Washington Wealth Group | Washington, DC
Meet Aaron
Aaron I. Brachman , CFP®, AAMS®, AIF®
Executive Managing Director, Wealth Manager
Aaron's Role
Aaron's primary role is to create client portfolios and generally oversee investing for the practice. He researches new investment opportunities, determines which options best suit clients' objectives, and monitors investment activity to ensure everything operates according to their financial plans. He continually looks for innovative ways to further his clients' goals, and he especially loves the challenge of examining unique and cutting-edge developments in the investment world. He also sits on the firm's New Product Committee, reviewing the practice's new products.
Aaron directs Washington Wealth Group's pro-bono efforts and founded their Next Generation Initiative, which focuses on teaching finance basics to emerging professionals and clients' children.
Advising Specialty
Raised by a single parent, Aaron witnessed the power of hard work and self-reliance throughout his childhood. His force-of-nature mother instilled the values and character that influence his work today, and he feels honored to work with passionate, driven individuals who possess that same character.
Many of Aaron's clients are creative entrepreneurs with a great vision and unique products, but desire help developing and implementing best-practice business strategies. Aaron has spent more than two decades serving a diverse group of highly successful families—many of which are composed of self-made entrepreneurs. Aaron has served as a formal strategic advisor to a number of businesses ranging from a $200,000 start-up to a $200,000,000 successful exit and is keenly aware of the planning opportunities that exist through the life-cycle of a business.
Industry Background & Education
Aaron entered the industry in 1999 as an intern to the Vice Chair of Ferris, Baker Watts, Inc. Upon graduating with a degree in finance from The George Washington University in 2002, he continued his professional journey with business partner Chris Detmer and The Washington Wealth Group at Ferris, Baker Watts, Inc. In 2006, he made history by becoming one of the youngest partners in the firm at age 26.
He is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, Accredited Asset Management Specialist (AAMS®), and Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF®).
Philanthropy
Aaron is a volunteer mentor for students at Year Up, a nonprofit that provides education, mentoring, and internship opportunities to at-risk youth. He and partner Chris Detmer received Year Up's Urban Empowerment Award for their continuous stewardship and community-based support within Year Up's National Capitol Region. Aaron is also passionate about social impact investing and is frequently interviewed by various media outlets.
Personal Life
Aaron leads an active lifestyle outside of work with his wife, son, and daughter. He is a runner and a lifelong fan of all things related to Philadelphia sports. He plays ball hockey and is a National Ball Hockey League (NBHL) strategic advisor. Much to his wife's chagrin, his free time is often spent researching Civil War history and macro-economic policy decisions.
Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the certification marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, CFP® (with plaque design) and CFP® (with flame design) in the U.S., which it awards to individuals who successfully complete CFP Board's initial and ongoing certification requirements.
Source: Forbes.com SHOOK considered advisors born in 1981 or later with a minimum 4 years as an advisor. Advisors have: built their own practices and lead their teams; joined teams and are viewed as future leadership; or a combination of both. Ranking algorithm is based on qualitative measures: telephone and in-person interviews, client retention, industry experience, credentials, review of compliance records, firm nominations; and quantitative criteria, such as: assets under management and revenue generated for their firms. Investment performance is not a criterion because client objectives and risk tolerances vary, and advisors rarely have audited performance reports. Rankings are based on the opinions of SHOOK Research, LLC, and are not indicative of future performance or representative of any one client's experience. Neither Steward Partners Investment Solutions, LLC nor its Welath Managers pay a fee to Forbes or SHOOK Research in exchange for the ranking. For more information, see www.SHOOKresearch.com.