Michael J. Hickey, CFP
President |
Michael J. Hickey is the founder of Albany Financial Planners and has served as the President of the firm since its formation as a sole proprietorship in early 1983 and its subsequent incorporation two years later. He offers more than three decades of experience as a business owner that began immediately upon his graduation at age 20 from Siena College in 1976. A member of the Financial Planning Association, he is licensed with the CFP Board of Standards and has been a Certified Financial Planner for over 20 years. He has frequently appeared in the local media to speak on a variety of financial planning topics.
Mr. Hickey personally supervises all of AFP’s investment management services. He provides comprehensive fee-only, financial advisory services to individuals and small businesses. In addition to offering retirement and estate planning services, he also acts as a consultant to several closely held family businesses. He provides “guidance for life’s financial transitions” including “New Wealth” clients who have received sudden wealth from an inheritance, legal settlement, lottery winnings or sale of a substantial asset.
His extensive record of volunteer leadership reflects Mike’s deep commitment to the community. He currently serves on the American Cancer Society’s Advisory Board for the Capital Region. He has been a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council for the School of Business at Siena College since its formation in 2000. Mike has been active in the Albany-Colonie Regional Chamber of Commerce where he served seven years on the Board of Directors. He is a past Chairman of the Capital Leadership Program and of the Environmental Task Force. After being appointed by New York’s Governor, he completed two terms on the Albany Port District Commission. Mike was also Chairman of a Countywide Task Force that helped bring progressive reforms to the local political process and became known as the “Hickey Commission”. A few years ago, he served as the Chairman of the Community Orientation Project. He has been an active volunteer in the development of youth leadership programs and as a coach in several youth sports. Mike has also served as a trustee of the church that he attends with his wife and their two sons.
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Donald W. Carman, Jr., CPA
Vice-President |
Donald W. Carman has been a Certified Public Accountant in the State of New York since 1979, having received both his Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Accounting from the University at Albany. In 1997, he was awarded a Certificate of Educational Achievement for Business Valuations by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. He worked in an Albany area CPA firm for 7 years before helping to incorporate AFP in November, 1984 and has served as a shareholder and officer of AFP since that time.
Mr. Carman personally supervises all of AFP’s tax planning and preparation services for individuals and small businesses. Estate planning and the preparation of estate, gift and fiduciary returns round out the tax related areas of his specialization. Planning for retirement, both for asset accumulation and distribution strategies, are critical areas that are seeing an increasing demand. In addition to working in general financial planning areas, he also works with clients in the financial aspects of divorce and business ownership transfers.
Over the years, Don has been active in the Albany-Colonie Regional Chamber of Commerce, previously serving on the Board of Directors and as a Chairman of the Small Business Council. He served on one of the Chamber’s community loan committees and is a graduate of the Capital Leadership program. He has been a featured speaker to civic, business and social groups in the area. He has served on the statewide Board of Directors for NY Special Olympics and is a past chair of that organization’s Financial Planning Committee.
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Lisa Hoessle joined AFP in March of 2000 bringing with her 15 years of experience as Assistant to the Controller of an Albany insurance firm. She is currently pursuing her Bachelors Degree with a concentration in Business Administration through Empire State College. Lisa, who is also a Notary Public, earned her Financial Paraplanner designation from the College for Financial Planning.
As Mr. Hickey’s executive assistant, Lisa works with him in providing investment management services and assists in the financial planning process. Her primary responsibilities involving the Investment Allocation Service include research, portfolio monitoring, coordination of transfers and investment transactions and preparation of IAS reports. Lisa organizes client data, inputs information for retirement and education projections, assists in the preparation of financial planning recommendations and works closely with many AFP clients providing service and assistance as needed.
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Gerry Murray has 25 years experience in the financial services industry during which he has been directly involved in banking, trust administration, brokerage and investment management. Among his duties at AFP is the direct responsibility for investment research and to oversee the trading execution for managed accounts. He works closely with Michael Hickey in monitoring and updating the portfolios that utilize our investment management services. Gerry has also provided valuable support in the financial planning area particularly in the areas of investment, retirement planning and insurance analysis since joining AFP in 2007.
Ashley Van Wyck returned to the Capital Region and joined AFP in February of 2005. She has more than five years experience working with two national financial service corporations, most recently as a retirement plan specialist for a large mutual fund company. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree from Boston University.
As Mr. Carman’s assistant, Ashley works with him in the financial planning process and assists in tax preparation. She organizes client data, inputs information for retirement, education and tax projections, assists in the preparation of financial planning recommendations and works closely with many AFP clients providing service and assistance as needed.
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Sara Block joined AFP in July 2007 after moving to the Albany area from Long Island. She graduated with a Bachelors of Arts degree from SUNY Oneonta in May 2006. She previously worked for a Long Island based personnel staffing firm. Sara’s primary responsibilities are billing and other internal bookkeeping functions. She provides administrative support to other members of the staff and also assists in the processing and tracking of tax returns.
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Judy Fargione, who joined the firm in December of 2007, is the person you will usually speak with first when you contact AFP. She assists with the preparation of internal documents, client forms and applications along with providing valuable support in the general office administration. Judy’s strong organizational skills provide helpful assistance to the entire staff.
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The full-time staff of AFP is complemented by experienced seasonal or part-time staff. For example, there are several seasonal tax preparers who have worked with AFP for over a decade and have an average of 15 years of tax preparation experience.
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We have created an environment for the entire AFP staff that is supportive and encourages professional & personal growth so that our advice is current, understandable, accurate and valuable. For anyone interested in submitting a resume for potential employment with AFP, please mail directly to Albany Financial Planners, Inc., 3 Atrium Drive, Suite 265, Albany, NY 12205. |