Berkshire Money Management Welcomes Financial Paraplanner

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DALTON, Mass. — Berkshire Money Management (BMM), a financial and retirement planning firm with offices in Dalton and Great Barrington, announced that Michael O'Brien has joined the team as a Financial Paraplanner.
 
Most recently, Mike worked in the insurance industry. He has a strong background in client service and financial planning, with experience helping high-net-worth individuals protect their assets and their futures. 
 
He is a licensed Property and Casualty Insurance agent and is currently studying for the Series 65 exam so he can advance into a junior advising role. 
 
At BMM, he is focused on supporting the Director of Financial Planning and learning how to deliver personalized service to the firm's clients.
 
"Success is a team sport," said Natalie Wheeler, Chief Operating Officer at Berkshire Money Management. "We're excited to see Mike bring his talents to the table and grow with us. Stay tuned for updates as he continues to hit the ground running."
 
A lifelong resident of Pittsfield, Mike is a former Mr. Taconic and 2024 graduate of the Berkshire Leadership Program and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications with a minor in Spanish from Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. Outside of work, he enjoys traveling, attending concerts, and spending time with his fiancée and extended family, and stays active with Jiu Jitsu, golf, and cheering on his favorite sports teams.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Dalton Residents Eliminate Bittersweet at the Dalton CRA

DALTON, Mass. — Those passing by the house at Mill + Main, formally known as the Kittredge House, in Dalton may have noticed the rim of woods surrounding the property have undergone a facelift. 
 
Two concerned Dalton residents, Tom Irwin and Robert Collins set out to make a change. Through over 40 hours of effort, they cleared 5 large trailers of bittersweet and grapevine vines and roots, fallen trees and branches and cut down many small trees damaged by the vines.
 
"The Oriental Bittersweet was really taking over the area in front of our Mill + Main building," said Eric Payson, director of facilities for the CRA. "While it started as a barrier, mixing in with other planted vegetation for our events help on the lawn, it quickly got out of hand and started strangling some nice hardwoods."
 
Bittersweet, which birds spread unknowingly, strangles trees, and also grows over and smothers ground level bushes and plants. According to forester and environmental and landscaping consultant Robert Collins, oriental bittersweet has grown to such a problem that the Massachusetts Department of Fish and Wildlife Management has adopted a policy of applying herbicide to bittersweet growing in their wildlife management areas.
 
Collins and Irwin also chipped a large pile of cut trees and brush as well as discarded branches. 
 
"We are very grateful to be in a community where volunteers, such as Tom and Robert, are willing to roll up their sleeves and help out," said CRA Executive Director Alison Peters.
 
Many areas in Dalton, including backyards, need the same attention to avoid this invasive plant killing trees. Irwin and Colins urge residents to look carefully at their trees for a vine wrapped often in a corkscrew fashion around branches or a mat of vines growing over a bush that has clusters of orange and red berries in the Fall. To remove them pull the roots as well.
 
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