Achieve Financial Peace

Personal finance blogger of Answers About Wealth ™, Martin A. Smith is also the Founder and President of Wealthcare Financial Group, Inc. ™ a retirement planning and investment management firm that is committed to providing each client with values-based advice and custom-tailored service. The need for prudent guidance and high-quality service is also the basis for his business philosophy; "How much better it is to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver!" (Proverbs 16:16, NASB) In addition to being a personal finance blogger, Martin is a 20+ year expert in the financial services industry and specializes in Retirement Planning, investment management, and fiduciary consulting.

To serve the unique needs of high net worth individuals and family offices with more breadth and depth than what is traditionally offered by wealth management firms, Martin has completed a Master’s Degree in Commercial Real Estate Finance at Georgetown University. He has also completed several financial planning designations, the Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF ®) and Accredited Fiduciary Analyst (AIFA ®) designations, as administered by Fiduciary360 and awarded by the Centre for Fiduciary Studies (CEFEX).

In addition, Martin has earned the Retirement Planning Specialist (RPS ®) certification, upon completion of the "AT RETIREMENT ®" coursework; an educational program that was jointly sponsored by The Executive Education Department of The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and AXA Equitable, Inc. He has also earned the Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor (CRPC ®) designation from the College for Financial Planning in Denver, CO.

Martin makes regular media appearances, having been a guest on News Channel 8, NBC Universal Channel 4, WTOP Radio News & Business and CBS Radio. He has also been invited to teach a series of financial management educational seminars for the NBA Development League. Martin A. Smith earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Legal Communications, from Howard University in 1992. He later joined A.G. Edwards & Sons as a Financial Advisor where he was promoted to the position of Assistant Branch Manager. Martin splits his time between the Washington, DC and Atlanta Metro area where he is actively hiring and training new financial advisors, as well as recruiting new investment firms to join the Wealthcare Financial Group, Inc. family of firms. He and his wife, Walida have seven children.

At an early age, John knew that his purpose in life was to serve others. His passion for service inspired him to serve in the United States Navy. Another passion that John had as early as eight year old was studying the business section of the newspaper, which led to his intrigue in finance, i.e. "stocks and bonds." As his knowledge of the stock market and economy grew, so did his interest in educating others about personal finance. Since "service" was already a core value of John's, as career in the financial services industry was a logical and natural fit for him. He relishes being able to pursue his interests in security and technical analysis, economics and portfolio construction for his clients, while also providing much needed financial literacy support others. John is active in his local church, he is a father of five, he has two adult daughters, a son and two beautiful adopted daughters. He and his wife Valerie live in Frederick, Maryland.

Tariq A Khan, founder of Hisaab Capital, a wealth management and financial planning firm, brings years of experience in capital management, risk assessment, and specialized trading strategies. Additionally, as trusted partner at Wealthcare, Tariq has expanded firm growth opportunities by leveraging digital technology on behalf of clients, new on-boarding advisers ultimately providing the most technology forward solutions in an rapidly evolving industry.

Sean earned his Bachelor of Business Administration Degree in Finance from Howard University in 1987. He has spent over 30 years in commercial banking, with an emphasis in consumer and small business lending. Sean advocates for greater financial education within social and faith-based organizations in the metro DC area, and he teaches and works with a variety of non-profit organizations to promote financial literacy.

Over the course of his career, Sean has seen the powerful impact financial literacy has in elevating individuals and families from poverty to prosperity. He is passionate about helping people learn to effectively handle money, credit, debt and risk. He has worked diligently to help create empowered communities while building individuals’ financial dignity. Real financial dignity allows everyone the opportunity to be self-sufficient, with the fundamentals to build their own businesses, buy homes, increase credit, and make better investment decisions.

As an advisor with Wealthcare, Christopher London has proven himself to be a polished professional who provides exceptional service to clients, in spheres both political and corporate. The possibilities of this role have not been lost on him, in that, he is not only able to create quality engagements for clients, but is also able to navigate their needs, add value, and create new opportunities. His customized value-added approach stems from his extensive experience in management, hospitality, and more than 16 years in finance.

As a Wealth Advisor, he has formerly been AAMS certified with the College of Financial Planning, A highly trained individual, he built his practice through creating long term relationships with clients, helping them establish financial strategies, manage risk, and select suitable investments to assist them in meeting both their long term as well as short term goals.

With more than 25 years of professional experience, Mr. London has maintained a sure commitment to serving others. This is seen through his many philanthropic endeavors. He has volunteered with such groups as NSAL and has done seminars/workshops and training for Capital One, Booz Allen, Fannie Mae, Howard University School of Medicine, the Maryland Department of Transportation, Sasha Bruce Youth Works, The Maryland Public School System, the National Capitol area YMCA, and the Economic Training and Development Institute of which he has received awards for his outstanding commitment and support of the community. Currently he serves on the board of the NICE foundation and teaches financial literacy pro-bono to students at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts.

Marcus is a Howard University alumnus, former Morgan Stanley Financial Advisor Associate, and licensed in annuities and life insurance. With over 20 years of experience in the field, Marcus has proven himself by winning the Rising Star Award and the 1st Place Customer Service Award before joining Wealthcare Financial Group, Inc. Armed with a wealth of knowledge, Marcus has presented over 100 wealth management educational seminars.

Marcus is committed to helping you with custom wealth-building strategies to quickly implement in your life, reach your financial goals, and protect your retirement nest egg. He and his team deliver solutions to high net worth clients, business owners, and small businesses. "The plans of the diligent lead to profit..." Proverbs 21:5 (NIV)

Outside of business, Marcus is a current SAG actor in productions like The Wire, VEEP, House Of Cards, SALT and Limited Partners. Marcus is a former U.S. Marine who served in Operation Desert Storm. He enjoys spending time with his lovely wife Eva, their precious baby girl and their pet dove, named Love.