John J. Higgins VI, CFP^®

Wealth Manager & Retirement Consultant

John Higgins has spent more than 30 years in financial services doing work that genuinely matters to him — helping people build a clear path to retirement and the confidence to walk it. As a Wealth Manager and Retirement Consultant, and an Investment Adviser Representative of Vanderbilt Financial Group, he provides comprehensive guidance across retirement planning, investment management and legacy planning.

John's approach is rooted in education. He believes clients make better decisions when they truly understand their options, and he takes the time to make sure they do. That means straight conversations, realistic expectations, and a relationship built on trust.

His career reflects a consistent thread: a commitment to working in his clients' best interest. John spent nearly 15 years as a financial adviser with Commonwealth Financial Network before joining Vanderbilt Financial Group — a move he made thoughtfully, after Commonwealth was acquired by LPL Financial. Before Commonwealth, he built his foundation at the Cowan Financial Group, a Mass Mutual agency, where he earned his Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) certification and his life and health insurance licenses. He also holds FINRA Series 7 and Series 24 registrations. At each step, John has sought out the environment where he could best serve his clients as an independent, fiduciary advisor.

John holds a BS in business administration with a minor in finance from Villanova University. He grew up in Westfield, New Jersey — a Blue Devil through and through, playing football and lacrosse at Westfield High School — and raised his four children in Bridgewater, where he coached and cheered his three sons through lacrosse, basketball, and football, and his daughter through volleyball.

When he's not with clients, you're likely to find John hiking, gardening, or out on the golf course. Early summer mornings, he's probably fishing at his place on Culver Lake. And like any good Jersey native, a trip to Long Beach Island has a way of resetting everything.

"We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give." — Winston Churchill

Kelly A. Kurtz, CPC, QPFC, QPA

Kelly has spent her career doing one thing exceptionally well — helping people feel confident about retirement. She works with both corporate plan sponsors and individual clients, bringing the same hands-on, follow-through approach to every relationship.

For plan sponsors, Kelly navigates the full complexity of 401(k) plan management — from regulatory requirements and enrollment to ongoing participant education. For individual clients, her focus is retirement income planning: helping people think through their options, set realistic expectations, and understand exactly what the process will look like. She's a resource, a sounding board, and a steady point of contact — someone who makes sure the right things happen at the right time.

Her background gives her an unusually complete picture of the retirement landscape. Before joining the firm in 2006, she designed retirement plans at a third-party administrator, managed accounts at a major 401(k) recordkeeper, and handled executive-level client service at a national electronics company. She holds the Certified Pension Consultant (CPC) designation — the highest credential conferred by the American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries — along with the Qualified Plan Financial Consultant (QPFC) and Qualified Pension Administrator (QPA).

Kelly grew up in North Arlington, NJ, and graduated from Montclair State University. She raised her two children in Readington, NJ cheering them on through years of lacrosse, cross-country, and track, and has since settled in Somerset County. These days she stays active with hiking and biking, and any chance to get the family together — preferably somewhere down the Shore — is time well spent.

"People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." — Theodore Roosevelt

Vanderbilt Financial Group

We have partnered with Vanderbilt Financial Group, a smaller, privately owned regional broker/dealer and registered investment adviser headquartered in Woodbury, NY. Vanderbilt has been servicing clients for more than 50 years and shares our commitment to personal relationships, community and client-focused service. To learn more about Vanderbilt Financial Group and their culture, please visit www.vanderbiltfg.com/about

Fidelity Investments

Our selection of Fidelity Investments clearing firm, National Financial Services, enables us to offer the solutions we need to meet your retirement goals. What Is a Custodian and a Clearing Firm? A custodian is a financial institution that has certain regulatory responsibilities for an investor's securities. A clearing firm handles, among other things, the execution, clearance, and settlement of transactions. When you're selecting your financial advisor, it's critical to consider who they use for custody and clearing. Investments that you entrust to our firm are placed in custody with Fidelity's clearing firm, NFS—one of the largest clearing providers in the industry.

Our Firm and Fidelity - Working Together for You Brochure

Guide to your Brokerage Account Brochure