Top tax strategies for small businesses financial advisors working with high-net-worth individuals in Connecticut

Richard Kos is a CFA® charterholder with six years of industry experience and is the principal advisor at Sursum Financial LLC in Madison, CT. He has previously worked at Merrill and Carolina Capital Markets, Inc., and has led Kos Consultants, an educational institutional consulting and marketing firm, since 2007. Sursum Financial is an independent registered investment adviser serving individuals, trusts, estates, business owners, family offices, and institutional and charitable clients. The firm employs a proprietary research-driven approach with a long-term orientation while incorporating shorter-term strategies and third-party manager relationships tailored to client objectives.

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.

Ronald Dragotta is a Senior Financial Advisor at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, where he specializes in retirement benefit consulting and personalized wealth management strategies. With over 27 years of industry experience, he adopts a goals-based approach to help clients pursue their long-term financial objectives by utilizing professional asset managers and investment platforms. Ronald focuses on Merrill's 401(k) Retirement Plan platform and provides services to local communities and organizations. He works closely with a team within his office and leverages the resources of Bank of America and Merrill Lynch Wealth Management to deliver active and dedicated service. His areas of expertise include corporate benefits, divorce transition planning, employee benefits planning, employee financial health, personal retirement planning, and individual and corporate investment strategy. He holds a Bachelor's Degree from Hofstra University and professional designations including Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor (CPFA), Personal Investment Advisor (PIA), and Retirement Benefits Consultant (RBC). Outside of work, Ronald spends time with his wife Linda, an elementary school teacher, and their two daughters, Catherine and Caroline. They enjoy outdoor activities such as running, hiking, and kayaking on the Long Island Sound. Ronald is also involved in volunteering with community organizations.

Clifford Straub is a CFP® and Series 66 credentialed financial advisor with 20 years of industry experience. He is the sole advisor at Lifestyle Financial Strategies, LLC, where he has worked since 2006. Prior to that, he was with WRP Investments Inc for two years. Straub serves as a trustee of the Middletown Rotary Club Scholarship Trust and is on the Board of Directors, including the Executive and Finance Committees, of Middlesex United Way. Lifestyle Financial Strategies provides holistic financial planning and investment advisory services to individuals, families, and not-for-profit organizations. The firm emphasizes disciplined asset allocation and non-discretionary advisory relationships, with a notable client focus on charitable and not-for-profit entities.

Angelo Pietri is a Series 66 credentialed financial advisor with 11 years of industry experience, currently affiliated with OSAIC Institutions, Inc. He has been with infinex Investments, Inc. since 2015. Outside of his advisory work, he assists with a photography business co-founded by his spouse and owns a financial education seminar business. OSAIC Institutions, Inc. is an SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, ERISA plans, trusts, estates, and corporate clients through a large network of representatives. The firm offers customized advisory services, financial planning, ERISA plan services, and access to alternative investments, operating with a hybrid adviser and broker-dealer structure.

Kenneth Blaschke is a financial advisor at HeadInvest in Portland, ME, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with 16 years of industry experience. He has been with HeadInvest since 2009. HeadInvest serves a diverse range of clients, including individuals, trusts, endowments, and government entities, providing discretionary portfolio management and financial planning. The firm employs a holistic, asset-allocation driven approach, combining fixed-income selection with low-cost ETFs and emphasizing tax efficiency.

Jeffrey Macdonald is a CFP® and ChFC® with 18 years of industry experience. He has worked at Investment Management & Planning LLC and LPL Financial since 2010, following two years at Wells Fargo Clearing. Investment Management & Planning LLC provides investment advisory and financial planning services primarily to individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm constructs tailored portfolios using mutual funds, ETFs, equities, and fixed-income securities, employing fundamental analysis and continuous supervision, and operates as both a wrap program sponsor and affiliated registered representatives of LPL Financial.

Matthew Sims is a financial advisor at 49 Financial with the Series 66 designation and 21 years of industry experience. His prior work includes roles at Oakwood Capital Securities, Purshe Kaplan Sterling Investments, Thrivent Advisor Network, and Axa Advisors. Outside of his advisory work, he also provides nonprofit consulting through 25 Giving, assisting organizations in developing charitable plans. 49 Financial serves a diverse client base, including individuals, trusts, corporations, and retirement plans, offering comprehensive financial planning and investment management with an emphasis on diversified, long-term asset allocation. The firm provides tiered fractional family office services and employs a strategy that integrates fundamental, cyclical, technical, and behavioral analysis.

Drew Feutz, CFP®, is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional and Founder of Migration Wealth Management, LLC, a fee-only wealth management firm that specializes in providing financial planning and investment management to people in their 30s and 40s. Drew got his start in financial planning as an Intern in May 2014, began working part-time as a Financial Planning & Investment Analyst during his final semester of college, and started working as a Financial Planner full-time upon graduation. Drew graduated Summa Cum Laude from Indiana State University where he earned a Bachelor of Science with a double major in Financial Planning and Investments. During his time at ISU, Drew was a Scholar in the Networks Professional Development Program, a Service-Learning Scholar partnered with Junior Achievement of the Wabash Valley, President of the ISU Financial Planning Association Student Chapter, member of the Investment Club, and a University Honors Program student. He spent his summers during college studying abroad at the Athens Centre in Athens, Greece, interning at First Direct Logistics in Dublin, Ireland, and interning at a fee-only wealth management firm in Indianapolis. He is a Board Member for the Hendricks County Community Foundation as well as Susie's Place Child Advocacy Centers and previously served as Chair of the NAPFA Genesis Committee, Treasurer of Young Professionals of Central Indiana, and as a board member of the Indiana State University Financial Planning Advisory Board. Additionally, Drew co-founded and co-hosts the Circle City Success Podcast. Drew is also a former Fellow in Class V of the Mitch Daniels Leadership Foundation Fellowship and Member of Leadership Hendricks County Class of 2023. Read Drew's blog here: https://migrationwealthmanagement.com/blog/

Shawn Johnson is a financial advisor with Kingsview Wealth Management, LLC in Nashville, TN, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 28 years of industry experience. He previously worked at Edward D. Jones & Co., L.P. for 29 years. Outside of his advisory role, he officiates college football and track and field events. Kingsview Wealth Management is a multi-advisor firm serving a diverse client base including individuals, retirement plans, endowments, and municipal clients. The firm offers comprehensive financial planning and wealth management services, utilizing both in-house strategies and third-party managers across various investment products.

Wesley Pool is a financial advisor at Wells Fargo Clearing with 15 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and previously worked at JPMorgan Securities LLC for seven years. Outside of finance, he has been involved with #TagMeBro LLC and Fry Street Public House. 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.

Willie Myles is a financial advisor with Equitable Advisors in Cary, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 16 years of industry experience. He has worked at Equitable Advisors since 2016, previously serving at Axa Advisors and MSI Financial Services. Outside of advising, he is a co-chairman of a fundraising campaign for Alpha Light Fund Inc., a nonprofit focused on renovating the House of Alpha. Equitable Advisors serves a range of clients including individuals, pension plans, corporations, and charitable organizations, providing financial planning, retirement consulting, and asset management through a network of representatives and third-party managers. The firm offers various investment vehicles and ERISA fiduciary services, relying on third-party program sponsors and an affiliation with a publicly traded parent company.

Linda Postorivo is a financial advisor at BC Advisors, LLC with 43 years of industry experience. She holds a Series 63 designation and has worked with MAFG RIA Services, Inc. since 1994 and with Mid-Atlantic Companies since 1981. BC Advisors provides investment advisory and portfolio management services primarily to high-net-worth individuals, family trusts, pension and profit-sharing plans, and other institutional clients. The firm emphasizes non-discretionary investment recommendations grounded in fundamental analysis alongside technical and cyclical reviews, employing a variety of strategies including long-term, short-term, trading, options, and alternatives.

Sally Hyman is a financial advisor with Seasons of Advice Wealth Management in New York, NY. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 43 years of industry experience, including roles at Ameriprise Financial Services and RBC Capital Markets. Outside of her advisory work, she records and sells vocal CDs and is involved in publishing her father's book on the spiritual meaning of disease and science. Seasons of Advice Wealth Management provides financial planning and discretionary investment management to individuals, high net worth clients, trusts, small business owners, professionals, and families. The firm uses a proprietary planning process that integrates goal tracking, asset allocation, and tax planning, tailoring investment recommendations to each client’s objectives and risk tolerance.

Ethan Siekkinen is a CFP® and holds a Series 65 license, currently serving as a financial advisor with Plante Moran Financial Advisors. He has one year of industry experience and has previously worked at J Wilson Wealth Management and operated Rizzo Lawn Care. Plante Moran Financial Advisors, LLC provides investment advisory, financial planning, and estate planning services to a diverse client base including individual households, institutional clients, and sovereign wealth funds. The firm employs a multi-disciplinary investment process and offers both discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, manager search, and tax-lot accounting services.