Finding a financial professional you can trust is key to achieving a successful retirement.
Certified Financial Fiduciaries® (CFF) are sworn to uphold the highest moral, ethical and fiduciary standards of service when providing advice to potential or existing clients. By choosing to work with a Certified Financial Fiduciary® you can be confident that your best interests will always come first!
I was born in Jersey City, NJ.My parents moved to the U.S. from Switzerland in 1958. My family moved to Knoxville, TN when I was a freshman in high school.I graduated from Farragut High School in 1981, attended University of Tennessee and graduated in 1987 with a major in Economics.I’ve been in the financial industry 20+ years. I was an Investment Advisor Representative with Edward Jones and Raymond James before going independent/non-captive in 2007; which is when I became an Investment Advisor Representative with NEXT Financial Group, Inc. Member FINRA/SIPC.
I believe in giving back to communities.I do this through my membership with Sertoma (Service of Mankind); Farragut/West Knox Chamber of Commerce and the World Vision Organization, and I was also a soccer coach for 10 years with AYSO.
I have three children: Madeline, Charles, and Marley.Madeline is a graduate of University of Tennessee with major in social science.She is self-reliant and has the heart to help kids and senior citizens through difficult times.Currently, she is employed with Knox County School System as an after school program director.Charles is a senior at Farragut High School and will graduate May 2018.He played club soccer through school.He enjoys business studies and will be attending Pellissippi State in the fall of 2018.Marley is my 1year old, 120 lb. Bernese Mountain dog.He’s currently studying to be a therapy dog.J
I believe life is a fleeting adventure and should be experienced and embraced.
Stefan is a licensed financial adviser and President of Alpha Wealth Partners and founder of Transition.Services. Stefan helps his clients, create, manage and preserve wealth. Stefan also oversees five additional regional financial offices and eight financial advisers.Born in Dayton, Ohio, he considers himself a true Ohio State Buckeye Fan.In 2001, Stefan relocated to Southern California where he now lives in downtown Fullerton, Ca with his wife Melissa and son’s Ian, Bryce and daughter Charity. Upon receiving his BA in Accounting and dual minor’s in Finance and Military Science in 1993, Stefan served proudly as a 1st Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserves. He later continued his professional pursuits as a research analyst at Smith Barney and financial consultant at Merrill Lynch.
Advising clients over the past 20 years has earned Stefan a longstanding reputation as an expert in the field of investment management, income and retirement planning. His professional licenses include FINRA series 7, 24, 63, and 65 registrations.
What really inspires Stefan is working side by side with clients thru the personal and financial journey towards a safe and secure financial future. “I look forward to being a part of your successful transition.”
Planning services include:
1. Helping client rollover 401 (K) savings, ESOP and pension plans to personal Individual Retirement Accounts.
2. Developing life time income strategies with a goal of creating a guaranteed, risk free and secure retirement.
3. Pre-Retirement financial planning through the use of goals based planning and cash flow analysis.
4. Planning services are provided to any client, regardless of account size, or complexity.
Jeff Garnica started his profession career in the medical device and healthcare industry.From there, Jeff made the decision to get in to the financial planning business with AXA Advisors.Jeff then joined Huntington Investment Company and assisted clients of the bank with retirement planning, investments, and estate planning services while working closely with the Trust Department as well.Given the background in healthcare and financial planning, the Long Term Care business was a great fit and Jeff was recruited to Genworth Financial as a Vice President of Sales for the Great Lakes Region.
New York Life made a play to recruit the top performers from Genworth and Jeff left to join New York Life asa Product Consultant for the Long Term Care and Linked Benefit product lines.His territory consisted of working with over 1000 New York Life agents from Annapolis Maryland to Evansville Indiana.While an excellent career move and after 4 years on the road, Jeff left New York Life to start a financial planning and insurance brokerage business in the cities of Cincinnati and Dayton Ohio.The new business is thriving and Jeff is now enjoying the ability to be involved in the community and spend time cultivating relationships with family, friends, and clients.
A native Houstonian, Ed received his undergraduate degree from the University of Houston and upon graduation, began a career in the financial services industry. He has worked for several Fortune 500 companies including Invesco, Ameriprise Financial and JP Morgan Chase. Additionally, he has more than 24 years of field and home office experience with roles as a Registered Supervising Principal, Financial Advisor, Branch Manager, Relationship Manager, Vice President, and Associate Planned Giving Director.
Over the course of his career, Ed has honed his skillset by focusing on all aspects of business development, revenue growth strategy, and process optimization: skills needed to increase profitability and sustain a healthy financial advisory practice. He is a results-driven professional who is committed to providing quality service and accountability through proven leadership and communication. His passion lies in facilitating the success of advisors through leveraging business-building elements as well as giving direction toward implementing objectives and achieving goals.
In his spare time, Ed enjoys volunteering at his church as a member of Knights of Columbus where he is a Third-Degree Knight, coaching his children’s athletic teams, golf, and being an active member of the Westbury Soccer Club where he sits on the Executive Board.
Ed currently holds a Series 7 and Series 66 FINRA licenses. He also earned the AIF® designation in 2018. Attainment of the AIF designation demonstrates understanding of the Prudent Practices® and methodology.
Eli Saline, CFP®, is an Investment Advisor and OSJ Principal for Saline Wealth Management Group, a Wealth Management and Financial Planning firm founded in 2004. Eli specializes in comprehensive wealth management and is responsible for the supervision of a division with representatives in 3 states and a combined assets under management of over $375 million.
Before joining Saline Wealth Management Group in 2009, Eli obtained dual bachelor’s degrees in Economics, which a concentration in International Economics, and Film Studies from Emory University in Atlanta, GA. Eli currently holds FINRA Series 4, 7, 24, 53, and 66 securities licenses, as well as insurance licenses in NJ and FL for Life, Health, and Variable insurance. Eli is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certificant, as well as a holder of the Certified Financial Fiduciary® designation.
Eli lives with his beautiful wife Megan in Haddon Heights, NJ. Megan is an elementary school teacher in the Haddonfield School District.
Born and raised in a military family, by the age of twenty-one Valerie had lived in almost a dozen different cities around the world. She finally made it to Texas where, during the late seventies and eighties, Valerie established successful careers in international marketing for the recreational boating industry in Austin, and later, for the oil-and-steel industry out of Houston. Following the oil-industry slump, she began pursuing her Master’s Degree in Architecture and began her second career as a licensed architect in the commercial and healthcare industries, including serving for ten years as a Facilities Project Manager for the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in the Texas Medical Center.
Expanding upon her own experiences during the "Great Recession", Valerie began studying personal finances. She went on to acquire her license in life insurance, long term care, tax-deferred annuities, and Medicare-related products. and is now dedicating her time to helping others create their own secure and stable futures through her affiliation with Legacy Protection Assurance, LLC.
Karen Hansen is the President of Wyman & Associates as well as Wyman Financial Solutions and the successor to the company's founder, Larry Wyman. Its main office is in the Seattle/Tacoma area, and for over 35 years, Wyman and Associates has been proud to be the trusted partner for many clients throughout the stages of life. Karen works with individuals and business to help protect their investments, businesses and family interests. Together we cultivate long-term client relationships and offer a vast array of financial services to meet each client's unique needs. Karen is active in the community. She currently is a member of the Scholarship Committee Board of her college sorority. Karen is also on the board of Washington Business Week, a well-known non-profit organization mentoring high school students in business leadership and teamwork. Along with Washington Business Week, Karen is also on the board of Renton Technical College Foundation Board.
Glenn Scharf spent nine years at Prudential Securities before realizing that he wanted to create a different kind of financial services company. Of his time at Prudential, Scharf says that he learned a great deal about how he wanted to service his clients. He describes Prudential’s Philadelphia office as a dynamic working environment, but came away with an understanding that the large-scale corporate model was not suited to his personality, or to the needs of the clients with whom he wanted to do business. He realized that he could provide his clients with more opportunities by moving away from the traditional brokerage houses. “In the large firms, it is virtually impossible to put the client’s needs first,” he explains. Thus, Scharf Group LLC was born; a company whose organizational model and experienced, dedicated staff are structured first and foremost around best serving their clients.
Scharf is passionate about what he does, and thrives on conveying that enthusiasm to others. He finds personal inspiration in helping people achieve their financial goals, and notes “When you love what you do, it does not feel like work.” That kind of enthusiasm pays off, as 99% of Scharf Group’s clients come to them by way of referral.
Scharf also emphasizes the importance of listening to the particulars of each client’s personal situation, and cites client education as a crucial factor in his company’s effectiveness. “We educate clients about the entire investment process, not just about products and services,” he says. When a client approaches Scharf Group for the first time they are introduced to our team for a discussion of their needs and how the Group’s services can best assist them in reaching their goals. Though this initial consultation is complementary, Scharf is confident about its value. “We need to see if there is a fit,” he explains. “Will the client benefit from us and vice versa? We’re looking for a win-win relationship where we can add value.”
Scharf Group invests in our clients in many ways including the utilization of unrivaled technological support systems. “We have at our fingertips the most pliable, comprehensive and client specific asset tools that I have ever used,” says Edward Di Pietro, Senior Vice President and Chief Investment Strategist at Scharf Group. Di Pietro has been with Scharf Group since February of 1995 when he also left Prudential Securities to join Scharf Group. “Our technology is consisted with our firms philosophy, it is completely centered on each individual client’s goals and objectives. Unlike many advisors who try to fit their clients into predetermined models, we combine our vast experience with the latest technology to design asset allocation models to each of our clients specific situation.”
In exchange for their expertise and commitment to service, Scharf asks for the respect and trust of his clients. “The media too often misleads people into thinking that individuals can and should handle their own finances, but this is not always the case,” he points out. “There are many people who simply don’t have the time or resources to do it themselves. This is where we come in.”
Ellis Regini began his financial career in 1986 becoming insurance licensed and then moving on to investments.His certifications include: Series 6, Series 63,Series 7, Series 65 and Series 24.He has been a Registered Principal and a Branch Manager since 1997.He takes great pride in assuring that his retired clients can sleep well at night knowing that they will not run out of money and are prepared for emergencies. He also finds it rewarding to instill in younger clients the knowledge that will allow them to look forward to financial peace and security in their futures.