ABOUT OUR TEAM
“The core of man’s spirit comes from new experiences”
-Jon Krakauer “Into the Wild”
Rita Abel, CFP®, CPA/PFS
Rita Abel, the founder of Abel Financial, has been a practicing CPA since 1982, first working in various public accounting firms and becoming a sole practitioner in 1991.
In 1994, in order to become a more valuable resource to her CPA clients, Rita began helping her clients with
comprehensive financial planning and investment management services. Since that time, she has incorporated both disciplines to maximize the benefit to her clients’ financial well-being.
Rita’s personal journey has seen her family escape Poland during the holocaust and make her way through Russia and Israel as a young girl before making her way to the US. She has seen the worst in people and governments. These experiences are part of what has made her an invaluable
advisor to her clients for many decades.
Rita is married, has three adult sons who are also married and who have blessed her and her husband with seven wonderful grandchildren – five boys and two girls.
Outside her professional life, she devotes her personal time first and foremost to her family, then to her friends, and then
to the practice of yoga and various other forms of physical fitness.
Steve Stern, CFP®
In 2018, Rita transitioned the ownership of Abel Financial to Steve Stern, CFP®. Steve brings
with him over 15 years of helping families with their personal finances. More importantly, Steve
is a strong believer in focusing the practice around exceptional client experience and deeply
personalized relationships. Steve has worked with ranges of families from low-income through
his pro-bono financial planning work to helping ultra-high-net-worth families manage their
financial affairs. Through his experiences, Steve realized that his true passion is to work with
upper-middle-class families like the one he was raised in.
Steve envisions a firm built around:
-
High touch relationships built around trust and integrity
-
A business built on advice, guidance and not products.
-
A business dedicated to serving its clients rather than the profit goals of a larger organization.
In addition to helping his clients, Steve is passionate about giving back to the community. He currently lives in Eldersburg, MD with his wife Emily, daughter Ryleigh & newborn son, Cole, along with their rescue animals Berger. and Oreo.
Steve graduated from the Young Leadership Council which grooms future leaders in the
Baltimore Jewish community and spends his free time volunteering with The Associated, a
Jewish Philanthropic organization. Steve is a board member of Comprehensive Housing
Assistance, Inc. (CHAI) in Baltimore and is on several committees including chairing the
investment committee for their multi-million dollar housing development fund.
Mauria Ross
Mauria joined Abel Financial Management Company in January of 2015.
She brings a broad range of skills in bookkeeping and managing small businesses.
Prior to assuming her current role, she was responsible for recording and classifying the financial transactions as well as the sales expenses for a small business. She also hired, trained and managed staff, processed payroll and performed scheduling functions.
Mauria is analytical, detail- and business- oriented and enjoys working with clients.
As a nationally certified Personal Trainer and Group Fitness instructor for the past 17 years, Mauria has extensive experience in individualized service.
