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®

Managing Principal, 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®, CFP®, CAIA

Vice Senior 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

 

Jim McAllister, CFA®

Vice President, 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 and Preferred Portfolio Services® Select ESG All Cap 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 21 years of industry experience including at positions at Signator Investors and Putnam Investments

 

Sam Millette

Research Analyst, Fixed Income

• Analyzes individual fixed income securities, responds to advisor requests, and assists with market research and commentary

• Assists with trading and rebalancing of SMA portfolios

• Earned a BA in economics from Tufts University and is currently a Level II Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA®) candidate

 

Robert Kane, CAIA

Manager, Alternatives

• Facilitates due diligence and research activities on products within alternative financial strategies (e.g., managed futures, hedge funds, private credit, private equity and structured products)

• Holds the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) designation,  FINRA Series 7, 63, and 66 securities registrations and a certificate in Advanced Derivative Market Strategies

• Earned a degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst

 

Andrew Kitchings, CFA®, CAIA, CMT, ERP, FRM

Manager, Investment Due Diligence - 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 Financial Analyst (CFA®), 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

 

Fred DeBaets

Portfolio Manager, Fixed Income

• 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

 

Rob Swanke, CFA®, CAIA

Senior Research Analyst, Equity

• Analyzes individual fixed income securities and structured products, 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

 

Nathan Parker, CFA®, CAIA

Senior Research Analyst, Equity

• 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

 

Peter Roberto

Senior Research Analyst, Equity

• Provides due diligence and research activities on International mutual funds, exchange traded-funds, and equities

• Evaluates and selects managers and disseminates research in the Global and Foreign Large Cap, EM 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

 

Tom Scarlata

Senior Research Analyst, Fixed Income

• Provides due diligence activities on fixed income mutual funds and exchange traded funds. Evaluates and selects fixed income managers for the mutual fund recommended list.

• Assists the Investment Research team in the production of the mutual fund recommended list and other advisor facing content.

• Earned a BS in Finance from Bentley University 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 UConn and is a Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA®) designation holder

 

Justin Cleare, CFA®

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 FINRA series 6, 26, and 99 securities registrations

• Earned a BBA in Finance and Operations Management from the University of Massachusetts Amherst

 

Joe Dunn

Research Analyst, Fixed Income

• Analyzes fixed income portfolios & individual fixed income securities, responds to advisor requests, and assists with fixed income market research

• Earned a BS in Finance from UMass Amherst

 

Aaron Gigliotti

Research Associate, Investment Management and Research

• Supporting analysts and senior analysts with ad-hoc investment research requests and administrative functions.

• Researching and analyzing mutual funds, ETFs, and alternative investments and summarizing findings.

• Responding to inquiries from Commonwealth’s advisors on investment topics and products.

• Providing assistance with asset allocation, portfolio construction, case design, and consultation.

• Holds a BSBA with a concentration in finance from Boston University

 

Sarah Hargreaves

Platform Manager, Investment Management and Research

• She 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.

• 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, ETFs , or 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