It’s not about building wealth for its own sake

It’s about building the kind of life that matters to YOU

Clear Mission

Centering your reality

Too many people go without professional financial planning because the industry wasn’t built for them. Tributaries Financial Planning was created to provide affordable planning and financial literacy education for individuals and families at every income level. My approach is focused on building your financial literacy, so you always understand what you’re doing financially – and why.

My mission is to center the reality of your life and financial situation to help you build the kind of life that matters to you.

Who I work with

targeting My ideal clients

These are fictional profiles, not real clients

Maria

Public High School Teacher

Maria teaches 10th-grade history at a public high school in Maine and is about 10 years from retirement. She has a MainePERS pension she does not fully understand yet, plus a 403(b) she has barely reviewed. She has never worked with a financial advisor because she assumed it would be too expensive.

James

Respiratory Therapist

James works at a regional hospital, is still paying off student loans, and his daughter starts high school next year. He wants help deciding what comes first: higher loan payments, an emergency fund, retirement contributions, or saving for future education costs. He also wants to know whether Public Service Loan Forgiveness is realistic for him or a distraction.

Priya

Nonprofit Program Director

Priya earns a modest income and is thinking about starting a small consulting practice on the side. She’s unsure how it changes her taxes, how quarterly payments work, what her retirement options might be, and how to protect herself from liability. She wants help setting it up cleanly and building a plan that fits her values.

Expert Guidance

Hi, I’m Ben Liff

Before starting Tributaries Financial Planning, I spent nearly two decades working in education. I started teaching in Wuhan, China in 2007, then taught English composition and literature at George Mason University and later at Southern Maine Community College. After graduate school, I helped revamp the English Studies Program at Gould Academy in Bethel, Maine. From there, I designed online learning programs for CIEE in Portland, Maine, creating prep courses for college students studying abroad in more than 60 countries. In 2021, I joined The Roux Institute at Northeastern University, partnering with graduate-level faculty to design courses in data science, AI, and leadership development.

I’m a fee-only registered investment adviser and fiduciary. My work focuses on practical financial planning with a focus on financial literacy, so my clients understand their options and the “why” behind each recommendation. I hold the Series 65 license and I’m currently pursuing my Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) certification. I’m also a certified education advisor through NCAN and a Maine regional board member of the National Financial Educators Council (NFEC). Those roles reflect what I care about most: giving all people, regardless of background and income level, clear information and usable skills, not just a plan they cannot execute or explain.

I also co-own Tributaries Educational Consulting with my wife, Haze Zhou. It is separate from Tributaries Financial Planning, but aligned with it. We live in Southern Maine with our two sons. Outside of work, I’m usually cooking, reading, gardening, or going to concerts.