Laura has over 30 years of experience in finance, she is a fee-only comprehensive financial advisor, a member of NAPFA, and a fiduciary advocate. She believes that all financial advisors should be willing to sign an oath committing to work as a fiduciary 100% of the time.

A former corporate financial executive and thought-leader in the field, Dr. Mattia’s career journey was a circuitous one. After earning a B.S. in psychology with the intention of pursuing a career helping people, she went on to obtain an MBA in accounting and finance, later accepting a position in the corporate world. As she tells it, it was this job that ultimately served as the inspiration for her current area of focus:

“I worked for many years as a corporate executive, CFO, and controller and over time recognized that my financial skills could be beneficial for people. So, I went back to school and earned my CFP® designation and later a Ph.D. in financial planning where I was trained to offer advanced financial planning solutions that truly benefit my clients and make me their trusted advisor.”

Though today Dr. Mattia is a visionary financial advisor, educator, author and TEDx speaker, she is involved in the financial planning community on many levels. She teaches future CFP® professionals at Texas Tech University and recently spent several years creating a new CFP® registered program at the University of South Florida.  She is passionate about improving the industry by ensuring future financial advisors receive a baseline education so they can be competent and ethical.

Dr. Mattia is recognized as an expert in the profession and often speaks at conferences held for financial services firms and associations such as, the national association of financial planners (NAPFA), the financial planning association (FPA) and the financial therapy association (FTA).  She is also often quoted in industry periodicals such as the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times and has published numerous articles and academic research in periodicals such as the Journal of Financial Planning and the NAPFA Advisor. She is the author of the book Gender On Wall Street: Uncovering Opportunities For Women In Financial Services, published in June 2018 by Palgrave Macmillan.