Our Team

Richard Ropelewski, CFP®, MBA

Wealth Manager

Phone: 781-884-2336

E-mail: rrope@uswealthboston.com

I think my training and education at the U.S. Air Force Academy, followed by my work in the Air Force ingrained in me a sense of mission. I had the privilege of working for some excellent leaders and managers, and that background and the people with whom I worked had a deep impact on how I arrived at financial planning as a calling.

Following six-years in the military I went to graduate school in New York City for my MBA; after which I worked at several consulting firms and later at IBM. I worked with some wonderful people, but the professional nirvana I was hoping for after business school did not occur.

My wife, the brains in our relationship, commented “will you figure out what you want to do when you grow up”. Taking some time to reflect on the work I had done in the Air Force, I realized the drive and passion of working on something “bigger”, was missing. Doing some self-assessment, I kept coming back to the idea of teaching. We did not have kids at that point so the thought of being in a classroom with 20 six-year olds who can smell fear was a little intimidating. The other option I considered was teaching college, but looking into it further it was going to be more about research and writing; wonderful work but it did not check off the boxes I wanted.

Checking teaching off the list, financial planning was another profession I had considered. It still included elements of teaching along with the quantitative aspects I enjoy as a die-hard analytical type per all the Myers-Briggs type tests. It was also consistent with the collaboration and involvement in something meaningful I had enjoyed from my Air Force days.

While I will never cure the common cold or help eliminate world hunger, I believe the work we are doing for our clients has a substantial impact on their financial and personal lives. If we are doing our job right we get to know them, understand their priorities and help them achieve their personal and professional goals.

It took me a few years to find that something “bigger”, but I consider myself very fortunate to do something that I truly love every day.

When not working with clients I love traveling and watching my kids sporting activities.

Some other random and hopefully helpful facts about what makes me tick:

My first date with my wife Martha was a Red Sox game; two of the best parts of my life (at least after 2004 for the Red Sox, a lot earlier for my wife).

I consider chocolate a food group.

I also enjoy history and golf, and I am a huge Bruce Springsteen fan.

Thomas J. Lally, CFP®

Wealth Manager Assistant

Phone: 781-884-2341

E-mail: tlally@uswealthboston.com

As you might expect from the son of an accountant, I’ve always been pretty financially savvy. Before I was even a teenager, I had my parents open a custodial investment account for me. But I didn’t always know this is what I wanted to do for a career. At Stonehill College I majored in English and minored in Political Science, two subjects about which I have a great personal and intellectual interest. I briefly considered a career as a professor because I thought I would enjoy teaching at the college level. But professors – yes, even English professors – are expected to publish original research. And after a summer job assisting an English professor with their research, that career path was significantly less appealing.

It was only about a year before graduation that I decided I wanted to get into financial services. As a recent college graduate with no industry experience, good jobs were not so plentiful. I ended up at a big insurance company, where I learned I was a terrible salesman. But the training was good and I ended up attaining several insurance and securities licenses, which were necessary for the next step in my career.

That next step was U.S. Wealth Management, which I joined in 2011. At first I handled a lot of back-office duties – operations, compliance, marketing, administrative work. I eventually took on more client service responsibilities and found that I really enjoyed the client-facing side of this profession. So I got more securities licenses, and began preparing for the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ exam.

Some might think of studying for that exam as a necessary box to check, but, proud nerd that I am, I actually enjoyed it. The material is incredibly wide ranging, from investments and retirement, to tax and estate planning. I passed the exam, but more importantly, I learned a lot along the way. In 2015, after completing the other requirements for education, experience, and ethics, I had earned my CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ mark.

So why do I do this? I enjoy helping people to better understand and organize their finances. How the decisions they make for one reason can have unintended consequences in another aspect of their financial life. And how those decisions help them move closer to or further from their goals. Personal finance is kind of like snowflakes, because no two families and situations are exactly alike. I really enjoy getting to know the mosaic, understanding how each piece comes together to paint the entire picture.

When I’m not in the office, I enjoy working out, traveling, and reading. Here are a few other ‘Favorites’ to help you get to know me a little better.

Favorite Food: Oreos, pretty much any kind. I try very hard not to buy them because I know that if I have them in the kitchen, it will be really hard to stop myself from eating them all much too quickly.

Favorite Drink: I’m pretty boring here, in that I don’t drink coffee, soda, or much of anything besides water. But I do enjoy craft beer and will almost never pass up the chance to try one I haven’t had before.

Favorite Book: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer.

Favorite Sports Team: I love all the Boston teams, with top spots going to the Patriots and Red Sox.

Favorite Place: Paris, though in college I spent a semester in Dublin, so it will always be very special to me.

Julia A. Crane

Financial Planner Assistant

Phone: 781-884-2337

E-mail: jcrane@uswealthboston.com

For as long as I can remember I always liked numbers. I preferred Sudoku over reading, math homework over essays, and equations over sentences. When I started my undergraduate career I focused on areas that revolved around numbers, which led me to get a BA in Mathematics with a minor in Accounting.

Even though I always enjoyed working with numbers, I thought I was going to go into teaching rather than into the financial industry. This seemed like a logical choice for me because I loved helping others and I had experience of working as a tutor for many years.

It was my second to last semester of college when I changed career paths. I got a part-time job as a Client Manager working for a financial advisor. I originally got this job to help get me through college, but I fell in love with the field. It has both the things I was looking for: numbers and working to help people.

When I started I was given simple tasks like answering phones, booking meetings, and sending in paperwork. However, as I learned more about the financial industry I became much more involved and excited to learn more. So, when I finished college I began taking courses online at BU to work towards becoming a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™. I am continuing these courses, and hope to earn that designation within the next two years.

When I am not in the office, I enjoy spending time with my family, and my small animal family that has not stopped growing since I started living on my own. Below is some other Julia trivia to get to know me a little better.

Favorite Food: Basically anything that has cheese in it; mozzarella sticks, pizza, mac & cheese, quesadillas, cheesy bread.

Favorite Drink: I try to stick with drinking water, but I do love an occasional Sprite or Sierra Mist.

Favorite TV Show: I have my list of shows I keep up with: Grey’s Anatomy, Station 19, Law & Order SVU (Yes, I have seen every episode of every season – over 400 episodes), and How to Get Away with Murder.

Favorite Sports Team: I’m not a big sports fan, but I do love going to Bruins games.

Favorite Place: I’m very much a homebody, so I do love being home with my bird, bunny, and dog. However, during warmer seasons I enjoy spending all my time outdoors.

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