearer for the emerging profession of financial planning.
Integrating Dollars & Cents with Common Sense & Compassion
Financial Elements, Inc. is a boutique Fee-Only financial planning and investment advisory firm located in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago.
Whether you are just starting out in your working life or enjoying retirement, you can benefit from financial planning. I offer comprehensive financial advice tailored to your individual situation. We will work together to determine what financial stability means to you and then design a plan to meet your goals.
Fee-Only, Fiduciary, Independent: Three Important Criteria to Consider When Choosing a Financial Advisor.
Specialties
- Comprehensive Financial Planning
- Retirement Income Planning
- Investment Management
- College Education Planning
- Simplifying financial issues
- Legacy Planning
Ideal Clients
- Retirees and Near Retirees
- Growing Families
- Novice Investors
- Busy, working families
- Generations of families
- Older adults
- Working Professionals
Working Together
- In-Office Meetings
- Virtual Meetings
- Clearly Defined Fees
- No Product Sales
- Complimentary Initial Consultation
- Project based planning or planning with investment management services available.
Professional Designations & Affiliations
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Brenda Knox is a NAPFA-Registered Financial AdvisorThe National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA) is a leading professional association of Fee-Only financial advisors—highly trained professionals who are committed to working in the best interests of those they serve.
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Brenda Knox is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Professional - Click for VerificationCFP® professionals are held to strict ethical standards to ensure financial planning recommendations are in your best interest. What’s more, a CFP® professional must acquire several years of experience related to delivering financial planning services to clients and pass the comprehensive CFP® Certification Exam before they can use the CFP® designation.
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Brenda Knox is a member of The Financial Planning Association® (FPA®)FPA® is the largest membership organization for CFP® professionals in the U.S. and supports high standards of professional competence, ethical conduct, and clear, complete disclosure when serving clients.
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Brenda Knox is an Accredited Investment Fiduciary® (AIF)Accredited Investment Fiduciary® (AIF®) training empowers investment professionals with the fiduciary knowledge and tools they need to serve their clients’ best interests. Advisors who have earned the Accredited Investment Fiduciary designation have gone through training, met the qualifications, and passed the exam allowing use of the AIF designation and they are immediately able to demonstrate the added value that they can bring to both existing and prospective clients.
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Brenda Knox is an Accredited Portfolio Management Advisor (APMA®)
Individuals who hold the APMA® designation have completed a course of study encompassing client assessment and suitability, risk/return, investment objectives, bond and equity portfolios, modern portfolio theory and investor psychology. Students have hands-on practice in analyzing investment policy statements, building portfolios, and making asset allocation decisions including sell, hold, and buy decisions within a client’s portfolio. Additionally, individuals must pass an end-of-course examination that tests their ability to synthesize complex concepts and apply theoretical concepts to real-life situations.
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Brenda Knox is a Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor℠ (Learn More)The Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor℠ or CRPC® designation is a premier retirement planning credential. The CRPC® program covers all aspects of the retirement process in a single comprehensive program with no product or advising biases.
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Brenda Knox is Quoted in Forbes: "What Is A Registered Investment Advisor (RIA)?"
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Brenda Knox is Quoted in MarketWatch: "I’m 64, single, considering retirement after fighting cancer — I have $1.6 million. Should I retire?"
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Brenda Knox Was Named as a Harper College Distinguished Alum in 2019
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Brenda Knox is quoted in the Chicago Tribune: "Financial guidance without conflicts of interest"
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Brenda Knox is quoted in the Wall Street Journal: "Helping New Grads Get a Financial Life"
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Brenda Knox is quoted in the Chicago Tribune: "Should you buy a home in 2017? Here's what 3 experts say."
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Brenda Knox is quoted on BankRate.com: "7 investing tips for 40-somethings"
Contact Brenda Knox
Office Locations:
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1861 Hicks Road
Suite D
Rolling Meadows, IL 60008
