Amanda Foster, CFP®, CRPS®
Lead Financial Planner & Owner
Practical Financial Solutions is a woman-owned small business founded by Amanda Foster, CFP(r) CRPS(r). Amanda began helping clients in 1992, working for a consumer finance company after graduating with a degree in finance. Her dream since childhood of working in investment management and financial planning full-time was realized when she joined the private client department of a local bank and began helping her clients achieve better rates of return, get more financially organized, and address financial concerns.
Amanda has continued to build on her experience by pursuing opportunities for professional growth and achieving certifications in the fields of financial planning and retirement plan design. In addition to the 27+ years of client facing experience, Amanda is accredited with the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification and the Chartered Retirement Plan Specialist SM designation through the College for Financial Planning. Currently an independent financial planner practitioner, Amanda is the managing director of Practical Financial Solutions and partners with Cambridge Investment Research, an employee-owned firm catering to mid-career financial planners.
"Despite the many changes in the financial services industry, I've remained centered on my client rather than the bottom line for the organization. The name of my broker-dealer may have changed over the years but it's the experience my clients associate with me that's most important. Partnering with an employee-owned firm has allowed me to eliminate many of the conflicts of interest I was presented with while working at a bank. I have realized autonomy to run my business the way I want..", says Ms. Foster about her time partnering with Cambridge Investment Research, Inc."I am beholden to no one but my client and that feels really good."
Amanda enjoys working with her clients that share common interests like road and mountain biking, hiking, tennis and whitewater kayaking. "I find the outdoors really helps me to unwind in a way that is both healthy and fun. Assisting like-minded people makes the idea of work seem a lot less like work." Among her many passions is financial literacy and advocating for more women in STEM. Amanda serves as President of the American Association of University Women, Huntsville Branch, where she contributes to the efforts of Tech Trek, a local immersive tech summer camp for teenage girls, as well as raising funds to send local college students to an AAUW-sponsored leadership development camp in Washington, D.C.
Amanda Foster is licensed to sell securities in the following states: Alabama, Georgia, and North Carolina.