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Our Team




With more than 30 years of experience managing retirement assets for both individual and corporate accounts, Joseph R. Brooks, ChFC®, and his staff bring extensive knowledge of distributions, rollovers and critical tax and legal considerations to clients.


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Joseph R. Brooks

President & Founder

Joseph R. Brooks, ChFC®

President & Founder


Joseph R. Brooks, ChFC®, is president of Fairhaven Financial Advisory Corporation, a registered investment advisor, in East Lansing, Michigan. With more than three decades in the financial services industry, Joe initially co-founded and co-owned a retirement plan administration firm (TPA). Through his firsthand experience in designing, implementing, and administering pension, profit sharing and 401(k) plans, he brings a unique perspective and insight to retirement planning for clients.

Founding Fairhaven Financial Advisory Corporation in 1996, Joe followed his passion for working directly with clients assisting them with clarifying and establishing plans to reach their financial goals. He strives to help guide and assist clients with financial strategies to avoid costly gaps and oversights in investments, taxes, estate planning, insurance, Social Security and IRA rollovers and distributions to ultimately maximize their retirement assets.

In addition to his personal experience, Joe maintains extensive knowledge and expertise through accreditations and training with elite financial membership groups. He has a B.A. from Michigan State University and is a Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC®). Additionally, he is a member of the Society of Financial Service Professionals, Academy of Preferred Financial Professionals, and is the former vice president of the Central Michigan Chapter of the International Association of Financial Planning. Dedicated to the ongoing training in and mastery of IRA tax laws and planning strategies, Joe is a Charter Member of Ed Slott’s Master Elite IRA Advisor Group. In addition to regular training with Ed Slott, America’s IRA Expert, Joe has been recognized for his financial expertise as a featured Guest IRA Expert in Ed Slott’s IRA Advisor newsletter which is distributed to well-known publications such as The Wall Street Journal, Kiplinger Letter, Money Magazine and other national and industry trade publications. He was most recently featured in Ed Slott’s newsletter in an article entitled, “Dealing with Ineligible Roth IRA Contributions”. Joe has also been featured in: The Wall Street Journal in an article entitled “Check the IRA Math”, USA Today in an article entitled “If you inherit an IRA, make a plan before doing a thing”, and MarketWatch in an article entitled “Last-minute tax tips that will also help you save for retirement”.

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Jonathan R. Brooks

Investment Advisor Representative

Jonathan R. Brooks

Investment Advisor Representative


As an Investment Advisor Representative, Jonathan assists individuals in managing their assets and meeting their financial goals.

Jonathan holds the Health and Life Insurance Exam and the Series 65 Uniform Investment Advisor Law Exam. Jonathan has a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Taylor University. Jonathan’s passion for serving others, joyful personality, and natural leadership have been a wonderful addition to our team.

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Joshua S. Roberds

Investment Advisor Representative

Joshua S. Roberds

Investment advisor representative


As an Investment Advisor Representative, Joshua assists individuals in managing their assets and meeting their financial goals.

Joshua holds his Series 65 Uniform Investment Advisor Law Exam. He studied Mechanical Engineering with a major in Mathematics at Ferris State University and Grand Valley State University. Josh’s background in engineering and mathematics, passion for new development, his attention to detail and his leadership abilities have quickly made him an integral part of our team.

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Rachel C. Anderson

Investment Advisor Representative & Chief Compliance Officer

Rachel C. Anderson

Investment Advisor Representative and Chief Compliance Officer


As Investment Advisor Representative, Rachel assists with account management, client reviews, and investment objectives. As Chief Compliance Officer, Rachel keeps Fairhaven Financial Advisory Corporation up to date with industry regulations. She also oversees the annual calculation, verification and confirmation of required minimum distributions (RMDs) for clients.

Rachel holds the Series 66 Uniform Combined State Law Exam. Rachel has a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from Michigan State University. Rachel’s joyful personality and talent are wonderful assets to our team.

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Lara S. Hernandez

Operations Manager

Lara S. Hernandez

Operations Administrator


As Operations Manager, Lara is responsible for the processing of new securities accounts, securities trades, distribution requests and other client service related transactions.  She also manages the production of our quarterly performance reports.

Lara studied music education at Grand Valley State University and Michigan State University. Her bright sense of humor and wit add a great deal of spirit to the atmosphere at Fairhaven Financial Advisory Corporation.

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Ashleigh M. Roberds

Marketing & Client Development Administrator

Ashleigh M. Roberds

Marketing & Client Development Administrator


As Marketing and Client Development Administrator, Ashleigh’s responsibilities include planning client appreciation and educational events, designing and writing newsletters and mailings, developing website content, maintaining social media platforms, and over-seeing public relations at Fairhaven Financial Advisory Corporation.

Ashleigh has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology with a concentration in Public Relations from Taylor University. Ashleigh’s enthusiasm and drive have made our team complete.

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Helen E. Lauterbach

Office Manager & Administrative Assistant

Helen E. Lauterbach

Office Manager & Administrative Assistant


As Office Manager, Helen keeps us supplied with everything we need to keep the office running efficiently and to produce our quarterly reports and other mailings. As Administrative Assistant she answers phones, schedules appointments, assembles all of the mailings and is responsible for the ongoing maintenance and upkeep of all client files. She also assists with special projects and proactively attends to the many day-to-day details that keep our office running smoothly. Helen’s kindness and willingness to serve make her an invaluable part of our team.

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