James Pazareskis

Richard Kos is a CFA® charterholder and registered investment adviser with five years of industry experience. He is the president of Kos Consultants, an educational institutional consulting and marketing services firm unrelated to securities, which he has operated since 2007. Kos serves as the sole advisor at Sursum Financial LLC, based in Madison, CT. Sursum Financial is a single-advisor independent firm providing discretionary and non-discretionary asset management, financial planning, and consulting to individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, business owners, family offices, and select institutional and charitable organizations. The firm combines proprietary and third-party research, typically favoring a longer-term buy-and-hold approach while allowing tactical adjustments, and offers performance-based fee arrangements to qualified clients.

Clifford Straub is a CFP® and holds a Series 66 license with 19 years of industry experience. He is the sole advisor at Lifestyle Financial Strategies, LLC and has been with the firm as well as WRP Investments Inc since 2006. Straub serves as a trustee for the Middletown Rotary Club Scholarship Trust and has been a member of the Middlesex United Way Board of Directors since 2005, participating on its executive, finance, and investment committees. Lifestyle Financial Strategies provides holistic financial planning and investment advisory services to individuals, families, and not-for-profit organizations. The firm employs a disciplined asset allocation approach emphasizing global diversification and risk management, primarily offering non-discretionary advisory relationships without accepting commissions or custody of client assets.

Laura Simon is a financial advisor with Capital Trust and Associates LLC in Woodbridge, CT, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and 21 years of industry experience. She has been with Capital Trust and Associates since 2013. Outside of her advisory role, she is an independent insurance agent licensed to sell long-term care insurance in Connecticut. Capital Trust and Associates serves individual, high-net-worth, pension plan, and corporate clients with portfolio management, wealth management, and financial planning services. The firm emphasizes written Investment Policy Statements, diversified asset allocation, and a combination of fundamental and technical analysis, utilizing SEI platform models and third-party managers to tailor portfolios.

Aaron Schroeder is the sole advisor at Farmingbury Financial Services, LLC in Wolcott, CT. He holds a Series 63 designation and has 26 years of industry experience, having worked at Farmingbury Financial Services since 1990. In addition to his advisory role, he is a Connecticut licensed insurance producer. Farmingbury Financial Services provides personalized financial planning, consulting, and portfolio management to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm follows an efficient market philosophy using Modern Portfolio Theory, emphasizing asset allocation and periodic rebalancing, and often refers clients to third-party advisers while maintaining primarily non-discretionary oversight.

Robert Bleeck is the principal of Bleeck Financial Management, Inc. in Carmel, CA, with 25 years of industry experience. He holds the PFS™ designation and is also a Certified Public Accountant, maintaining an active accounting practice alongside his advisory work. Bleeck has been with his firm since 1982. Bleeck Financial Management, Inc. provides investment advisory and financial planning services to individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, corporations, and pension plans. The firm combines CPA services with portfolio management, employing multiple analytical approaches and managing discretionary accounts primarily through Charles Schwab.

Evan Wax is the principal advisor at Wax Asset Management LLC in Madison, CT, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with 14 years of industry experience. He has led Wax Asset Management since 2011. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as an independent board member at Servotronics, Inc. Wax Asset Management LLC provides discretionary investment supervisory services to individual and high-net-worth clients, managing approximately $107.8 million across about 74 accounts. The firm employs a combination of fundamental and cyclical analysis, utilizing strategies including short sales and options writing, and conducts quarterly portfolio reviews with direct management of client assets.