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Commonwealth Research Team

Commonwealth Research Team

 

Our partnership with Commonwealth Financial Network®, a leading Registered Investment Adviser–broker/dealer, provides us access to a team of investment research specialists who assist us in our efforts to provide you with the best possible service. Each of the professionals on this team brings a breadth of experience in the industry and within his or her own specialization.

Brad McMillan, CFA®, CAIA, MAI

Managing Principal and Chief Investment Officer

  • Chairs the Investment Committee and is the primary spokesperson for Commonwealth's investment divisions
  • Shares his comments and thoughts on the economy in his blog, The Independent Market Observer
  • Is a Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA®) charterholder, holds the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) designation, and is a member of the Appraisal Institute
  • Earned a BA from Dartmouth College, an MS in real estate from MIT, and an MS in finance from Boston College
  • Has prior experience as the founder of Dartmouth Realty Advisors

Brian Price, CFA®

Senior Vice President, Investment Management and Research

  • Manages the Research team
  • Oversees asset allocation, fund selection, and overall management of Commonwealth’s Preferred Portfolio Services® Select program
  • Is a Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA®) charterholder and holds the FINRA Series 7, 63, and 65 securities registrations
  • Earned a BA from Georgetown University
  • Has prior experience as a senior financial advisor associate at Bernstein Investment Research and Management

 

Peter Essele, CFA®, CAIA, CFP®

Vice President, Investment Management and Research

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

 

Chad LaFauci, CFA®, CAIA

Vice President, Alternative Investments

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

 

Jim McAllister, CFA®

Director, Equity Research

  • Oversees the Equity Research team, which assists advisors with ongoing due diligence and analysis of equity-based mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, separately managed accounts, and individual securities
  • Manages the Preferred Portfolio Services® Select Equity Income SMA models
  • Responds to advisor inquiries on equity portfolio construction, individual equity research, and equity portfolio reviews
  • Is a Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA®) charterholder
  • Earned a BS in finance from Lehigh University
  • Has prior experience as a research analyst at Loomis, Sayles & Co. and State Street Global Advisors in the U.S. quantitative group

Brian McCormick, CIMA®

Manager, Investment Management and Research

  • Manages evaluation, selection, and dissemination of research in the small- and mid-cap asset classes
  • Conducts research and due diligence on exchange-traded products
  • Responds to advisor inquiries on various investment topics, including asset allocation, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, and separate account managers
  • Holds the Certified Investment Management Analyst® (CIMA®) designation and the FINRA Series 7, 24, and 63 securities registrations
  • Earned a BS in management from Quinnipiac University
  • Has more than 17 years of industry experience including at positions at Signator Investors and Putnam Investments

Sam Millette

Senior Investment Research Analyst, Fixed Income

  • Analyzes individual fixed income securities, responds to advisor requests, and assists with market research and commentary
  • Assists with trading and re-balancing of SMA portfolios
  • Earned a BA in economics from Tufts University and is currently a Level II Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA®) candidate

Anu Gaggar, CFA®, FRM®

Global Investment Strategist

  • Prepares and delivers current economic and market analysis and portfolio positioning insights of the Investment Management team internally and externally.
  • Contributes regularly to the CIO suite of publications on a monthly, weekly, and ad hoc basis to provide commentary and analysis across global asset classes.
  • Participates in media interviews, client meetings, and public speaking engagements on relevant investment and market-related issues.
  • Is a Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA®) charterholder and holds the Financial Risk Manager (FRM®) designation and the FINRA Series 7 securities registration
  • Earned an MS in finance from Boston College and an MBA in finance from NMIMS in India
  • Taught a master’s-level finance course at Boston University and worked at Virtua Research and SBI Capital Markets in India

 

Fred DeBaets

Portfolio Manager, Investment Management and Research

  • Manages Commonwealth’s Preferred Portfolio Services® Select Fixed Income SMA strategies
  • Assists with portfolio construction and ideas on fixed income market opportunities
  • Earned a BS in financial management and economics and an MBA from Plymouth State University
  • Has prior experience in fixed income positions at Morgan Stanley and Bear Stearns

Chris Fasciano

Portfolio Manager, Investment Management and Research

  • Oversees Commonwealth’s Preferred Portfolio Services® Select program and the Commonwealth Model Portfolios
  • Assists with asset allocation, security selection, and ongoing portfolio monitoring
  • Responds to advisor inquiries about their own model portfolios
  • 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
  • Has more than 20 years of experience in small- and mid-cap stock research and managing small- and mid-cap value portfolios for institutional and high-net-worth clients

 

Andrew Kitchings, CAIA, CMT, ERP, FRM

Portfolio Manager, Investment Management and Research

  • Helps oversee Commonwealth’s Preferred Portfolio Services® Select program and the Commonwealth Model Portfolios
  • Assists with asset allocation, security selection, and ongoing portfolio monitoring
  • Holds the Chartered Market Technician (CMT), Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA), Energy Risk Professional (ERP), and Financial Risk Manager (FRM) designations and is a member of the Boston Security Analysts Society Holds the FINRA Series 7 and 66 securities registrations
  • Earned dual degrees in economics and history with a concentration in East Asian studies from Emory University
  • Has prior experience in positions at LPL Financial and Bank of America

Robert Kane, CAIA

Senior Research Analyst, Alternatives

  • 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)
  • Holds the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) designation and the FINRA Series 7, 63, and 66 securities registrations
  • Earned a degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst

 

Nathan Parker, CFA®, CAIA

Senior Research Analyst, Real Assets

  • Facilitates due diligence and research activities on real asset-focused investments (commercial real estate, commodities, infrastructure, and natural resources)
  • Is a Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA®) charterholder and holds the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) designation and the FINRA Series 7 and 63 securities registrations
  • Earned a bachelor's in business administration from California State University, Chico, and a master's in finance from San Diego State University
  • Has prior experience at LPL Financial

 

Chris Stuart, CFA®

Senior Research Analyst, Equity

  • Evaluates and selects managers and disseminates research in the large-cap equity asset class
  • Responds to advisor inquiries on equity portfolio construction, individual equity research, and equity portfolio reviews
  • Holds the FINRA Series 7 and 66 securities registrations
  • Earned a BA in finance from the University of Massachusetts Amherst
  • Has prior experience in positions at Columbia Management, Bank of America-Merrill Lynch, and TheStreet.com

Rob Swanke, CFA®, CAIA

Senior Research Analyst, Fixed Income

  • Analyzes individual fixed income securities, responds to advisor requests, and assists with fixed income market research
  • Is a Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA®) charterholder and holds the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) designation and the FINRA Series 65 securities registration
  • Earned a BS in finance and accounting from Boston College

 

Justin Cleare

Research Analyst, Real Assets

  • Facilitates due diligence and research activities on real asset-focused investments (commercial real estate, commodities, infrastructure, and natural resources)
  • Is currently a Level III Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA®) candidate and holds the FINRA Series 6, 26, and 99 securities registrations
  • Earned a BA in finance and operations management from the University of Massachusetts Amherst 

Peter Roberto

Research Analyst, Equity

  • Supports analysts with due diligence and research activities on mutual funds, exchange traded-funds, and equities
  • Evaluates and selects managers and disseminates research in the global and foreign SMID markets asset classes
  • Assists the Investment Management team with calculating, analyzing, and updating both internal and external performance and attribution reports
  • Earned a BS in management, with an emphasis in finance, from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and is currently a Level II Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA®) candidate

 

Wayne Richardson

Research Analyst, Equity

  • Provides due diligence and research activities on mid- and small-cap mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, and equities 
  • Evaluates and selects managers and disseminates research in the mid-cap and small-cap equity asset classes
  • Assists the Investment Management team with calculating, analyzing, and updating internal performance reports
  • Earned a bachelor’s in economics from the University of Connecticut and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA®) designation

 

Thomas Ryan

Research Analyst, Equity

  • Responds to advisor inquiries on equity portfolio construction, individual equity research, and equity portfolio reviews
  • Evaluates and selects managers and disseminates research in the mid-cap equity asset class
  • Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA®) charterholder
  • Holds the FINRA Series 65 securities registration
  • Earned a BS in business management from the Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts Amherst

 

Sarah Hargreaves

Analyst, Investment Management and Research

  • Provides advanced technical, consultative, and platform-based support on a variety of topics to advisors and clients, particularly as it relates to Commonwealth’s Preferred Portfolio Services® (PPS) Select program.
  • Identifies strategies to enhance model portfolio adoption and responds to advisor inquiries
  • Holds the FINRA Series 7 and 66 securities registrations
  • Earned a degree from Elon University

 

Sara Bray

Research Associate, Investment Management and Research

  • Supports analysts on the fixed income team with due diligence and research activities on various mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, and individual securities
  • Assists the Investment Management and Research team with updating both internal and external attribution reports
  • Holds a BS in finance from Bentley University

 

Aaron Gigliotti

Research Associate, Investment Management and Research

  • Supports analysts with due diligence and research activities on fixed income mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, and individual securities
  • Assists the Investment Management team with calculating, analyzing, and updating both internal and external performance and attribution reports
  • Holds a BSBA with a concentration in finance from Boston University

 

Jack Gohr

Research Associate

  • Supports analysts with due diligence and research activities on mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, and individual securities
  • Assists the Investment Management team with calculating, analyzing, and updating both internal and external performance and attribution reports
  • Holds a BS in business administration with a concentration in finance from the University of Massachusetts Lowell

 

Tom Scarlata

Research Associate, Investment Management and Research

  • Supports analysts with due diligence and research activities in fixed income and alternative investments
  • Assists the Investment Management team with aggregating and presenting daily, weekly, and monthly investment analysis and performance reporting
  • Earned a BS in economics and finance from Bentley University