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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

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

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

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.

Get Your Number

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. 

Explore Services

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 Approach

Our Team

PPA advisors have in-depth experience with life, health and disability programs, as well as pension, estate, and investment planning services. 

Meet The Team