James Bakal Jr. is a financial advisor with Janney Montgomery Scott, holding Series 63 and Series 65 designations and bringing 35 years of industry experience. He has been with Janney Montgomery Scott since 2014. Outside of his advisory role, he serves on the board of the Exchange Club of New Canaan, a charitable organization focused on child abuse prevention and community service, and was elected President Elect for the 2021-2022 term. Janney Montgomery Scott is a large broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser managing approximately $110 billion in client assets. The firm serves a diverse client base, including high-net-worth individuals, families, trusts, corporate and retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations, offering a range of brokerage, financial planning, and advisory services.

Anthony Socci is a financial advisor with Ameritas Advisory Services, LLC, holding a Series 66 designation and bringing 34 years of industry experience. He has worked with Ameritas and its affiliated entities since 2006 and has been involved with Omega Financial Group since 1995, where he is also licensed as an independent insurance agent selling fixed insurance products and property and casualty insurance. Ameritas Advisory Services, LLC provides investment advisory and financial planning services to individuals, charitable and corporate entities, and retirement plans. The firm offers fee-based asset management, retirement-plan advisory, and fiduciary services, utilizing model portfolios, third-party sub-advisers, and custom strategies, with an emphasis on both discretionary and non-discretionary advice.

Michele Blanchard is a CFP® with 27 years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Commonwealth Financial Network since 2005. She holds the Series 66 designation and is based in Danbury, CT. Michele is a partner and co-owner of Prosperity, LLC, a private entity facilitating securities, advisory, and insurance business. Commonwealth Financial Network is a registered investment adviser that supports a national network of approximately 2,950 advisors and their clients by providing a range of advisory programs, operational support, and investment management services. The firm offers various program structures and discretionary model portfolios while delivering technology, compliance, and practice-management resources to its affiliated advisors.

Raphael Feigenbaum is a Series 65-licensed financial advisor with four years of industry experience. He is currently with The Colony Group, LLC and has previously worked at GYL Financial Synergies, Sovereign Partners, Bungalow, and KPMG. Focus Partners Wealth serves a diverse range of clients including individuals, high-net-worth families, family offices, corporations, retirement plans, and institutions. The firm employs a long-term, tax- and fee-sensitive investment approach with a focus on enhanced open architecture, integrating fundamental and quantitative analysis alongside a broad array of investment options and affiliated service companies.

Lynne Miller is a financial advisor with Janney Montgomery Scott in Darien, CT, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 16 years of industry experience. She has been with Janney Montgomery Scott since 2016. Outside of her advisory role, she is a signatory manager for Oakford Media LLC, a family-owned business. Janney Montgomery Scott is a large, dual-registered broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser managing approximately $110 billion in client assets. The firm serves a wide range of clients including individuals, families, trusts, corporations, charitable organizations, and municipal clients, offering brokerage services, financial planning, consulting, and various advisory programs.

Christopher Kachur is a financial advisor with Benjamin F. Edwards & Company, Inc. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has 25 years of industry experience. Kachur has been with Benjamin F. Edwards & Co since 2010. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company is an SEC-registered investment adviser and broker-dealer serving individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, corporations, and other institutions. The firm offers a broad range of services including fee-based wrap programs, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and investment management consulting, with a range of model strategies monitored by an Investment Strategy Committee.

Christina Liu is a financial advisor at Hightower Advisors with a Series 66 designation and one year of industry experience. Prior to joining Hightower, she worked in various roles including at Thimble Island Brewing Company and University of Connecticut. Outside of finance, she has held positions in diverse sectors such as food service and personal care. Hightower Advisors serves a broad range of individual and institutional clients, offering discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting. The firm’s investment approach includes multi-manager solutions and the use of proprietary research, covering a variety of asset types and strategies.

Mark Hannigan is a financial advisor with Commonwealth Financial Network in Darien, CT, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and having 13 years of industry experience. Prior to joining Commonwealth in 2019, he worked at Allied Wealth Partners, Securian Financial Services Inc, and Minnesota Life Insurance Company. Outside of his advisory role, he is involved in Medicare product referrals. Commonwealth Financial Network is a dual-registered broker/dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser supporting a national network of approximately 2,900 advisors. The firm provides a comprehensive platform including managed-account programs, third-party asset manager access, retirement consulting, and custody services, serving both individual and institutional clients with a wide range of investment options.

Zachary Pumerantz is a financial advisor at Primerica Advisors with a Series 66 designation and one year of industry experience. His prior work includes roles at Park Avenue Securities, Guardian Life Insurance Company, Gympass, and FanDuel. Park Avenue Securities LLC serves a broad retail client base, offering brokerage and advisory services along with financial planning and consulting. The firm employs a combination of proprietary and third-party investment strategies and supports various account-level services, managing approximately $15 billion in regulatory assets under management.

Mark Scozzafava is a financial advisor with Eagle Strategies (NY Life) based in Darien, CT. He holds a Series 66 designation and has 17 years of industry experience. His career includes roles at NYLIFE Securities LLC and NYLife Distributors LLC. Outside of finance, he is an owner of Northeast Fish Co., a wholesale seafood distributor, where he participates in strategic decision-making. Eagle Strategies serves a diverse client base including individual investors, institutional clients, and plan sponsors, providing financial planning, investment management, and retirement-plan advisory services. The firm emphasizes tailored recommendations and manages the majority of its assets on a non-discretionary basis within an integrated New York Life affiliate structure.

Roberto Rabassa Jr. is a financial advisor at OSAIC Institutions, Inc. with eight years of industry experience. He holds the Series 63 and Series 66 designations and has worked at firms including J.P. Morgan Securities, Bank of America, Merrill, and Wells Fargo Clearing. He is currently based in Norwalk, CT. OSAIC Institutions, Inc. is an SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, ERISA retirement plans, trusts, estates, and corporate clients through a network of investment adviser representatives. The firm offers customized advisory services, financial planning, ERISA plan services, access to alternative investments, and a hybrid adviser/broker-dealer structure that combines discretionary and non-discretionary account management.

Urszula Madra is a financial advisor with Hightower Advisors, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and 16 years of industry experience. Her prior roles include positions at Mass Mutual Investors Services, MassMutual Life Insurance, and MetLife Securities. She has been with Hightower Advisors and its affiliated broker-dealer since 2022. Hightower Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, institutions, pension plans, and charitable organizations. The firm emphasizes multi-manager solutions and manager selection, using both affiliated and third-party managers, and offers a range of portfolio management and financial planning services.

Alexandra Miele is a CFP® and Series 66 licensed financial advisor with 18 years of industry experience. She has been with Hightower Advisors since 2013. Alexandra has also engaged in paid speaking for advanced financial planning seminars through Purpose Consulting Group. Hightower Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to a diverse client base, including individual and institutional investors. The firm emphasizes manager selection and multi-manager solutions, utilizing both affiliated and third-party managers, with a broad range of portfolio construction options.

Elizabeth Schroder is a financial advisor at RBC Capital Markets with 40 years of industry experience. She holds the Series 63 and Series 65 designations and has worked at RBC Capital Markets since 2008, following a period at City National Bank. RBC Wealth Management, a division of RBC Capital Markets, serves a diverse client base including individual investors, institutional clients, corporations, and charitable organizations. The firm offers various advisory programs with tailored investment strategies using both in-house and third-party managers, and provides a range of portfolio management, financial planning, custody, and brokerage services.

Bruce Brown is a financial advisor at Wells Fargo Clearing with 40 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 63 and Series 65 designations and has been with Wells Fargo entities since 2009. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as co-trustee for a family trust. Wells Fargo Clearing provides retirement plan consulting to qualified ERISA and non-qualified deferred compensation plans, offering both discretionary and non-discretionary services. The firm’s advisory process is IPS-driven and incorporates modern portfolio theory, with a notable inclusion of insurance-related vehicles and bank deposit sweep options among its investment offerings.

Lukasz Janko is a financial advisor at J.P. Morgan Securities with 10 years of industry experience. He has previously worked at Merrill, Bank of America, Key Investment Services, and Santander Securities. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses. J.P. Morgan Securities provides investment consulting and advisory services primarily to institutional clients and retirement plan sponsors, combining quantitative asset-allocation modeling with centralized due diligence and applying an ESG eligibility framework in its recommendations.

Brian O'Connor is a financial advisor with Merrill in Fairfield, CT, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 35 years of industry experience. He has worked at Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith since 2007 and has been affiliated with Bank of America, N.A. since 2011. Outside of advisory work, he is the sole owner of a rental property business in Long Beach Township, New Jersey. Merrill, together with its affiliate Managed Account Advisors LLC, provides managed account services to Bank of America fiduciary clients through the Select Portfolio Solutions Program. The firm serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, pension and profit-sharing plans, corporations, and charitable organizations using model-based and discretionary investment strategies.

Robert Panza is a financial advisor at Morgan Stanley with 43 years of industry experience. He has held positions at Morgan Stanley and its affiliated entities since 2009, including Morgan Stanley Private Bank, National Association, where he has worked since 2015. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and is based in Westport, CT. Morgan Stanley Wealth Management is an SEC-registered investment adviser and broker-dealer serving individual and institutional clients with a wide range of advisory programs. The firm emphasizes tailored financial planning supported by structured discovery and firm-approved tools, managing approximately $2.74 trillion in client assets.

Axel Lara is a financial advisor at J.P. Morgan Securities with Series 65 and Series 63 licenses and one year of industry experience. Prior to his current role, he held positions at JPMorgan Chase Bank and Equitable Financial Life Insurance. Before entering the financial industry, he worked in various roles including childcare and telecommunications. J.P. Morgan Securities provides investment consulting and advisory services primarily to institutional clients and retirement plan sponsors through a structured program that combines quantitative asset-allocation modeling with centralized due diligence and an ESG eligibility framework.

Catherine Censullo is a financial advisor with Cetera who holds a PFS™ designation and Series 66 license, bringing 27 years of industry experience. She is also a CPA and partner at Censullo, Gupta & Associates CPA, LLP, a public accounting firm offering tax planning, preparation, and business consulting services. Additionally, she serves as a board member of the Armonk Chamber of Commerce. Cetera Investment Advisers LLC is an SEC-registered firm serving a broad client base including individuals, retirement plans, corporations, charitable organizations, and institutional accounts. The firm offers a range of portfolio management and financial planning services through a network of independent advisors utilizing multiple program structures and a variety of investment strategies.