Karen Ho Smith is a financial advisor at KCCS Management Inc. in Weston, CT, holding a Series 65 designation with 18 years of industry experience. She has been with KCCS Management since 2016 and has a longer tenure at KMH Management Inc. dating back to 1983. KCCS Management provides discretionary investment management to a select group of clients, including high-net-worth individuals, trusts, corporations, and pension plans. The firm focuses on fundamental and technical research with a long-term investment approach, emphasizing small- and mid-cap opportunities alongside equities, fixed income, and select alternative investments.

Leeland Gray is the sole advisor at Green Pastures Wealth Management LLC in Bridgeport, CT, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with 25 years of industry experience. He has worked at First Allied Securities, Inc. since 2008 and has been with Green Pastures Wealth Management since 2003. Green Pastures Wealth Management LLC provides discretionary portfolio management and non-discretionary allocation assistance to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, and business entities. The firm manages assets using two proprietary model families—Defensive Growth, which employs active mutual fund allocations with market timing, and All Weather, which uses a strategic, index-based approach with long-term rebalancing.

Kevin Shine is the principal advisor at Shine Financial Services, LLC, an independent firm based in Brookfield, CT. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 18 years of industry experience, having founded Shine Financial Services in 2007. Shine Financial Services provides investment advisory and consulting services to individuals, retirement plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, corporations, and pooled investment vehicles. The firm employs a combination of fundamental and technical analysis, utilizing both long-term and short-term trading techniques, including short sales, options, and margin, tailored to client objectives. Its direct management of a private pooled fund and use of performance-based fee arrangements distinguish it from many independent advisors of similar size.

Mark Guglielmi is the sole advisor at Balanced View Capital, LLC, an independent firm based in Westport, CT. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 11 years of industry experience, all with Balanced View Capital since 2015. Balanced View Capital provides portfolio management services to individual and high-net-worth clients, managing approximately $20 million. The firm employs a combination of fundamental, technical, and quantitative analysis alongside modern portfolio theory to construct concentrated portfolios, offering both discretionary and non-discretionary advisory services across various asset classes.

Robert Shohet is a financial advisor at RLS Financial Group, Inc. with 27 years of industry experience. He holds the ChFC® designation along with Series 63 and 65 licenses. His career includes long-term roles at firms such as Great American Advisors, Inc., PMG Securities Corporation, and The Guardian Life Insurance Co. In addition to advisory work, he operates as an insurance agent and provides consulting services as a sole proprietor. RLS Financial Group offers investment management, financial planning, and consulting services to a diverse client base including individuals, trusts, retirement plans, businesses, and government entities. The firm employs both active and passive investment strategies, combining multiple analytical approaches and proprietary market indicators, and is noted for its pension and actuarial consulting expertise as well as its use of performance-based fee arrangements for qualifying clients.

Lynn Verrilli is a financial advisor at Affinity Financial Solutions, LLC with 16 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 designations and has worked at Fairport Capital, Inc. and Affinity Financial Solutions since 2009. In addition to her advisory role, she operates a separate business, Advanced College Funding Solutions, LLC, which provides college preparation services including ACT/SAT prep, scholarship and grant assistance, college search, and career counseling. Affinity Financial Solutions offers advisory and financial counseling services to individuals, families, trusts, closely held businesses, 401(k) plans, and charitable organizations. The firm uses a combination of fundamental and technical analysis to select mutual funds, primarily within specific fund families, and generally manages allocations with discretionary authority.

Mark Friedman is a financial advisor at Educated Wealth & Financial, LLC with nine years of industry experience and a Series 65 credential. He has been self-employed in real estate investment and management since 2011 and has owned and operated investment real estate intermittently since 2002. Outside of advising, he manages multiple real estate properties, including serving as president and 50% shareholder of an LLC holding one property. Educated Wealth & Financial, LLC provides fee-only financial planning, investment management, and consulting primarily to individuals, high-net-worth individuals, trusts, estates, and small businesses. The firm combines charting, fundamental analysis, and behavioral finance in its investment approach, generally favoring longer-term holdings while allowing for more active trading as needed.

Seth Tutlis is a CFA® charterholder and Series 63 licensee with two years of experience, currently serving as the sole advisor at Seneca Wealth Advisors, LLC. His prior experience includes roles at Hillhouse Investments, Balance Point Capital, and Harvest Capital Management. Outside of advisory work, he serves as chairman for several accounting firms and teaches as an adjunct professor at Sacred Heart University. Seneca Wealth Advisors LLC is an independent, single-advisor firm that provides portfolio management and financial planning for individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm uses a range of analytical approaches and offers discretionary management across a broad investable universe, including alternatives, with quarterly account reviews.

Michael Ashmore is a CFA® charterholder and holds a Series 63 license. He is the principal advisor at Rondeivu Advisory with two years of industry experience. Prior to founding Rondeivu Advisory, he worked at OMERS Administration Corp. for five years. He serves as a volunteer member of the Board of Trustees and the Finance and Investment Committee at the Pequot Library in Southport, CT. Rondeivu Advisory provides investment advisory services to institutional clients, focusing on private market transactions such as private placements, co-investments, and secondary market offerings. The firm offers both discretionary and non-discretionary engagements and emphasizes manager selection, transaction due diligence, and ongoing portfolio monitoring.

Sam Shehu is the sole advisor at Shehu Asset Management, LLC in Southbury, CT, with 25 years of industry experience. He holds Series 65 and Series 63 licenses and previously worked at LPL Financial and Wells Fargo in various capacities. Outside of financial advising, he manages a self-service laundry business in Thomaston, CT. Shehu Asset Management provides financial planning and discretionary portfolio management to individuals, small businesses, pension plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and corporations. The firm uses proprietary modeling tools to tailor portfolios, which typically include equities, ETFs, and options, and offers pension consulting services alongside real-time account monitoring.

William Parry is a financial advisor at Wolfhound Wealth LLC in Westport, CT. He holds a Series 65 designation and has over a decade of industry experience, including 11 years at Kynikos Associates before founding Wolfhound Wealth in 2024. Prior to that, he was self-employed for two years. Wolfhound Wealth provides portfolio management and investment advisory services primarily to high-net-worth individuals. The firm employs a multi-method investment approach combining fundamental, technical, quantitative, and other analyses, and utilizes a variety of trading strategies and asset classes while acting as a fiduciary and offering tailored portfolio management.

Brian Fridell is a financial advisor at Manor Park Capital LLC with four years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has been with Manor Park Capital since 2020. Outside of his advisory role, he is involved with Coffee Labs, where he establishes partnerships and earns commissions based on signed deals. Manor Park Capital LLC provides discretionary portfolio management primarily for individual and high-net-worth clients, focusing on equities and non-U.S. securities. The firm customizes portfolios based on clients’ goals, tax considerations, time horizon, and risk tolerance, employing both fundamental and technical analysis along with long- and short-term trading strategies.

Andrew Madlener is a CFP® and holds a Series 65 license, with 10 years of experience in financial advising. He has worked at Open Circle Advisors, LLC since 2012. Open Circle Wealth Partners manages approximately $31.4 million in discretionary assets for individual and high-net-worth clients, as well as pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, and other entities. The firm employs a long-term, asset-class investment strategy based on Modern Portfolio Theory, utilizing passive mutual funds, ETFs, laddered fixed-income portfolios, and occasional less liquid vehicles.

Phillip Schemel is the sole advisor at Schemco, LLC, an independent firm based in Westport, CT. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 14 years of industry experience, having founded Schemco in 2011. Schemco, LLC provides discretionary portfolio management and financial planning services to individual and corporate clients, including high-net-worth individuals. The firm employs multiple analytical methods and implements both long- and short-term investment strategies, offering performance-based fee arrangements and allowing client-directed brokerage.

Jack Forehand is a CFP® and CFA® with 21 years of experience in the financial industry. He has been with Validea Capital Management LLC since 2004 and is also involved with Validea.com as a consultant focused on business development, education, and product development. Validea Capital Management serves individual investors, high-net-worth clients, trusts, and corporate entities by providing discretionary portfolio management through separately managed accounts and a digital automated advisory. The firm uses systematic, quantitative stock-selection models based on published investment strategies and offers a range of actively managed equity strategies, ETF model portfolios, direct indexing, and automated allocation services.

William Donaldson is a CFP® with 21 years of industry experience, currently serving as the sole advisor at Donaldson Financial Wellness Network, LLC. He previously worked at Conscious Capital Wealth Management from 2015 to 2017. Outside of investment advisory, he provides divorce financial planning and mediation services, assisting clients with financial settlements and tax planning. Donaldson Financial Wellness Network, LLC offers pension consulting, financial planning, and investment advisory services to plan sponsors, trusts, foundations, and individual clients. The firm focuses on structured asset allocation and works with third-party strategists to implement and monitor investment strategies rather than managing portfolios directly.

Cesar Cortes is a financial advisor at SUMUS Financial LLC with 16 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and previously worked at Prudential Financial Planning Services, LPL Enterprise, and Western International Securities. He also operates Cortes Benefits Consulting, LLC, an independent business consulting venture. SUMUS Financial LLC provides investment advisory and wealth management services to individuals, high net worth clients, and businesses. The firm emphasizes fundamental analysis with a long-term investment approach, utilizing low-cost mutual funds and ETFs, and offers flexible fee arrangements including hourly and fixed fees for financial planning.

Lazetta Braxton is a CFP® and the sole advisor at The Real Wealth Coterie with 17 years of industry experience. She previously worked with 2050 Wealth Partners, LLC, Financial Fountains, LLC, and currently leads her own consulting firm, Lazetta Rainey Braxton, LLC, where she provides speaking, writing, and consulting services focused on financial planning and diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. Lazetta is also the founder and CEO of Black Asset Group, a business membership and consulting firm serving financial planners. The Real Wealth Coterie is an independent registered investment adviser serving individuals, small business owners, and charitable organizations. The firm combines comprehensive financial planning with discretionary investment management, emphasizing long-term, passive asset allocation using diversified mutual funds and ETFs, and offers specialized services such as charitable-entity consulting and management of Schwab 529 education accounts.

Ira Koyner is a financial advisor at Triathlon Partners LLC with 10 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has previously worked at Societe Generale and Morgan Stanley. He also holds roles related to insurance products, including commissions from selling life, health, disability, and long-term care insurance. Triathlon Partners LLC provides portfolio management, a proprietary rules-based All-Terrain managed strategy, financial planning, and business consulting to individuals, high-net-worth clients, and businesses. The firm uses a combination of discretionary and non-discretionary management approaches and integrates insurance products alongside investment solutions.

Robert Sand is a financial advisor at Vision Wealth Advisory with 17 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and has worked at firms including Fortis Group Advisors, LPL Financial, and World Equity Group. In addition to his advisory work, Sand serves as an adjunct professor at Merrimack College and Johnson & Wales University. Vision Wealth Advisory provides investment management, retirement-plan services under ERISA Sections 3(21) and 3(38), and related consulting to institutions, employee-sponsored retirement plans, charitable organizations, trusts, and individuals. The firm employs a strategic asset allocation approach incorporating mutual funds, equities, fixed income, and third-party managers, with a focus on risk adjustment and tax efficiency.