10 Matthew Street, Lower Level | Goshen, NY 10924
© Great Path Financial Planning | Disclosures | Customer Relationship Summary
After graduating from West Point and serving in the US Army as an Infantry Officer, I decided my desire for high adventure and international travel had been fulfilled while leading a platoon on a combat tour in Iraq. While pondering what I should be when I grew up (after the Army), I knew I wanted to do two things: take care of people and work with numbers. In 2008 I began training to become a personal financial advisor, and I met with my first client in 2009 just after the bottom of the biggest financial crisis since the Great Depression. Since then, I earned an MBA with a Major in Personal Financial Planning, became a Certified Financial Planner ® practitioner and an Enrolled Agent with the Department of Treasury, and worked at several firms in advisory and private wealth management roles. I launched my own firm in 2016 with the intention that, with our comprehensive guidance, every client is on a Great Path to living a fulfilled life.
Through the course of my career I’ve developed an expertise in retirement income planning, and, as an entrepreneur myself, I have a very keen interest in helping fellow entrepreneurs and business owners be successful in their personal and business endeavors.
When I’m not doing financial planning, I enjoy the spending time with my wife, Elizabeth, and our two sons , Nathan and Alex. I also play keyboards and synthesizers, train my dogs, Goose and Ellie, cook for fun, and do a little woodworking.
Please feel free to learn more about our services or approach to financial planning, or schedule a free, no obligation introductory call to see if I can be of service to you.
For more details on my professional background, check out my LinkedIn Profile.
With a background in the nonprofit sector and raising my two daughters, making sure that everyone has what they need is core to who I am. As the Director of Client Care at Great Path, I get to do just that: I help clients follow up and implement Chris’ advice and assist with meeting and financial plan preparation. I enjoy being able to step in and facilitate tasks that are hard to tackle in our busy lives or that feel overwhelming.
Since starting with Great Path in 2019, I have learned that financial planning is not just about trusting someone to take the money you have and make more. When done correctly, financial planning is about taking the money you have and making it work for you to fund the life you want.
I graduated from Ursinus College with a BS in Biology, and use my life experience and understanding of living systems to keep things running smoothly behind the scenes. I have earned the Certified Financial Planner® designation to help in the development and implementation of financial plans.
Outside of work, I enjoy hiking, biking, reading, playing with our dog, Shelby, and spending time with my husband and two girls.
Ellie is a lovable labradoodle who joined the team through a local breeder and close friend of the Pollard family. Widely regarded as the calmest dog anyone has ever met, Ellie greets every guest with a warm bark, a wagging tail, and just the right amount of enthusiasm.
Once the greetings are done, she’s quick to settle into her secondary role as a four-legged therapist—offering quiet comfort, gentle presence, and persistent requests for head scratches during meetings. Her calming energy has become an invaluable part of the client experience at Great Path.
When she’s off duty, Ellie takes her in-office responsibilities very seriously: securing the office couch, expertly dismantling toys, and keeping the team entertained with her antics.
At home, she enjoys wrestling with her brother Goose (especially his legs) and perfecting the art of relaxation on the couch.
10 Matthew Street, Lower Level | Goshen, NY 10924
© Great Path Financial Planning | Disclosures | Customer Relationship Summary
Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the certification marks CFP®, Certified Financial Planner™ and federally registered CFP (with flame design) in the U.S., which it awards to individuals who successfully complete CFP Board’s initial and ongoing certification requirements. Semitam Bonam LLC d/b/a Great Path Planning (“Great Path”) is a registered investment adviser with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission offering advisory services in the State of New York and in other jurisdictions where exempted.Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. The presence of this website on the Internet shall not be directly or indirectly interpreted as a solicitation of investment advisory services to persons of another jurisdiction unless otherwise permitted by statute. All written content on this site is for information purposes only. Opinions expressed herein are solely those of Great Path, unless otherwise specifically cited.Material presented is believed to be from reliable sources and no representations are made by our firm as to another parties’ informational accuracy or completeness. All information or ideas provided should be discussed in detail with an advisor, accountant or legal counsel prior to implementation.