Matt joined West Financial Services in October 2015, and has 20 years of experience in the wealth management industry. At West Financial, Matt serves as a senior relationship manager providing financial planning services and investment management to clients. He specializes in turning a lifetime of savings and hard work into a reliable income stream for clients nearing and in retirement. As an “elder millennial,” Matt also has firsthand knowledge of the financial issues facing this large generation and works closely with many younger clients who are accumulating assets. Lastly, he strives to be that “first phone call” to help clients address a variety of financial and estate related questions, including gifting strategies.
Matt is passionate about financial education, and has worked pro bono as a financial coach with Family Reach, a non-profit organization dedicated to removing the financial barriers standing between a cancer patient and their treatment.
Matt earned a BA in Economics with a concentration in Finance from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. He is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERTM professional and also holds the Certified Investment Management Analyst® certification. Matt was recognized by Five Star Professional as a Five Star Wealth Manager* (2023).
On the heels of his Five Star Wealth Manager recognition, Matt appeared in the Wealth Managers Under 40 special section in the February/March 2023 issue of Fortune magazine.
Matt lives in Rockville, Maryland, with his wife and two children. Depending on the season, Matt can be found out on the golf course or thousands of feet above sea level on skis, and enjoying – and agonizing over – D.C.’s four major sports teams.
Professional Affiliations/Memberships
Member of the Investments & Wealth Institute, Financial Planning Association, and Washington Association of Money Managers.
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News From Matt Cohen, CFP®, CIMA®
*Five Star Professional: Five Star Wealth Managers
This award was issued on 10/17/23 by Five Star Professional (FSP) for the time period 1/9/23 through 7/31/23. Fee paid for use of marketing materials. Self-completed questionnaire was used for rating. This rating is not related to the quality of the investment advice and based solely on the disclosed criteria. 2,627 Washington D.C. — area wealth managers were considered for the award; 160 (6% of candidates) were named 2023 Five Star Wealth Managers.
Wealth managers do not pay a fee to be considered or placed on the final list of Five Star Wealth Managers. The award is based on 10 objective criteria. Eligibility criteria-required: 1. Credentialed as a registered investment adviser (RIA) or a registered investment adviser representative; 2. Actively licensed as a RIA or as a principal of a registered investment adviser firm for a minimum of 5 years; 3. Favorable regulatory and complaint history review (As defined by FSP, the wealth manager has not; A. Been subject to a regulatory action that resulted in a license being suspended or revoked, or payment of a fine; B. Had more than a total of three settled or pending complaints filed against them and/or a total of five settled, pending, dismissed or denied complaints with any regulatory authority or FSP's consumer complaint process. Unfavorable feedback may have been discovered through a check of complaints registered with a regulatory authority or complaints registered through FSP's consumer complaint process; feedback may not be representative of any one client's experience; C. Individually contributed to a financial settlement of a customer complaint; D. Filed for personal bankruptcy within the past 11 years; E. Been terminated from a financial services firm within the past 11 years; F. Been convicted of a felony); 4. Fulfilled their firm review based on internal standards; 5. Accepting new clients. Evaluation criteria-considered: 6. One-year client retention rate; 7. Five-year client retention rate; 8. Non-institutional discretionary and/or non-discretionary client assets administered; 9. Number of client households served; 10. Education and professional designations. FSP does not evaluate quality of services provided to clients. The award is not indicative of the wealth manager's future performance . Wealth Managers may or may not use discretion in their practice and therefore may not manage their clients' assets. The inclusion of a wealth manager on the Five Star Wealth Manager list should not be construed as an endorsement of the wealth manager by FSP or this publication. Working with a Five Star Wealth Manager or any wealth manager is no guarantee as to future investment success, nor is there any guarantee that the selected wealth managers will be awarded this accomplishment by FSP in the future. Visit www.fivestarprofessional.com.