Marta L. Shen, JD, CPA, CFP®, AIF®
Financial Consultant
marta@springstreetfinancial.com
Marta was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where her native Taiwanese parents named her the Spanish variation of Martha so that she could assimilate into the South American culture. Later, in 1971, with the encouragement and help from her Uncle, her parents immigrated to the U.S. and settled in New York City's Spanish Harlem. One of the proudest moments Marta can remember came in 1979, when she became a U.S. citizen.
The first member of her family to attend an institution of higher education, Marta was awarded a scholarship to Bernard Baruch College. Following graduation Marta began working at a CPA firm, while pursuing a legal career at St. John's Law School. After completing her Juris Doctor (JD), she relocated to Atlanta, Georgia, where she worked as an accountant, auditing a variety of clients.
Another career move took Marta back to New York City, where she worked as an errors and omissions claims attorney and was soon promoted to claims director for American International Group (AIG). After some time, Marta began to miss the warm climate and warm people of Atlanta and answered a recruitment posting for American Express Financial Advisors in 1996, just in time for the Atlanta Olympic Summer Games.
Marta's professional background as a Certified Public Accountant, Attorney, and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERTM professional help provide a deeper appreciation of the complexity of a client's financial framework. Tax planning is critical in this framework, as it is not what you earn, but what you keep and utilize wisely, that matters. Financial planning is analogous to solving a puzzle. The question to be answered is, "How do you balance your resources and your desires to live a full life?" The key is really listening to clients and, together, devising a game plan they can live with that honors what they are seeking—being on track for a secure retirement, buying a second home, taking care of parents, planning a career change, or any other goals that make life meaningful and rich. Guiding clients to make decisions that improve their financial well being and seeing the positive result is satisfying and rewarding.
One thing that differentiates Marta from many other financial consultants, on the consulting side, is the experience she has with real estate investment analysis. In addition to reviewing real estate investments in terms of portfolio allocation, she has a personal passion for real estate investing and is a member of the Georgia Real Estate Investors Association (GAREIA).
Marta is also an adjunct instructor and teaches Tax Planning at the Certified Financial Planner program at Oglethorpe University.
When she is not working with her clients, she loves spending time with her two young sons Matthew and Richard. Following in the footsteps of her Kung Fu master and grandfather, Marta holds her brown belt in karate, with a goal of one day achieving her black belt. She also enjoys cooking and likes to unwind with The Food Network. A personal goal is to take gourmet cooking classes in France. Marta's long-term personal goals include being able to take care of her parents financially for the rest of their days and to go on a long road trip through the United States in a Class A motor home.
Marta holds her Juris Doctor (JD), Certified Public Accountant (CPA), CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERTM professional certification; as well as Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) Series 7 and Series 66 securities registrations; and her Life, Health, and Variable Insurance licenses in Alabama, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Washington.
Degrees - B.B.A., 1988, Accounting/Philosophy, Bernard Baruch College, CUNY
- Juris Doctor, 1991, St. John's University School of Law
- CPA, Certified Public Accountant
- CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERTM professional
- AIF® , Accredited Investment Fiduciary®
Business Experience - 2005 - Present, Financial Consultant, Spring Street Financial, a financial advisory practice of Commonwealth Financial Network, Atlanta, Georgia
- 1997 - 2005, Senior Financial Advisor, American Express Financial Advisors, Inc., Atlanta, Georgia
- 1994 - 1997, Claims Director, E & O Division, American International Group, New York, New York
- 1992 - 1994, Audit Manager, Martin Harps Syphoe, CPA's Atlanta, Georgia
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