David L. Berkowitz
Hi, I’m David. I’ve spent 40 years in financial services — trading and research at a Soros-backed hedge fund, five years advising CEOs and boards at Stern Stewart & Co., and more than twenty years running my own firm, ValueAligned Partners, which I founded in 2002. I hold two degrees from Columbia: a BA in Economics from Columbia College and an MBA from Columbia Business School.
Today I work mainly with people 50 and older, retirees, and their families. I help them answer the questions that matter most at this stage: Do we have enough? How do we turn savings into income? And would the family be OK if something happened tomorrow? I coordinate the financial, tax, and estate pieces as wealth passes from one generation to the next.
My approach centers on education and direct ownership of individual companies — one advisory fee, no fund fees layered underneath. I want clients, and their families, to understand what they own, how each holding fits their plan, and why staying focused on the long term matters.
Red Bank, NJ
“After 40 years in this business, I can tell you the biggest risk in most retirement plans isn’t the market. It’s that only one person understands the plan.”
Our Team
ValueAligned Partners manages money and builds financial plans for individuals and families who want a direct understanding of their financial lives — people who ask questions and expect straight answers.
The practice puts investment management, retirement income, tax and estate coordination, and family preparedness in one seat, so nothing falls into the gap between your advisor, your attorney, and your CPA. Behind it sits Savvy’s technology platform, which handles the operations and gives every client one live view of their full picture — and gives me more hours for research and for you.
Through ongoing education and direct communication, clients — and their families — come to understand what they own, why they own it, and how the plan carries them.
How can I help?
Retirement Planning
Financial Planning & Analysis
Personalized wealth management helps our clients protect their assets. We use a holistic approach to financial planning that integrates tax strategy, trust and estate planning, and risk management.
Tax Optimization
We aim to take the ambiguity out of tax planning by utilizing tax-reducing strategies that encompass your overall tax liability. We do it by putting together a game plan that is specific to your needs.
Investment Management
End-to-end investment management focused on tailoring portfolios to each client’s specific circumstances and preferences. Our holistic approach will take into consideration all facets of your situation along with current economic data to optimize your portfolio’s risk and return.
Get to know David
David L. Berkowitz is the founder and Chief Investment Officer of ValueAligned Partners. His career spans four decades across hedge fund trading, investment research, corporate finance consulting, and portfolio management.
After earning his B.A. in Economics from Columbia College, David began his career as an entrepreneur before joining Woodward & Associates, an equity hedge fund that managed approximately $250 million at the time. Because the organization was small, David served in several capacities, including trading, research, client service, accounting, and operations. He later became Chief Operating Officer and Head Trader.
David returned to Columbia University to earn his M.B.A. in Finance and Value Investing from Columbia Business School. After graduation, he joined Stern Stewart & Co., the consulting company associated with the development of Economic Value Added, or EVA. During his five years there, he advised businesses on valuation, corporate operations, financial decision-making, and shareholder value. He also taught corporate finance concepts to audiences ranging from executives and board members to employees without formal finance backgrounds.
In 2002, David launched his own investment business. What began as a hedge fund and a relationship with a family office developed into an advisory practice serving individuals and multigenerational families through separately managed accounts.
David created the ValueAligned Investing framework, which combines value investing with an evaluation of management decisions, shareholder alignment, returns on capital, competitive positioning, and share repurchases. Rather than relying on mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, or outside managers, David researches and selects individual companies for client portfolios.
A significant part of David’s work involves helping clients understand market behavior and remain focused during periods of uncertainty. He enjoys teaching clients about the businesses they own and discussing how investment decisions connect with retirement, taxes, estate planning, and family goals.
David also publishes investor education through Berk on Value across video, written articles, and LinkedIn. He has presented to professional organizations and educational audiences in several cities, as well as at Columbia Business School and other business forums.
Asignificant part of David’s work is teaching clients — and their families —what they own: in meetings, in writing, and through the free investor educationhe publishes weekly.
I have been involved in finance for my entire adult life. After graduating from Columbia College with a degree in economics, I started a video-rental vending business in Florida. When that business did not gain the traction it needed, I sold the machines and moved to New York.
In 1989, I joined Woodward & Associates, an equity hedge fund that served as an outside manager for the Soros Fund. Because it was a small organization, I wore many hats. I worked as a trader, research analyst, client service representative, accountant, and operating executive. That experience taught me how markets behave in the short term and how businesses create value over much longer periods.
I later earned my M.B.A. from Columbia Business School and joined Stern Stewart & Co. There, I advised companies on shareholder value, valuation, corporate finance, and operations.
In 2002, I launched my own hedge fund. Friends and relatives also wanted access to my investment management, but many could not invest directly in the fund. I began managing their assets through separate accounts, and the financial advisory practice grew from there.
When the hedge fund closed, I continued managing portfolios and helping families connect their investments with financial, retirement, tax, and estate planning.
My background includes investment research, equity analysis, stock trading, portfolio management, corporate governance, executive compensation, financial planning, and the coordination of tax and estate considerations.
As a former EVA consultant, I studied how businesses create or reduce shareholder value. That experience continues to shape how I evaluate companies today.
I also worked as a hedge fund accountant and portfolio manager, which gave me a detailed understanding of portfolio structure, security selection, and the tax consequences associated with investment decisions. I am not a tax professional, but I consider taxes when evaluating transactions and portfolio changes.
I primarily work with people age 50 and older and their families.
Some clients are preparing for retirement and want to understand whether their savings, investments, and expected income can support the life they envision. Others are already retired and need help managing their assets, planning distributions, and making decisions as their circumstances change.
I also work with multigenerational families. This includes helping parents introduce their children to saving and investing, preparing family members to inherit assets, and coordinating financial decisions following the death of a loved one.
I focus on tax planning and optimization because they are crucial aspects to consider when managing your finances. By strategizing efficient ways to minimize tax liabilities and maximize savings, my clients can plan for the future. Additionally, I also help clients with retirement planning, Investment management, and cash flow planning because they are essential for maintaining a healthy financial balance.
I help clients connect retirement planning with long-term ownership of individual companies.
We generally look for quality businesses with strong returns on capital, durable competitive positions, thoughtful capital allocation, and management teams whose interests are aligned with shareholders. Rather than trading in response to short-term market movements, we seek to own companies for long periods.
This approach can give individual investors an advantage that many professional managers do not have. Families are not required to report quarterly results or respond to short-term performance pressure. When their financial plan, cash reserves, and risk capacity are properly considered, they may be able to hold investments through downturns and participate in later recoveries.
I also help clients evaluate retirement cash needs, taxable and retirement accounts, Roth conversions, capital gains, tax-loss opportunities, and the transfer of assets to heirs in coordination with their tax and legal professionals.
Our approach is called ValueAligned Investing.
We generally organize the companies we research into three categories:
Owner-aligned companies: Businesses led or controlled by founders, families, or significant owners whose financial interests are closely connected to those of other shareholders.
Companies with durable competitive positions: Businesses that may be able to sustain strong returns on capital because of their market position, operating advantages, or barriers to competition.
Share-repurchasing companies: Businesses that use available capital to repurchase their own shares when management believes those shares are undervalued.
Client accounts hold individual company stocks directly. We do not add a mutual fund layer or delegate security selection to outside managers. Direct ownership also allows us to review individual tax lots and make account-level decisions.
Education is an important part of the process. I spend time explaining the businesses we own, what could affect them, and why a long-term holding period matters. That understanding can help clients make more measured decisions during difficult markets.
My favorite part is working with multigenerational families.
I enjoy watching clients’ children grow, teaching younger family members how to save and invest, and helping families prepare for the financial transitions that occur throughout life.
It is especially rewarding when clients begin with limited knowledge of stocks or the markets and gradually develop a clear understanding of what they own. I enjoy seeing the moment when a complicated investment idea begins to make sense.
Over time, our conversations extend beyond portfolios. We discuss companies, the economy, retirement, family milestones, and the difficult decisions that follow the loss of a loved one. Being able to support families through those moments is one of the most meaningful parts of my work.
I look forward to using Savvy’s technology and collaborative resources to strengthen the planning experience for my clients.
The platform provides tools for financial planning, organizing client information, tracking important priorities, and improving communication. Savvy’s interest in developing thoughtful workflows and using technology to support advisory relationships can help me spend more time educating clients and addressing the decisions that matter to their families.
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Neither Savvy Wealth, nor Savvy Advisors compensates directly for testimonials or endorsements provided herein, by advisers. However advisors may have an indirect financial incentive to provide testimonials.
