Elizabeth Buffardi
CFP®, CPA
Crescendo Financial Planners, Inc.
Financial Advisor
Elizabeth Buffardi
CFP®, CPA
Crescendo Financial Planners, Inc.
Financial Advisor
As a fee-only financial planner, my focus is to offer unbiased financial advice to help you achieve your life goals. - Elizabeth Buffardi, CFP®, CPA
Fee-Only financial planner located in Oak Brook, IL, serving clients locally and across the country

Elizabeth Buffardi is a Oak Brook, IL fee-only financial planner. Crescendo Financial Planners, Inc. provides personal financial planning, investment advice, and tax preparation and planning to help clients organize, grow and protect their assets through life’s transitions. As a fee-only, fiduciary, and independent financial advisor, Elizabeth Buffardi is never paid a commission of any kind, and has a legal obligation to provide unbiased and trustworthy financial advice.
Elizabeth Buffardi started her career as a tax accountant at Blackman Kallick, a public accounting firm in Chicago, IL. After 2 years, she went to a family office, where she was the accountant for a family’s entire investment portfolio, along with the liaison between the investment managers, accountants, auditors and attorneys they used. At one point, she realized she treated their money better than she treated her own money. She started to learn all she could regarding investing. The rest of her work experience is in the financial services area, specifically, in the hedge fund and funds of hedge funds arena.
Crescendo was born from Elizabeth’s quest to help people like herself gain control of their financial lives. She strives to provide the information that people need and to be able to recommend solutions that are right for that person and their situation. As she says, “You are a multi-faceted person. Your personal life includes your career, your family, your hobbies, etc. Your financial life is also multi-faceted. It includes your home, your business, your investments, your taxes, etc. I look at everything because one facet of your financial life can affect the others. They all have to work together in harmony.
Elizabeth Buffardi 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.
Maybe you’re unsure how to build wealth while educating your children and starting a business.
Perhaps you’re struggling with preserving your wealth while caring for aging parents, dealing with boomerang kids, and evaluating an early retirement offer.
Whatever your current situation, worrying about finances impacts your life and relationships. We can help you make the financial decisions that will make the most of what you have now and help you build a more secure, enjoyable future.
Fee-Only, Holistic Advice for Better Financial Decisions and Fewer Worries
Holistic financial planning is a process, not an event. It focuses on your goals, integrates all areas of your financial life, recognizes how your beliefs and attitudes impact the financial decisions you make, and makes adjustments as your circumstances change.
As fee-only financial advisors, we sell no products and receive no commissions. Instead, you pay us an annual retainer that covers all our meetings and full access to us at no additional charge whenever you have questions or your circumstances change. Knowing in advance exactly how much you are paying for advice and understanding that your advisor puts your interests first brings peace of mind.
Contact us to schedule a no-cost, no-obligation initial consultation to learn more about how we can help you make the financial decisions that lead to financial independence.
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
- Tax Planning
Ideal Clients
- Retirees and Near Retirees
- Growing Families
- Business Owners and Executives
- Sudden Money Situations
- Novice Investors
Working Together
- In-Office Meetings
- Virtual Meetings
- Clearly Defined Fees
- No Product Sales
- Complimentary Initial Consultation
Professional Designations & Affiliations
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Elizabeth Buffardi is a NAPFA-Registered Financial Advisor
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.
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Elizabeth Buffardi is a Member of the Alliance of Comprehensive Planners (ACP)
Alliance of Comprehensive Planners (ACP) is the community of tax-focused financial planners that operate under the retainer model. Passionately dedicated to superb client service, ACP planners’ only source of income is client retainer fees – not commissions. With an ACP planner, you can be confident you’re getting experience, knowledge, research, and most importantly, advice that is tailored just for you.
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Elizabeth Buffardi is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Professional - Click for Verification
CFP® 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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Elizabeth Buffardi is a Certified Public Accountant (Learn More)
A Certified Public Accountant (CPA) is a professional accountant who has met the education and experience requirements set by their state's Board of Accountancy and has passed the Uniform CPA Exam. CPAs are licensed to provide a wide range of accounting services, including financial statement preparation, tax planning and preparation, auditing, consulting, and other financial advisory services.
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Elizabeth Buffardi Has Received Training at the The Kinder Institute of Life Planning
The Kinder Institute trains and coaches financial advisors worldwide in a method we call financial Life Planning. This method is based on the premise that advisors should first discover a client’s most essential goals in life before formulating a financial plan, so a client’s finances fully support those goals.
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Elizabeth Buffardi is Quoted in MarketWatch: "Suze Orman says there is ‘no substitute’ for making this simple money move — and it’s now more lucrative than it has been in over a decade"
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Crescendo Financial Planners Named Best Financial Advisors in Chicago for 2021 on Expertise.com
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Crescendo Financial Planners was Named Editor's Choice on the Top Ten Best Financial Advisors In Chicago Illinois by Peterson Acquisitions
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Crescendo Financial Planners Named to Money Under 30's "The Best Financial Advisors in Chicago (And You Don’t Need To Be Rich To Use One)" List for 2020
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Elizabeth Buffardi is a Member of the Chicago Area Fee Only Financial Advisors Network
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Elizabeth Buffardi Serves on the Board of Directors for the Professional Women's Club of Chicago
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Elizabeth Buffardi is Quoted on BankRate.com: "How her emergency fund saved this financial planner from financial disaster"
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Elizabeth Buffardi is Quoted on BankRate.com: "12 ways to bank smarter: Simple tips and tricks to increase your wealth"
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Elizabeth Buffardi is Quoted on CreditCards.com: "6 fears that keep people from financial advice"
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Elizabeth Buffardi is Quoted in NAPFA Advisor: "Tricks of the trade for helping clients with cash flow"
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Elizabeth Buffardi is Quoted on BankRate.com: "7 best personal finance books, according to experts"
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Elizabeth Buffardi is Quoted on Yahoo Finance: "Financial advisors: Here's how to handle the stock market roller coaster"
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Elizabeth Buffardi is Quoted on Nasdaq.com: "Don’t Let the Fear of Looking Stupid Lead to Money Mistakes"
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Elizabeth Buffardi is Quoted on Magnify Money: "Is a Joint Checking Account Right for You?"
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Elizabeth Buffardi Serves as Co-Chair of the Personal Financial Planning Forum Group for the Illinois CPA Society
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Elizabeth Buffardi Discusses "How to avoid 6 habits that could wreck your finances" on 13 News Now
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Elizabeth Buffardi is Quoted on 11 Alive: "7 ways to save more money once your kid leaves the nest"
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Elizabeth Buffardi is Quoted on Kiplinger: "Setting up a solid plan for retirement"
Contact Elizabeth Buffardi
Office Locations:
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110 Oak Brook Road
31st Street
Oak Brook, IL 60523