"Financial literacy is so very important to having a healthy, productive life. We want to help as many people as possible. People who can't afford our services need them more than those who can."

This could have been said by any of the thousands of financial advisors who do pro bono work. But when Cindy Golub, CFP®, says it, it takes on a special meaning.

This is because for Golub and her partner Laurie Girsky, CFP®, of G-Squared Advisors of Harrison (Westchester County), NY, fully half of the financial advice they give is pro bono.

Not only that, their clients are almost exclusively women -- not wealthy women with money to invest, but women "of modest means."

"Rich peple have ready access to advice," said Golub. "But people of more modest means are the ones who really need it."

Typical of the women who come to G-Squared (Golub and Girsky) are those who find themselves having to manage finances after the loss of a spouse or a divorce. Many of them are woefully unprepared and vulnerable to sweet-talking shysters.

"It's also a time when they most need solid, independent advice," said Girsky.

The two women met through volunteer work in social service organizations. It was this volunteer work that would determine the direction of their business. It would be anchored by public service.

Currently, they are:

• Providing financial and credit counseling in Queens for The Financial Clinic, a Mayor Boomberg initiative that helps working poor families and small busineses address their immediate financial challenges and long-term goals.

• Conducting financial planning, debt and budget seminars for Connect to Care, a program of UJA-Federation of New York to help the unemployed and others in the Jewish community who need assistance. Both Golub and Girsky are on the Federation's board of directors.

• Counseling victims of domestic violence and abuse through the Pace Women's Justice Center, which provides a variety of services to help abused women recover their dignity, confidence and strength .

• Contributing to LearnVest, a comprehenhsive money-management website for young women, which provides automated budgeting and tracking tools along with "boot camps", financial webinars and consultations with financial advisors.

Asked how they can do all this and still run a fee-only financial advisory firm, Golub replied:

"We're lucky."

Much of this "luck" can be attributed to their pro bono work, which is attracting a growing number of paying clients.

"We think we have a lot of credibility with women because of the work we've done in the community," said Golub.

Golub's and Girsky's preparation for their remarkable venture is virtually identical. Both have MBAs from Columbia University. Both spent 15 years on Wall Street working in institutional sales -- Golub in fixed income at Goldman Sachs and Girsky in equities at Paine Webber. They took coursework together for the Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) exam, studied for it together and sat together when they took it.

They relish the emotional aspects of their business, which they didn't find in institutoinal sales.

"Before this, we were dealing with clients whose job it is to do business with you," Golub said. "Now, we're dealing with things that many people would rather not look at."

FA