BIOGRAPHY

KAREN P. SCHAEFFER, CFP

Karen P. Schaeffer is President and Co-founder of Schaeffer Financial, a financial consulting firm in suburban Washington, D.C.  She has been advising clients for over twenty years and has developed a diverse client base including professional women, Foreign Service Officers, foreign nationals and physicians.  She is also vice-president of Financial Services Advisory, an asset management firm specializing in no-load mutual funds.

In addition to her financial planning practice, Karen is a popular lecturer and seminar leader.  She has conducted programs on a wide variety of topics, from minimizing estate taxes to developing investment strategies, to planning for retirement.  Some of the organizations that have drawn on her expertise include The World Bank, the Department the Treasury, the International Monetary Fund, the Department of State, Westinghouse Corporation and Bankers’ Trust.

Karen earned the Certified Financial Planner designation, and holds health and life insurance licenses.  She is a member of the Board of Governors of the Certified Financial Planners Board of Standards.  She also serves on the Board of Montgomery County Hospice Society and is a Trustee of the Academy of the Holy Cross.  She is a member of the Financial Planning Association and the Estate Planning Council of Washington, D.C.  Karen received her Bachelor’s degree from Grand Valley State University in Michigan.  She has held adjunct faculty positions with the College for Financial Planning in Denver and George Washington University in Washington, D.C.  Karen is often asked to design and teach continuing education courses for CFPs, CPAs and other financial services professionals. 

Karen’s publishing credits include articles in Business Review, Best’s Review, and the Financial Planning Encyclopedia.  She has been quoted in The Wall Street Journal, the New York Times and Money Magazine and has appeared on many radio and television programs including the Wall Street Journal Review, a syndicated television program.