Robert Lopez, CFP®

Financial advisor, husband, dad to three girls, and founder of more spreadsheets than I’d like to admit.
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Experience & Credentials
Education
DePaul University
Credential
CFP® Professional
Experience
10+ Years
Firm Structure
Independent
MY APPROACH
Keep It Simple.
Organize
Coordinate
Simplify
Adapt
Robert Lopezes kids smiling for photo
Robert Lopez, CFP® smiling in office chair
Life Outside The Office

Husband. Dad.
Outnumbered.

Life is busy, loud, and rarely predictable.

Between school events, dance classes, home projects, and everything else that comes with raising three daughters, I’ve learned that plans have to work in real life.

Financial planning isn’t much different.
‍The best plans aren’t perfect. They’re practical.
Robert Lopez's daughters on backyard playground equipment.Maddie wearing face paint and petting dogRobert Lopez’s wife with their three daughters
Before Stonevale
A photo of Robert Lopez in his U.S. Army uniform with an american flag background

Military Service

Discipline, responsibility, and staying calm when plans change.
Robert Lopez Merrill Lynch photo

Merrill Lynch

Built the technical foundation in financial planning and investment management.
A photo of Robert Lopez while an advisor at J.P. Morgan

J.P. Morgan

Expanded my perspective across retirement, tax, estate, and investment planning.
Discipline
Experience
Perspective
Stonevale
Built around clear advice, personal relationships, and long-term thinking.
Why I Started Stonevale
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My Philosophy

Advice should feel clear, useful, and human.

I don’t think financial advice needs to be complicated to be great.

My job is to help you understand what’s going on, explain the tradeoffs, and figure out what actually makes sense for your life.

Sometimes that means making a change, and sometimes it means confirming you’re already on the right track.

Good financial planning should make life easier, not give you more homework.

"Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler."
Albert Einstein
Commonly attributed
Robert Lopez, CFP® at his Northfield office for Stonevale Wealth Advisors.
I optimize things that don’t need optimizing.
Financial plans, spreadsheets, golf bags, garage systems. I’m always looking for a better way.
My daughters keep me humble.
No matter how productive I feel, somebody eventually needs help finding a stuffed animal.
Financial advice should feel normal.
You shouldn’t need a finance degree or a translator to understand your plan.
Common sense is underrated.
‍
Most good financial decisions are thoughtful, disciplined, and repeated over time.
Off The Clock

Outside the Office

When I'm not working, there's a pretty good chance I'm doing one of these.
Women dancing and singing at Irish dancing event.
Irish Dance Competitions
Usually somewhere near a stage, coffee in hand.
Tiling the kitchen backsplash.
Home Projects
There's always something I probably should've hired out.
Robert Lopez golfing at TPC Sawgrass
Golf
Still trying to break 100.
Photo taken of Microsoft Excel while running on screen.
Spreadsheets
Some things absolutely do not need a spreadsheet. I make one anyway.
Robert Lopez with his wife and kids
Family
The best part of the week.

One Last Thought

"A lot of financial advice gets made way more complicated than it needs to be. I’d rather explain it clearly, talk through the tradeoffs, and help you decide what makes sense."

Robert Lopez, CFP® portrait
Robert Lopez, CFP®
Managing Director & Wealth Advisor
Robert Lopez, CFP® sitting cross-legged in an office chair in Stonevale Wealth Advisors office.

Let's make money feel simpler.

If you've made it this far, you probably have a pretty good sense of who I am and how I think about financial advice.
‍
If you think we might work well together, I’d be happy to hear what’s going on in your world and see if I can help.

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Are you a CFP® professional?

Yes. I'm a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® professional.

What does CFP® mean?

CFP® stands for CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER®. Earning the designation requires extensive education, a comprehensive examination, professional experience, and an ongoing commitment to ethical standards and continuing education.

Why did you start Stonevale Wealth Advisors?

I started Stonevale because I wanted the freedom to give advice the way I thought it should be given: personally, thoughtfully, and without making things more complicated than they need to be.
I wanted to build the kind of firm where clients know who they’re calling, understand what we’re doing, and always feel comfortable asking questions.

How long have you been helping clients with financial planning?

I’ve worked in wealth management for more than 10 years, helping individuals and families make important financial decisions.

Before starting Stonevale, I worked at Merrill Lynch and J.P. Morgan. Along the way, I learned that good advice isn’t just about investments. It’s about understanding what matters to someone and helping them make good decisions with their money.

Are you a fiduciary?

Yes. I’m a fiduciary, which means I’m required to put my clients’ interests first.

I’m also fee-only, so I don’t earn commissions for selling investments, insurance, or other financial products. My job is simply to give you advice I believe is best for you.

What makes Stonevale different from other financial advisors?

Stonevale is intentionally small and personal. When you work with the firm, you work directly with me.

I built Stonevale around straightforward advice, open communication, and long-term relationships. My goal isn’t to make your finances sound complicated. It’s to help you understand what you have, what you’re doing, and why.

Why did you become a financial advisor?

I became a financial advisor because I genuinely enjoy helping people make sense of their money and make good decisions with it.

What I love most is taking something that feels confusing or overwhelming and making it understandable. Sometimes that means working through a big retirement decision. Other times, it’s simply answering a question someone has been worried about.

My favorite moments are the little “aha” moments when something finally clicks and a client walks away feeling like they understand their options and know what to do next.