Justin Katen brings an uncommon combination of financial services experience, investment fund leadership, and more than seven years in critical care medicine to his work with clients at Core Planning.

Justin began his career in financial services, passing the Series 7 examination and registering as a General Securities Representative with JEZ Capital/Garden State Securities. He previously held Florida's 2-15 Life, Health, and Variable Annuity license while working with Northwestern Mutual and Principal Financial Group, where his work spanned securities, insurance, and financial protection strategies for individuals and businesses.

He then spent more than seven years as an intensive care nurse at leading institutions across the country, including Johns Hopkins Hospital. High-acuity medicine shaped how he practices financial advice today: stay composed under pressure, assess the complete picture before acting, communicate complex information in plain language, and make disciplined decisions when the stakes are high.

At Core Planning, Justin helps clients evaluate investment decisions within the context of their full financial lives. He looks at how portfolio construction, liquidity, credit, real assets, and risk interact with each client's long-term objectives. In his view, sound planning starts with understanding the client: what they are building, what they need to protect, and what risks they are genuinely prepared to accept.

Outside of his advisory work, Justin serves as Fund Manager at Sound Money Management LLC and as Chief Financial Officer, Head of Credit and Structuring, and Investment Committee member for TruFi LP, a private real estate credit fund. His responsibilities include fund operations, credit evaluation, transaction structuring, investor relations, and capital formation. He also contributes to initiatives within the Peoples Reserve INC ecosystem at the intersection of real estate, Bitcoin, credit, and fixed income.

Justin has passed the Series 65 Uniform Investment Adviser Law Examination. He holds a Master of Science in Nursing with a concentration in psychiatric and mental health from Union University and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Central Florida.

His goal is simple: bring clarity to complex financial decisions and help clients build strategies grounded in their goals, circumstances, time horizons, and tolerance for risk.