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Our Team

The expertise of our in-house team and our partners at Commonwealth Financial Network is what drives our ability to help you live life on your terms.

Client Service Team

Renée Jarosz | Financial Paraplanner Qualified Professional™ & Client Service Liaison

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Renée uses her FPQP certification to help clients achieve their financial and lifestyle goals. Attention to detail, a strong work ethic and a focused energy to help where she’s needed are three of her differentiators. Prior to joining CG Capital, Renée was the administrative assistant for the Syracuse branch of AXA Advisors, LLC. She’s a graduate of Utica College with a BA in English. Outside of work, Renée enjoys camping, politics, sports, cosmetics, and, most importantly, spending time with her family.

Fun fact about Renée: She and her husband purchased her childhood home and now live there with their three children, Nolan, Sadie, and Nashton.

Hometown:
Frankfort, NY

Favorite Book & Movie:
The Lost Symbol/Labyrinth

Ideal Dinner Guest:
Princess Diana, JFK, Jr.

Qualities I Admire in People:
Kindness, Patience, and Compassion

Email: renee@mycgcapital.com

Words to Live By:
Listen, smile, agree, and then do whatever you were going to do anyway

Maria DiPierro | Client Services

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Maria uses her background in operations and client service to support the firm and its clients — focusing on the creation of ongoing successes. Her extensive experience in the financial services industry includes working for boutique investment firms and a hedge fund company. Maria graduated from LeMoyne College with a BS in business administration. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time at home with her loved ones, especially her son Anthony; she’s most happy cooking and entertaining for friends and family.

Fun Fact about Maria: Her favorite place to vacation each summer is Rockport, Mass.

Hometown:
New Hartford, NY

Favorite Movie:
Moonstruck

Ideal Dinner Guest:
My godfather (Anthony) who passed when I was three years old.

Email: maria@mycgcapital.com

Qualities I Admire in People:
Honesty, Compassion, Integrity, and Respect/Good Manners.

Words to Live By:
A negative mind will never give you a positive life.

Advanced Planning Team

Justin Duft, JD, CFP®, CLU®, ChFC®, CLTC | Director, Advanced Planning

Justin is responsible for the strategic direction of the department, as well as providing a resource for advisors on issues involving trust, estate, tax, charitable, Social Security, business, insurance, and education planning. His previous experience includes positions at Renaissance Insurance Group, John Hancock, and Ernst & Young. Justin is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional and holds Chartered Life Underwriter® (CLU®), Chartered Financial Consultant® (ChFC®), and Certified in Long-Term Care (CLTC) designations, as well as Massachusetts life, accident, and health insurance licenses and FINRA Series 6, 7, 24, and 63 securities registrations. He earned a BS in business administration from Northeastern University; an MSFS from the American College of Financial Services; and a JD with a focus on estate, trust, and tax law from New England Law Boston.

Heather Zack, JD, LLM, CAP® | Team Lead, Advanced Planning

Heather serves as a resource for advisors on issues involving estate, charitable, tax, social security, and education planning. Her previous experience includes positions at Bank of America Investment Services/Merrill Lynch and Investors Capital, as well as extensive operations experience at Commonwealth. Heather holds the Certified Advisor in Philanthropy® (CAP®) certification as well as the FINRA Series 7, 9, 10, and 63 securities registrations. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Endicott College, a JD from the University of San Diego, and an LLM (Master of Laws) in taxation with a focus on estate planning from Boston University, and is currently pursuing an MS in financial planning from Bentley University.

Martin Baker, CFP® | Advanced Planning Consultant

Martin serves as a resource on issues involving estate, trust, charitable, education, business, and Social Security planning strategies. His previous experience includes several positions at Fidelity and UBS. Martin is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional and holds FINRA Series 7 and 66 securities registrations. He earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from Bentley University.

Mike Baum, CFP® | Advanced Planning Consultant

Mike serves as a resource for our advisors on issues involving financial planning software and charitable, tax, education, and Social Security planning. He previously held several leadership roles on Commonwealth’s data integrity team, most recently as supervisor of the group. Mike is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional and holds FINRA Series 7, 24, and 66 securities registrations. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Connecticut School of Business.

Maureen Baxter, MBA, CLU®, ChFC® | Advanced Planning Consultant

Maureen serves as a resource for advisors in all areas of financial planning, including executive benefits, as well as high-level insurance planning and Social Security, estate, and business planning. Her prior experience includes serving as an assistant vice president of advanced sales and sales development at Lincoln Financial Group, and working at Western and Southern Financial Group, Lafayette Life Insurance Company, and Jefferson Pilot Insurance Company. She holds Chartered Life Underwriter® (CLU®) and Chartered Financial Consultant® (ChFC®) designations. Maureen earned an MBA from Plymouth State University.

Keven DuComb, JD, MBA | Advanced Planning Consultant

Keven serves as a resource on issues involving estate, charitable, tax, and education planning. His previous experience includes serving as an estate planning attorney and personal trust advisor. Keven earned a BBA, MBA, and JD from the University of Michigan.

David Haughton, JD | Advanced Planning Consultant

David serves as a resource for advisors on financial planning issues, including trust, estate, business, education, Social Security, and charitable planning. Previously, he was a practicing estate planning attorney admitted to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and State of New Hampshire bars. David earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts and a JD from the Massachusetts School of Law.

Anna Hays, JD, LLM | Advanced Planning Consultant

Anna serves as a resource for advisors on financial planning issues, including business, education, estate, Social Security, and trust planning. Her previous experience includes working for the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. She earned a bachelor’s degree and JD from Duquesne University and an LLM (Master of Laws) in international human rights from the National University of Ireland. Anna is currently working toward becoming a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional.

Krista Teegarden, CLU®, ChFC® | Advanced Planning Consultant

Krista serves as a resource for advisors on issues involving estate, trust, charitable, education, business, deferred compensation and Social Security planning strategies. Her prior experience includes conducting research and analysis and implementing advanced estate and business strategies with independent advisors. Krista holds Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC®) and Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU®) designations, as well as FINRA Series 7 securities registration and California life, accident, and health insurance licenses. She earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from Biola University.

Research Team

Brad McMillan, CFA®, CAIA, MAI | Managing Principal and Chief Investment Officer

Brad chairs the Investment Committee and is the primary spokesperson for Commonwealth's investment divisions. He shares his comments and thoughts on the economy in his blog, The Independent Market Observer. Brad’s previous experience includes founding Dartmouth Realty Advisors. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA®), holds the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) designation, and is a member of the Appraisal Institute. Brad earned a BA from Dartmouth College, an MS in real estate from MIT, and an MS in finance from Boston College.

Brian Price, CFA® | Senior Vice President, Investment Management and Research

Brian manages the research team, and oversees asset allocation, fund selection, and overall management of Commonwealth’s Preferred Portfolio Services® Select program. His previous experience includes serving as a senior financial advisor associate at Bernstein Investment Research and Management. Brian is a Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA®) and holds FINRA Series 7, 63, and 65 securities registrations. He earned a BA from Georgetown University.

Peter Essele, CFA®, CAIA, CFP® | Vice President, Investment Management and Research

Peter oversees asset allocation, fund selection, and overall management of Commonwealth’s discretionary platform, Preferred Portfolio Services® Select. His prior experience includes positions at Albany International and Kestner Engineers. Peter is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional, holds the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) designation, is a Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA®), and a member of the Boston Security Analysts Society. He also holds FINRA Series 7, 24, 31, 53, and 66 securities registrations. Peter earned a BS in industrial economics from Union College.

Chad LaFauci, CFA®, CAIA | Vice President, Alternative Investments

Chad analyzes, approves, and monitors all alternative investments products, e.g., private equity, private credit, hedge funds, real estate, infrastructure, and commodities, and manages the Alternative Investments team, which assists advisors with portfolio construction, as well as individual investment research and analysis. His previous experience includes a position at Investors Bank & Trust. Chad is a Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA®) and holds the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) designation and FINRA Series 7, 24, 63, and 65 securities registrations. He earned a BS in economics from Bates College.

Jim McAllister, CFA® | Director, Equity Research

Maureen serves as a resource for advisors in all areas of financial planning, including executive benefits, as well as high-level insurance planning and Social Security, estate, and business planning. Her prior experience includes serving as an assistant vice president of advanced sales and sales development at Lincoln Financial Group, and working at Western and Southern Financial Group, Lafayette Life Insurance Company, and Jefferson Pilot Insurance Company. She holds Chartered Life Underwriter® (CLU®) and Chartered Financial Consultant® (ChFC®) designations. Maureen earned an MBA from Plymouth State University.

Nicholas Follett | Manager, Fixed Income

Nicholas analyzes fixed income funds and ETFs, responds to advisor requests, and assists with fixed income market research. He also evaluates and selects managers; disseminates research in the international and emerging markets asset classes; and responds to advisor inquiries on fixed income portfolio construction, fund research, and equity portfolio reviews. Nicholas holds FINRA Series 7 securities registration. He earned a BFA in jazz performance from the New School for Social Research and an MBA in finance from San Francisco State University.

Brian McCormick, CIMA® | Manager, Investment Management and Research

Brian manages evaluation, selection, and dissemination of research in the small- and mid-cap asset classes. He also conducts research and due diligence on exchange-traded products, and responds to advisor inquiries on various investment topics, including asset allocation, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, and separate account managers. Brian’s previous industry experience includes positions at Signator Investors and Putnam Investments. He is a Certified Investment Management Analyst® (CIMA®) and holds FINRA Series 7, 24, and 63 securities registrations. Brian earned a BS in management from Quinnipiac University.

Fred DeBaets | Portfolio Manager, Investment Management and Research

Fred manages Commonwealth’s Preferred Portfolio Services® Select Fixed Income SMA strategies and assists with portfolio construction and ideas on fixed income market opportunities. His previous experience includes serving in fixed income positions at Morgan Stanley and Bear Stearns. Fred earned a BS in financial management and economics and an MBA from Plymouth State University.

Chris Fasciano | Portfolio Manager, Investment Management and Research

Chris oversees Commonwealth’s Preferred Portfolio Services® Select program and the Commonwealth Model Portfolios. He also assists with asset allocation, security selection, and ongoing portfolio monitoring, and responds to advisor inquiries about their own model portfolios. Chris’ previous experience includes more than 20 years in small- and mid-cap stock research and managing small- and mid-cap value portfolios for institutional and high-net-worth clients. He earned a BA in economics from Bates College and an MBA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Kenan-Flagler Business School.

Andrew Kitchings, CAIA, ERP | Portfolio Manager, Investment Management and Research

Andrew helps oversee Commonwealth’s Preferred Portfolio Services® Select program and the Commonwealth Model Portfolios. He also assists with asset allocation, security selection, and ongoing portfolio monitoring. Andrew’s previous experience includes positions at LPL Financial and Bank of America. He is a Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) and Energy Risk Professional (ERP), a member of the Boston Security Analysts Society, and holds FINRA Series 7 and 66 securities registrations. Chris earned dual degrees in economics and history with a concentration in East Asian studies from Emory University.

Anu Gaggar, CFA®, FRM® | Senior Research Analyst, Equity

Anu evaluates and selects managers and disseminates research in the international and emerging markets asset classes. She also responds to advisor inquiries on equity portfolio construction, individual equity research, and equity portfolio reviews. Anu’s previous experience includes teaching a master’s level finance course at Boston University and working at Virtua Research and SBI Capital Markets in India. She is a Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA®) and Financial Risk Manager (FRM®), and holds FINRA Series 7 securities registration. Anu earned an MS in finance from Boston College and an MBA in finance from NMIMS in India.

Robert Kane, CAIA | Senior Research Analyst, Alternatives

Robert facilitates due diligence and research activities on products within alternative financial strategies, e.g., managed futures, hedge funds, private equity, structured products, mutual funds, and exchange traded funds. He is a Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) and holds FINRA Series 7, 63, and 66 securities registrations. Robert earned a degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Nathan Parker, CFA®, CAIA | Senior Research Analyst, Real Assets

Nathan facilitates due diligence and research activities on real asset-focused investments — commercial real estate, commodities, infrastructure, and natural resources. His previous experience is at LPL Financial. Nathan is a Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA®) and Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA), and holds FINRA Series 7 and 63 securities registrations. Nathan earned a bachelor's in business administration from California State University, Chico, and a master's in finance from San Diego State University.

Chris Stuart, CFA® | Senior Research Analyst, Equity

Chris evaluates and selects managers and disseminates research in the large-cap equity asset class. He also responds to advisor inquiries on equity portfolio construction, individual equity research, and equity portfolio reviews. Chris’ previous experience includes positions at Columbia Management, Bank of America-Merrill Lynch, and TheStreet.com. He holds FINRA Series 7 and 66 securities registrations. Chris earned a BA in finance from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Eduardo Ciuffo, CFA® | Research Analyst, Real Assets

Eduardo facilitates due diligence and research activities on real asset-focused investments. His previous experience includes trading and rebalancing SMA platforms at LPL Financial. Eduardo is a Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA®) and holds FINRA Series 7 and 63 securities registrations. He earned a master’s degree in finance from San Diego State University.

Sam Millette | Research Analyst, Fixed Income

Sam analyzes individual fixed income securities, responds to advisor requests, and assists with market research and commentary. He also assists with trading and rebalancing SMA portfolios. Sam is a Level II Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA®) candidate. He earned a BA in economics from Tufts University.

Thomas Ryan | Research Analyst, Equity

Thomas responds to advisor inquiries on equity portfolio construction, individual equity research, and equity portfolio reviews. He also evaluates and selects managers and disseminates research in the mid-cap equity asset class. Thomas holds FINRA Series 65 securities registration. He earned a BS in business management from the Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Rob Swanke, CFA®, CAIA | Research Analyst, Fixed Income

Rob analyzes individual fixed income securities, responds to advisor requests, and assists with fixed income market research. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA®) and Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) and holds FINRA Series 65 securities registration. Rob earned a BS in finance and accounting from Boston College.

Peter Roberto | Research Associate, Equity

Peter supports analysts with due diligence and research activities on mutual funds, exchange traded-funds, and equities. He also evaluates and selects managers and disseminates research in the global and foreign SMID markets asset classes, as well as assisting the Investment Management team with calculating, analyzing, and updating internal and external performance and attribution reports. Peter is a Level II Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA®) candidate. He earned a BS in management, with an emphasis in finance, from Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

Tom Scarlata | Research Associate, Investment Management and Research

Tom supports analysts with due diligence and research activities in fixed income and alternative investments. He also assists the Investment Management team with aggregating and presenting daily, weekly, and monthly investment analysis and performance reporting. Tom earned a BS in economics and finance from Bentley University.

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