Expert guidance on your path to Financial Freedom

Our fee-only, advice-only comprehensive financial planning services are designed to help you achieve the life you dream about.

Our Approach

We are here to empower you to take control of your financial future. Our virtual, advice-only financial planning puts you first. No product sales, no commissions, no asset management. Just personalized financial advice and education for every aspect of your financial life.


Why Curious Crow?

Curious

Our curious, non-judgmental approach helps us uncover valuable insights, allowing us to craft financial strategies that truly align with our clients’ aspirations. We encourage our clients to stay curious by asking questions, challenging conventional thinking, and exploring new possibilities.

Crow

The crow symbolizes intelligence, adaptability, and resourcefulness. These are qualities we strive to instill in our clients through personalized education and advice. Our goal is to help our clients develop the skills necessary to navigate life’s financial challenges with confidence.

Meet Ashley Rittershaus, CFP® (she/her)

Hi, I’m Ashley!

I am an advice-only financial planner who is passionate about helping people feel less stressed and more confident managing their money. Whether you’re interested in retiring early, making work optional, taking a sabbatical, working less, changing careers, starting a business, or anything else, let’s develop a plan to make it happen!

Affiliations

FAQs

  • Just about anyone can call themselves a “financial advisor” or “financial planner.” That title does not mean they have comprehensive financial planning knowledge and it does not mean that they’re required to act in the best interest of their clients.

    By working with a CFP® Professional, you can be assured that they:

    1. Completed the education requirement, which includes: investment planning, tax planning, retirement planning, estate planning, and insurance planning.

    2. Passed the rigorous CFP® exam, which tests financial planning knowledge and the ability to apply that knowledge to real scenarios.

    3. Obtained at least 2 years of experience providing financial planning services.

    4. Committed to follow the CFP Board’s code of ethics and standards.

    5. Must complete at least 30 hours of continuing education every two years.

    Learn more about what differentiates CFP® professionals on the CFP Board’s website.

  • We are a fee-only financial planning firm, which means our only source of compensation is from the fees our clients pay us. We do not sell products or receive any commissions. We believe this fee structure reduces potential conflicts of interest, by removing the incentive to recommend financial products that earn a commission for the advisor.

    When selecting a financial advisor, make sure you fully understand all the ways the advisor is compensated, and be aware of any potential conflicts of interest that may exist.

  • We are an advice-only financial planning firm, which means we do not offer investment management services or charge AUM (assets under management) fees. Advice-only advisors typically still provide investment advice as part of their overall financial planning services.

    Working with an advice-only advisor can be a great option for clients who prefer to continue managing their assets themselves, rather than delegating asset management to an advisor. For these types of clients, working with an advice-only advisor may further reduce potential conflicts of interest, since the advisor’s compensation is not tied to the size of the client’s portfolio.

  • Yes, as a CFP® professional, I have a fiduciary duty to act in the best interest of my clients at all times when providing financial advice.

    CFP® professionals must:

    1. Act with honesty, integrity, competence, and diligence.

    2. Act in the client’s best interests.

    3. Exercise due care.

    4. Avoid or disclose and manage conflicts of interest.

    5. Maintain the confidentiality and protect the privacy of client information.

    6. Act in a manner that reflects positively on the financial planning profession and CFP® certification.

  • Nope! We’re based in the Greater Boston area, but we’re a 100% virtual firm. We conduct meetings over Zoom, which allows us the flexibility to work with clients anywhere in the United States.

    1. Your asset allocation needs to be aligned with your risk tolerance, goals, and time horizon.

    2. Diversify globally.

    3. Utilize low-cost index funds and ETFs.

    4. Rebalance occasionally, as needed to keep your asset allocation in line.

    5. Don’t let your emotions drive your investment decisions.

    6. When your portfolio value drops (and trust me it will), keep a long-term perspective and stick to the plan.

    7. Minimize taxes (but not at the expense of any of the items above).

Take the first step today.

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