user avatar

John Lino Grillo

Advisor at Cambridge Investment Research Advisors — Essex, CT

Updated today

Credentials

CFP®, Series 63, Series 65

Experience

31 years

Location

Essex, CT

Cambridge Investment Research Advisors logo

Cambridge Investment Research Advisors

Institution

Total advisors

3,909

Across 2,198 offices

Clients per advisor

91 Typical

Avg AUM per client

$378,281 Low

HNW client ratio

13% Typical

About

John Grillo is a CFP® professional with over 31 years of industry experience. He has been with Cambridge Investment Research Advisors since 2008 and previously operated Grillo & Associates for more than two decades. Outside of advising, he is owner and CPA at Compass Tax LLC and serves on the board of the Atlanta Neuroscience Foundation. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors is a large SEC-registered firm serving a diverse client base, including individuals, pension plans, charities, and trusts. The firm offers financial planning, investment management, retirement advisory, and financial-wellness services through a network of independent professionals utilizing multiple platform arrangements and a mix of proprietary and third-party strategies.

Client services

Based on Cambridge Investment Research Advisors

Financial planning Portfolio management Pension consulting Selection of other advisers Educational seminars or workshops Market timing

Expertise

Based on Cambridge Investment Research Advisors

Wealth management Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Retirement income strategy Annuities

Occupation focus

Based on Cambridge Investment Research Advisors

Self-Employed

Not sure if this advisor is right for you?

Answer a few questions to see advisors matched to you.

Fee options

Fixed

For financial planning and consulting, flat fees generally do not exceed $25,000 but may be higher based on complexity; For WealthPort setup fee generally less than 1% of assets or $1,000

Percentage

$0 - $100,000: 1.50% $100,000 - $250,000: 1.25% $250,000+: 1.00%

Commissions

Financial Professionals acting as Registered Representatives receive commissions on securities and insurance sales

Project-based

Generally up to $500 per hour for financial planning and consulting services; up to $500 per hour for retirement plan advisory services

Subscriptions

Financial Wellness services paid by employer; flat or hourly fees per agreement

Other

Account minimum: $5,000 Minimum fee: Minimum WealthPort program fee of $250 annually for CAAP® and UMA accounts

Location

See office

Essex, CT

Essex CT

Advisors at this office

1

Most active in

Connecticut · Georgia · Texas

Work history

31 years of industry experience

GMS Planning

2026 - Present • 1 year

Carrollton, GA

Cambridge Investment Research Advisors, INC

2008 - Present • 18 years

Fairfield, IA

Cambridge Investment Research, INC

2008 - Present • 18 years

Fairfield, IA

Grillo & Associates

2003 - 2026 • 23 years

Carrollton, GA

Disclosures

Exclamation point means they have disclosures of this type. Check mark means no disclosures of this type were found.

Business activities & affiliations

user avatar

Richard K

CFA®, Series 63, Series 65

Madison, CT

Sursum Financial LLC

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.

Wealth management Active portfolio management Options & derivatives strategies Tax-loss harvesting Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Founder/Business Owner Executive
user avatar

John B

CFP®, Series 66

Old Saybrook, CT

Compass Retirement, LLC

John Bubello is a CFP®-designated financial advisor with 20 years of industry experience. He is the principal at Compass Retirement, LLC, an independent firm he has led since 2011. Prior to founding Compass Retirement, he worked at Everlist, LLC from 2014 to 2017. Outside of his advisory role, he manages an income-producing real estate entity as a part-time activity. Compass Retirement, LLC serves individuals and high-net-worth clients with customized financial planning and discretionary portfolio management, as well as consulting services for retirement plan sponsors. The firm employs a diversified, asset-class allocation approach guided by Modern Portfolio Theory and focuses on retirement-plan clients, advising approximately $167 million in retirement-plan assets.

General retirement planning Retirement income strategy Cash flow / budgeting Tax strategies for small businesses Tax-loss harvesting
user avatar

Dennis O

Series 63, Series 65

Essex, CT

Brae Head, Inc.

Dennis O'Connor is the sole advisor at Brae Head, Inc. in Essex, CT, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials with 21 years of industry experience. He has been with Brae Head, Inc. since 1997. Brae Head, Inc. provides fee-only, discretionary portfolio management and basic financial planning to individuals, families, trusts, businesses, and retirement plans, including charitable organizations. The firm uses a disciplined, systematic investment process based on Modern Portfolio Theory and actively manages diversified equity and fixed-income portfolios, serving a relatively small client base with approximately $82 million in assets under management.

Wealth management Retirement income strategy Cash flow / budgeting Active portfolio management
user avatar

Evan W

Series 63, Series 65

Madison, CT

Wax Asset Management LLC

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.

Options & derivatives strategies
user avatar

Sally K

CFP®, Series 65

Guilford, CT

Real Financial Planning, LLC

Sally Kennedy is a CFP® and Series 65 licensed advisor with 12 years of industry experience. She is the sole advisor at Real Financial Planning, LLC, an independent firm based in Guilford, CT. In addition to financial planning, she is involved in tax preparation. Real Financial Planning serves individual clients and small businesses, offering fee-only, as-needed financial planning focused on cash flow, tax planning, education funding, retirement and estate planning, and investment selection. The firm emphasizes asset allocation, diversification, and tax considerations, providing written analyses without managing client assets or charging percentage-of-assets fees.

Cash flow / budgeting Debt management College savings (529s, UTMA, etc.) General retirement planning General estate planning guidance Self-Employed Retired Young Families Young Professionals
user avatar

Gregory G

CFP®, Series 63

Madison, CT

East Guilford Financial Services LLC

Gregory Guidone is a CFP® with 41 years of industry experience, currently serving as the sole advisor at East Guilford Financial Services LLC since 2021. He previously worked at Bannon, Ohanesian & Lecours, Inc. for 14 years and has been involved with East Guilford Financial Services since 2001. In addition to his advisory role, he is a licensed independent insurance agent in Connecticut, selling life, medical, disability, and long-term care insurance, a practice he has maintained since 1982. East Guilford Financial Services LLC is an SEC-registered independent investment adviser managing approximately $193 million for about 301 clients, including individuals, pension plans, charities, and businesses. The firm employs an asset-allocation approach using mutual funds, ETFs, and other securities, with portfolios reviewed regularly and investment restrictions accommodated when feasible.

Wealth management
Warmer team member

Not sure where to start?

We'll help you think it through—whether you ultimately need an advisor or not. Warmer helps you compare advisors clearly, so you can choose with confidence.

Find your advisor

For advisor listings, we rely on sources including public filings and data provided by advisors, and we cannot guarantee that all information is current or accurate. Advisors are independent and may not have reviewed or updated this information. Please review an advisor's Form ADV and do your own diligence before deciding whether to work with them.

Advisor matching and referrals are provided by FinanceHQ LLC ("FHQ"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Warmer and an SEC-registered investment adviser. We may be compensated by participating advisors. You pay no fee to use our matching service, and advisor fees are not increased because of a referral. We do not supervise advisors, manage or hold assets, guarantee performance, or provide advice about specific investments.

By using our service, you agree to the Warmer Terms of Service and FHQ Advisory Agreement, and acknowledge Warmer's Privacy Policy. Please review FHQ's ADV Part 2A and Form CRS. Logos provided by Logo.dev

© 2026 Warmer Holdings Inc. ("Warmer")