Barry L. Kohler, JD, CFP®, CLU
bkohler@bdmpwm.com
"The best solution to any particular question is most likely to be found only with a complete understanding of the client's entire situation. To make the best plans to accomplish lifetime goals, we need to see the whole picture."
Barry specializes in:
- Comprehensive Personal Financial Planning, Estate and Wealth Transfer Planning, and Insurance
Barry is a financial advisor with a strong background as an experienced attorney and a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ practitioner. He works with individuals and families and is especially interested in comprehensive planning, which integrates lifetime, estate, and charitable planning.
In addition to the CFP® certification, Barry has earned the designation of Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU), and is fully licensed in the areas of life, health, and variable insurance from the State of Maine. Barry is also registered for investments and holds Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) Series 6, 7, and 66 securities registrations. He is a Registered Representative of, and Investment Adviser Representative through, Commonwealth Financial Network®, Member FINRA/SIPC, and is also an Investment Adviser Representative through BDMP Wealth Management.
Barry remains an active member of State and local bar associations and recently completed six years of service as a Director of the Maine Estate Planning Council. He is a member of both the Maine and the New Hampshire Estate Planning Councils, and of the Financial Planning Association (FPA). He has also served as a volunteer content expert in Estate Planning for the Board of Examiners of the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, and in January 2006 was appointed to a four-year term as a full member of the Board of Professional Review, now the Disciplinary and Ethics Commission of the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards.
Barry enjoys writing and has authored articles published in newspapers and the Maine Bar Journal. He is also a frequent and entertaining public speaker before both lay and professional audiences, speaking on topics as varied as technical planning issues (trusts), financial planning basics, and practice management.
Barry holds a BA from the University of Pennsylvania where he graduated cum laude with honors in Philosophy (1969). He also graduated from the Cornell Law School with the Juris Doctor degree (1974). Barry was admitted to the Maine and Federal Bars in 1974 and remains licensed as an attorney, although he is not now actively practicing.
Barry is married, lives in Portland, and is the father of three children and step-father of two, all of whom are now adults. In his off-hours, other than spending time with his family, he enjoys popular culture, fitness, and reading. He is fluent in French and has an avid interest in Chinese philosophy and culture.
