Steven B. Goldstein

Steven B. Goldstein, CFP®, CRPC®, RICP®

Vice President

Hometown: New York, NY

States Licensed: GA, NY, NJ, CA, MO, NC, PA

I am originally from New York City – born and raised in the Bronx. I went to college and graduate school in upstate NY, returned to NYC, got married, and moved to the suburbs. After a short stint in publishing, I held various corporate financial planning and analysis staff and management positions over several years with a Fortune 500 telecommunications company.

My last position brought me to the Atlanta, GA metro area.  With my wife, Beth, and our two young children, we settled in Alpharetta, GA.  Despite moving steadily up the corporate ladder, I knew deep down that it was not how I wanted to spend my entire career.

I began my career in financial services in 2002. My first position was as an employee financial advisor with a large, well-known corporate firm. I took a liking to the personal financial planning profession right away. I was doing something that felt more meaningful, and my finance background helped me learn quickly.

Although I felt good about the knowledge I was gaining on my own, I took the time to earn my CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER (CFP®) designation in 2006 to make sure I knew what I was doing.

I joined what is now Blank Slate Financial in December 2008 as an independent affiliate shortly after the firm was founded as oXYGen Financial.  I had previously worked with the two founders, admired their leadership, and believed in the mission they envisioned for the firm.

After about a decade working with people with all types of financial issues and concerns, I decided to focus my practice on retirement income planning, mainly working with individuals and couples in their mid-50’s and up whose main concerns relate to when they will be able to retire and how they will handle the financial matters they will face during retirement.

The mission of my practice became and continues to be helping my clients feel confident that, when they are living in retirement, their needs are taken care of, so they can truly enjoy the later chapters of their lives.

To further my knowledge and demonstrate my commitment to my newly chosen specialty, I enrolled in the Retirement Income Certified Professional (RICP®) program, a brand-new offering from the American College of Financial Services and was one of the first recipients of the RICP® designation in 2013.

Now in my 24th year in this business, I feel a deep sense of commitment to my clients and have no intention of retiring anytime soon. My children now have families of their own. I have three young grandsons, with another one on the way. I feel very fortunate to have a great family and to be doing work that I really enjoy.

When I am not working, I enjoy playing classic rock and blues guitar, exercising regularly, watching my favorite sports teams, and tackling do-it-yourself home projects. I think I am a pretty good handyman, but I have to admit I am merely a mediocre guitar player.