Ira H. Mandel CDFA™, CRPC®, MBA, MS

Overview: Ira H. Mandel has 30 years of experience solving financial problems including extensive experience with major Wall Street firms and through earning a Harvard Business School MBA.  Ira also has extensive experience negotiating and resolving conflicts.

As a member of the Institute for Divorce Financial Analysts, Ira is specially trained and a certified specialist in divorce financial analysis (CDFA™).  Ira acts as a divorce financial analyst before, during or after divorce to a spouse, their divorce attorney and/or mediator, or as a financial neutral to a couple.

Ira is also specially trained to be a divorce mediator and a financial neutral to a couple in a collaborative divorce.

In addition to Ira’s specialized divorce and mediation experience, Ira brings broad financial experience that further assists his clients. His experience includes financial planning/wealth management; retirement plans; insurance; real estate & mortgages (both residential and investment property); and, financial and valuation experience of family businesses and larger companies.

The depth and breadth of Ira’s financial experience, licenses, certifications, training and education are significant attributes that distinguish him from other financial advisors and divorce financial analysts.

Education: M.B.A. Harvard Business School; M.S. Columbia University; B.A. Vassar College.

Certifications: CDFA™ Certified Divorce Financial Analyst;  CRPC® Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor; and, member of a Registered Investment Advisor (the highest fiduciary standard in the industry).

Professional Experience: Wealth Management Advisers LLC, a Registered Investment Advisor; Merrill Lynch Wealth Management; Lehman Brothers (Real Estate); and, Smith Barney (Investment Banking in Corporate Finance).

Summary and Licenses: Ira’s work experience / licenses / certifications deal with the main assets an individual might own including a home, mutual funds, stocks, bonds, pension, 401(k), 403(b), IRAs, insurance {life, disability, long term care, annuities} and, in some cases, a business and/or investment real estate:

Divorce:

• CDFA™ Certified Divorce Financial Analyst;
• Trained Divorce Mediator (including advanced training) in accordance with the requirements of the Academy of Professional Family Mediators. Ira’s divorce mediation training has also been approved by both the New York State Continuing Legal Education Board and by the Association for Conflict Resolution.
• Trained Collaborative Divorce Professional (as a Financial Neutral) in accordance with the requirements of the NY Association of Collaborative Professionals;
• Member, the Institute for Divorce Financial Analysts; the Association of Divorce Financial Professionals; and, the Family & Divorce Mediation Council of Greater New York.

 

Retirement and Financial Planning:

• CRPC® Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor for both companies and individuals;
• Ira’s strategic relationship with a prominent law firm will enable a client to receive a custom designed retirement plan that will maximize plan contributions, while simultaneously reducing their taxes and allowing their contribution to grow tax deferred.

 

Securities & Investment Management:

• Member, Registered Investment Advisory Firm;
• Securities Series 7 (General Securities Advisor);
• Securities Series 66 (Investment Advisor).

 

Insurance:

• NY State Insurance License (life, buy-sell, disability, long-term care and annuities).

 

Real Estate:

• NY State Real Estate Brokerage License.

 

In summary, Ira’s ability to craft custom solutions to a client’s issues is based on his people skills, strong technical and analytical skills, financial acumen, problem solving skills, mediation skills, negotiating skills, creativity, judgment and his ability to think ‘out of the box’.