About Us
About Us
Focusing on the Big Picture
Professional Planning Associates is a full-service financial planning and benefits firm offering a high degree of experience and creative strategies to help preserve your assets, grow your business, and build a foundation for your future.
PPA offers flexible solutions, combined with in-depth personalized service and a holistic mindset. The result is a flexible, uniquely tailored plan that supports your current and future goals and positions you for success.

Our Roots
Bernie Waters launched Professional Planning Associates in 1953 as a life insurance company. An early pioneer in financial planning, Bernie supported a holistic approach, stressing the importance of client relationships.
Over the years, Bernie's family joined the business, helping it grow into a financial planning and employee benefits firms. All along, PPA's foundation focused on treating clients like family and positioning them for success.
Bernie passed away in 2018, but his legacy lives on through PPA's philosophy, responsiveness, and knowledge.

Where We Are Today
PPA focuses on providing comprehensive business and individual financial and insurance services. Our team of trusted advisors has the experience, education, and certifications, which help them provide strong recommendations and advice.
The PPA team is also dedicated to honoring Bernie's legacy of responsiveness, care, and creativity, treating each client like family.

How This Helps You
The foundation built by Bernie and maintained over the years allows us to work with you on developing a holistic plan, one that provides a complete picture of your current financial or business circumstances. This information helps you make the right decisions to meet your goals and realize your dreams.
Our process also rests on our knowledge of investments, as well as a macro approach – taking into account the economy, current political situations, and markets. The result is a strategy to proserve your assets and wealth for today, and to pass on your legacy to future generations.
A Proven Path to Reach Your Goals
Step One: Where You Are
Our process starts with a no-obligation, information-gathering meeting, where we learn about your life, your family, your business, your goals and plans. We also gather information about your current financial strategies and programs.
Step Two: What You Want
With your current information in hand, we create your uniquely tailored plan that offers financial product and service recommendations to help you meet your goals.
Step Three: Putting it to Work
Once your tailored plan is completed, we work with you to implement it. This involves establishing a time frame to meet your goals, meeting with your attorneys and accountants, and preparing the necessary documents.
Step Four: Ongoing Assessments
Once your plan is in place, we're still not done. We continue to monitor your holdings and assets, providing quarterly reviews, and annual assessments. If challenges arise, we respond quickly to your needs, crafting a plan that addresses your unique situation.
No system or financial planning strategy can guarantee future results.
Our Core Values
Experience & Knowledge
We're committed to continued education and the holistic, time-test principles our founder, Bernard Waters, built PPA upon in 1953.
Responsive & Right-Sized
We offer more services and support than smaller firms, yet we're small enough to offer personal attention at scale for all our clients need.
Flexible & Creative
Clients can expect strong recommendations from us in addition to alternatives and creative approaches to solutions that fit their unique goals and desires.
Passionate & Caring
We're passionate about caring for our team and clients like family because we know it allows us to provide and execute the best financial advice.
Want to Know Your Risk Number?
A 5-minute questionnaire covers topics such as portfolio size and top financial goals, while showing real dollar amounts of how much you are willing to risk for potential gains. Once complete, you will have a personalized Risk Number®. It's fast, free and displays your number instantly.
Our Financial Partners
Parent Company: Cetera Financial Group
Our Custodian: Pershing
Our Services
PPA helps you pursue your financial goals through a wide range of creative strategies designed to preserve your assets, grow your business, and help plan your ideal future.
Our Approach
We position you for success by regularly monitoring your plan and adapting to new and changing environments. We rely on a flexible philosophy, holistic mindset, and personalized service.
Our Team
PPA advisors have in-depth experience with life, health and disability programs, as well as pension, estate, and investment planning services.