Top advisors focused on passive / index investing in Connecticut

Kristin Manna is a financial advisor with Primerica Advisors and holds a Series 66 designation. She has one year of industry experience, including roles at Park Avenue Securities, Guardian Life Insurance Company, and Consolidated Planning Holdings, Inc. Prior to entering the financial industry, she worked in education for eight years. Outside of advising, Kristin is an author and publisher of a basketball coaching notebook and works as a math tutor for high school students. Park Avenue Securities serves a broad retail client base with a range of brokerage and advisory services, utilizing proprietary and third-party investment strategies across various account types and investment vehicles.

Solomon Dayan is a financial advisor at J.P. Morgan Securities with 14 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 designations and has been with J.P. Morgan Securities since 2012, also working with JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. since 2011. J.P. Morgan Securities provides institutional consulting services to corporations, foundations, and defined contribution plan sponsors, offering asset allocation advice, investment manager and fund searches, and customized performance reporting through a select group of Wealth Advisors. The firm combines large institutional advisory operations with brokerage, distribution, and investment management capabilities.

Edward Blatz is a Senior Resident Director and Wealth Management Advisor at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management. He specializes in working with high net-worth families and closely-held businesses, focusing on estate and wealth management strategies. Edward partners closely with clients’ tax advisors and estate planning attorneys to provide a comprehensive approach to managing both financial and personal aspects of their lives. His services include performance assessment, personalized guidance, and periodic reviews to help clients progress toward their individual financial goals. Edward joined Merrill Lynch Wealth Management in 1985 and has over 40 years of experience developing tailored financial solutions that consider clients’ risk tolerance, time horizon, liquidity needs, and investment objectives. His areas of expertise encompass college education planning, divorce transition planning, employee benefits, executive compensation, family wealth management, managing new wealth, investment strategies, and retirement income. Edward holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Adelphi University and has earned several professional designations, including CERTIFIED PLAN FIDUCIARY ADVISOR (CPFA), Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor (CRPC), Personal Investment Advisor (PIA), and Retirement Accredited Financial Advisor (RAFA). Edward is also a member of The Blatz-Rooney Group, which was named to the 2024 Forbes "Best-in-State Wealth Management Teams" list. Outside of his professional work, he has personal interests in golfing, reading, and tennis.

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.

Elaine Biersack is a financial advisor with Round Rock Advisors LLC, holding a Series 65 designation and five years of industry experience. She previously worked for Greenwich Investment Management, Inc. for ten years before joining Round Rock Advisors in 2023. Round Rock Advisors serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, retirement plans, trusts, and institutional investors with investment management, financial planning, and retirement-plan advisory services. The firm employs multiple internal teams using fundamental, long-term analysis and offers access to independent sub-advisors and specialized investment strategies, including management of an Australian-registered micro-cap fund.

David Hart is a financial advisor with Safeguard Investment Advisory Group, LLC, holding a Series 65 credential and 15 years of industry experience. He has worked with Safeguard since 2020 and previously held roles at LifePro Asset Management, LLC, Martin and Associates Insurance Services, Inc., and Martin Wealth Management, LLC. Hart is also a Certified Financial Fiduciary and volunteers as an instructor with the Foundation for Fiduciary Education (NACFF), providing unbiased fiduciary financial education. Safeguard Investment Advisory Group, LLC serves individual, high-net-worth, institutional, and business clients, offering discretionary portfolio management, access to third-party sub-advisers, and fee-based financial planning. The firm employs a fundamental-analysis investment process with a preferred horizon of two to ten years and manages over $600 million across approximately 1,800 client relationships.

Thomas Trefzger is a financial advisor at Hantz Financial Services, Inc. with seven years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at Hantz Financial Services since 2018. Prior to his advisory role, he was employed at Sprint and also spent time at Cleveland State University. Hantz Financial Services serves a diverse client base including individual investors, charitable organizations, corporate clients, and retirement plan sponsors. The firm employs model-driven ETF strategies along with managed account solutions and offers a broad range of financial planning, wealth management, and fiduciary services supported by affiliated entities such as a trust company and in-house tax and business consulting.

Matthew Mc Bride is a CFA® charterholder and Series 65 licensee with three years of industry experience. He is an advisor at One Day In July LLC in Burlington, VT, where he has worked since 2023. Prior to joining the firm, he held roles at the University of Vermont and Saint Michael's College. Outside of advising, Matthew is involved in facility valuation and market research as an owner of a self-storage business in Colchester, VT. One Day In July LLC provides discretionary portfolio management and limited financial planning services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, charitable organizations, corporations, and employee benefit plans. The firm employs an asset-allocation approach focused on low-cost, passively managed ETFs and offers a distinct environmental investing option that screens funds by carbon intensity and fossil fuel reserves.

Timothy Egan is a financial advisor at First Manhattan Co. LLC in New York, NY, holding a Series 66 designation with three years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Morgan Stanley and Citigroup. First Manhattan Co. LLC provides discretionary and non-discretionary investment management primarily for high-net-worth individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, retirement plans, educational institutions, private investment vehicles, and institutional clients. The firm employs a research-driven, long-term, value-focused investment approach, utilizing both actively managed individual-security strategies and lower-fee passive fund exposures.

Ryan Vollweiler is a CFP® professional with 21 years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Schwab Wealth Advisory. His prior roles include positions at Charles Schwab and Schwab Retirement Plan Services, as well as a brief tenure at Voya Financial Advisor. Schwab Wealth Advisory provides non-discretionary investment advice and wealth-management services to Schwab brokerage clients who meet eligibility requirements, utilizing Schwab’s asset-allocation models and proprietary research tools. The firm is part of The Charles Schwab Corporation’s integrated product and service ecosystem.