Who will I work with?
Work directly with the people behind your plan.
Kevin Jacobs, CFP®
Owner and Financial Planner
What he does for you: Builds and explains your recommendations.
Background: Kevin founded the firm in 2008. He has prepared tax returns since 2005.
Kelly Payne, FPQP™
Paraplanner and Investment Adviser Representative
What she does for you: Organizes your information and prepares your analysis and planning documents.
Background: Kelly joined Step By Step Financial in 2025.
Donella Jacobs
Client Service Specialist
What she does for you: Handles scheduling, service requests, and paperwork.
Background: Donella joined Step By Step Financial in 2026. She spent 25 years as a nurse, with experience in pediatric and adult oncology.
You know who to call
- Your plan and recommendations
- Kevin
- Your documents
- Kelly
- Scheduling and paperwork
- Donella
Why work with the same team?
Work with the same people each time.
- Your decisions stay connected. Taxes, retirement, and investments inform each recommendation.
- You know who to call. Reach us directly.
Your circumstances guide our advice.
Who supports the firm behind the scenes?
Financial Planning: a one-time written plan for one flat fee. You keep your accounts where they are and carry out the plan yourself.
Ongoing Planning: we manage your investments at Fidelity and keep your plan current, for an annual fee based on the assets we manage. Accounts held elsewhere move to Fidelity, and we help with the transfer.
These independent firms support Ongoing Planning, not the Financial Planning service.
Fidelity Investments holds your accounts. Fidelity holds Ongoing Planning accounts in your name and sends statements; it isn't your advisor. We can direct trades and deduct our fee, but we can't withdraw your money for any other purpose. Planning-only accounts stay put.
Focus Partners Advisor Solutions handles trading and recordkeeping. For Ongoing Planning clients, Focus Partners Advisor Solutions, LLC, an independent, SEC-registered firm, serves as our sub-advisor. It carries out our investment decisions, processes trades, collects fees, and keeps records, and it has discretion over how some trades are executed. Your relationship, your plan, and your recommendations stay with us. Its role is described in our Form ADV, available at adviserinfo.sec.gov.
30 minutes, by phone or video. No fee, no obligation, and nothing to prepare.