Princeton Financial Partners - RBC Wealth Management

Chad Goerner, CFP®, CIMA®, CRPS®, CSRIC®

Senior Vice President - Financial Advisor, Corporate Retirement Director, Senior Institutional Consultant

A nationally recognized leader in 401(k) and institutional consulting

For more than 20 years, Chad worked with corporations, endowments and foundations to design and fulfill their investment policy goals, mitigate fiduciary risk and optimize plan design for retirement plan participants. Chad oversees institutional client relationships for Princeton Financial Partners.

As a corporate retirement director with RBC Wealth Management, Chad continually looks to innovate and develop new strategies for optimizing corporate retirement plans. He is a member of the RBC Retirement Advisory Council, which provides the firm with insight into new trends and contributes to the development of new services, helping to chart the direction for the firm in institutional consulting.

He was recognized nationally by being named one of the Financial Times Top 401 Retirement Advisors in 2019 and 2020 and was selected as a Forbes Best-In-State Wealth Advisor in New Jersey for 2020, 2021 and 2023.

Chad earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in international affairs from The George Washington University. He has extensive knowledge of environmental, social and governance (ESG) investing. This focus culminated with his completion of the Chartered SRI Counselor certification from the College for Financial Planning in partnership with the US SIF, The Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment. The US SIF is the leading voice advancing sustainable, responsible and impact investing across all asset classes in the U.S. He also holds the Certified Investment Management Analyst®, Chartered Retirement Plans Specialist^SM, Certified Health Savings Advisor and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER^TM designations.

Chad is the former mayor of Princeton Township, New Jersey. In that role, he led the newly consolidated town of 30,000 residents through a complex merger with Princeton Borough—the first significant municipal government consolidation in the state in more than 100 years. He speaks several languages, including Dutch and French.

Michael Gara

Managing Director - Financial Advisor, Senior Portfolio Manager - Portfolio Focus

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Integrating investment strategy and communications for institutional clients

With more than 20 years of industry experience, Michael understands the importance of taking a well-rounded view in working with retirement plan clients, foundations and endowments. He takes the time to understand the dynamics of each institution and then works with the team to develop investment solutions, and, if applicable, communications programs to see that committees, trustees and participants understand the value and principles behind our approach.

For retirement plans, Michael’s background in psychology helps in understanding the importance of robust financial wellness programs for plan participants. Working with the plan’s recordkeeper and our team, he develops targeted education programs that aim to improve plan health metrics such as participant deferrals, investment diversification and managing debt levels. Each year, the communication plan is adjusted based on obtaining benchmark improvements and a new plan is put in place. We have found that this proactively contributes to long-term plan health and improves outcomes.

Michael was recognized by Barron’s as a Top 1,200 Financial Advisor for 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2023 and as a Forbes Best-In-State Wealth Advisor for New Jersey in 2021 and 2023.

He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in psychology from Dickinson College and also passed the Series 7 and 66 securities exams.

Michael actively supports organizations that assist veterans, at-risk children, and women working toward economic independence. He and his wife also support animal rescue organizations and have successfully placed more than 100 dogs into forever homes.

He also has extensive knowledge of the equine industry, as he formerly owned and operated a boarding and lesson facility. His daughter is an accomplished junior rider in all three riding disciplines: hunter, equitation and jumper. Michael’s family travels extensively to support their daughter on the show circuit, including spending winters in Wellington, Florida, where she trains.

<p>The 2021 Forbes "Best-In-State Wealth Advisors" award was announced February 2021. Data as of 6/30/2020. The award was developed by SHOOK Research and is based on in-person and telephone due diligence meetings to evaluate each advisor qualitatively, a major component of a ranking algorithm that includes: client retention, industry experience, review of compliance records, firm nominations; and quantitative criteria, including: assets under management and revenue generated for their firms. Investment performance is not a criterion because client objectives and risk tolerances vary, and advisors rarely have audited performance reports. Rankings are based on the opinions of SHOOK Research, LLC and not indicative of future performance or representative of any one client’s experience. Neither Forbes nor SHOOK Research receive compensation in exchange for placement on the ranking. The financial advisor does not pay a fee to be considered for or to receive this award. This award does not evaluate the quality of services provided to clients. This is not indicative of this financial advisor’s future performance. For more information: www.SHOOKresearch.com.</p>

<p>The 2023 Forbes "Best-In-State Wealth Advisors" award was announced April 2023. Data as of 6/30/2022. The award was developed by SHOOK Research and is based on in-person and telephone due diligence meetings to evaluate each advisor qualitatively, a major component of a ranking algorithm that includes: client retention, industry experience, review of compliance records, firm nominations; and quantitative criteria, including: assets under management and revenue generated for their firms. Investment performance is not a criterion because client objectives and risk tolerances vary, and advisors rarely have audited performance reports. Rankings are based on the opinions of SHOOK Research, LLC and not indicative of future performance or representative of any one client’s experience. Neither Forbes nor SHOOK Research receive compensation in exchange for placement on the ranking. The financial advisor does not pay a fee to be considered for or to receive this award. This award does not evaluate the quality of services provided to clients. This is not indicative of this financial advisor’s future performance. For more information: www.SHOOKresearch.com.</p>