Background & Focus:
Phil Mason is a Chief Financial Officer (CFO) by trade with 30 years of experience advising business owners and their families. He is a Certified Family Business Specialist (CFBS) and helps business owners prepare for one of the biggest financial events of their life – exiting the business. He provides multi-generational financial planning and investment advisory services across two and three generations spanning multiple branches of family trees. His professional mission and passion are helping business owners protect their family, business, and ownership interests through integrated planning that is designed to reduce complexity, minimize risk, build wealth, and improve tax efficiency*. He employs a unique blend of education and experience in small, medium, and large companies and advises on low, medium, and high levels of financial complexity. Levels of financial complexity vary based on the intersection of life stage, business stage, and ownership stage of their life. He educates clients through effective communication techniques which enable them to make good financial decisions, enhance their wealth through tax mitigation and cash flow planning strategies, take care of their heirs, protect their assets from being unjustly taken, and magnify their charitable impact.
In his fiduciary Investment Advisor Representative role, Phil helps owners of medium sized companies coordinate and integrate their personal, business, and estate planning which spans the family, business, and ownership domains of their financial life. The coordination and integration of planning across these three domains is a differentiator for Lumen Wealth Advisors. This specialized and holistic approach helps address the complex and interrelated nature of business owners’ concerns and needs. The ongoing fee-based financial planning process involves a ‘deep dive’ discovery to assess the client’s present position. A comprehensive plan is developed, implemented, and maintained based on independent observations and recommendations**. Investment advisory and wealth management services are also provided based on the unique client needs, objectives, risk tolerance, and time horizon through an extensive platform of traditional and alternative investment alternatives.
Phil began his 30-year career in the AT&T CFO organization. After five years, he left to become Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer of 2nd generation family owned Allied Steel in Newark, NJ. When the business owner hit the lottery and didn’t want to grow the company any longer, he joined 2nd & 3rd generation family-owned Martec International in South Plainfield, NJ, as Chief Financial Officer. He was promoted to Chief Financial Officer & Chief Operating Officer after twelve months and provided financial and operational leadership while the company expanded product distribution throughout North, Central, and South America. Since leaving AT&T in 1994, he has vested 30 years advising multi-generational family business owners in strategy, execution, and succession. In 2012, he took the next step in his career to personal CFO to successful business owners and their families. In 2024, he Co-Founded Lumen Wealth Advisors to merge his boutique multi-generational advisory and management consulting practices with TransitioNext Advisors to serve the comprehensive nature of business owner needs.
Education & Credentials:
BA cum laude International Business & Economics, State University of New York, College at Brockport
MBA International Business Management, Fairleigh Dickinson University Graduate Certificate in Personal Financial Planning, Moravian College Graduate Certificate in Business Succession Planning, The American College
Professional Designations:
Certified Family Business Specialist (CFBS)
*Our firm does not provide tax advice or services. Consult your tax advisor regarding your specific situation.
**Financial Plan recommendations can be implemented with the advisor of your choosing. Implementation of specific products or services may result in commissions or fees outside of the financial planning fee.