Apella Wealth

Kimberly Wohler is a CFP® professional with 21 years of industry experience, currently with Apella Wealth in West Hartford, CT. She spent 20 years at Financial Connections Group, Inc. before joining Apella Wealth in 2026. Apella Wealth serves a diverse client base including individuals, high-net-worth families, trusts, retirement plans, and insurance company clients. The firm employs a model-driven, quantitative investment approach and offers a range of services such as discretionary and non-discretionary management, separately managed accounts, financial planning, and innovative technology integrations.

Samantha Ngooi is a CFP® at Apella Wealth with four years of industry experience. She previously worked at Park Piedmont Advisors LLC and spent three years at the University of Chicago Medicine. Apella Wealth serves a diverse client base, including individuals, high-net-worth families, trusts, retirement plans, and insurance companies. The firm uses a largely model-driven and quantitative investment approach, integrating proprietary and third-party tools to manage both discretionary and non-discretionary portfolios.

Tyler Ondatje is a CFP® with 11 years of industry experience, currently serving as an advisor at Apella Wealth. His prior experience includes roles at Clarity Wealth Management, Anchor Capital Management Group, Seaside Wealth Management, and JP Morgan Securities. Apella Wealth serves a diverse client base including individuals, high-net-worth families, trusts, retirement plans, and insurance company clients. The firm employs a largely model-driven, quantitative investment approach and offers a range of services such as discretionary and non-discretionary management, separately managed accounts, financial planning, and an automated advisory platform.

Adam Alonzo is a financial advisor at Apella Wealth with Series 65 and Series 66 credentials. He joined the firm in 2026 and has experience at previous firms including Equitable Advisors and roles in wine and spirits retail. Outside of advising, he has been involved with a recreation department and has entrepreneurial experience related to hospitality and retail. Apella Wealth serves a diverse client base including individuals, high-net-worth families, trusts, retirement plans, and insurance companies. The firm employs a largely model-driven and quantitative investment approach, integrating proprietary and third-party tools to manage portfolios across various asset classes and client needs.

Samuel Marrella Jr. is a financial advisor with Apella Wealth, holding Series 65 and Series 66 credentials and 13 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. and Marrella Private Wealth, LLC. Outside of his advisory work, he is a partner in The Greenbriar Collective, a business that began as a golf-themed social media page and now sells branded merchandise. Apella Wealth serves a diverse client base including individuals, high-net-worth families, trusts, retirement plans, and insurance companies. The firm employs a model-driven, quantitative investment approach with a focus on factor-based equity strategies and fixed-income allocations, offering a range of portfolio solutions and integrating third-party technology and sub-advisers into its process.

Derek Jobe is a CFP® professional with 10 years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Apella Wealth since 2021. His prior roles include positions at Vestory, LLC, Key Investment Services, and Key Bank. Apella Wealth serves a diverse client base, including individuals, high-net-worth families, trusts, retirement plans, and insurance companies. The firm employs a model-driven, quantitative investment approach with a focus on factor-based strategies and integrates proprietary and third-party technology to support portfolio management and client service.

Richard Backer is a CPA with 20 years of experience in financial advisory and accounting. He currently works at Apella Wealth and maintains an accounting practice through Richard A. Backer, CPA, P.C. He has previously worked at BACKER & MAURO CPAs LLP and Park Piedmont Advisors, LLC. Apella Wealth serves a diverse client base including individuals, high-net-worth families, trusts, retirement plans, and insurance company clients. The firm uses model-driven, quantitative investment strategies and integrates third-party technology and sub-advisers to manage both discretionary and non-discretionary portfolios.

Laura Carlson is a PFS™ credentialed advisor with Apella Wealth, based in West Hartford, CT. She has four years of industry experience, including her current role at Apella Capital since 2022 and over a decade previously at NR Smith & Associates. Apella Wealth serves a diverse range of individual and institutional clients, including high-net-worth families, trusts, retirement plans, and insurance companies. The firm employs a model-driven, quantitative investment approach with a variety of managed account solutions and integrates advanced technology and third-party managers into its processes.

Shawn Steel is a CFP® with 13 years of industry experience, currently serving as an advisor at Apella Wealth. Prior to joining Apella Wealth in 2024, he worked for 11 years at ClearLogic Financial, Inc. Shawn is based in West Hartford, CT. Apella Wealth serves a diverse client base that includes individuals, high-net-worth families, trusts, retirement plans, and insurance company clients. The firm employs a largely model-driven, quantitative investment approach, combining proprietary and third-party strategies to meet a wide range of client needs.

Eric Rabbanian is a CFP® professional with 24 years of industry experience, currently serving at Apella Wealth since 2025. Prior to joining Apella Wealth, he operated Rabbaniann Financial Planning, Inc. for 27 years. He is also the sole owner and Program Instructor of RFP Education, LLC, where he develops instructional materials and supports students in the Yale School of Management Certified Investment Management Analyst Program®. Apella Wealth serves a diverse client base including individuals, high-net-worth families, trusts, retirement plans, and insurance companies. The firm employs a largely model-driven, quantitative investment approach that incorporates proprietary and third-party tools and emphasizes multi-factor equity strategies and fixed-income allocation management.

Adrian Johnston is a financial advisor at Apella Wealth in West Hartford, CT, holding Series 65 and Series 66 licenses with four years of industry experience. Prior to joining Apella Wealth in 2022, he worked at Providence and Merrill, among other firms. Apella Wealth serves a diverse client base including individuals, high-net-worth families, trusts, retirement plans, and insurance companies. The firm emphasizes model-driven, quantitative investment strategies and incorporates technology and third-party managers in its portfolio management approach.

Micah Sanzo is a financial advisor at Apella Wealth with a Series 65 designation and one year of industry experience. Prior to joining Apella Wealth, he served in the Army National Guard and worked at Chick-Fil-A. Apella Wealth serves a diverse range of clients, including individuals, high-net-worth families, trusts, retirement plans, and insurance companies. The firm employs a model-driven, quantitative investment approach with an emphasis on factor-based equity strategies and fixed-income allocation, offering a variety of management and advisory solutions including separately managed accounts and automated advisory options.

Nathan White is a CFP® with five years of experience in financial advising. He is currently with Apella Wealth and has previously worked at firms including Coastal Financial Planning Group and Morris Financial Concepts. Outside of finance, his background includes roles in landscaping services. Apella Wealth serves a diverse range of individual and institutional clients, including high-net-worth families, trusts, retirement plans, and insurance companies. The firm employs a model-driven, quantitative investment approach and integrates proprietary and third-party tools to manage portfolios across various client types.

Gina Chironis is a financial advisor at Apella Wealth with 17 years of industry experience. She holds the PFS™ designation and Series 65 license. Prior to joining Apella Wealth in 2023, she worked at Clarity Wealth Management, Inc. for 13 years and at Cetera for one year. Apella Wealth serves a diverse range of clients including individuals, high-net-worth families, trusts, retirement plans, and insurance companies. The firm employs a model-driven, quantitative investment approach and offers a variety of managed account solutions, financial planning, and consulting services.

Kirk Okumura is a ChFC® credentialed advisor with six years of industry experience, currently with Apella Wealth. He previously worked at The American College of Financial Services and Hoey Investments, Inc. Okumura also serves as an adjunct instructor and peer reviewer for academic content in the Financial Services Certified Professional program at The American College of Financial Services. Apella Wealth serves individual and institutional clients, including high-net-worth families, trusts, retirement plans, and insurance companies. The firm employs a model-driven, quantitative investment approach, offering a range of solutions such as discretionary management, separately managed accounts, and automated advisory options.