Heritage Financial Consultants, LLC has announced that David Cooper and Jody Cooper Otterson have joined the organization as financial planning professionals, working out of Virginia Beach and Hampton Roads, Virginia.
Dave has over 47 years of experience and knowledge in financial planning and has spent the last 40 years at Lincoln Financial Advisors, building meaningful client relationships. During his time at Lincoln Financial, Dave held key leadership positions, including Regional Vice President for three years and Regional Chief Executive Officer for 14 years. During his financial planning career, Dave has worked collaboratively with clients to help achieve their financial goals in areas such as business planning, retirement, asset management, child/college planning, and estate planning.
Jody brings nearly two decades of accounting and financial planning experience and knowledge to Heritage. She has been with Lincoln Financial for the past nine years as a Wealth Planning Advisor. Prior to joining her father and finding her passion as a financial planner, Jody worked as a Certified Public Accountant, learning both the Tax and Audit sides of business at Cherry Bekaert & Holland. Jody spent five years at Amerigroup in a Leadership program, rotating around the organization where she learned business operations, technology, Medicare, and pharmacy.
“I saw all the amazing things that my dad did for other people, and after seeing how he could make a monumental difference in other people’s lives, I was inspired to become a financial planner,” Jody said. “Heritage recognizes that financial planning is relational rather than transactional.”
Both Dave and Jody, having experienced personal losses and life’s unpredictability, remain deeply committed to giving back and assisting clients in planning, managing, preserving, and protecting their wealth. Their approach is grounded in compassion and empathy, helping to guide their clients toward financial security.
“We like to get on the same side of the table with our clients and assist them in creating a successful plan for their futures that aligns with their values,” Dave said. “The best practice sharing, pivotal people, and abundant resources at Heritage will help us continue to grow and nurture our client relationships.”
In their roles as financial planners at Heritage, Dave and Jody will provide comprehensive and tailored solutions aligned with clients’ unique financial objectives. Specializing in working with multi-generational families, many being third-generational ones, they help to ensure financial futures are secure in the face of uncertainty.
Dave received his bachelor’s degree from Ball State University. In addition to his professional accomplishments, Dave is a lifetime member of The Resource Group (TRG) and among the top planners in the country with TRG – an internal invitation-only, nationwide network of the top financial planners within Lincoln Financial Advisors. He is also a committed board member of Capernaum Young Life. Dave and his supportive wife Cris have three daughters, three sons-in-law, and six grandchildren. He enjoys spending time with his family, boating, traveling, entertaining, and occasionally flying helicopters.
Jody received her bachelor’s degree from Virginia Tech. Aside from her professional life, Jody is dedicated to her family and finds joy in boating, traveling, playing sports, and helping others. She is the founder of BFOG, a nonprofit that provides emotional and financial support for those struggling during the postpartum phase of motherhood and child loss. Jody resides in Virginia Beach, VA, with her husband, Erinn, and their son, Cooper. She and her husband are active in their church, and you’ll often find them supporting several charity events around the Hampton Roads area.
Led by founder Brian Gracie, Heritage Financial Consultants aims to make a positive impact on the lives of their clients and their clients’ families through education and innovative financial solutions. Well into its second decade of existence, Heritage Financial Consultants holds more than $6 billion in client-invested assets across more than 12 offices in Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, Florida, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Indiana.
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