Tell us a bit about yourself and your business.

Mary Beckett, CFP®, CRPC®, is a Wealth Management Advisor, Senior Vice President and Portfolio Manager for the Beckett Wealth Management Group of Merrill Lynch in Mount Laurel NJ.  In the financial services industry since 1983, Mary joined Merrill Lynch in 1992 and is an advocate for women’s financial empowerment and education.  She is a graduate of the University of Delaware with a degree in Finance and has an MBA in Finance from Temple University. Mary holds the Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor℠ designation and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification. The CFP® certification is awarded by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc.  Mary focuses on the pre- and post-retirement needs of individuals including estate planning services and asset management issues.  Mary with her husband and practice partner Mike have two adult sons and reside in Moorestown with their spoiled Bichon Poodle.  Mary’s hobbies include fitness, sea glass collecting at the beach, reading and spoiling the aforementioned family dog Bella.

Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the certification marks CFP^® and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER^TM in the U.S.

CRPC^® and Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor^SM are registered service marks of the College for Financial Planning

 Do you have a business tip or tool that has helped you in your business?

Running a wealth management practice requires strong organizational tools – both for the management of an extraordinary client experience and outcome but also the infrastructure of the team that makes that happen.  We use fine-tuned check lists to control the client experience and use strong role definition of what everyone is expected to “own & achieve” in their responsibilities.  Our clients can do business anywhere – we want it to be with us!

 Do you have a quote to share and inspire other members? 

“Put your oxygen mask on first” ~ Take care of yourself first – physically, mentally and financially.

 What is your go to business, mindset or productivity book that has helped you in your life and business that you’d like to share? 

A book that has had the most profound philosophical business and personal impact for me was Atul Gawande’s “Being Mortal”.  A close second was by the same author “The Checklist Manifesto” for support of my business tip above on checklists.  “Being Mortal” helped me grow as a Wealth Management Advisor not because of errors that can occur in medicine –but because life can be a fragile journey with uncertainties along the way.   We must plan for our financial futures while at the same time live for today.  That is I believe life’s challenge – and one in which I assist clients with every day.

Please tell us about your next upcoming business event so that we can share it with our members and followers.

I am excited to be sponsoring a program with NAWBO South Jersey Thursday evening November 1, 2018 at 5pm called “Women & Wealth: How to Conquer and Achieve Financial Empowerment”.   It is said over 60% of women prefer to talk about their own death than money – how can we change that?  What if we as women could invest in a way that changes the world for our children and grandchildren?  What are common investing mistakes women make?   I feel strongly that knowledge = power, let’s empower women to learn about the value of investing in their financial future and to develop a plan.  This is an event to bring friends, mothers, daughters and neighbors for a fun and educational night out. 

 To learn more and register for the program, “Women & Wealth: How to Conquer and Achieve Financial Empowerment”, please click on this link. 

https://www.nawbosouthjersey.org/2018/women-and-wealth/