Our Services
There are many financial products in the market, and so choosing the ones that best meet an individual client’s needs can be complicated.
Portfolio Investment Management
At Garretson Financial we offer a fee based, asset management service that provides the convenience of bringing your investments together within one coordinated portfolio.
Social Security Retirement Income Planning
For many people, thinking about retirement can be overwhelming. Am I saving enough?
401k / IRA rollovers
When you are starting a new job or getting ready to retire, you'll have to make a decision about your current 401(k) retirement plan.
College Financial Aid Planning
Many families pay more for college because they were either misinformed or uninformed about the College Financial Aid process.
Specializing in Women's Investment Needs
You take care of your family, your friends, your business, and your bills. You control your life with grace and precision.
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Our Team
Learn more about our amazing team of professionals.
John Garretson, CFP®
Managing Director
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John Garretson, CFP®
Email: John@GarretsonFinancial.com
John Garretson founded Garretson Financial in 2004. John is a graduate of Michigan State University with a B.S. in Engineering and a member of the National Financial Aid Practitioner Alliance. He began his career in the financial industry as a Financial Advisor for Smith Barney where he made Junior Partner of the still private firm at the time. After 9 years at Smith Barney, John continued his focus on investment advising and financial planning when he moved to Paine Weber, which was eventually bought by UBS, before he started his own investment advisement firm. John works primarily with individual investors and small business owners, including managing their pension plan.
In addition to having his General Securities Representative Series 7, General Securities Principal Series 24 and Uniform Securities Agent State Law Examination Series 63, John holds his insurance licenses for life and health (including Long Term Care) insurance in NJ, NY and CT. John also taught Introduction to Investing at The New School in NYC from 1986-1995. As a Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®), John continues to expand his learning to help his clients navigate through complex financial environments. John is committed to long-term client relationships and through financial planning helps his clients with retirement, education, estate and insurance planning strategies. John is an experienced money manager with more than 30 years’ experience.
As a member of the NFAPA, John offers his College Financial Aid presentation at many area high schools and businesses. John has counseled many clients to help them increase their college financial aid eligibility, to develop a strategy to pay for college expenses not covered by financial aid and to help protect the family assets for the future.
John is the owner of Garretson Financial and holds many educational seminars on financial-related topics, including, Savvy Social Security for Women, How to Lower Your Property Taxes, Managing Investment Choices in your Retirement Plan, Understanding the College Financial Aid Process, Is Long-Term Care Insurance Right for you?, Understanding Medicare, You’ve Been named an Executor, Now What?, The Facts about Assisted Living.
John lives in Cranford with his sweetheart Veronica. They have 5 children and 2 dogs. John is an avid sports fan, loves to travel, and enjoys golf and good times with family and friends. He also enjoys gardening and growing pumpkins.
John is also a Contact We Care crisis line volunteer, servicing callers in need throughout New Jersey, as well as a St. Barnabas Hospice Volunteer, located in Livingston, NJ, in memory of his late mother who was a hospice nurse.
Bio
James Miller
Managing Director
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James Miller
Email: Jamie@GarretsonFinancial.com
Jamie Miller joined Garretson Financial in 2008. Jamie has over nineteen years of experience in the financial services industry. He holds a B.S. in Finance from Fairfield University’s Dolan School of Business and is a member of the National Financial Aid Practitioners Alliance. Jamie’s previously experience includes working as a Senior Partner with Van Der Moolen Specialists, and as a member of NYSE, where he led his firm’s client relation group, as well as managed trading markets in multiple Fortune 500 Companies.
Jamie has been a Managing Director at Garretson Financial for 9 years. He holds his General Securities Representative Series 7, Uniform Securities Agent State Law Examination Series 63 and Uniform Combined State Law Examination Series 66.
Jamie and his wife Anne Marie are longtime residents of Cranford where they live with their 3 children, Kelly, Andrew, and Catherine. When not traveling to his children’s schools, Jamie loves to cook, enjoys tennis and golf, and is an avid New York Ranger fan.
Jamie is very involved in town and is currently on the Executive Board of the Cranford Area Chamber of Commerce, as well as an active member of the Cranford Rotary. Jamie is a past President and current associate of the Cranford Jaycees.
Bio
Christine McMullan
College Financial Aid Counselor
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Christine McMullan
Email: FinancialAid@GarretsonFinancial.com
Christine joined Garretson Financial in 2016 as a College Financial Aid Counselor. She completes Federal FAFSA forms and CSS profiles for clients and counsels them on strategies to increase their students’ college financial aid eligibility, to develop a strategies to pay for college expenses not covered by financial aid, and to help protect family assets for the future. She also presents free, educational seminars on applying for college aid and comparing school offer letters.
Christine holds a B.S. in Economics from King's College as well as an MBA from Lehigh University. She also successfully completed the CPA exam. She began her career with the F.D.I.C as a bank examiner covering northern NJ banking institutions. She continued her career at Toys "R" Us as a domestic and international audit manager. She later joined Bessemer Trust Company as an audit supervisor and became a client account manager, for high net worth clients. She also worked for United National Bank as a Trust Officer, handling individual and family accounts.
Christine and her husband Patrick are Cranford residents where they live with their four children. In her spare time, Christine enjoys yoga, book club and traveling to visit family.
Christine is actively involved with St. Michael's School in Cranford and with various committees of St. Michael's Church, including the MOM ministry, Baptism Preparation, and Hospitality Committee. She is a board member for Raphael's Life House and is a Leader for her daughter's Brownie Troop.
Christine is not a registered representative of The Investment Center, Inc.
Bio
Marie Mayer
Office Manager
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Marie Mayer
Email: Marie@GarretsonFinancial.com
Marie Mayer is the Office Manager at Garretson Financial. She also assists our investment clients with their college financial aid process. She knows how important good customer service is to our busy clients and is committed to providing great service to every client. Please let Marie know what she can do to assist you.
Marie joined Garretson Financial in 2005 as Office Manager. Marie holds a B.S. in Accounting from Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania. She is a former Budget Manager with Macy’s Northeast in Newark, NJ. After the birth of her two children Marie took a break from the corporate world. For five years during her corporate hiatus, Marie operated her own direct sales business. Most recently, she has experience as a private Financial Administrator. She is a member of the National Financial Aid Practitioners Alliance.
Marie has been involved in a number of volunteer organizations, and is very active in the Cranford Jr. Woman’s Club. She has received the Pride in Cranford Award recognizing her commitment to community service.
Marie, and her husband, Mark, have two grown sons, Collin and Evan. They live in Cranford with their lovable dog, Sugar. Marie keeps busy with her family, loves to cook, enjoys many types of crafts and needlework, home improvement and can often be found at garage sales.
Bio
Gina Tipton
Marketing & Communications
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Gina Tipton
Email: Gina@garretsonfinancial.com
Gina Tipton joined Garretson Financial in 2012. Gina is a graduate of Montclair State University with a B.S. in Business Administration with a Concentration in Marketing.
Gina began her career as a 6th grade teacher. After one year of teaching, Gina joined the Financial Services Industry. She began her financial career at The Copeland Companies, specializing in Retirement Plan communications. After 9 years at Copeland, Gina continued her focus on participant communications when she went to work for Prudential Retirement. Prior to joining Garretson, Gina was the Vice President of Participant Communications and Education at Prudential. Gina has over twenty years of experience in financial services marketing and communications.
Gina is also the owner of Cranford.com where she provides support and hosting of Cranford.com, the Official website of the Township of Cranford. She works closely with local government and business leaders to provide current township information and resources to residents and to help promote local businesses and events. In addition, she has helped build and maintain a large marketing presence for Cranford Township, the Cranford Chamber of Commerce and local businesses through print, email, online and social media.
Gina lives in Cranford with her husband Bill and their twin boys, Ben and Sam, as well as their dog Seaver. Gina loves being a hockey mom, loves to travel and enjoys good times with family and friends.
Gina is very involved in Town as the owner of Cranford.com and sits on the Board of Directors for the Cranford Chamber of Commerce.
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