Who We Are

Daniel M. Flannery, CFA

President & Portfolio Manager

Dan is a lifelong investor who believes that high-quality investment and financial management can help you reach your most important personal and family goals while achieving peace of mind. And he believes that you can respect your personal values at the same time.

Dan is the founder and President of Balanced Rock and also serves as a Portfolio Manager and Advisor.

Prior to founding Balanced Rock Investment Advisors, Dan spent more than eight years with Cargill Investment Group Ltd. in Boston, an asset manager of private tax credit real estate equity funds for institutional investors. Dan worked as office administrator, analyst, fund accountant, and junior asset manager before working for five years as an asset manager responsible for more than $90M of equity investments and $200M of total assets across multiple funds.

Dan graduated with honors from the University of Pittsburgh in 2004, majoring in political science. In 2009 Dan earned his CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst®) Charter from CFA Institute. He keeps his professional expertise current by engaging in the CFA Continuing Education Program and commits to upholding the high standards of ethics and conduct promoted by CFA Institute.

Dan lives in Medfield, MA with his wife Meredith and their son Alden and daughter Sienna. He previously lived in Roslindale for 16 years, where he founded Balanced Rock in his family’s basement on Roslindale Ave. In his spare time, Dan enjoys spending time with his family, mountain biking, reading, and listening to all kinds of music.

Laura M. Daniels, CFP®

Advisor & Client Services Manager

Laura is an organizational powerhouse, indefatigable problem solver, an advisor and Client Services Manager at Balanced Rock. She has always enjoyed working with people and finding sustainable, values-based solutions to problems large and small.

Laura is a Certified Financial Planner™ professional and a member of FPA and NAPFA. She has over two decades of experience as an entrepreneur in a private healthcare business and more than three decades of client service and management experience, including work in non-profits, global high-tech, and family businesses. Her volunteer work focuses on food, clothing, and medical access for underprivileged, unhoused, and at-risk populations, as well as activities within her church. Laura has a certification in financial planning from Boston University, a master’s in acupuncture from Northwest Institute of Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine, and a bachelor’s in anthropology from Baylor University.

As a Waco, Texas native, Laura has lived and worked in several places in the US and has been delighted to call Roslindale her home since 2015. She enjoys many of the local and regional opportunities and looks forward to each day with the fun and caring team at Balanced Rock.

Thomas J. Higgins, Jr.

Chief Operating Officer, Chief Compliance Officer & Advisor

Tom joined Balanced Rock in 2021 and brings over 10 years of experience in the financial services industry, having built and led registered investment advisors and multi-billion-dollar investment platforms for leading institutions. He is focused on growing Balanced Rock’s capacity to serve more clients with quality financial planning and investment management, both in his roles as COO & CCO and also as an Advisor.

Tom previously held several senior management and investment related roles, including Director and Head of the Advisory Platform, Ameritas Investment Corp., Investment Analyst and VP of Product Management, Santander Investments, and most recently Principal Business Consultant covering RIA business strategy for Edelman Financial Engines. Prior to the investment industry, Tom worked as a Financial Analyst and Management Consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton.  

Tom earned his Bachelor of Science from Stonehill College, Majoring in Finance with a Minor in Economics. During his time at Stonehill, Tom played Lacrosse for 4 years and captained for 2 seasons. He was an active member and supporter of growing the school’s Lacrosse program both locally and on the national stage. 

Tom resides in Newburyport, MA with his wife Breanna, their 2-year-old son, Connor, and energetic Lab, Penny who are all patiently awaiting the arrival of their second child. When not spending time with his growing family, Tom enjoys being outdoors, playing sports, working on cars, and getting involved in the community.  

Brian Doherty

Advisor & Financial Planner

Brian comes to Balanced Rock with a background in data analytics and a deep passion for finance. Brian’s interest for the financial world came at a young age when he would trade stock picks with older family members and save lunch money so that he could buy more shares of his favorite stocks.

Brian continued to pursue his passion for finance and investing while studying at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he graduated from the Commonwealth Honors College and Isenberg School of Business in the Spring of 2017 with a major in Finance and minor in Economics. Brian graduated top of his class with a 4.0 GPA and was also the recipient of the Finance Academic Excellence Award.

Upon graduation, Brian joined the Analyst Development Program at Liberty Mutual Insurance where he honed his already strong analytical skills. While working in analytics, Brian gained a deeper knowledge of finance and investments through his studies of the CFA Level 1, of which he passed.  Brian’s family and friends have come to see him as the go to person for all finance questions, a role Brian relishes. In essence, Brian acted as their “informal” financial advisor, which gave Brian great personal satisfaction. This motivated him to create his own financial advisory firm, which became fully operational in early 2021. Brian has since moved his clients to Balanced Rock.

In his free time, Brian relaxes by running, spending time with family and friends, playing intramural sports, golfing, and traveling. Brian also enjoys volunteering and fundraising for charities, including the Boys and Girls Club of Dorchester. Combining his passions, Brian has run both the New York and Boston Marathons for charities, hosted charity golf tournaments and other fundraisers