Elliott Appel

CFP®, CLU®, RLP®

Kindness Financial Planning

Founder & Financial Planner

Contact Me

I can work with clients anywhere!

Elliott Appel

CFP®, CLU®, RLP®

Kindness Financial Planning

Founder & Financial Planner

As a Madison, Wisconsin fee-only financial planner serving clients virtually across the United States, I help widows, caregivers, and people affected by major health events organize their financial life, reduce taxes, and create income during challenging times. - Elliott Appel, CFP®, CLU®, RLP®

Contact Me

206-651-5097

Website

Fee-Only financial planner for widows, caregivers, and people affected by major health events across the United States.

Elliott Appel works with widows and other people affected by major health or life events to provide comprehensive financial planning and advice to simplify finances and feel secure and confident through life's difficult transitions.  Kindness Financial Planning serves clients regardless of location across the country from Madison, WI.

We offer a free consultation to help people decide if working together would be a good fit.  After an initial call, a "What's Important to You?" meeting is scheduled. Only after determining what your ideal life looks like can you connect your finances to helping you live out your ideal life. 

Read: Gifting Money to Family Members: 5 Strategies to Understand

Read: What To Do When Your Loved One Dies + Checklist

 

Elliot Appel is the founder and financial planner at Kindness Financial Planning.

After spending the first decade of my career with a large wealth management firm in Seattle, I decided to launch Kindness Financial planning to work with fewer clients in order to have more time with them. 

I am a fee-only, fiduciary, and independent financial advisor. 

While I have exertise in many different areas of financial planning, I chose to focus on people experiencing loss and grief because my dad was diagnosed with Stage IV Lung Cancer in July of 2016. Having worked with widows and caregivers, as well as being a caregiver myself, I know first hand the power of having help through tough times. I also know the difficulties and rollercoaster that is created with a major health diagnosis. 

I've seen the costly mistakes that can be made because families are constantly going between doctor's appointments and focused on spending as much time with loved ones as possible. Tax planning, estate planning, investment management, and anything else having to do with finances usually are put on the backburner during a crucial planning time. 

While I love the technical side of financial planning, I enjoy helping people think deeply about what's important to them and through a process, helping them create an ideal life for themselves. 

I'm about educating, being a sounding board, and serving as an accountability partner to help people like you make the best financial decisions that align with your values. 

I blog regularly and host a podcast called Making the Most of Time. 

When I'm not working, I enjoy spending time with my wife in between her busy medical residency schedule. You'll often find us saying, "Thanks for doing life with me" to each other as we explore all of what life has to offer - the funny, sad, and everything in between. I also enjoy hiking, tennis, photography and cooking. 

Elliott Appel 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.

Kindness Financial Planning is a fee-only virtual financial planning firm located in Madison, WI. Being a virtual firm, we can work with people across the United States. 

We focus on working with soon-to-be widows, widows, caregivers, people affected by major health events, and people who received an inheritance. We enjoy doing life planning to better connect the personal side of money with the technical side of financial planning and investment management. 

We love questions, education, and collaborative relationships. We understand the unique role we get to be in our client's lives and enjoy helping them feel secure in their financial decisions. 

Fee-Only, Fiduciary, Independent: Three Important Criteria to Consider When Choosing a Financial Advisor.

Specialties

  • Comprehensive Financial Planning
  • Retirement Income Planning
  • Investment Management that Fits Your Values
  • Reducing Taxes
  • Reviewing Insurance Policies

Ideal Clients

  • Widows
  • Caregivers
  • People Affected by Major Health Events
  • People with Inheritances

Working Together

  • Virtual Meetings
  • Transparent Fees
  • No Sales
  • Free Initial Consultation

Professional Designations & Affiliations

  • National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA)
    Elliott Appel 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.

  • Certified Financial Planner (CFP)
    Elliott Appel 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.

  • CLU - Chartered Life Underwriter
    Elliott Appel is a Chartered Life Underwriter® (CLU®)

    A Chartered Life Underwriter® (CLU®) is a professional designation for individuals specializing in life insurance and estate planning. Individuals must complete five core courses and three elective courses, and successfully pass all eight two-hour, 100-question examinations in order to receive the CLU® designation.

  • XY Planning Network
    Elliott Appel is a Member of the XY Planning Network

    The XY Planning Network is the leading organization of fee-only financial advisors who are focused on working with Generation X and Generation Y clients. Our mission is to connect consumers with best-in-class financial advisors who specialize in working with clients just like you.

  • Registered Life Planner® (RLP®)
    Elliott Appel is a Registered Life Planner® (RLP®)

    A Registered Life Planner® (RLP®) is a Financial Planner who has been fully trained in Life Planning by completing the three step process of becoming an RLP®: Seven Stages of Money Maturity® workshop, 5-Day Life Planning training and the 6 Month Mentorship Program. This method of training 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. They therefore become your partner in clarifying and achieving your most meaningful and deeply felt aspirations.

Contact Elliott Appel

206-651-5097

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Office Locations:

  • By Appointment Only
    Madison, WI 53705

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