Stephen Craffen
CFP®, CFA, CLU®, ChFC®, MBA
Stonegate Wealth Management
Founding Partner, and Senior Wealth Manager
Stephen Craffen
CFP®, CFA, CLU®, ChFC®, MBA
Stonegate Wealth Management
Founding Partner, and Senior Wealth Manager
As a fee-only financial planner, my focus is to offer unbiased financial advice to help you achieve your life goals. The financial planner you hire should be a fiduciary and have the proper education. I feel so strongly about this that I have been actively involved in the leadership of NAPFA, and served as National Chair from 2019-2020. - Stephen Craffen, CFP®, CFA, CLU®, ChFC®, MBA
Fee-Only Financial Advisor serving the Northern NJ and Sarasota FL areas. We have a strong presence in both areas with dedicated staff and offices.
Stephen Craffen is a Oakland, NJ and Sarasota, FL fee-only financial planner. Stonegate Wealth Management provides comprehensive financial planning and investment management to help clients organize, grow and protect their assets through life’s transitions. As a fee-only, fiduciary, and independent financial advisor, Stephen Craffen is never paid a commission of any kind, and has a legal obligation to provide unbiased and trustworthy financial advice. The advisors at the firm are unique in being amongst the most financially educated and experienced in the nation, having advised CEOs of large and small businesses, individuals and families. The firm is especially expert in serving business owners, retirees, families in transition and women.
Stephen C. Craffen is the founding Partner and a Senior Wealth Manager at Stonegate Wealth Management. Steve worked as an engineer for about 10 years before changing careers and joining Prudential. After a few years, he became disenchanted with the sales-oriented approach to delivering financial advice since it did not have the client’s best interests at heart and he believed strongly in the value of financial planning. He left Prudential and founded Stonegate Wealth Management in 1993 and for a time did accept commissions. He realized that accepting any commission is too fraught with potential conflicts so Stonegate became fee-only in 1998 and joined the National Association of Financial Planners (NAPFA), the premier organization for fee-only advisors. Steve feels so strongly about this organization and its mission to “fix” the way advice is delivered to consumers that he has been involved as a volunteer for many years in many roles, serving as eastern region chair and president and on the National Board as a director and past National Chair. NAPFA membership was a natural fit for us since we believe the client comes first and that providing detailed financial planning is key to the success of our clients. NAPFA’s requirement for continuing education (60 hours every two years) also fits right into our philosophy that you can never stop learning if you want to really help clients.
Steve loves helping people organize the financial aspects of their lives and planning for their future whether it will be for early retirement, buying a second house or even just helping to provide a feeling of security in knowing that you can achieve your goals and dreams in life. He particularly likes to work with executives, professionals, and business owners.
Steve’s hobbies include photography, cooking, and sports cars. He stays in shape through weightlifting and karate (black belt, Shotokan). He enjoys playing with his 2 dogs; don’t mention them or you’ll have to see their pictures! He is married and has a 15-year-old daughter who he hopes one day will go into this field.
Steve is a member of the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors, (NAPFA). NAPFA is the nation's premier organization of Fee-only financial advisors. NAPFA members adhere to a strict code of ethics and sign an oath stating they will not accept compensation from any third party and will not accept commissions of any kind. Steve served on NAPFA's North East/Mid-Atlantic Region board for six years and is a past Chair (2013/2014) and past President (2012/2013) of the region. He served as a member of NAPFA's National Board for four years with his final year as National Chair, his one year term starting September 2018 and ending in August 2019. He is also a member of the CFA Institute (formerly the Association for Investment Management Research. (AIMR)), and the New York Society of Securities Analysts (NYSSA).
Stephen Craffen 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
At Stonegate Wealth Management, our vision is to deliver the highest quality private wealth management services to our clients, in a fiduciary capacity. We go the extra mile to make sure our clients’ objectives are taken care of beyond their finances; we add our personal touch to every relationship our firm maintains. Our genuine desire to help individuals achieve their financial goals translates to excellent personalized service.
Highlights:
- Our primary objective is providing service that is always in our clients’ best interest.
- We are compensated on a fee-only basis, which means our only source of revenue is you, the client. We sell no products, and earn no commissions.
- Our recommendations are objective, unbiased, and research driven.
- We provide a full range of customized advisory and planning services, and strive for outstanding client satisfaction.
- Clients have full access to our extensive referral network.
- Our staff is highly qualified and frequently recognized at the national and local levels for its achievements.
- Stonegate Wealth Management is committed to pursuing continuous professional and personal growth.
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
- Professionals
Working Together
- In-Office Meetings
- Virtual Meetings
- Clearly Defined Fees
- No Product Sales
- Complimentary Initial Consultation
Professional Designations & Affiliations
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Stephen Craffen 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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Stephen Craffen 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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Stephen Craffen is a CFA® charterholderA Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA®) is a professional designation given by the CFA Institute. A CFA designation is a badge of distinction. It represents a deep knowledge of all things investing, a commitment to ethics, and a passion for always putting investors first. All of which make members unparalleled professionals who are fully engaged in raising the standards of the investment management industry.
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Stephen Craffen 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.
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Stephen Craffen is a Chartered Financial Consultant® (ChFC®)Chartered Financial Consultant® designations are granted upon completion of seven required courses and two elective courses. Those who earn the designation are understood to be knowledgeable in financial matters and to have the ability to provide sound advice.
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Stephen Craffen is Featured on Guidevine.com (Videos)
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Stephen Craffen, on the Need to Better Understand Risk
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Stephen Craffen is Quoted on NBC News
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Stephen Craffen is Quoted on NJ.com
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(12/4/17) Stephen C. Craffen has been elected chair of the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors with a one-year term starting Sept. 1, 2018
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Stephen Craffen is Featured on The Paladin Registry Blog: "New Codes and Standards Redefine Certified Financial Planner"
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Stephen Craffen is Interviewed in Financial Planning Magazine: "Is insurance ‘the wave of the future’ for advisors?"
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Stephen Craffen is Interviewed by MarketWatch: "These are the 3 big reasons you should use a financial adviser (and picking investments is not one of them)"
Contact Stephen Craffen
Office Locations:
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393 Ramapo Valley Rd
Oakland, NJ 07436 -
1990 Main Street, Suite 750
Sarasota, FL 34236