A Certified Financial Planner, Robert M. Ryerson serves as the president of New Century Planning Associates Inc. (NCP) in Freehold, New Jersey. He and his team provide a variety of services, including estate and retirement planning in addition to insurance. An avid traveler, Robert M. Ryerson is particularly interested in the culture and scenery of Ecuador. In fact, NCP has recently explored the possibility of establishing a branch office in the Lope de Vega building in Cuenca to serve the needs of the many American expatriates who have made the area their home.

Thanks to its many examples of colonial architecture, the historic city center of Santa Ana de los Rios de Cuenca appears on the list of World Heritage sites published by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Established in the Ecuadoran interior in the mid-16th century and surrounded by the Andes, Cuenca’s stylized arrangement is the result of stringent adherence to plans set forth by the Spanish king and Holy Roman Emperor Charles V.

The well-preserved buildings of note include the Old Cathedral, built on the site of native Inca ruins at the time of the city’s founding, and the New Cathedral, whose construction began at the close of the 19th century.