Jay Lee
CFA®, CFP®
Ballaster Financial
Founder
Jay Lee
CFA®, CFP®
Ballaster Financial
Founder
As a fee-only financial planner, my focus is to offer unbiased financial advice to help you achieve your life goals. - Jay Lee, CFA®, CFP®
Fee-Only financial planner located in Jersey City, NJ, serving clients locally in the tri-state area and virtually across the country

Jay Lee is a Jersey City, NJ fee-only financial advisor serving clients locally and across the country. Ballaster Financial provides comprehensive financial planning and investment management to help working professionals and growing families organize, grow and protect their assets through life’s transitions. As a fee-only, fiduciary, and independent financial advisor, Jay Lee is never paid a commission of any kind, and has a legal obligation to provide unbiased and trustworthy financial advice.
Jay Lee is the founder of Ballaster Financial, an advisory practice dedicated to serving the needs of professionals and young families. Jay has close to two decades of experience across investment and wealth management.
Jay grew up in a household that was blown left and right chasing financial security. He watched his parents stash away their life’s savings into the heel of an old boot in order to immigrate from Korea to Australia, then to the US. They finally settled in New York where they hustled away 6 days a week, only to find themselves trying to retire without a plan, scrambling to catch up on lost time.
Through this experience, Jay is passionate about helping others create a plan to find financial security. Even though he largely grew up in the US, having been born to immigrant families, financial literacy was not a part of his household education. He wants to close that gap between those who grew up with wealth and those working towards it.
Jay lives with his wife Margaret in Jersey City and stays busy keeping his two young boys out of mischief.
Jay Lee 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.
After almost two decades on Wall Street, Jay decided to follow his passion of helping like-minded working professionals and families achieve their financial goals.
With experience spanning across financial planning, investment research, portfolio construction, and alternative investments, Jay has extensive and diverse perspectives to help clients secure their financial futures. His client base has spanned the rising affluent to the ultra-high net worth.
Jay has attained the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP) and Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA) certifications, widely considered gold standards in financial planning and investment designations.
As a fee-only fiduciary operating his own practice, Jay is motivated to leverage his experience to serve clients without the pressures or conflicts of interest that may be inherent in other firms.
Ballaster comes from the word ‘ballast’, a structure used to provide stability to ships and prevent vessels from tipping over. Therefore, Ballaster Financial was created to help clients navigate through complex and murky financial waters to experience the life they envision.
Fee-Only, Fiduciary, Independent: Three Important Criteria to Consider When Choosing a Financial Advisor.
Specialties
- Comprehensive Financial Planning
- Investment Management
- Stock compensation
- College Education Planning
- Tax Planning
- Alternative Investments
Ideal Clients
- Growing Families
- Working professionals
- Startup employees
- 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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Jay Lee 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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Jay Lee 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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Jay Lee is a holder of the right to use the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation
The CFA Program is the most respected and recognized investment management designation in the world with less than 200,000 charterholders globally.
This advisor has earned the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation (CFA® charter) by passing all three of the CFA exams and gaining relevant industry experience, demonstrating their mastery of the investment analysis and decision-making skills most needed in the global investment management profession.
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Jay Lee 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.
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Jay Lee is a Member of the CFA Institute
The CFA Institute is a global, not-for-profit organization comprising the world’s largest association of investment professionals. With more than 170,000 members and 150 regional societies around the world, the organization is dedicated to developing and promoting the highest educational, ethical, and professional standards in the investment industry.
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Jay Lee is Quoted on CBS News - Moneywatch: "7 money-savvy ways to spend your tax refund"
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Jay Lee is Quoted in Fatherly: "Where to Put Your Money When Inflation Is on the Rise: 5 Expert Tips"
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Jay Lee is Quoted in the Wall Street Journal: "People Want to Start Spending Again and Inflation Is Ruining It"
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Jay Lee is Quoted on Bloomberg: "Record Number of Distressed Funds Rush to Raise Cash in Downturn"
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Jay Lee is Quoted on Barrons: "Future Returns: Private Markets Prove Resilient"
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Jay Lee is Quoted in the Wall Street Journal: "Cooper’s Take: Can Private Equity Gain From Public-Market Pain?"
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Jay Lee is Quoted on FundFire: "Wanted: 20% Venture Allocation for Cambridge Associates' Private Clients"
Contact Jay Lee
Office Locations:
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200 5th Street
Jersey City, NJ 07302