About Us
Joan DiFuria, MFT
Joan DiFuria, Co-Founder of MMCI, is a globally recognized speaker and consultant for families of wealth, family businesses, family offices, and enterprises. She helps clients attain successful and lasting impact on their lives, their families and their businesses. Ms. DiFuria has co-developed and led numerous training programs on the psychology of wealth and life planning for financial and philanthropic professionals.
Bringing together expertise in business and psychology, she focuses on issues associated with wealth, such as the impact of money on children, succession planning, governance, legacy and the challenges of multigenerational family communication. Ms. DiFuria combines a unique and proven expertise in business and psychology to provide high-level leadership development to senior level executives and executive teams in Fortune 500 companies. Ms. DiFuria completed the Harvard Business School Program for Management Development and has 18 years of industry experience as national marketing director and director of long-term strategic operations for the world’s largest multinational metals distribution corporation. After her success in industry, she become a licensed psychotherapist and has been in private practice for over 25 years. MMCI is the amalgam and outgrowth of her experience, capabilities, and interests.
Joan is known throughout the industry as a person who is truly passionate about her work, enjoys talking to people, empowering women, and helping family businesses thrive.
Stephen Goldbart, Ph.D.
Co-Founder of MMCI, with over 40 years of professional experience, Stephen Goldbart is a licensed clinical psychologist, professor, author, public speaker, and organizational consultant. His professional interests focus on the opportunities and challenges of wealth, including the psychology of life transitions, adult development, depth psychotherapy, neuroscience, strategic and succession planning. Dr Goldbart has a passion for working with complex family/ organizational systems, helping to clarify purpose and establish structured procedures to find solution pathways. He has consulted with individuals, families, family offices, and organizations to help develop the fulfilling and sustainable balance of personal, professional, and philanthropic goals. He has co-developed and led training programs for financial and philanthropic professionals. As a senior-level consulting psychologist, he has been teaching seminars and workshops for over 30 years for both practicing therapists and clients.
Dr. Goldbart is co-author of Mapping the Terrain of the Heart: Passion, Tenderness, and the Capacity to Love, and Affluence Intelligence (Da Capo/Perseus 2012), as well as articles in both professional and mainstream publications. Along with Joan DiFuria, articles on issues of money and meaning can be found on their Affluence Intelligence blog at Psychology Today. (www.psychologytoday.com/blog/affluence-intelligence).
Appearing publicly before audiences, including national radio and television, philanthropic organizations, and professional associations, he has covered topics that have included issues such as: having successful multigenerational family meetings, the emotional issues of wealth and inheritance, raising children in affluent families, effective philanthropy from the inside out, and strategic life planning.
Stacy Allred
Stacy Allred is a Managing Director and Head of Family Engagement and Governance at First Republic.
Prior to joining First Republic in 2020, Ms. Allred spent twenty years with Merrill Private Wealth Management, founding the Merrill Center for Family WealthTM during her time there. Previously, she provided comprehensive financial planning and tax services to multigenerational family groups and executives for nine years with Ernst & Young.
Ms. Allred has dedicated her career to walking alongside individuals and families to more effectively navigate the complexity and promise of wealth. Immersed in the facilitation of family meetings, her practice includes the application of family governance and decision making, family dynamics, learning and development of the rising generation, philanthropy and transition planning.
Active in her community, she volunteers in local public schools, teaching financial literacy to elementary school students. She also leads CHOICES workshops for middle school students – a program designed to decrease the high school dropout rate. Committed to advancing the Family Wealth field, Stacy serves on the faculty of the UHNW Institute and teaches for the Investment & Wealth Institute® CPWA® program.
Ms. Allred earned a master’s degree in Taxation, with distinction, from DePaul University, and an undergraduate degree in accounting. Stacy is a Certified Financial PlannerTM, Personal Financial Specialist and Certified Public Accountant (California), and Certified Exit Planning Advisor. She is a member of Collaboration for Flourishing Families and the Purposeful Planning Institute and holds Certificates in Family Business Advising and Family Wealth Advising through Family Firm Institute.
Wealth Management Experience: Since 1992.