June 20, 2014 Edition
Lawyer focuses on making investments last a lifetime
Financial Planning
By Susie Davidson
Special to The Advocate
Steven Joshua Samuel
When Steven Joshua Samuel began organizing a national network of estate planning attorneys for Met Life, a major national company based in New York, he was hit with a revelation.
“Between 1996 and 2002, I organized and helped attorneys and financial professionals integrate their work to better serve people’s needs,” he said from Samuel Financial LLC, his Dedhamcompany. “That experience led me to believe that the needs of middleclass families, including my own, are often as complex as those of the very wealthy.”
Samuel realized, however, that not many middle-class families had access to the same level of services – which he cited, for example, as integrated legal, financial and personal skills – as did the very wealthy.
That network, which Met Life called “Progressions,” was offered to employees of the client companies of Met’s group life insurance services. Although it attracted several thousand participants, the network was discontinued in 2002. Yet, the lessons Samuel took away from the experience stayed with him. He had practiced law, focusing mainly on estate planning and elder law, for more than 20 years, and had established a law firm currently operating as Samuel, Sayward and Baler LLC. But in 2003, he established Samuel Financial LLC, an independent financial advisory firm. According to Samuel, the company serves more than 200 families that have entrusted $95 million to the firm’s fee for service consultation practice.
Samuel, a child of Holocaust survivors, reported on the first Conference of Children of Survivors in Washington, D.C., for this newspaper many years ago. Their story, and their care, also played a large role in formulating their son’s approach to business.
“I had helped my parents with retirement, aging and illness (Samuel’s mother was afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease for 12 years) – and felt that experience and my knowledge of law and commitment to ethical standards would also be valuable to other families,” he told The Advocate.
At the beginning of World War II, Samuel’s parents were imprisoned in a forced labor camp near their home town of Bochnia, Poland, near Krakow. “They managed to escape and spent the remainder of the war in hiding in Hungary, he said. “My mother’s parents and seven of her eight siblings were not as lucky.” Two of his father’s four siblings met the same fate. After the war, his parents emigrated to Asuncion, Paraguay, where Samuel was born. The family relocated to New York, first to Flatbush and then to Washington Heights, where he spent his youth.
Following Yeshiva Soloveitchik elementary school, Samuel graduated Yeshiva University High School and obtained a bachelor’s degree from Yeshiva University. He went on to earn an M.B.A. degree from Columbia University Graduate School of Business and a J.D. from Columbia University School of Law. He continues to apply all aspects of his accomplished educational background to his practice.
According to its website, the company’s professional credentials in law, business, and financial planning also allow it to “serve individuals and families with investment and planning needs, as well as those with complex special needs, eldercare, business succession, and other legal, financial, and tax issues.” Samuel Financial specializes in 401(k) and other employee benefits for professional practices and small businesses. The company takes fiduciary responsibility for their work and is compensated by fee for service.
“Our firm and I serve over 200 families who are nearing, or in retirement, starting with how their investments can last their lifetimes and then supporting the family’s other goals,” said Samuel. “Families with complex legal, financial and personal issues are often referred to us for help with estate and Medicaid, or special-needs planning,” he continued, adding that the practice also advises over 40 small business about their company retirement plans.
Samuel and his colleagues are well regarded for outstanding interpersonal skills and the professional service they provide, as well as for their investment advice. Samuels explained that families often turn to them first for assistance with financial, but also with sensitive family issues.
His firm will reach out when needed. Samuel and his staff have made referrals to qualified professionals in and outside New England for advice and resources in matters of business law, real estate, elder care, and substance abuse.
“We even located a dog breeder for a client,” he noted.
Samuel Financial’s Securities and Advisory Services are offered through Commonwealth Financial Network, a member of FINRA/SIPC (Financial Industry Regulatory Authority/Securities Investor Protection Corp.), a registered investment advisor.
Samuel Financial LLC is located at 858 Washington St., Suite 202, in Dedham.
Visit www.samuelfinancial.com or call (781) 461-6886 for more information.
2014-06-20 / Local News