W. Dean Karrash, CFP®, CPA
Principal, Chief Financial Officer & Financial Advisor
Industry Experience: Over 25 Years
215.643.9100
dkarrash@blbb.com
W. Dean Karrash, CFP®, CPA
Principal, Chief Financial Officer & Financial Advisor
Industry Experience: Over 25 Years
215.643.9100
dkarrash@blbb.com

During the course of his 35+ years in the financial services industry, Dean has served in numerous executive roles at several investment management and financial planning firms, audited and consulted for other financial services firms in his capacity as a CPA, and helped his clients manage their assets, plan for the future, and navigate through various periods of personal and business transition. Dean understands how challenging it can be for business owners to work through periods of ownership changes – including capital transactions that can result in the generation of significant shareholder value for all parties – because he too has been through them several times as a CEO/CFO. Along the way, Dean developed the ability to identify and uncover value and uses many of these financial skills to manage his client’s assets and advise them on a variety of investment-related topics.

As a financial advisor, Dean often finds himself working with clients who are in transition. In particular, he frequently works with clients who are in the process of selling their businesses or who are transitioning to retirement. In particular, Dean has helped many clients plan for and manage the wealth they receive once their businesses are sold, evaluate and analyze lump sum benefits associated with pension distributions, and develop strategies for handling stock option plans. As both a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®), Dean is uniquely qualified to help clients develop and implement creative and sound investment strategies and approaches that are mindful of their unique needs, goals, and circumstances.

Before joining BLBB Advisors in 2004, Dean was the President and CEO of Rutherford, Brown & Catherwood, LLC and Chief Financial Officer of Walnut Asset Management, LLC. He also served as Vice President of Finance for Lincoln Investment Planning, Inc. and was a Senior Manager with Pricewaterhouse Coopers (formally Coopers & Lybrand), where he provided auditing and consulting services to many well-known financial services firms.

Dean is a graduate of Temple University’s Fox School of Business Executive MBA program and Pennsylvania State University where he obtained a B.S. in Accounting. Dean also has a longstanding history of service to the community and the financial services industry. He currently serves on the Board of Trustees for BLBB Charitable, the LaSalle College High School Alumni Committee and the Montgomery County Estate Planning Council of PA. In addition, he serves on the Finance Committee at the Pennypack Ecological Restoration Trust and on the Board of Directors of the Ambler Theater. Over the years, Dean has served on numerous boards and securities industry committees, including as a member of FINRA’s Small Firm Advisory Board, and as a member and Chairman of FINRA’s District No. 9 Business Conduct and Nominating Committees. Dean is a past member of FINRA’s Financial Responsibility Committee. He is also a past board member of the Dance Theater of Pennsylvania.

Dean and his wife, Maria, are the parents of two grown children. In his free time he enjoys traveling, skiing and playing golf.

Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. (CFP Board) owns the CFP® certification mark, the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification mark, and the CFP® certification mark (with plaque design) logo in the United States, which it authorizes use of by individuals who successfully complete CFP Board’s initial and ongoing certification requirements.