OUR FIRM
Based in the greater Boston area, Buckley Financial specializes in the creative uses of life insurance products and solutions to preserve, protect and grow multi-generations of wealth. We are a full-service, independent life insurance brokerage and consulting firm specializing in the structuring and administration of life insurance portfolios for affluent families and businesses.
Since 1993, our core mission has been to build lifetime relationships with our clients based upon mutual trust, integrity and respect. We build these relationships through our expertise in developing comprehensive financial plans in the areas of wealth accumulation, preservation and transfer. We then tailor each plan to the unique needs of each individual client in the most tax efficient and economically sensible manner.
Our clients generally use life insurance to achieve one or more of the following:
- To provide income replacement
- To facilitate the funding of estate tax liabilities
- To provide specific inheritances or charitable bequests
- To assist business owners with succession planning and providing selective benefits
- To accumulate investment assets in a tax-efficient manner
OUR TEAM
Seth J. Buckley, CFP®, CLU®, ChFC®, MSFS, AEP®, TEP
PRESIDENT
Seth J. Buckley is President of Buckley Financial and has over 25 years’ experience across the spectrum of life insurance consulting for both domestic and international clients, entailing estate, business and charitable planning. Prior to Buckley Financial, Seth was Vice President, Private Client Services at Pinnacle Financial Group. He was also Senior Vice President of Bank of America – US Trust’s High Net Worth Insurance Group, where he was their leading insurance consultant nationwide. Prior to Bank of America – US Trust, he was Practice Leader of the Private Client Group at William Gallagher Associates as well as President of their broker-dealer.Seth is a Certified Financial Planner, Chartered Life Underwriter, Chartered Financial Consultant, Accredited Estate Planner, and Trust and Estate Practitioner. Seth is a graduate of the American College in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania and holds a Master’s degree in Financial Services; a graduate of Suffolk University Sawyer School of Management with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration; and a graduate of Phillips Academy.
Elizabeth (Beth) Buckley
DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS
Prior to joining Buckley Financial, Beth was Director of Admissions at Mount Alvernia High School, board member and teacher at The Village School, and Retirement Planning consultant at Mass Financial. Beth’s education includes a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Business Administration from Providence College and a Masters of Education from Bridgewater State University.
Michael Amoia, JD, LL.M. (Tax), CLU®, ChFC®
VICE PRESIDENT OF ADVANCED MARKETS
Michael Amoia is one of the industry’s foremost experts in the taxation of life insurance. Michael is on retainer with Buckley Financial and works with our clients and clients’ advisors to design and implement advanced wealth transfer and business planning techniques that leverage the use of life insurance. Prior to joining Valmark as Vice President of Advanced Markets, Michael was the head of advanced planning at the largest life insurance distribution firm in the country for 17 years.OUR BACK-OFFICE SPECIALISTS
Through our relationship with Valmark Financial Group, we have access to an experienced support team, with credentials spanning multiple financial disciplines – including legal, accounting, tax and life insurance expertise. This team of over 100 professionals serves as our back-office support staff.
Larry J Rybka, JD, CFP®
Larry J. Rybka is the Chairman and CEO for our partner, Valmark Financial Group. Mr. Rybka’s 30+ year tenure at Valmark has been marked by working with independent Investment Advisors to create innovative solutions to better serve clients. He proactively anticipates difficult regulatory challenges which impact how those services are delivered. His thoughts on industry change have resulted in him being invited to address every major industry meeting from main platform, including Forum 400, MDRT, Top of the Table, and AALU. His industry advocacy is also evidenced by testimony before legislative bodies and lobbying on behalf of advisors with FINRA, SEC, and several state Insurance Commissioners. Mr. Rybka is also a noted speaker and author with published articles in numerous industry journals. Two of his articles were recognized with industry awards, including The Journal of the American Society of CLU & ChFC® Author Award and the CFP® Board Article Award. He earned a BSBA in Finance from The University of Akron, where he was a University Scholar, and his Juris Doctor from Wake Forest University. Along with Series 6, 24, 63 and 65 registrations, Mr. Rybka is a Registered Principal with FINRA, a member of the Association for Advanced Life Underwriting (AALU) and a Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®) professional.
Keith Miller, MBA , CLU, ChFC ®
Keith Miller is the Vice President of Insurance Planning for our partner, Valmark Financial Group. Keith works with the insurance planning team to provide advanced case design and sales expertise. His core areas of focus include customized wealth transfer solutions, product analysis and holistic life insurance design. Mr. Miller is a national presenter at the Association for Advanced Life Underwriting (AALU) annual conference. He received his BA from Samford University and his MBA in Finance from the University of Alabama. Mr. Miller is also a Chartered Life Underwriter® (CLU®), Chartered Financial Consultant® (ChFC®) and holds the Alabama Life and Health licenses.
Chris Bottaro, MBA
Chris Bottaro is the Senior Vice President of Insurance for our partner, Valmark Financial Group. He is responsible for the vision, strategy and execution of life insurance marketing, underwriting, new business, life settlements and in force insurance solutions initiatives. In this role, he prides himself in partnering with advisors and insurance carriers to help make the life insurance process simpler and more efficient. He has a technical risk assessment background and spent the first 12 years of his career in various underwriting production and leadership positions at Lincoln Financial Group in Hartford before relocating to the Twin Cities to join Valmark in February of 2015. He has an MBA from the Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts and holds Series 6 and 26 registrations. He is also a Registered Principal and a member of the Twin Cities Association of Home Office Underwriters.
Eric Johnson
Eric Johnson is Vice President of Underwriting for our partner, Valmark Financial Group. He is responsible for risk assessment appraisal, consultation and negotiation on behalf of Valmark Financial Group Member Offices and clients. Mr. Johnson brings more than 30 years of experience in impaired risk and jumbo case underwriting, reinsurance, sales and brokerage operations. He is a presenter at numerous industry seminars and workshops speaking on topics such as Challenging Underwriting Impairments, Jumbo Business and Brokerage Underwriting. Mr. Johnson earned his BA from Luther College and holds Minnesota Life, Accident and Health Insurance licenses. He is a member of the Association of Home Office Underwriters (AHOU) and the Twin Cities Association of Home Office Life Underwriters (TCAHOLU).
Michael Michlitsch, MBA, CRPC®
As Vice President of In Force Insurance Solutions for our partner, Valmark Financial Group, Michael leads the Valmark Policy Management Company (PMC) and Life Settlement teams. Michael is responsible for integrating strategies and solutions to maximize in force insurance business to best serve our clients. Previously, he was Manager of Practice Management at Securian Financial Services, Inc., a Senior Training Manager for Woodbury Financial Services, Inc., and Sales Manager for Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. Mr. Michlitsch earned his MBA from the Opus College of Business at the University of St. Thomas and his BA in Management and Marketing from Bethany Lutheran College. He is a Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor℠ (CRPC®) and carries the following Financial Services Designations: CFS, CIS, CES, CAS and CTS. In addition, he holds Series 7, 24 and 66 registrations as well as Life, Health, and Variable Life and Annuity licenses.
Raina Belair, ACS
As a New Business Specialist on the New Business Team, Raina is responsible for reviewing policy applications, providing high quality customer service, advocating on behalf of our clients with insurance companies, and helping to coordinate and process applications directly from our clients with our insurance carriers. Raina is a proud past New Business Intern at Valmark. She earned her B.S.B in Finance at the University of Minnesota, and holds the NAILBA Certified Case Manager, Minnesota Life Insurance Producer’s License, and LOMA ACS certification.
Lauren Ballantine, FALU
As the Director of Underwriting for our partner, Valmark Financial Group, Lauren Ballantine is responsible for the technical assessment and negotiation of underwriting offers and serves as a contact for all new life business and underwriting. She is an advocate and escalation contact through every stage of the underwriting process, working to anticipate potential issues, identify the most appropriate carrier and negotiate the best possible underwriting outcome. She earned a BA in Biology and Art from the College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University, where she received the President’s Scholarship and made the Dean’s List. Mrs. Ballantine is a Fellow of the Academy of Life Underwriting (FALU), a board member of Twin Cities Association of Home Office Underwriters, and holds Minnesota Life and Health Licenses.
Jim Kolk
Jim Kolk is the Information Security Technician for our partner, Valmark Financial Group. In his role, he is responsible for the Valmark IT help desk and focuses on office cybersecurity, technology infrastructure and troubleshooting for both Valmark’s home office and Member Firms. Jim has been working within the technology field for 10+ years and has experience in multiple areas of Information Technology, computer troubleshooting and repair, security and vulnerability assessments, cloud hosted email environments, systems deployment and policy creation. He earned his BA in Computer Information Systems from Kent State University.
Douglas Wilburn, JD
In his role as General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer for our partner, Valmark Financial Group, Doug Wilburn is responsible for all aspects of Valmark’s legal affairs as well as regulatory compliance for Valmark’s broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment advisers. Doug’s extensive experience includes serving as Securities Commissioner for the State of Missouri; Managing Director of Wachovia Securities; Chief Compliance Officer for J.P. Morgan Chase Investment Services, WaMu Investments and Wachovia Securities Financial Network respectively; and Financial Analyst and Investment Advisor at A.G. Edwards & Sons. Doug earned a Juris Doctor from Saint Louis University School of Law and a BA in Political Science from the University of Missouri. He is also a graduate of the Securities Industry Institute® sponsored by the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA) and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Luke Ehinger, ChFC®, CLTC®
As Director of Insurance Marketing for our partner, Valmark Financial Group, Luke is responsible for advanced life insurance case design, product analysis, and the development of analytical and educational tools to assist our clients with their financial goals. He brings almost a decade of experience in the life insurance space working in roles at both a carrier home office and the independent agency environment. Mr. Ehinger holds a bachelor’s degree from Trine University and has his Series 6, 63, 7, and 24 registrations. He is also a Chartered Financial Consultant® (ChFC®) and holds a Certification in Long Term Care® (CLTC®).
James Dawson CFP®, CLU®
James Dawson is the Director of Life Settlements for our partner, Valmark Financial Group. James is responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of the life settlement business. This includes establishing and implementing new processes and procedures, directing and facilitating the sale of policies from the initial offering through the formal case submission and acting as an escalation resource for complex and technical life settlement issues. He works to find ways to simplify the life settlement transaction process and improve efficiencies. Above all, Mr. Dawson is passionate about delivering the best possible experience for our clients. Mr. Dawson earned a BBA in Financial Planning from the University of Akron, graduating Summa Cum Laude. He also holds Ohio Life, Health, Accident and Variable licenses, Series 7, 24 and 66 registrations and is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional and Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) professional.WHAT MAKES US DIFFERENT
We are strongly committed to helping clients achieve clarity in their legacy, succession, and life insurance planning goals. We pride ourselves on our process-oriented approach — asking thoughtful questions, listening intently to the answers, building consensus around comprehensive solutions and then taking responsibility for their implementation and execution.
In addition, we consciously limit the number of clients we work with and zealously guard their privacy to assure the highest level of personal service.
We also work effectively with our clients’ key advisors, or, if needed, we bring a team of experts to our clients to ensure that our clients’ plans are professionally orchestrated, integrated and implemented.
Contact Us
2 Sunset Point Rd
North Falmouth, MA 02556
Office: 508-392-9823
Fax: 508-392-9897
Mobile: 617-922-2043
Email: seth@buckley-financial.com
Securities Offered Through ValMark Securities, Inc. Member FINRA, SIPC
Investment Advisory Services Offered Through ValMark Advisers, Inc. a SEC Registered Investment Advisor 130 Springside Drive, Akron, Ohio 44333 | 1-800-765-5201
Buckley Financial is a separate entity from ValMark Securities, Inc. and ValMark Advisers, Inc.
Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. (CFP Board) owns the certification marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, CFP® (with plaque design), and CFP® (with flame design) in the U.S., which it authorizes use of by individuals who successfully complete CFP Board's initial and ongoing certification requirements.