I am an experienced Certified Divorce Financial Analyst® (CDFA) and Certified Public Accountant (CPA*) and find great value in the work I do helping clients with divorce financial planning, tax analysis, retirement planning, and investment management strategies.  I serve clients in Boston, the North Shore, Merrimack Valley and Route 128 areas of Massachusetts as well as in New Hampshire, Connecticut, Florida and multiple other states.

With a prior background in psychology and counseling and 30 years of experience in financial services, my passion lies in helping individuals navigate major life transitions with clarity, confidence and compassion.  I am particularly dedicated to helping clients with complex financial and emotional challenges prepare for and recover from divorce.

As an experienced Wealth Manager and Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) and fiduciary,  I am proud to say that with the support of my entire team, I have received the annual Five Star Wealth Manager award since 2017.¹

As a comprehensive divorce financial planner my services include (but are not limited to) asset and debt division analysis, financial scenario modeling, budgeting and cash flow analysis, spousal and child support analysis, tax optimization strategies, retirement and pension valuation analysis, divorce recovery, and particular considerations for those clients going through high and ultra-high net-worth divorce.

I am a proud member of the IDFA, the Association of Divorce Financial Planners (ADFP), the International Association of Collaborative Professionals (IACP), and The Mass Collaborative Law Council (MCLC).  I hold a BA from Trinity College, Connecticut, and an MBA from California State University.  I am committed to my community, serving as the former treasurer and a board member of the Reading Rotary Club, Reading Burbank YMCA, St. John’s Preparatory High School, and various organizations in our area.  In my free time, I most enjoy making memories with family, and fundraising for charity by running in the Boston Marathon.

To schedule a complimentary initial meeting and learn more about my practice, https://www.janiceberner.com/

 

*Licensed, not practicing

¹ This award was issued on 02/01/2025 by Five Star Professional (FSP) for the time period 04/10/2024 through 10/31/2024. Fee paid for use of marketing materials. Self-completed questionnaire was used for rating. This rating is not related to the quality of the investment advice and based solely on the disclosed criteria. 4671 Boston-area wealth managers were considered for the award; 528 (11 % of candidates) were named 2025 Five Star Wealth Managers. The following prior year statistics use this format: YEAR: # Considered, # Winners, % of candidates, Issued Date, Research Period. 2024: 4,421, 580, 13%, 2/1/24, 4/10/23 - 10/31/23; 2023: 3,923, 578, 15%, 2/1/23, 5/23/22 - 1/6/23; 2022: 4090, 513, 13%, 2/1/22, 5/24/21 - 11/19/21; 2021: 4069, 480, 12%, 2/1/21, 5/25/20 - 11/30/20; 2020: 3580, 463, 13%, 2/1/20, 4/1/19 - 12/13/19; 2019: 3619, 566, 16%, 1/1/19, 4/18/18 - 11/6/18; 2018: 2819, 532, 19%, 1/1/18, 3/23/17 - 11/10/17; 2017: 2467, 623, 25%, 12/1/16, 3/26/16 - 11/23/16. Wealth managers do not pay a fee to be considered or placed on the final list of Five Star Wealth Managers. The award is based on 10 objective criteria. Eligibility criteria – required: 1. Credentialed as a registered investment adviser (RIA) or a registered investment adviser representative; 2. Actively licensed as a RIA or as a principal of a registered investment adviser firm for a minimum of 5 years; 3. Favorable regulatory and complaint history review (As defined by FSP, the wealth manager has not; A. Been subject to a regulatory action that resulted in a license being suspended or revoked, or payment of a fine; B. Had more than a total of three settled or pending complaints filed against them and/or a total of five settled, pending, dismissed or denied complaints with any regulatory authority or FSP’s consumer complaint process. Unfavorable feedback may have been discovered through a check of complaints registered with a regulatory authority or complaints registered through FSP’s consumer complaint process; feedback may not be representative of any one client’s experience; C. Individually contributed to a financial settlement of a customer complaint; D. Filed for personal bankruptcy within the past 11 years; E. Been terminated from a financial services firm within the past 11 years; F. Been convicted of a felony); 4. Fulfilled their firm review based on internal standards; 5. Accepting new clients. Evaluation criteria – considered: 6. One-year client retention rate; 7. Five-year client retention rate; 8. Non-institutional discretionary and/or non-discretionary client assets administered; 9. Number of client households served; 10. Education and professional designations. FSP does not evaluate quality of services provided to clients. The award is not indicative of the wealth manager’s future performance. Wealth managers may or may not use discretion in their practice and therefore may not manage their clients’ assets. The inclusion of a wealth manager on the Five Star Wealth Manager list should not be construed as an endorsement of the wealth manager by FSP or this publication. Working with a Five Star Wealth Manager or any wealth manager is no guarantee as to future investment success, nor is there any guarantee that the selected wealth managers will be awarded this accomplishment by FSP in the future.