Lewis J. Altfest, Ph.D., is CEO, Chief Investment Officer, and a Principal Advisor for Altfest Personal Wealth ManagementSM. Prior to founding the firm in 1983, he was a General Partner and Director of Research for Lord Abbett & Co., a large mutual fund and investment management company that manages more than $100 billion in assets. Lew began his investment career as a research analyst at Wertheim & Co.
Lew was the sole recipient of the 2007 Charles R. Schwab IMPACT Award® – arguably the highest distinction in the profession – for his sustained vision, outstanding leadership and client commitment. He was named one of the “Best Financial Advisers” in the country by Barron’s, as well as by Money, Worth, Mutual Funds, Medical Economics, and Dental Practice Report magazines. In 2013, Financial Planning magazine honored Lew in a cover story with the Lifetime Achievement Influencer Award, as an advisor who over the course of his career, has changed financial planning for the better and pushed the industry to higher levels. In 2012, and again in 2013, he was named to Financial Advisor magazine’s Due Diligence/Research Manager All-Star Team. His academic textbook, Personal Financial Planning, was published by McGraw Hill and is currently used at leading universities around the country. Lew is co-author of Lew Altfest Answers Almost All Your Questions About Money, which was named one of the best financial planning books by Money magazine, and co-author of An Introduction to Business.
Lew is an Associate Professor of Finance at the Lubin School of Business at Pace University, where he teaches financial planning and investments. Previously, he was co-director of the Investment Program at the New School. In addition to the books listed above, Lew is the author of many scholarly articles on financial planning and investments.
Lew lectures frequently to investors, pre-retirees and retirees as well as to other financial professionals. He is often interviewed by the media and currently writes a monthly investment column for Medical Economics. Lew is listed in Who's Who in Finance and Who's Who in America and is the recipient of the 2006 Career Achievement Award from The City College of New York for his “integral role in the development of the financial planning profession.”
A founding member of the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA), Lew has served on its Board of Directors. He was selected as one of NAPFA’s 30 Most Influential in 2013. He also is a member of the Financial Planning Association (FPA), Academy of Financial Services, Financial Management Association, American Finance Association, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the New York Society of Security Analysts.
Lew received his Ph.D. from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. He has an M.B.A. from New York University and a B.B.A from Baruch College. He also holds the CFA, CFP®, CPA, and PFS designations.