Herb Alexander, CPA, CFF, CGMA

Herb founded Alexander Aronson Finning CPAs in 1973 after beginning his career at Arthur Andersen and serving as a CFO at a privately held company. Throughout his career, Herb advised closely held commercial businesses, providing assurance and tax planning solutions. He was frequently engaged to provide succession and transition planning along with guidance through mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures. His expertise included business valuations and accounting forensics, and he appeared as an expert witness in both areas. 

Herb led AAFCPAs’ Trust services and served as a financial advisor, trustee, and fiduciary to individual and family trusts. He focused on preserving and enhancing trust assets for current and future beneficiaries while honoring grantors’ values and navigating tax considerations. 

Herb contributed his financial expertise to boards of all sizes, exemplifying AAFCPAs’ core value of community service. He was a member of the Board of Directors of Boston Private Financial Holdings Corp., a publicly traded company (Nasdaq: BPFH), and its wholly owned subsidiary, Boston Private Bank & Trust Company. Over 24 years, Herb held several committee leadership positions as BPFH grew from one office in 1991 with $62 million in assets to a nationwide institution with $6.8 billion in assets. In 2007, BPFH received the New England Chapter of the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACDNE) Board of the Year Award. 

Herb used business as a force for good, earning the Parker Trowbridge Award from Easter Seals Massachusetts and the Good Scout Award for community service from the Knox Trail Boy Scout Council. 

Herb’s expertise reflected a lifetime of formal education, continuous learning, and hands-on experience solving clients’ challenges pragmatically. He received the silver medal for high achievement on the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) examination. Herb was also Certified in Financial Forensics (CFF), a Certified Global Management Accountant (CGMA), and a member of the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD), where he earned a Certificate of Director Education and was recognized as an NACD Fellow. 

Herb served AAFCPAs’ clients from 1973 until his retirement in 2024, leaving a legacy of trusted service and expertise.