CFP®, TPCP®, ChFC®, RICP®, MBA
Todd Doobrow, CFP®, TPCP®, ChFC®, RICP®, MBA
Founder & Financial Advisor
Todd started out on a trading desk. When it was shut down, he walked across the hall to a financial planning firm with all his licenses and very little idea how planning actually worked, and found the part of the business he cared about.
Then it got personal. His wife was in residency to become a periodontist, like her father. When her father passed away between her first and second year, they inherited two dental practices, the side businesses that came with them, and a significant amount of bank debt. Todd sold his book of business and ran the practices until everything was untangled and sold. The accountant who helped them settle it named his future market plainly: the doctor you'd assume had everything handled didn't have the basics covered. Work with them.
That's still how Todd works. Understand the whole situation, mind the details, and don't confuse investment management with the full job. A Charlotte native and UNC-Chapel Hill graduate, he lives in Mountain Brook with his wife, Jennifer, and their son, Hampton.
What the letters actually mean.
Designations are shorthand, and shorthand isn't much use if you don't know what's behind it. Here's what each one required and where it shows up in your plan.
CFP®
Certified Financial Planner
The broad planning credential: coursework across taxes, investments, retirement, insurance, and estate planning, a comprehensive board exam, an experience requirement, and continuing education to keep it. CFP Board also holds certificants to a fiduciary duty when giving financial advice. For you, it means the person across the table is trained to look at the whole picture, not one product line.
TPCP®
Tax Planning Certified Professional
A tax specialization from The American College of Financial Services, focused on planning rather than filing: account and entity choices, withdrawal sequencing, Roth decisions, and the tax effects of a business sale or an inheritance. It doesn't replace your CPA, who prepares the return. It means the decisions you make during the year are looked at for their tax consequences before April, not after.
ChFC®
Chartered Financial Consultant
Also from The American College, with a course-by-course curriculum that goes deeper into applied planning situations: small business owners, divorce, special needs, and other cases that don't fit a standard template. Most of what practice owners bring us falls into that category.
RICP®
Retirement Income Certified Professional
Specialized in the second half of the problem. Building the balance is one skill; turning it into income that lasts is another, and it involves withdrawal order, Social Security timing, Medicare surcharges, and tax treatment across accounts. This is the credential that matters most when you stop earning.
MBA
Master of Business Administration
The business side, which matters more than it sounds for a client whose largest asset is a practice. Reading financial statements, understanding what drives the operating income, and thinking about a business as something to be valued and eventually sold are all part of the planning conversation, not separate from it.
Professional designations reflect education, examination, and experience requirements set by the issuing organizations. They are not endorsements by FINRA or the SEC and are not a guarantee of any particular result. CFP® is administered by CFP Board; TPCP®, ChFC®, and RICP® are administered by The American College of Financial Services.
Understand first. Recommend second.
Doctors don't prescribe before they understand the patient. Good advice works the same way. We listen, look across your whole financial life, and build recommendations around your actual situation, not a template.
Care before products.
Our favorite part of the job isn't debating the next ETF. It's helping you work through a decision and understanding the business and life around the money. Products can be part of a plan. They're not the point.
Clear enough to use.
Planning shouldn't leave you with more vocabulary and the same uncertainty. We explain what we see and why a recommendation makes sense, without turning you into a financial professional.
A personal practice with institutional support
Curato Advisory is an independent practice affiliated with RFG Advisory. You work with us directly. Behind us sits an established platform's investment, planning, compliance, technology, and operations teams.
That structure means the relationship stays personal while the resources behind it are far larger than the size of the office suggests.
Working with established custodians
The team behind the portfolios
Portfolio construction, allocation, and trading are handled by RFG's investment team rather than squeezed between client meetings.
Let's talk about what's next
This starts as a conversation, not a pitch. Tell us a little about your situation and Todd will follow up personally.