Lighthouse Financial Guides Clients Through The Fog Of Finances

Keith Manning and Mark Kamins are casual guys – neither wears a suit to the office, and they’re both happy sitting in a local coffee shop talking about their mutual love of numbers.

There’s a certain enjoyment of work the two friends of 29 years share, especially since they became two-time business partners in the mid-1990s after opening Kamins and Manning PC (1993) and Lighthouse Financial Services LLC (1994). The payoff of self-employment, they explained, is having the time to personally relate to clients and forge long-term business relationships.

“We spend less time doing administrative things and have more hands-on client time, which is what we enjoy and where the client gets the most benefit,” Kamins explained. “We’re not just technicians. We pride ourselves on personal skills, to be able to communicate so people understand and are not threatened.”

Each of Manning and Kamins’ two businesses offers financial guidance and stability for clients, with a little bit of know-how and understanding in hopes of gaining financial independence.

Manning and Kamins followed similar paths toward business ownership — a college degree in accounting and licensure as a certified public accountant (CPA) and personal financial specialist (PFS). Manning said it’s understandable that so many people are afraid of dealing with numbers when it comes to taxes and investments; one wrong decision could translate to an audit or lost income opportunities.

A critical reason for the success of Kamins and Manning PC and Lighthouse Financial, Manning explained, is his and Kamins’ ability to explain in detail and in layman’s terms where a client’s money is going — and why. “We’re not going to make the client do something they’re not comfortable with,” Manning said. “They have to understand it to a certain degree.”

Much of the duo’s clientele is made up of individuals and closely held businesses. But good business owners are not necessarily good business people, Kamins believes, and the role he assumes with Manning is that of a business consultant and de facto business partner.

Kamins and Manning recently moved their offices to the Ebersberger Business Center at 645 Baltimore-Annapolis Boulevard. Manning, who lives in Shipley’s Choice (Kamins is a longtime resident of Montgomery County), said it was not easy to find sufficient office space in Severna Park, so settling in at the Ebersberger complex with a five-employee staff has been a blessing.

“It’s hard to find nice office space that is comfortable,” he admitted. “It’s a nice building; it’s a nice space and it’s conveniently located.”

Manning has been involved with Benfield Pines and Navy youth hockey programs for more than a decade. Living and working in Severna Park is nice because of the family-friendly town’s proximity to Annapolis, Baltimore and Washington, D.C., and its cluster of locally owned businesses.

Kamins and Manning continually upgrade their knowledge of finances, whether it involves complicated tax laws, or the continuous technological advancements that they say have made it virtually impossible for the average taxpayer to complete successfully and properly their own taxes. Kamins extended an invitation to Anne Arundel County residents to ask questions and use any and all of the services provided by Kamins and Manning PC and Lighthouse Financial.

“We do serve the community and we welcome the opportunity to meet and potentially serve others in the community,” Kamins said. “If you have a need, we’d love to talk to you.”

Lighthouse Financial and Kamins and Manning PC can be reached at www.lfsllc.com or 410-544-3303.

SECURITIES AND INVESTMENT ADVISORY SERVICES THROUGH H. BECK, INC.,

Member FINRA, SIPC. Keith M. Manning and Mark H. Kamins are Registered

Representatives of H. Beck, Inc., which is unaffiliated with Lighthouse Financial Services, LLC. H. Beck, Inc. does not provide accounting/tax services. Accounting and tax services are available

through Kamins and Manning, P.C., which is unaffiliated with H. Beck, Inc.