Sharon L. Barton

After more than 30 years as a financial advisor, I still can honestly say that “I truly love what I do and it has never been a job for me, it's been a gift.”  I moved to Arizona in 1979 and after graduating from Arizona State University, I continued working in the engineering and marketing departments at Motorola Government Electronics in Scottsdale.  I always had a strong desire to help people and thought that I could fulfill that idea through financial advising.  I joined Merrill Lynch in 1985 and spent over 32 years there, until my partner and I became founding partners of our own independent firm, Barton Spector Wealth Strategies.  We believe that when we put your interests first, customize a portfolio that fits your objectives, educate you on what you own and why you own it, and provide excellent service promptly and efficiently, we all benefit.  

I specialize in income planning for retirement, also known as helping you to “make your own paycheck” in your retirement years.  I have successfully used this approach which we call a “Reality-Based Investment” philosophy to help our clients, many of which have been clients for 20 to 30+ years, to understand and make better decisions regarding their investment portfolio and financial planning. Whether you are working toward retiring on your own terms, saving for a new home, taking a once in a lifetime vacation, building an education fund for a child or grandchild, funding a business venture, or helping a family member financially, we can provide the tools, the knowledge and care to help you succeed.  

I have lived in Scottsdale for almost 25 years.  Along with my husband, David, we raised our three children, Ryan, Wil and Carly here and feel a very strong connection to our community. In 2005, I became a member of Scottsdale Leadership, Class XX, which is where I met Jay Spector, who became my business partner and then later, a co-founder of our new firm.  Because of my long-standing interest in the arts and the desire for the arts to be an integral part of all our lives, I served as a board member for the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts.  Our son, Ryan and daughter Carly, both have careers in music, art, and comedy and Wil is involved with my other passion, business!  I love to meet new people, hike, travel, ski, hang out in Pinetop, AZ and most of the time, I can do the Sunday paper version of the word puzzle, JUMBLE, in less than a minute!