Jim King
CPA, CFP^®
Principal
E-mail

Jim King loves learning about his clients’ lives – especially their families. “My family is the most important thing in the world to me, and I treat my clients’ families as if they were my own.”

 

Getting to know his clients on a personal level gives Jim the insight he needs to understand what they want to accomplish and to build a financial plan that will get them there.

 

That close relationship also allows him to have the honest, difficult conversations that are often necessary as clients navigate tough financial decisions. Jim helps his clients examine their priorities, such as financial independence, as well as the lifestyle changes that might be necessary to make those goals a reality, such as cutting back on expenses or delaying retirement.

 

Jim understands that making these choices is a highly emotional process, and nowhere are financial decisions as fraught with emotion as in a family business. Jim often acts as an objective sounding board for families, helping them maintain their focus on long-term financial goals even when emotions run high. “I’ve got to understand what the client truly wants, and make sure he or she is thinking everything through.”

 

With a background in public accounting, consulting and teaching, Jim has the technical expertise and communication skills to explain complex tax, investment and wealth-management concepts in a way that makes sense to his clients and allows them to make decisions that are right for them. Teaching tax-planning courses for the Northwestern University School of Continuing Studies CFP Program gave him an educator’s mindset that allows him to recognize when clients need help understanding their financial options.

 

Before joining BDF, Jim built his knowledge of tax-planning concepts as a public accountant with a Chicago-area CPA firm. Prior to that, he was with KPMG Peat Marwick, where he consulted with clients on business process improvements. Today, Jim brings his tax and business-process expertise to bear as a member of BDF’s Investment Committee, which oversees investment policy and identifies opportunities to maximize the tax-efficiency of clients’ portfolios.

 

Jim has been recognized as one of the top financial planners in Chicago and nationally. Chicago Magazine named him among its 2011 “Five Star Wealth Managers,” and Dental Practice Report named him one of the “2011 Best Financial Advisers for Dentists.” He has contributed his financial planning insights to trade publications such as Investment News and Financial Planning magazine.

 

A Certified Public Accountant and Certified Financial Planner™, Jim earned a BA in Accounting and Finance from Augustana College in 1999. When he’s not working, you can usually find Jim coaching the soccer or basketball teams of one of his four children or cheering them on from the stands.

 

To work with an enthusiastic, passionate advisor who knows how to integrate your personal and financial goals, call Jim today at (630) 875-4909.