Meet Roots First Financial

Get to know the founder and his motivation for helping others.

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Matt Johnson, CPA, NSSA Founder | Financial Professional

Matt Johnson is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and National Social Security Advisor (NSSA) who focuses on retirement planning. He graduated from Brigham Young University with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accounting. Matt began his career in Big 4 public accounting with Ernst & Young, where he remained for five years. He then shifted to financial services, focusing on tax-efficient strategies.

“I noticed there was a gigantic gap in retirement planning,” says Matt. “If there’s ever a question about taxes, most financial advisors refer a client to their respective CPA. The paradox, however, is most CPAs are so busy getting tax returns done in the spring, that they only focus on how to lower clients’ taxes in the current year. It is rare that a CPA will sit down with a client and plan how to lower their taxes over the long run. That’s where I come in.”

As a lead educator at the Social Security Education Center, Matt also focuses on Social Security options for each of his clients, seeking the best times and ways to take benefits.

“The reason I enjoy teaching Social Security is because it’s an enormously complex system, and it’s very difficult to get accurate information,” says Matt. “I’ve had numerous people come to my seminar who had been told conflicting information by the Social Security Office. One participant was able to collect benefits in a way she was unaware existed before attending my class.”

Outside of the office, Matt enjoys spending time with his wife and three kids, getting outside and playing hockey.

Why I Do What I Do

More from Matt, in his own words

I was working as a CPA at a Big 4 accounting firm, when I realized I needed life insurance to protect my young family. It was then that I first heard of life insurance that protected your family, not only if you passed away, but also if you got sick. I thought the concept was revolutionary, but I was also mad that in all the years of financial courses I’d ever had, I had never heard of it. I realized there was a real gap in education. I left my public accounting job and started helping people get set up with living benefits.

Once I was in the industry, I started to dive into various other areas where I felt there was a large lack of education, such as Social Security planning, tax-focused financial planning and retirement income strategies. I continue this mission today through Roots First Financial by focusing on the foundation of financial planning. There is no shortage of ways to structure a financial plan. We just help people make sure their roots are in place first.

Let's Get to the Roots of Your Retirement

At Roots First Financial, we always start with a conversation. Contact us anytime to talk about your financial planning needs and concerns, no matter where you are on your journey.