Ken Robinson, JD, CFP^®

senior advisor / Founder

(216) 688-3737, ext. 101

The moment you stop worrying about money, life gets better.™

Ken Robinson founded Practical Financial Planning in 1996. With decades of experience in the industry, he's authored several books on financial planning, including the groundbreaking Don’t Make a Budget: Why It’s So Hard to Save Money and What to Do About It. He's been quoted in The New York Times as well as Kiplinger’s Personal Finance and Money magazines, and his writing has appeared in Cleveland’s The Plain Dealer and in the journal Science.

He is also the owner of Financial Self-Confidence, which provides keynote speeches and seminars on personal finance. As a speaker, Ken’s known for his rap music video about the stock market in recession.

In his off hours, Ken enjoys bicycling, music (especially jazz and classical), and recently has rekindled an interest in cryptography, solving ciphers that are written as puzzles. He rejoined the American Cryptogram Association after a 40-year hiatus, and has solved ciphers in English, French, Spanish, Latin, Dutch, Swedish, German, and Portuguese (sometimes with the help of Google Translate).

Q & A

What are some of your favorite books?

• The Annotated Sherlock Holmes, by William Baring-Gould
• What if? by Randall Munroe
• The Codebreakers, by David Kahn
• What are some of your favorite games?
• Ciphers and crossword puzzles

What’s your favorite quote?

• I have several, but here are two: 

• “Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense.” Winston Churchill, October 29, 1941, Harrow School.

  “We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win.” John F. Kennedy, September 12, 1962, Rice University.

What do you buy way more of than most people?

• Cinnamon buns from Breadsmith (Detroit Ave. at W. Clifton Blvd., Lakewood).

What's your favorite thing about living in Cleveland?

• The moderate cost of living, and the depth of creativity here. Also, the arts scene. What New York has twelve of, we may have one of, like museums and orchestras. But they’re very good.

What do you get overly excited about?

• Science. It’s the coolest thing. When I watch rocket launches, I always hold my breath until the vehicle passes Max Q. 
• Economics. I’d kind of like to get a degree in Econ.
• Music, especially classical and jazz.
• Good writing. English can be beautiful.

Britta Koepf, CFP^®, ChSNC^®

Financial Advisor

(216) 688-3737, ext. 102

I enjoy being the person my clients can come to when they need to talk through a financial concern, whether they need specific guidance or a sounding board.

Britta serves as the primary advisor for selected clients in addition to providing expert professional support to Ken on client matters.

When Britta decided to work in the field of personal finance, she researched the best way to enter the profession without compromising her ideals. It did not take her long to decide the best way forward would be to become a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and practice in a fiduciary, fee-only capacity.

Britta joined Practical Financial Planning in 2015 after completing the University of Akron’s CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ education program. Britta lives in Brooklyn Heights with her partner Craig and her dog Wombat. 

Britta has been quoted in Financial Advisor Magazine and The Plain Dealer. She has also been interviewed in the WSJ’s Your Money Briefing podcast.

Q & A

• What are some of your favorite books?
• The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
• American Gods by Neil Gaiman
• Les Misérables by Victor Hugo
• Freakonomics by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner
• The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins
• The Fault in our Stars by John Green
• What's your favorite quote?
• “Nerds like us are allowed to be unironically enthusiastic about stuff. Nerds are allowed to LOVE stuff, like, jump-up-and-down-in-your-chair-can't-control-yourself LOVE it. When people call people nerds, mostly what they're saying is, 'You like stuff,' which is not a good insult at all, like, 'You are too enthusiastic about the miracle of human consciousness” – John Green
• What skill would you like to learn?
• Getting Wombat to roll over!
• What are some of your favorite games?
• Dominion
• Code Names
• Sentinels of the Multiverse
• What do you buy way more of than most people?
• Tea and dog chew toys.
• What's your favorite thing about living in Cleveland?
• I feel like Cleveland is the perfect size for a city. You have world-class performing arts and museums in the city and there are secluded forested parks just half an hour away.

Ellen Robinson

Office Manager

(216) 688-3737, ext. 103

Ellen Robinson serves as Practical Financial Planning’s Office Manager. Feel free to contact her with any questions regarding billings or accounts payable.

Ellen received her degree in computer science and worked for many years as a programmer and analyst. Outside of the office, she is an accomplished seamstress and designer of specialty clothes, including theatrical and historical costumes, as well as attire for wedding parties. Ellen made her film debut in Ken’s rap music video about the stock market.

Q & A

• What are some of your favorite books?
• Regency novels, detective novels (silly and serious), science fiction, and old classics like The Three Musketeers and Dracula.
• What are some of your favorite games?
• Classic board games like Monopoly, and classic card games like Hearts, Canasta, and Rook (I used to play them with my grandmother and aunts).
• If you could have one mundane superpower, what would it be?
• To be able to understand any language spoken to me and be able to respond in kind.
• What do you buy way more of than most people?
• Fabric and cookbooks.
• What's your favorite thing about living in Cleveland?
• Having easy access to so many cultural venues.
• What do you get overly excited about?
• Whatever new craft project (of my own) that I'm involved in at the moment.

Brittney Whitehouse

Client Service Specialist

(216) 688-3737, ext. 100

Brittney joined the Practical Financial Planning team in 2019 as our Client Service Specialist. Contact her about scheduling, using the +PFP Portal, or to verify we have all the data we need for your next meeting.

A graduate of Youngstown State University who moved to Cleveland in 2018, Brittney shares her home with her wife, Devin, their young daughter, and a variety of critters.

Q & A

• What are some of your favorite books?
• Wicked by Gregory McGuire
• The Dark Tower series by Stephen King
• The Long Way to a Small and Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
• Anything sci-fi or fantasy, and I love historical fiction!
• What are some of your favorite games?
• Anything made by the board game developer Red Raven. Near and Far is my favorite, but they also make MegaLand, which is available at major retailers and lots of fun!
• What do you buy way more of than most people?
• Sneakers, board games, and dice.
• What's your favorite thing about living in Cleveland?
• My best friends live here! But also, it has all of the city amenities (parks, restaurants, museums, etc) without being overwhelming. I love Cleveland!
• What was your favorite toy as a child?
• I had a favorite baby doll, which I saved along with all of her accessories. She's now my toddler's favorite doll, and it's so fun to see her loving Ruby even more than I did!
• What do you get overly excited about?
• Board games, Dungeons & Dragons, home improvement DIYs, every single thing my daughter does.