Our People
Carolyn Howard | Bob Miller | Susan W. Dickie | John Slupski | Susan Taverna McLaughlin | Karen F. Brown
Advisors
Carolyn graduated from the University of Kentucky in 1968 with a BS in Chemistry and from Boston University in 1971 with MEd in Science Education. She applied her education by teaching in public and private secondary schools for 17 years. In 1993, recognizing the need to resolve her own financial issues, Carolyn began studying all aspects of wealth management. Feeling that she had found her calling, she took her passion for teaching to the financial service industry.
Carolyn began her career in the field of financial services with the Equitable and initially utilized her education background to specialize as a retirement planning consultant for teachers and non-profit organizations. Prior to founding Pegaesus Advisors, Inc., Carolyn was co-founder and Director of Planning for Lexington Advisors, Inc.
In 2001, numerous circumstances were making it difficult for Carolyn’s clients to make financial decisions. It was then that she began collaborating with a highly recognized wealth counselor. This solution has been so successful that she was featured in the Boston Globe and was quoted in the Wall Street Journal. In addition, she has become a sought-after speaker for financial planning workshops and seminars, many of which she has authored.
Carolyn has volunteered in various community service organizations over the years and has taught retirement planning at Technical Development Corporation, a management institute serving non-profits in Boston and New England. She also is a continuing education instructor to CPAs, attorneys, and CFPs in Massachusetts. Carolyn is a member of the Financial Planning Association, American Academy of Estate Planners , American Association of Individual Investors, International Association of Registered Financial Consultants, Inc. and a member of the MIT Women’s League. Carolyn also provides pro bono work to patients and their families at Dana Farber through an alliance with the Financial Planning Association and Dana Farber Cancer Center.
Carolyn enjoys music, art, gardening, and swimming. She resided with her husband, Jack Howard for 40 years prior to his passing in July, 2008. She is the mother of two adult children, Courtenay and Jonathan.
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Bob Miller has been helping clients meet their financial goals for more than ten years.
Bob’s decades of extensive experience with Fortune 100 companies and as a small business owner made the financial planning field a natural next step. His diverse background is invaluable in relating to his many varied clients.
Recognizing early on the need for greater knowledge of the complexities of financial planning, Bob chose to become a Certified Financial Planner™. He believes that “the CFP® designation gives the public a sense of security, confident that the individual has tested knowledge and experience, and he or she adheres to a code of ethics.” Bob has been an instructor at Boston University, teaching Retirement and Employee Benefits to aspiring CFP® candidates and is currently an instructor at Northeastern University. “Teaching keeps me very current on changes in the laws and how to offer solid solutions to client’s concerns.”
Putting his clients’ needs first and foremost is the guiding principle that Bob never compromises. Because he doesn’t sell investments, his clients benefit from his clear-cut unbiased advice. Bob is especially interested in helping the planner during life transitions, such as changes in employment, marital status, and those planning retirement.
In addition to offering financial planning services to individuals and families directly, Bob is a financial planner for the nationwide Financial Finesse employee assistance program and an instructor for Lorman Education. He is a member of the Financial Planning Association.
Bob’s advice is frequently sought, and he has been quoted in numerous publications, including the newly published book "Beyond 401(k)s for Small Business Owners", authored by business attorney Jean Sifleet. He has been a presenter to national trade associations, on retirement and personal financial planning.
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Susan comes to Pegaesus Advisors after eleven years as an associate at Wingate Financial Group in Lexington. While at Wingate, Susan became a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER TM licensee, a client counselor for Wingate’s Registered Investment Advisor, a General Securities Representative with the National Association of Securities Dealers, and a Life, Health, and Disability Insurance Broker through the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. She is a member of the Boston Chapter of the Financial Planning Association of Massachusetts.
At Wingate Susan developed her own planning and investment practice, working with couples and individuals in all stages of life. Having some association with family law attorneys, Susan decided to complete a specialized education program in professional divorce planning. Her other professional interests include investment planning and management, college funding, retirement planning, elder care and estate planning and special financial needs of women.
Susan received her BA in Art History from the University of California in 1965. She then graduated from Columbia University Teachers College in 1971 with an emphasis in teaching History. For six years Susan taught 6th, 7th, and 8th graders social studies and French at a private school in Dedham. She then took a leave in 1978 in order to raise her family.
During this professional hiatus, Susan became aware of her own need for understanding more fully financial planning and investments concepts. While attending various seminars, her love for teaching reemerged, but this time for teaching financial planning to adults. This led to her receiving an MBA at Simmons Graduate School of Management in 1993. While at Simmons, Susan completed an internship at Trillium Asset Management, a firm that specializes in Socially Responsible Investing.
Susan is very involved in the Congregational Church of Weston, UCC. She is currently Moderator and has held numerous offices in her twenty-seven years at CCW. Broadening her church affiliation, Susan joined the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Congregational Fund in July of 2003, where she is currently Treasurer.
The mission of the MCF is to hold and manage the investments of UCC churches and affiliated organizations. The Massachusetts Congregational Fund is a socially responsible investor and so Susan’s experience at Trillium became a valuable asset.
Susan’s other associations include the League of Women Voters and the Weston/Wayland Interfaith Action Group. Susan resides in Weston and enjoys art, music, theatre, skiing, tennis and sailing. She is the mother of three adult children.
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John has over a decade of experience providing comprehensive and highly personalized financial and investment planning advice to individuals, families and charitable organizations. He joined Pegaesus Advisors so he could offer his clients a wide range of planning and investment services with a highly personal touch in a warm, friendly environment. Prior to joining Pegaesus, he was a financial planner with Wingate Financial Group for ten years. Before that, he spent eight years at Blue Cross / Blue Shield of Massachusetts, primarily in new product development.
John was drawn to financial planning by the opportunity it provides to help people achieve their life’s goals by making smarter decisions about their money. He found planning to be the perfect blend of his analytical and teaching skills with his desire to bring people peace of mind about their finances. He particularly enjoys helping his clients to sort through both the financial and personal aspects of different options they may be considering so that they can make well-informed decisions.
John received his MBA with high honors from Boston University in 2001. He graduated from Boston University cum laude in 1990 with a BA in Political Science and a BS in Journalism. His professional designations include Certified Financial Planner™ and Chartered Mutual Fund Counselor™.
He is an active member of the Boston chapter of the Financial Planning Association (FPA) and their Membership Committee. He is enrolled in an FPA program to provide financial planning advice to patients of the Dana Farber Cancer Center and their families.
John lives with his wife and two lively daughters. When time permits, he enjoys music, reading, playing tennis, softball and basketball, and rooting for the local sports teams.
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Susan has 18 years of financial planning experience guiding clients through retirement, estate, tax, risk management, education, stock options, and cash flow decisions. Her additional areas of interest include planning for special needs, widows/widowers, eldercare and long-term care, and untraditional couples. She has gained her experience by conducting research and providing advice to over 1,200 clients. Because of the diversity of her experience, she is accustomed to and enjoys working with a variety of clients.
She was drawn to this field because of her desire to teach and share her knowledge with people who needed financial guidance. She feels the most satisfaction when clients identify, and ultimately reach, their goals by her coaching them through the financial planning process. When a client finally feels confident enough to retire or when a mom or dad feels at rest knowing that the needed funds/strategy is in place to send their child to college, she knows she has made an impact.
Susan came to Pegaesus because she strongly shares the firm’s values and their philosophy that it is in the best interest of the client that financial planning precede investment allocation and selection decisions.
Prior to joining Pegaesus, Susan was providing financial planning consulting services to local wealth management firms. She was the Director of Financial Planning at Wingate Financial Group where she provided financial planning services to their high net worth clients, chaired the weekly financial planning committee meeting, and authored topical mailings to clients and professionals. She worked at MetLife as a Senior Case Consultant designing case solutions for advisors’ clients, teaching more than 100 classes to the sales force, and assisting in public relations efforts through media channels. She worked for Quant Funds as the Sales Manager where she worked closely with portfolio managers to gain a comprehensive understanding of the composition of a mutual fund. She started her career as a financial planner at American Express Financial Advisors where she built and managed a client base of more than 80 individuals and small businesses.
She currently holds her CFP® certification and Series 65 Registered Investment Advisor license. (She formerly held Series 7 and 63 securities licenses, as well as life, accident, and health insurance licenses). She is an active member of the Financial Planning Association of Massachusetts and has been asked to join their Public Relations Committee. Susan holds a B.S. from Assumption College.
Over the years, Susan has been honored to be a Special Olympics track and field coach, a member of The Brain Tumor Society’s Ride for Research Committee, and a supporter of the MSPCA and the House Rabbit Society.
Susan is married and enjoys running, yoga, cooking, traveling and attending to the needs of her house rabbit Touchdown. She is also an avid New England Patriots fan.
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Karen joined Pegaesus Advisors in November 2005 after 17 years in the banking industry. Karen worked at Fleet Bank where she served as Branch Operations Manager for 2 branches with 18 employees. Her duties at Fleet Bank included customer care, account maintenance, branch audits, branch staffing as well as a multitude of other duties. We feel very fortunate that Karen brings to Pegaesus Advisors her knowledge and enthusiasm.
Karen resides in Woburn, MA with her husband James and their three children, Lauren, Anthony and Matthew. Karen has volunteered as Woburn Pop Warner B Team Cheerleading Assistant Coach as well as teaching CCD at her Church.
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Carolyn Howard, CFP
Bob Miller,
CFP
SUSAN W. DICKIE, CFP
Susan Taverna Mclaughlin, CFP®
Karen F. Brown