Thomas Defino is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) with 41 years of industry experience. He has been with Morgan Stanley since 2009, currently serving in the Morgan Stanley Private Bank, National Association since 2015. Outside of his advisory role, he conducts 90-minute football training sessions and camps for youth through Toms River Football Club and Celtic Elite LLC. Morgan Stanley Wealth Management serves both individual and institutional clients, offering tailored financial planning and advisory programs supported by structured discovery processes and firm-approved planning tools.

Tanner Preston is a financial professional with one year of industry experience, currently affiliated with Cetera. He holds the Series 66 designation and previously worked at S&P Global. Outside of advisory work, he is involved as an insurance agent providing fixed insurance services. Cetera Investment Advisers LLC is an SEC-registered adviser serving a broad client base including individuals, retirement plans, corporate, charitable, and institutional accounts. The firm offers a multi-manager platform with various portfolio management and advisory services, supported by a large network of over 10,000 advisors and more than $256 billion in assets under management.

Joann Polis is a Wealth Management Advisor at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, where she has been working since 2001. She collaborates closely with Candice in developing and implementing investment strategies tailored to their clients' needs. Joann's expertise includes college education planning, divorce transition planning, family wealth management strategies, personal retirement planning, portfolio management services, women and wealth, and retirement income. Joann holds a Master's Degree from Monmouth University and a Bachelor's Degree from Gettysburg College. She also carries the Personal Investment Advisor (PIA) designation. She focuses on helping clients achieve their financial goals through a disciplined and personalized approach to wealth planning, assisting individuals in understanding their complete financial picture to overcome obstacles and reach their objectives. Residing in Middletown, New Jersey, Joann lives with her husband and three daughters. Outside of her professional commitments, she enjoys boating, dancing, spending time with her family, and practicing yoga.

Joseph Perri is a financial advisor with LPL Financial, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and over 40 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Royal Alliance Associates, Cetera Advisor Networks, and Ameriprise. LPL Financial is a national broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, retirement plan participants, banks, trust companies, and institutions. The firm offers a range of advisory and brokerage services including financial planning, model portfolio programs, and institutional platforms, supported by a network of over 22,800 advisors and extensive operational resources.

Thomas Williams is a financial advisor with Equitable Advisors, holding a Series 66 designation and 11 years of industry experience. He has been with Equitable Advisors since 2015 and previously worked with Axa Advisors for five years. Outside of his advisory role, he is involved as a laborer in a small aesthetics business. Equitable Advisors serves individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, corporations, charitable organizations, and institutional clients with financial planning, retirement consulting, and asset management services. The firm utilizes a variety of advisory programs and third-party asset managers to deliver tailored investment solutions.

Thomas Noon is a financial advisor at Cetera with 28 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at multiple firms including Provident Bank, Lakeland Financial Services, Raymond James Financial Services, and INVEST Financial Corp. prior to his current role. Cetera Investment Advisers LLC serves a broad client base including individuals, retirement plans, corporate and charitable clients, and institutional accounts. The firm offers a multi-manager platform with various portfolio management options and reported over $256 billion in assets under management across more than 10,000 advisors.

Kenneth Dammann is a financial advisor with Wells Fargo Clearing in Red Bank, NJ, holding Series 63 and Series 66 designations and 21 years of industry experience. He has been with Wells Fargo Clearing since 2016. Outside of his advisory role, he manages rental properties in New Jersey. Wells Fargo Advisors is a national securities firm serving individual, corporate, and institutional clients with investment advisory services, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting. The firm combines proprietary research and third-party analytics to offer brokerage and advisory solutions across a broad range of financial products.

Richard Gumina is a financial advisor with Morgan Stanley in Shrewsbury, NJ, holding a Series 66 designation and 17 years of industry experience. He has worked with Morgan Stanley Smith Barney since 2009 and the Morgan Stanley Private Bank, National Association since 2015. Outside of his advisory role, he operates a business coaching and development service in New Jersey. Morgan Stanley Wealth Management serves individual and institutional clients, offering a range of advisory programs including tailored financial planning supported by firm-approved tools and structured discovery conversations. The firm manages approximately $2.74 trillion in client assets and provides both direct and employer-sponsored financial planning services.

Matthew Villani is a financial advisor at J.P. Morgan Securities with 19 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and previously worked at Bank of America and Merrill from 2006 to 2025. J.P. Morgan Securities provides institutional consulting services to plan sponsors, corporations, endowments, and other institutional clients, offering written asset allocation advice, investment manager searches, and customized performance reporting. Their advisory process combines quantitative and qualitative due diligence with a focus on eligible strategies and incorporates ESG considerations.

Jason Skolnik is a financial advisor at Morgan Stanley with 27 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has previously worked at firms including Wells Fargo Clearing, Merrill, Fidelity, and Ameriprise Financial. Morgan Stanley Wealth Management is a large SEC-registered investment adviser and broker-dealer that serves both individual and institutional clients, offering tailored financial planning and a range of advisory programs supported by firm-approved planning tools and strategies.

Carmela Michaels is a financial advisor at LPL Financial with 39 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 66 credentials and has worked at Santander Bank, NA and Santander Securities, LLC prior to joining LPL Financial. Outside of her advisory role, she is associated with Elite Wealth Management and acts in a fiduciary capacity through an entity named Maria Claudio. LPL Financial is a national broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser that serves individuals, retirement plan participants, banks, trust companies, and other institutions. The firm offers a range of advisory and brokerage services including financial planning, model portfolio programs, third-party asset management, and institutional platforms.

Hirsh Zyskind is a financial advisor at Morgan Stanley with 12 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at Morgan Stanley Private Bank and Morgan Stanley Smith Barney since 2022, following nine years at Bank of America and Merrill. Outside of his advisory role, he is involved in real estate property management and ownership in New Jersey. Morgan Stanley Wealth Management is an SEC-registered investment adviser and broker-dealer serving both individual and institutional clients. The firm offers a range of advisory programs including tailored financial planning supported by structured discovery and firm-approved tools, with a focus on advisory services rather than individual security recommendations.

Alicia Rivera is a financial advisor with Stifel, holding Series 63 and Series 66 credentials and bringing 43 years of industry experience. She has worked at Stifel Nicolaus & Co Inc since 2018, with prior roles at UBS Financial Services Inc. and Morgan Stanley. Rivera is a co-owner of Rivtech Portable Cinemas, a seasonal entertainment business. Stifel serves a diverse client base including individuals, institutions, and charitable organizations, offering brokerage and investment advisory services supported by a proprietary investment methodology developed by its Investment Strategy Group.

Ethan Dzenis is a CFP® professional with three years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Equitable Advisors. His background includes roles at Partners Admin, LLC and prior work in education and club management. Outside of finance, he has held positions at San Diego State University, Spring Lake Golf Club, and Manasquan High School. Equitable Advisors serves a broad client base including individuals, pension plans, corporations, and charitable organizations, offering financial planning, retirement consulting, and asset management through a network of Investment Adviser Representatives. The firm utilizes a range of advisory programs and third-party asset managers to deliver personalized investment solutions.

Fred Peters is a Senior Financial Advisor with Merrill Lynch Wealth Management. He applies Merrill’s Goals-Based Wealth Management process to help clients pursue meaningful financial objectives by prioritizing clear decision-making and transparency. Fred serves a diverse clientele including business owners, entrepreneurs, retirees, senior citizens, and families with special needs members, developing tailored strategies for short- and long-term financial goals. With over sixteen years of management experience prior to joining Merrill Lynch in 2016, Fred leverages his expertise to address complex financial challenges such as special needs planning, retirement income, philanthropic planning, and personal retirement planning. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Richard Stockton College of New Jersey and is pursuing an MBA at Georgian Court University. Fred’s professional designations include Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor (CPFA), Personal Investment Advisor (PIA), and Retirement Accredited Financial Advisor (RAFA). Fred is active in his community, serving on boards for the Brick Township Chamber of Commerce, Greater Toms River Chamber of Commerce, and Ocean County Family Service Organization, as well as participating with the Brick Township Morning Rotary Club. Outside of work, he enjoys chess, football, music, racquetball, running marathons, spending time with his family, and watching movies. As a military parent, he supports armed forces deployments with personal dedication.

Justine Hughes is a financial advisor at Cetera with eight years of industry experience. She holds the CFP® and ChFC® designations and has worked at several firms, including Securian Financial Services and Mid Atlantic Resource Group. Outside of her advisory role, she volunteers with the Marlboro Township Veterans and Volunteers Committee and serves as bingo chairperson at St. Thomas the Apostle Church. Cetera Investment Advisers LLC is an SEC-registered firm serving a broad range of clients, including individuals, retirement plans, and institutional accounts. The firm offers diverse investment solutions through a multi-manager platform, providing advisors with access to affiliated and third-party portfolio management options across various program structures.

Michelle Kraus is a financial advisor at Wells Fargo Clearing with six years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses. Her work history includes roles at Wells Fargo Bank, Santander Securities, and Lisa Patchell, State Farm Agent. Wells Fargo Advisors is a national securities firm serving individual, corporate, and institutional clients with investment advisory services, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting. The firm manages approximately $671 billion in assets and offers both brokerage and advisory solutions.

Christopher Arditi is a financial advisor with J.P. Morgan Securities, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 20 years of industry experience. His career includes roles at Santander Securities, LPL Financial, and PNC Bank. Outside of finance, he is involved in Sparks Zumba LLC, an administrative role supporting Zumba fitness classes. J.P. Morgan Securities provides institutional consulting services to plan sponsors, corporations, endowments, and other institutional clients, focusing on written asset allocation advice, investment manager searches, and customized performance reporting within a non-discretionary program.

Michael Barbieri is a financial advisor with Primerica Advisors in Brick, NJ, holding Series 63 and Series 65 registrations. He has 30 years of industry experience, all with Primerica Advisors and Primerica Financial Services since 1996. Outside of advisory services, he is involved in selling home security and automation products and loan products through affiliates of Primerica. Primerica Advisors sponsors a wrap-fee asset management program serving individual, corporate, and charitable clients. The firm employs model-driven investment strategies and manages approximately $15.5 billion in assets through a network of nearly 3,700 advisors and over 1,800 offices.

Joseph Sarbello is a financial advisor at LPL Financial with 34 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked previously at National Planning Corporation, Cetera Advisors LLC, Citigroup Global Markets, and Advest, Inc. He is also associated with MidAtlantic Wealth Management, Ltd. as an investment-related business entity for tax purposes. LPL Financial is a national broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, retirement plan participants, banks, trust companies, and institutions. The firm offers a range of advisory and brokerage services, including financial planning, model portfolio programs, and institutional platforms, supported by research tools and a broad network of over 22,800 advisors.