Hi! I’m Amy King, Founder of Instar Financial Planning, LLC. I’m a mom to two very busy teens, a retired Army officer, and a fee-only financial planner dedicated to serving military Service Members, Veterans and Federal employees. My journey to becoming a financial planner began in 1997 when I encountered a senior officer at Fort Sam Houston, TX who shared details of his own (lucrative) financial situation and how he was able to build wealth. He talked about mutual funds and dollar cost averaging and other personal finance concepts I didn’t fully understand as a twenty something. I went to the
bookstore that evening to read up on investment and personal finance basics and so began my lifelong dedication to better understanding all aspects of personal finance.
Fast forward 19 years to 2016 when I reported to what I had decided would be my final Army assignment. I began the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ course work culminating in 2017 when I passed the CFPⓇ exam. I spent the next 2 years very purposefully preparing myself and my family for transition from the Army.
I chose to begin my career as a financial planner at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management. I was part of a team of six financial advisors and three client associates serving over 400 households. I loved my team and my clients but it became apparent that I was going to have a difficult time finding a way to serve the people who mean the most to me – my fellow veterans, their families, and the Federal Civil Servants who serve the American public. With some emotion, I left Merrill to launch Instar Financial Planning. Although leaving my teammates and my clients was difficult, I’m grateful to have the opportunity to serve more military and Federal employee families as a fee-only financial planner.
Instar Financial Planning is built specifically to serve families who are a lot like mine. We had one spouse serving on active duty while the other was a Federal employee. We have busy kids. We’ve PCSed. We’ve puzzled over how to most effectively coordinate Federal civilian and military benefits. We did most of it on our own because we couldn’t find an affordable financial planner with all of the right expertise. I launched Instar Financial Planning because you shouldn’t have to go it alone (unless you really want to and even then you should have access to affordable advice on your terms!).
When I’m not working with clients, you can find me on the sideline of a turf field watching my son play either football or lacrosse or hanging with my favorite daughter (she reminds me that I only have one daughter). When my kids are busy doing their own thing, I fill my personal time as the Treasurer for the Mason-Dixon Trail System, Membership Chair for the Upper Chesapeake Penn State Alumni Association, or volunteering with my sisters in the Women’s Army Corps Veterans Association. When I need some down time, I STILL enjoy reading personal finance books!
Schedule a Free Consultation
Amy King, CFP®, EA, ChFEBC(sm), CRPC®, CPFA®
Instar Financial Planning, LLC
Fallston, MD 21047
410-877-6441
www.instarfp.com