Northstar Financial Advisors

Northstar Financial Advisors

Berse founded Northstar in 1993, anchoring the firm on a fee-only model unusual for its era. As a CPA with a Certificate of Financial Planning from the American Institute of CPAs, Berse built the practice to integrate tax advisory, estate planning, and portfolio management under one independent roof. The firm cites over two decades of advising high-net-worth individuals, families, retirement plans, trusts, and estates. Berse also serves on the Investment Committee of the American Liver Foundation. Northstar applies a value-investing framework derived from Benjamin Graham's principles, targeting long-term returns with reduced volatility. The firm emphasizes asset allocation as the primary driver of portfolio outcomes, allocating client capital across equities, fixed income, and international markets. The advisory constructs portfolios directly for individual clients and trusts rather than through fund-of-funds or club-deal structures. The firm does not disclose its specific holdings or total deployment publicly. The firm operates from a single location in Highland Beach, Florida. It discloses no additional offices, investment vehicles, or philanthropic foundations beyond Berse's investment committee role. Team size and total regulatory assets under management are not published. Berse has been quoted in Fortune magazine and the Investment News Letter, though the firm itself maintains a minimal public footprint. Northstar's structural posture turns on the principal's dual qualification as a CPA and financial planner — a combination the firm argues gives it an edge in tax-aware portfolio construction. The 1% fee on assets under management is its only revenue stream, with no commissions from product sales, which the firm frames as a safeguard against conflicts of interest. Succession and long-term governance remain tied to Berse as sole named principal.