Who We Are


The Harvest Wealth Management Team Puts You First.

Our experience is in investment and life planning. Our hearts are in client service.

Bob Rice, CFP®, AIF®

Partner

Harvest Wealth Management on Vimeo

What do you enjoy most about working in the wealth management industry?

Being a financial advisor is a natural fit for me because it encompasses two of my greatest passions: family and helping people. My greatest responsibility as an advisor is helping individuals and their families navigate through generations of difficult decisions, both financial and personal.

What do you enjoy most about being part of Harvest Wealth Management?

Our selfless team. Everyone who is associated with Harvest Wealth Management cares deeply about each other and our clients. 

What have you learned from your clients being in wealth management?

Everything. Annually, I spend an afternoon with 10 of my clients in a facilitated client advisory board meeting. During those meetings and at annual individual family reviews throughout the year, my clients are constantly giving feedback to make our practice better. By capturing and implementing some of our clients’ ideas for improvement, we try to maximize the client experience for all of our clients.

What personal accomplishments are you most proud of? 

Inspired by members of my client advisory board, my wife, Jess, and I applied our passion for helping people beyond financial advice. In 2015, we created our own nonprofit dedicated to raising funds to find a cure for Alzheimer’s and to support families in need. Since inception, our race has raised more than $1,800,000; $300,000 in 2023 alone. This is a very personal cause for us; please visit www.jogyourmemory5k.org to learn more about our charity.

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What would you be doing if you weren’t working for Harvest?

I would be a life coach or therapist. Being able to help people is the most rewarding experience I can imagine. 

What do you love to do outside of work?

By nature, I love spending time with people—it is something that has guided me down the path to becoming a financial advisor, and something that carries over to my personal life. Family and friends are my foundation, and sharing my passions with them outside of the office is what brings me the most happiness. I love to play golf, travel, attend Boston-based sporting events, and coach any one of my children's sports teams. My wife, Jess, and I have three children—Colby (16), Caley (13), and Mikey (11)—and as a family, we spend time together in Cape Cod. We also have developed a deep appreciation and love for the island of St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Rice Family
 

 

 

Where does your story begin?

I was born and raised in West Hartford, Connecticut. After graduating from Kingswood-Oxford School, I went north to Vermont to study at Middlebury College for four years where I learned a lot about life, loyalty, and friendship. Upon graduation in 1997, I started my career as an advisor at American Express Financial Advisors. In an effort to have a truly independent platform for our clients, Josh and I founded Harvest Wealth Management in 2009.

Joshua M. Benet, CFP®, AIF®

Partner

What do you enjoy most about working in the wealth management industry?

Helping people I care about and know genuinely create a more rewarding, satisfying life for themselves. The happier they are, the happier I am.

What do you enjoy most about being part of Harvest Wealth Management?

We work for our clients, not a corporate agenda or shareholder interests. It’s refreshing operating in an independent, objective environment, free of sales incentives or quotas. As a founding partner, I can say it’s been terrific building a brand around what our clients ask for and need. 

What qualities of yours make you best suited to what you do?

My clients say I am passionate about teaching, specifically making the complex seem simple to the untrained eye. They appreciate how patient and empathetic I am when life seems like it can’t be any more stressful or scary. Listening to their stories, remembering each detail, and being incredibly organized allows me to create a personal, highly customized experience for each person I help. 

How should people think of their wealth?

However they would like, everyone is their own person. My goal is to help people identify what’s truly important to them in life and then make it happen! For me, wealth is not about how much you have but what you do with it. 

What personal accomplishments are you most proud of? 

I’ve built a business, a family, and a home from scratch, all while preserving a healthy balance between taking care of others and taking care of myself. I am also proud to give back. We have a family challenge to raise $100,000 through terrific annual fundraising events such as Project Bread’s Walk for Hunger, Dana Farber’s Pan-Mass Challenge, and Jog Your Memory’s Run for Alzheimer’s by the time the kids go to college.  

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What would you be doing if you weren’t working for Harvest?

I’d be a professor at a local college or university, helping young people learn about financial literacy.  

What do you love to do outside of work?

I enjoy being active outdoors with my wife, Carrie, and our two adventurous kids (Jackson, born March 2014; and Samantha, born March 2016). Some of our favorite things to do together are downhill skiing (Big Sky, MT is our favorite), ride roller coasters and watch Jeopardy! Music is a big part of our lives too; we collect vinyl records and love teaching our kids about amazing musicians such as the Beatles, Bob Dylan, Jackson Browne, and David Bowie. 

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Where does your story begin?

I would describe my story as one of learning. I am an alumnus of the Kingswood Oxford School in West Hartford, Connecticut, as well as Colgate University in Hamilton, New York, where I earned a BA in economics with a focus on sociology. The technical education I received serves as a foundation for my career. I learned how to be an independent, objective, and ethical professional while working as an auditor for Deloitte and Touche in Boston. I learned about customer service and hard work as a valet parking attendant while I was studying to become a registered financial advisor. Through my CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERTM (CFP®) exam study, I learned how to provide thoughtful, comprehensive advice. When I earned the Accredited Investment Fiduciary® (AIF®) designation, I understood the importance of recommending only what is in my clients' best interests. My love of learning inspires me to continue my education from all sources, particularly my wonderful clients.  

Oliver Scholle

Partner

What do you enjoy most about working in the wealth management industry?

I enjoy wealth management because the typical client relationship spans years, if not decades, and involves work on many different investment and financial planning needs and objectives. 

What do you enjoy most about being part of Harvest Wealth Management?

Harvest offers me the opportunity to work with two amazing teams on behalf of my clients. The first is our Harvest team of professionals who are focused on delivering the highest level of client experience centered on customized financial planning. The second team is our broker/dealer Commonwealth Financial Network®, which provides great technology and research tools to deliver the best investment solutions for our clients.

What do you love to do outside of work?

I love to be out of doors hiking and camping and ideally in the Sierras or the Adirondacks. I am particularly fond of the wilderness areas around Lake Tahoe where we have spent many years camping with our children. Still on the list to do are many of the great national parks in the west.

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What would you be doing if you weren’t working for Harvest?

Someday, when I retire, I would like to start a second career renovating old houses for resale. I have lived in an old Victorian for 20 years where we have done a lot of renovation and that has given me a great deal of pleasure. I am told I have a good eye for this type of work and I know I would get a great deal of pleasure restoring houses for new families to enjoy.

What qualities of yours make you best suited to do what you do?

I have been told by clients that I would be a good teacher by the way I present financial planning concepts. I do see client education as a critical part of our services at Harvest Wealth Management given that the financial world is changing so rapidly that our clients have come to rely on us to bring key new concepts and opportunities to their attention.

How can a client get the most value from their relationship with Harvest Wealth Management?

We start with the premise that every client is unique and therefore, the solutions we craft to achieve their needs and objectives will be customized. Second, we have designed our client service model to deliver a highly personalized service meaning both unlimited access and fast response to unexpected or urgent needs. Finally, as an independent firm, we are free to find the best solution for you; putting your interests first without concern for corporate priorities or quarterly profit reports.

What is the biggest professional challenge you face today?

One of the biggest challenges in our rapidly evolving industry is keeping up with new technologies that can offer better client service and planning solutions delivered with the highest level of customer security. Over the past couple of years, we have been hard at work in this area with the addition of our client CFO functionality on our website, as well as important security changes with the help of Commonwealth.  

What is the most influential book you have read recently?

Published in 2016, There is Life After College – What Parents and Students Should Know About Navigating School to Prepare for the Jobs of Tomorrow is an excellent read for parents with college-bound children. This book looks at college graduates today and revisits the adage that it is less important where you go to college than what you do while being there. In particular, this book focuses on how current college students need to manage their life experiences inside and outside the classroom through internships, study abroad, and other professional development opportunities.

What professional accomplishment are you most proud of?

Earlier in my career, I worked for the American International Group (AIG) managing their life insurance and pension subsidiaries in Santiago, Chile. This was a wonderful personal experience in a beautiful country where our two youngest children were born. It was an equally rewarding professional experience as the two companies experienced significant growth in Chile’s booming economy and capital markets of the early 1990s.

Where does your story begin?

Financial planning was not my first career. Following my graduation from Harvard College in 1976, I spent the next 20 years pursuing a career in international business in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. In 2004, I left the corporate world to become an independent financial advisor to design my own financial services practice and focus on my clients' needs first and foremost. 

I am a 20-year resident of Brookline, Massachusetts, where my wife, Beth, and I have deep roots in the community through service on the boards of local colleges, cultural organizations, and close connections with local schools. We have raised our two sons and daughter in the town. When I am not working, Beth and I enjoy traveling to visit our children and spending time sailing, golfing, hiking, and camping. 

Oliver Scholle, III

Financial Advisor

What do you enjoy the most about wealth management?

I enjoy the people side of this career and the opportunity to help our clients with highly personalized service. We are often an integral part of our clients’ financial success, and developing these relationships is especially gratifying work.

What's the biggest challenge?

There is an increasing importance and ever-evolving need for technology in our industry. It’s an exciting challenge to continually survey the business landscape, vet, and integrate new technologies that allow us to deliver more benefits to our clients.

What do you love most about being part of Harvest Wealth Management?

At Harvest, I enjoy being part of a very supportive team that is fun, talented, and completely service oriented. We care about each other’s success, which fosters a great work environment and work/life balance. To top it off, I really enjoy working with my dad, Bob, and Josh – learning under their mentorship on a daily basis, as I pursue my CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®) certification.     

What professional accomplishments are you proud of?

Before joining Harvest, I served eight years as a U.S. Navy SEAL Officer. It was an especially rewarding and exciting time in my life, highlighted by three overseas deployments, unrivaled leadership and career experience, and the opportunity to work with amazingly high-caliber men and women. I’m excited to carry forward the life lessons and professional skills I gained from my time in the Navy into my career in financial services.

What qualities of yours make you best suited to what you do?

I take pride in having a unique professional background — one that I feel has prepared me well for what we do at Harvest and how we provide value for our clients. I have a diverse global perspective, strong strategic planning abilities, attention to detail, and work well with others in a collaborative, easy-going manner. I particularly value building trust and developing strong relationships to set and achieve goals together.

What do you love to do outside of work?

I love spending time outdoors in New England with my wife, our son and daughter, and two dogs. I’m an avid skier, enjoy playing golf, and always look for a chance to get out on the water either in our boat or kite-surfing. I’ll never turn down a good book or podcast recommendation, especially if it’s about military history or finance.

Kelsey Crow

Financial Planning Services Associate

What do you enjoy the most about wealth management?

Seeing how the work we do every day helps bring our clients confidence and one step closer to meeting their financial goals. It’s a great feeling when you see their excitement when they achieve a goal they didn’t necessarily think was possible or was further down the road and know that you played a small part in that.

What do you love most about being part of Harvest?

The people—the Harvest team and our clients. I was introduced to Harvest as an intern during college and jumped at the chance to return full-time. A big part of it was because of the people. Everyone at Harvest is passionate about helping people, not only our clients but each other as well. 

What do you love to do outside of work?

Spending time with friends and family, cooking, playing tennis, and traveling.

What qualities of yours make you best suited to do what you do?

A combination of my attention to detail, compassion, and eagerness to learn new things and help others allow me to provide the best service I can to our clients.

What professional accomplishments are you most proud of?

Completing the education requirements to sit for the CFP® exam and working towards the CFP® certification.

Where does your story begin?

I was raised in Worcester and attended Bentley University in Waltham, Massachusetts, where I earned my BS in corporate finance and accounting. I interned at Harvest Wealth Management during college and was excited to join the team as a full-time associate upon graduation. I currently live in South Boston with my husband, Drew, and enjoy the many activities the city has to offer. 

Liz Mara

Director of Client Services

What do you enjoy most about working in the wealth management industry?

Getting to know amazing people who we are lucky enough to call clients as well as helping them organize their financial lives and pursue their goals.

What do you enjoy most about being part of Harvest Wealth Management?

The people. Our team is comprised of individuals who are not only fun to work with, but who also bring great passion to their jobs. 

What do you love to do outside of work?

Spend time with my family and friends, coach my kids' sports, and travel. My husband and I have four amazing daughters: Caitlin (18), Alexis (16), Emily (16), and Hope (6). I enjoy watching them compete in a ridiculous number of hockey and soccer games. I also enjoy hiking with our German shepherd, Bella.

What would you be doing if you weren’t working for Harvest?

I would be a motivational speaker. I love to share my passion for positive thinking with people. 

What personal accomplishments are you most proud of? 

Besides my biggest accomplishment, which is no doubt my four unbelievable daughters, I take great pride in my career as a swimmer. The passion, commitment, and hard work that it took to become a Division 1 swimmer at UNC built the foundation for the life I lead today. 

Where does your story begin?

I was born in Stamford, Connecticut, but consider myself a “Tarheel” at heart. I lived in multiple states as a youth before my family settled in North Carolina for my high school years. I spent four amazing years at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as a student/athlete, competing all over the country as a Division I swimmer. I’ve been in too many pools to count and won far fewer Olympic medals than Michael Phelps. Following college, I spent six months living and skiing in Park City, Utah, before joining Goldman Sachs in New York City as an institutional sales trader. I met my husband, a die-hard Bostonian, in NYC and relocated to New England as part of Goldman Sachs' Private Wealth Management Division so we could start our life together. In the following years, we welcomed four beautiful girls into our family. After years of taking on the challenge of a full-time mom, I joined Harvest Wealth Management to continue to pursue my passion for helping people. 

Tracy Donahue

Client Relationship Manager

What do you enjoy the most about wealth management?

There is something new to do each and every day. I am constantly learning!

What do you love most about being part of Harvest?

I am part of a great and supportive team of talented people.

What professional accomplishments are you most proud of?

In my former career, I worked with a colleague to start a volunteer income tax assistance program for low-income people. We built this program from the ground up and helped hundreds of low-income people maximize their incomes by claiming the earned income and other tax credits. Our program became a model for other Massachusetts nonprofits.

What qualities of yours make you best suited to do what you do?

I navigated a major life event in 2011 and worked to set in a place a financial plan that allowed me to be a full-time mom to my son. I couldn’t have done it without the support and guidance of my financial advisor. It was daunting at times, but also a tremendous learning experience. I’m so glad to bring that experience, along with my professional skills to HWM to assist the advisors in helping our clients manage life changes that impact their financial futures. 

How should people think of their wealth?

Wealth presents people with amazing opportunities. No matter your goal, I think wealth is what you make of it and is highly individual. Harvest Wealth Management works hard to build long-term relationships with clients to understand their needs and goals and help them make the most out of their wealth.

What do you love to do outside of work?

I’ve taken up pickleball and can often be found at local courts in my free time. I also enjoy being outdoors hiking or gardening. I am an avid cook and enjoy cooking for family and friends.

Where does your story begin?

I am a lifelong new Englander and was raised with my four siblings in a small New Hampshire town. I earned a Bachelor of Science in Anthropology from Bates College in Maine. Following college, I moved to Boston and worked for the State’s Affordable Housing agency overseeing contracts with local nonprofits. While working full-time I earned a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from UMass Boston. Shortly after earning this degree, I made the move to the nonprofit world working for one of Massachusetts 25 community action agencies as the Director of Planning and Development. For over 10 years I enjoyed a challenging and fulfilling career. I left in 2010 to care for family and worked part time in a variety of administrative roles while enjoying being a full- time mother to my son Nolan, now a college student. I joined the Harvest team in 2018 as a part time assistant. I became Bob’s full time client relationship manager in 2021.

Vicky Owens

Administrative Assistant

What do you enjoy most about working in the wealth management industry?

I most enjoy the ability to work with individuals and families to help them meet their financial goals. 

What do you enjoy most about being part of Harvest Wealth Management?

I love the shared feeling of family at Harvest. Not only do we care for and treat our clients as we would our family, but we also treat our colleagues this way. We have strong working relationships, which supports our goal to provide top-notch service to our clients. 

What do you love to do outside of work?

When I'm not working, I enjoy spending time with my family, especially my grandson. 

What qualities of yours make you best suited to do what you do?

My ability to communicate with clients, work independently as needed, and stay organized all contribute to my success in my role at Harvest. 

What is the biggest professional challenge you face today?

The financial world is constantly changing, especially in the technology realm. I challenge myself to stay up-to-date with any new regulations and technology (secure email practices, online portal technology, etc.) to ensure our clients are protected. 

How should people think of their wealth? 

I think people need to remember that we all change with time, as does our wealth. Clients should view their financial plans from this perspective. It is not set in stone, but rather, it needs to be monitored and updated as life changes. This is an area where Harvest Wealth Management excels and plays a critical role in our clients' long-term success. 

What professional accomplishment are you most proud of?

I am most proud of the long-lasting relationships I have created with our clients as well as staying up to date on ever-changing industry requirements. 

Where does your story begin?

I am originally from Framingham where my husband and I raised our three daughters. I enjoy spending time with my grandson and visiting Gloucester where I enjoy the beach and vibrant community. As a member of the Harvest Wealth Management family, I also enjoy participating in local events in support of our clients and the business community. 

Michael Costa, CFP®, CFA®

Founder, NextStep Portfolios, LLC;
Chief Investment Officer, Harvest Wealth Management

What is your role?

I serve as the Chief Investment Office to Harvest Wealth Management. As the Founder of NextStep Portfolios, LLC*, an independently registered investment adviser, I work with a select group of wealth managers like Harvest to help ensure that their client portfolios reflect the best possible thinking on markets and to ensure risk and potential returns are appropriately balanced in client portfolios at all times. 

*Michael does not offer financial planning services through Commonwealth Financial Network. NextStep and Commonwealth are separate and unrelated. 

What do you enjoy most about working in the wealth management industry?

I love working with advisors and clients to de-mystify markets, bring clarity and focus to portfolios, and ensure that risks and opportunities are balanced in an appropriate, if not optimal way. Every client and every market environment are unique, and that keeps my work endlessly interesting.

What do you enjoy most about working with Harvest Wealth Management?

I feel that Harvest really brings a huge breadth of skills to bear for clients. Everyone brings something uniquely positive to the table and that all gets channeled towards getting the best result for clients. I feel good knowing that all the bases are covered and everyone is focused on getting the results for clients. 

What have you learned from your clients being in wealth management?

A good portfolio is like a good piece of clothing. It’s all about the fit. In wealth management, we don’t measure inseams (thankfully), but we do spend a lot of time listening. No single approach works for everyone, and it’s usually not about better or worse. It’s about fit.

What personal accomplishments are you most proud of? 

When I was in the Peace Corps, I learned that ‘helping’ people is hard to do on a 9-5 basis. In everyday life, opportunities to ‘help’ are really more sporadic than constant. As a result, I learned to really value and seize opportunities to help when they arose. I’ve carried that mentality with me over the years in my personal life, where I sit on advisory boards for non-profits, help mentor others in their careers, and recently, have been helping friends and family affected by COVID.

What would you be doing if you weren’t working in wealth management?

I’d be working for a public policy or research organization of some kind. I need an outlet for all my opinions!

What do you love to do outside of work?

Despite a lot of city living, I’m an outdoorsman at heart. I love hiking, camping, skiing, fishing, and sharing all of that with my son and sometimes-reluctant wife. When the opportunity strikes, we’re quick to do some international travel as well. Between my wife and I, we’ve been to at least 32 countries.

Where does your story begin?

I grew up in the fabulous ’80s on the North Shore of Massachusetts. After attending college at the University of Maine and skiing more than anyone has a right to, I hit the bucket list and hiked the Appalachian Trail before joining the Peace Corps in Kenya. I parlayed that extraordinary experience into a spot at Columbia University in New York, where I earned an MBA, a Masters of International Affairs, and the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA®) designation. As a dual-citizen (Irish/American) I was able to work in the EU (pre-BREXIT!) and took that opportunity to work in London for 10 years in a variety of roles as an investor, analyst, and portfolio manager, most recently with Fidelity. I moved back to the U.S. in 2018 to be closer to family and have been working with independent registered investment advisors ever since.

Stephanie Willson

Client Relationship Associate

What do you love most about being part of Harvest?

The people at Harvest are a passionate and collaborative group of individuals and I feel honored and excited to be a part of the team. In addition to that, it is a privilege to work with our clients and to deliver extraordinary client concierge services.

What qualities of yours make you best suited to do what you do?

I am a people person and I truly love building relationships and making people happy.  My job allows me to be creative and to find ways to genuinely make our clients feel special.

What do you love to do outside of work?

When I am not spending time with my family and friends you will likely find me teaching a yoga class or engaged in some kind of outdoor activity. I love getting out on our boat, playing golf (9 holes not 18!) and generally staying active and healthy. But I also love a great restaurant and a glass of Pinot Noir!

What personal accomplishment are you most proud of?

My family! I have two fabulous kids. Zoe just graduated from Dartmouth and relocated to San Francisco, and Cooper is a junior at University of Richmond, studying business and playing D1 lacrosse. Seeing them successful and happy brings me pure joy and fills me with immense pride. My husband Scott and I will celebrate our 17th anniversary in 2023.

Education & Accreditations

University of Vermont, BA Small Business Management