Aw shucks, John, you shouldn’t have.

All false modesty aside, it was great to be recommended recently as a go-to guy for personal financial planning in a book by John Schwartz, a national correspondent for The New York Times.

Mr. Schwartz, who I met while he was researching his book, This is the Year I Put My Financial Life in Order (2018: Avery), interviewed me and several other advisers to find out how we operate. Mr. Schwartz selected me to represent that rare breed of advisers who specialize in hourly advice.

“I was drawn to the simplicity of the services that people like Fredrickson offer,” Mr. Schwartz wrote.

We met for lunch and I provided more details on my approach and philosophy, which is grounded in fee-only (no commissions) advice. I rounded that out with a quick-hit analysis of his investment portfolio and retirement prospects.

“A few hours after getting back from lunch,” Mr. Schwartz wrote, “a friend sent an email around to me and some other friends asking if we knew of a good financial planner, ‘someone to save me from financial ruin and/or achieve total prosperity.’

“Without hesitation, I gave him Fredrickson’s number.”

In his book, Mr. Schwartz devoted nearly four pages to me and my practice.  I am truly flattered to be included in a widely-released personal finance book that’s written for a general audience. Even if I were not featured in the book, I’d recommend it to people who want to straighten out their money life.