JoAnn May
CFP®, CPA/PFS
Forest Asset Management LLC
Partner
JoAnn May
CFP®, CPA/PFS
Forest Asset Management LLC
Partner
As a fee-only financial planner, my focus is to offer unbiased financial advice to help you achieve your life goals. - JoAnn May, CFP®, CPA/PFS
Fee-Only financial planner located in Berwyn, IL, serving clients locally and across the country
JoAnn May is a Berwyn, IL fee-only financial planner. Forest Asset Management LLC provides comprehensive and objective financial planning, investment services, and tax planning to help clients organize, grow and protect their assets through life’s transitions. As a fee-only, fiduciary, and independent financial advisor, JoAnn May is never paid a commission of any kind, and has a legal obligation to provide unbiased and trustworthy financial advice.
JoAnn May specializes in retirement and IRA planning. She provides these services with a focus on how financial decisions play a part in her clients overall financial health. After all, financial and physical wellbeing are related and money stress can manifest its way into physical problems.
Prior to founding FAM, JoAnn started her career as a Certified Public Accountant with KPMG before moving to a management position at Trans Union. After years in the corporate accounting environment, JoAnn moved on to personal finance, specializing in tax-related issues at the firm Pesavento & Pesavento LTD. That is where JoAnn grew her passion for financial planning. In 2006 she and her partner and brother, Mark Pesavento, started Forest Asset Management, to provide more in depth financial service to their clients.
JoAnn is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and has an MBA in Finance from DePaul University.
Her professional affiliations include the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA), Illinois CPA Society, and the Financial Planning Association (FPA). She is a Master Elite Advisor with the Ed Slott Advisor Group, an organization of financial advisors dedicated to being leaders in the IRA industry.
JoAnn and her husband Peter met in college in 1983 and have been married for 30 years. Peter owns and operates a nut and bolt importer and distributor south of Chicago. Their son, Tyler is a graduate of Miami University’s Farmer School of Business, and the newest team member at Forest. Prior to joining FAM, he spent 3 years as a financial analyst at ConAgra Brands. JoAnn is thrilled to be working with Ty and sharing her passion for helping clients and problem solving. Their daughter Julia, a graduate of the College of William & Mary, works in research at Northwesting University. Let’s not forget Luca, the family yorkipoo, who keeps JoAnn busy on long walks with his boundless energy. JoAnn’s hobbies and interests include the great outdoors through hiking, biking, and kayaking on local rivers. Peter and JoAnn instilled a love for travel and learning about new cultures in their children and they continue traveling together across the globe.
JoAnn May 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.
We started Forest Asset Management in 2006 because we saw a recurring issue among our CPA clients. We gave clients financial planning advice for years, but had no way to monitor a client’s progress. Further, the brokerage industry didn’t understand the nuances that tax efficient strategies play in overall wealth management. It’s not what you make, but what you keep after paying taxes. We established FAM as a way to create, implement, and monitor an investment strategy and comprehensive financial plan.
Since that time, FAM has taken root and grown beyond CPA clients. We help our clients make the most of their wealth through financial, investment, and tax advice as an independent investment advisor, as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and as a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER (CFP®).
Today, many small business owners rely on our firm to manage their personal assets as well as their company retirement plans. We serve many high net-worth individuals, established professionals, retirees, and younger active wealth accumulators.
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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JoAnn May 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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JoAnn May 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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JoAnn May 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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JoAnn May 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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JoAnn May is a Personal Financial Specialist (PFS)The Personal Financial Specialist (PFS) credential is granted solely to CPAs (Certified Public Accountants) with considerable personal financial planning education and experience. All areas of personal financial planning—including estate, retirement, investments, and insurance—have tax implications, and the PFS professional has the experience, ethics, and expertise to get the job done right.
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JoAnn May is Quoted on CNBC: "Plan now to avoid a tax bomb later. Why your asset location matters"
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JoAnn May is Quoted on TheStreet.com: "An In-Plan Roth Conversion Can Help Manage Taxes on Your Nest Egg"
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JoAnn May is Quoted on CNBC: "Big savers may boost their retirement stash with this option"
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JoAnn May is Quoted on CNBC: "Some charity donors may score a bigger write-off with retirement account funds"
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JoAnn May is Quoted on CNBC: "Here's how to get a handle on those credit accounts"
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JoAnn May is Quoted on Kiplinger: "Deadline Nears for Reversing Your 2015 Roth IRA Conversion"
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JoAnn May is Quoted in US News and World Report: "When You Shouldn’t Roll Your 401(k) Balance Over to an IRA"
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JoAnn May is Quoted in MarketWatch: "How Fed policy shift can impact retirement"
Contact JoAnn May
Office Locations:
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3401 S Harlem Ave
Suite 202
Berwyn, IL 60402
