Dr. LEWIS ALTFEST:
CEO, CHIEF INVESTMENT OFFICER, PRINCIPAL ADVISOR

Lewis J. Altfest, Ph.D., is CEO, Chief Investment Officer, and a Principal Advisor for Altfest Personal Wealth Management^SM. Prior to founding the firm in 1983, he was a General Partner and Director of Research for Lord Abbett & Co., a large mutual fund and investment management company that manages more than $100 billion in assets. Lew began his investment career as a research analyst at Wertheim & Co.

Lew was the sole recipient of the 2007 Charles R. Schwab IMPACT Award^® – arguably the highest distinction in the profession – for his sustained vision, outstanding leadership and client commitment. He was named one of the “Best Financial Advisers” in the country by Barron’s, as well as by Money, Worth, Mutual Funds and Medical Economics magazines. His academic textbook, Personal Financial Planning, was published by McGraw Hill and is currently used at leading universities around the country. Lew is co-author of Lew Altfest Answers Almost All Your Questions About Money, which was named one of the best financial planning books by Money magazine, and co-author of An Introduction to Business.

Lew is an Associate Professor of Finance at the Lubin School of Business at Pace University, where he teaches financial planning and investments. Previously, he was co-director of the Investment Program at the New School. In addition to the books listed above, Lew is the author of many scholarly articles on financial planning and investments.

Lew lectures frequently to investors, pre-retirees and retirees as well as to other financial professionals. He is often interviewed by the media and currently writes a monthly investment column for Medical Economics. Lew is listed in Who's Who in Finance and Who's Who in America and is the recipient of the 2006 Career Achievement Award from The City College of New York for his “integral role in the development of the financial planning profession.”

A founding member of the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA), Lew has served on its Board of Directors. He also is a member of the Financial Planning Association (FPA), Academy of Financial Services, Financial Management Association, American Finance Association, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the New York Society of Security Analysts.

Lew received his Ph.D. from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. He has an M.B.A from New York University and a B.B.A from Baruch College. He also holds the CFA, CFP^®, CPA and PFS designations.

Dates of awards

Dr. KAREN C. ALTFEST:
PRINCIPAL ADVISOR, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT CLIENT RELATIONS

Karen Caplan Altfest, Ph.D., is a Principal Advisor and Executive Vice President of Client Relations. She helps many of the firm’s clients on a variety of investment and financial planning issues.

Karen is frequently a speaker on the subject of women and money and conducts educational seminars for recent widows and people looking to retire. She is often interviewed by the national media and wrote a monthly Financial Question and Answer column for All You magazine. Her Financially Savvy Woman™ programs, including the Women’s Financial $pa™, are popular with clients.

Karen’s most recent book, Keeping Clients for Life, was published by John Wiley & Sons in 2001. An earlier book, Lew Altfest Answers Almost All Your Questions About Money, which she co-wrote, was published by McGraw-Hill and was named one of the best financial planning books by Money magazine.

Worth magazine named Karen one of the “Best Financial Advisers” in the United States. She has been named one of the “120 Best Financial Advisers” by Medical Economics, and selected as “Planner of the Month” and one of “100 Top Advisors” by Mutual Funds magazine. Wealth Manager named Karen one of the “50 Distinguished Women in Wealth Management” in 2008. She is also listed in “Who’s Who of American Women” and in 2007 was awarded the Thornton Award by the Ph.D. Alumni Association of the Graduate Center of the City University of New York in recognition of her skills in combining the business world with that of academia.

Karen received her Ph.D. in history from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. She also holds M.A. and B.A. degrees from Hunter College, is a graduate of McGill University in Montreal, and holds the CFP^® designation. She is a member of the Financial Women’s Association and serves as Treasurer of Temple Shaaray Tefila in Manhattan. Karen is a member of the Professional Advisory Council of the Central Park Conservancy, sits on McGill’s Alumni Board of New York, and is a founder and former chair of the Yorkville Common Pantry.

Karen is a former President and Chairperson of the New York Chapter of the Financial Planning Association (FPA) and a former Chairperson of the Northeast Region of the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA). She was the co-Director of the Financial Planning and Investments Program at The New School in New York City and the Coordinator of the Certified Financial Planner™ program, a professional program for financial planners, which she originated at Pace University in White Plains, New York.

Dates of awards

JONATHAN BERNSTEIN:
FINANCIAL ADVISOR

Jonathan is a Financial Advisor at Altfest. He helps develop portfolios for new clients, rebalance portfolios and address clients’ investment-related questions. He also helps clients with retirement planning and their other financial planning needs. He covers alternative investments and specializes in estate planning and in working with medical doctors.

Prior to joining Altfest Jonathan worked as a financial advisor with the Cowan Financial Group. He received his B.A. from Yale University and a Masters from Brooklyn College, and is a graduate of Boston University’s Financial Planning Program. Jonathan is a CFP^® licensee.

“I enjoy the intellectual rigor and the opportunities to help individuals reach their goals in life.”

Jonathan is an avid reader of fiction and enjoys visiting New York’s many art museums with his family.

DAWN BROWN:
SENIOR FINANCIAL ADVISOR

Dawn is a Senior Financial Advisor at Altfest and has been helping clients with their retirement planning and other financial planning questions since joining the firm in 2002. She brings to her work a deep understanding of IRAs and qualified retirement plans, as well as college planning.

Prior to joining Altfest Dawn worked in accounting for British Airways. A native of Birmingham, England, she received her B.A. with honors from Birmingham City University (formerly Birmingham Polytechnic). She is a graduate of Pace University's Financial Planning Program, a CFP^® licensee and a member of the Financial Planning Association.

“I am aware of the trust that clients place in us, and it is very fulfilling when they come back and thank us for advice that really helped them. I enjoy the interaction with clients and appreciate the respect they have for our knowledge.”

Dawn has written about reverse mortgages and spoken about budgeting, cash flow and saving with a purpose. She has appeared in many media publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Money and Black Enterprise. She enjoys reading and collecting African-American Art.

THERESA CHEN:
FINANCIAL ADVISOR

Theresa is a Financial Advisor at Altfest and is active in constructing and managing investment portfolios for clients. She also focuses on helping divorced clients with their financial issues.

A CFA charter holder, Theresa also holds a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Pennsylvania and a B.S. in Economics from the Wharton School. Previously she worked in Investment Banking for Berkshire Capital Securities, LLC.

“I enjoy working with people and building meaningful, long-lasting relationships. I want to help families and individuals who are looking for trustworthy financial advice and hope that I have the opportunity to make a positive impact on their lives.”

Theresa volunteers in church activities, leading a girls’ fellowship group. She also enjoys dining out, hiking, hosting parties, playing the piano and watching movies.

TOM FREDERICKSON:
FINANCIAL ADVISOR

As a Financial Advisor at Altfest, Tom helps clients with retirement planning and their other financial planning needs, and helps develop investment portfolios for new clients. He has a focus on qualified retirement plans such as 401(k) accounts.

Tom, who grew up outside of Chicago, holds Bachelors and Masters Degrees from Northwestern University, is a graduate of Boston University’s Financial Planning Program, and has passed the CFP^® exam. He has written on capital gains taxes and appeared in The New York Daily News.

Tom says, “I like to get to know people on a personal level so that we can build a trusting relationship. And I enjoy the intellectual stimulation of being around really smart people and solving challenging problems.”

He enjoys running, cycling and tennis, biathlons and triathlons.

ALAN NG:
JUNIOR FINANCIAL ADVISOR

Alan, a Junior Financial Advisor, assists more senior advisors in developing client portfolios, rebalancing accounts and doing investment research. He is also closely involved with integrating new investment software into the firm’s operations.

Alan joined the firm after graduating magna cum laude with national honors from Cornell University, where he majored in applied economics and management. He is enrolled in a CFP^® program and is working toward specializations in Social Security and executive compensation.

“My philosophy with clients is that there is no task too small or insignificant,” he says. “Clients entrust us with their financial security, so we should handle all their requests with our highest standards and professionalism.”

On weekends he enjoys playing golf and cooking.

PAUL PALAZZO:
MANAGING DIRECTOR

Paul joined the firm in 2000 and was named a Managing Director in 2007. In addition to heading a team of advisors who help clients with all of their financial planning and investment needs, he heads the firm’s financial planning operations and sits on the Leadership and Investment Committees.

Paul, a CFP^® licensee, specializes in quantitative financial planning analysis and in employee stock options, having become a Certified Option Advisor in 2005. He received acknowledgment for making a major contribution to the case study in Lew Altfest’s collegiate textbook, Personal Financial Planning, and has written on a variety of financial planning and investment topics for major publications such as The Journal of Financial Planning and The Seattle Times. Paul has been interviewed by many media sources, including The Wall Street Journal, Washington Times, and ABC News. He has spoken and served as a panelist at financial planning conferences and belongs to the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors, where he is a member of the Basic Training Committee, dedicated to helping people get started in fee-only financial planning. He also belongs to the Financial Planning Association.

“This is just extremely gratifying work, to have the opportunity to play a helpful role in the lives of our clients and establish relationships that grow stronger over the years.”

Paul received his B.A. in history from Western Connecticut State University. His hobbies include reading, cooking and hiking. He is a volunteer with the Central Park Conservancy.

EKTA PATEL:
MANAGING ADVISOR

Ekta, a Managing Advisor, heads a team of advisors who help clients with all of their investment and financial planning matters. In addition, she is responsible on a day-to-day basis for quality control within investment operations and is a member of the firm's investment committee. She covers international investments and specializes in working with widows and charitable foundations.

Ekta joined the firm in 2000. She holds an M.B.A. in investment management and information systems from Pace University and a B.S. in mathematics from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. While working toward her M.B.A., she was initiated into both the International Honor Society in Economics and the Honor Society for Collegiate Schools of Business. While with the firm she has had numerous speaking engagements on investments.

“Each client has a specific history and goals for the future, for which I am able to provide advice and guidance,” she says. “My aim is to get a full understanding of the client’s situation – financial as well as personal – so that I can provide the best advice. I want to broaden my clients’ horizon on investment strategies, and be considered a trustworthy advisor.”

In her spare time Ekta enjoys reading about international politics and traveling to meet people of different cultures.

MIKE PRENDERGAST:
MANAGING ADVISOR

Mike is a Managing Advisor, heading a team of advisors who help clients with all of their investment and financial planning matters. He specializes in working with attorneys.

Mike joined the firm in 2001 and has served in both the financial planning and investment departments. Mike received his B.A. in Russian studies from Amherst College and his M.B.A. from the Stern School of Business at New York University. A CFP^® licensee who graduated from the Pace University Financial Planning program, he is working toward becoming a Chartered Financial Analyst charter holder. He is a member of the Financial Planning Association.

Mike has written about Roth 401(k) and 403(b) accounts and participated in our client education series, speaking about effective financial planning.

“I like to help clients achieve their goals and increase the quality of their lives by helping them with their financial and investment decisions.”

In his spare time Mike enjoys language study (he speaks Japanese at an intermediate level) political science and international relations, and singing and dancing.

NANDINI WAMORKAR:
SENIOR FINANCIAL ADVISOR

Nandini, a Senior Financial Advisor, develops client portfolios and helps clients on a variety of investment and financial planning matters. In addition she specializes in taxable and municipal bonds and estate planning, with a focus on domestic partners.

Nandini joined the firm after a time as a financial analyst for Ortec International, a company involved in regenerative medicine. A CFP^® licensee, she holds an M.B.A from the Zicklin School of Business at Baruch College. She received a B.A. in Architecture from Anna University in India and a Masters degree from Kansas State University, and is a graduate of Boston University’s Financial Planning program.

“Putting myself into the other person’s shoes is my motto,” she says. “This helps me to connect well with people, understand their needs, and provide effective solutions for their problems.”

Nandini has volunteered for the Your Money helpline (a partnership of the Financial Planning Association and the City of New York), and for efforts to support education for tribal children in India.

ROSS WOLFE:
SENIOR FINANCIAL ADVISOR

Ross, a Senior Advisor, develops client portfolios and helps clients resolve investment issues. He covers large-cap investments and specializes in long-term care insurance and socially responsible investing, and is working toward his CFP^® certification.

Ross joined the firm after serving as an analyst with Thomson Financial. He received his M.B.A. in finance from Fordham University and a B.A. in psychology from the State University of New York at Binghamton.

“Days in this business are hardly ever the same, and that makes for a stimulating work environment,” Ross says. “Needless to say, it’s rewarding to guide clients on their journey to achieve their financial goals and dreams.”

In his spare time Ross enjoys cycling, mountain biking and tennis.