Social Security (Law / Disability) Expert Witnesses: 3

Marguerita M. Cheng, CFP®, CRPC®, RICP®, Chief Executive Officer at Blue Ocean Global Wealth, is a Certified Financial Planning Expert with 18 years of experience. Prior to co-founding Blue Ocean Global Wealth, she was a Financial Advisor at Ameriprise Financial and an Analyst and Editor at Towa Securities in Tokyo, Japan. Ms. Cheng is a past spokesperson for the AARP Financial Freedom Campaign and a regular columnist for Investopedia & Kiplinger. She is a CFP® professional, a Chartered Retirement Planning CounselorSM, a Retirement Income Certified Professional® and a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst. As a Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards (CFP Board) Ambassador, Ms. Cheng helps educate the public, policymakers, and media about the benefits of competent, ethical financial planning. She served on the Financial Planning Association (FPA) National Board of Directors from 2013 – 2015 and is a past president of the Financial Planning Association of the National Capital Area (FPA NCA). 

Marguerita Cheng CNBC Interview on Social Security 

Awards and Honors - Ms. Cheng is a recipient of the Ameriprise Financial Presidential Award for Quality of Advice and the prestigious Japanese Monbukagakusho Scholarship. In 2017, she was named the #3 Most Influential Financial Advisor in the Investopedia Top 100, a Woman to Watch by InvestmentNews, and a Top 100 Minority Business Enterprise (MBE®) by the Capital Region Minority Supplier Development Council (CRMSDC).

Litigation Support - Ms. Cheng serves as a Women’s Initiative (WIN) Advocate and subject matter expert for CFP Board, contributing to the development of examination questions for the CFP® Certification Examination. She also volunteers for CFP Board Disciplinary and Ethics Commission (DEC) hearings. Services to attorneys representing plaintiff and defendant include financial due diligence, thorough reporting, depositions, and trial testimony as needed.

Areas of Litigation Expertise:

Todd Finnerty, Psy.D. is a Psychologist in Columbus, Ohio and an expert on Psychological Impairment Assessment and Disability Claims. Dr. Finnerty has been licensed as a psychologist since 2003, and is currently in active clinical practice providing Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (particularly for insomnia). Dr. Finnerty offers both forensic and treatment services in-person and telehealth examinations.

Background Experience - Since 2004, Dr. Finnerty has performed tens of thousands of medical records reviews on Social Security Disability Claims for the Ohio Division of Disability Determination. He also conducts psychological evaluations related to Impairment and Workers Compensation Claims (ex: for the Ohio Industrial Commission). He performs file reviews on short-term and long-term disability insurance cases and he's performed hundreds of medical records peer reviews for disability insurance companies (ex: working through Professional Disability Associates). 

Dr. Finnerty has experience reviewing the medical records of military treatment facilities after the suicide of their service members to determine whether the standard of care was met during the treatment. He provides disability evaluations and independent medical opinions for veterans (has worked with VES and QTC in the past contracting with the VA), and psychotherapy and psychological assessment (including validity testing) using Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy and other evidence-based approaches.

Dr. Finnerty was named "Disability Review Physician of the Year" in 2012 by the National Association of Disability Examiners, Great Lakes Region, and the Ohio Association of Disability Examiners' "Consultant of the Year" in 2010.

Litigation Support Services: Dr. Finnerty is available to perform Independent Psychological Evaluations as well as Medical Records Reviews. His ideal clients are attorneys and organizations in need of disability claim review, worker's compensation claim review, or litigation related to impairment such as personal injury. 

• Medical Records Reviews and IME's related to short-term and long-term Disability Insurance and related issues
• Independent Medical Opinions / Nexus Letters for Veterans VA Disability Claims
• Psychological Evaluations (IMEs) related to Disability Insurance Claims, Workers Compensation (Federal and Ohio), and Functional Impairment
• Opinions / Form Completion related to Disability Leave
• Personal Injury psychological evaluations and records reviews

Contact Dr. Finnerty directly on his cell phone with questions at 330-495-8809.

Dr. Christopher A. Lowery, DHSc, CLCP is an international Clinical Health & Rehabilitation Consultant with a special interest in global health initiatives. He is board-certified as a life care planner practitioner specializing in health promotion and prevention through the use of holistic evidence-based approaches using a biopsychosocial health consultation model for all patients/clients that suffers from associated disabilities and health impairments.

Since 2002, Dr. Lowery passion has been to educate, empower, and provide hope to individuals with catastrophic health impairments. He focuses on educating and counseling patients/clients on improving their quality of life, addressing social, cultural, and behavioral barriers across diverse populations impacted by poor healthcare conditions. 

He currently holds the following degrees: Bachelor of Science in rehabilitation studies from University of North Texas (07), Master of Arts in human and health administration services from University of Oklahoma (10), Post-Specialty Certificate in life care planning from Capital University Law School (12), Post-Master's Certificate in rehabilitation counseling from University of Arkansas at Little Rock (14), and Doctor of Health Science in global health from Nova Southeastern University (16).  

Dr. Lowery holds a board-certification in life care planning as a Certified Life Care Planner (CLCP) from the International Commission on Health Care Certification (ICHCC), which is accredited and recognized by the American National Standards Institute National Accreditation Board (ANAB). This prestigious certification attests to his qualifications and competence in the health care delivery systems. ANAB’s accreditation ensures that the certification process meets rigorous international standards, confirming his aptitude and expertise for his role as a practitioner.

**If you have a case that needs Dr. Lowery expertise, please feel free to give his office a call for a free consultation.

Note: Please see below or website for more areas of expertise . 

Areas of Expertise:

View Christopher Lowery's Consulting Profile.