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

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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

 

Nicholas Follett

Manager, Fixed Income

• Analyzes fixed income funds and ETFs, responds to advisor requests, and assists with fixed income market research

• Evaluates and selects managers and disseminates research in the international and emerging markets asset classes

• Responds to advisor inquiries on fixed income portfolio construction, fund research, and equity portfolio reviews

• Holds the FINRA Series 7 securities registration

• 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

• 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

 

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

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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, ERP

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 Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) and Energy Risk Professional (ERP) 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

 

 

Anu Gaggar, CFA®, FRM®

Senior Research Analyst, Equity

• Evaluates and selects managers and disseminates research in the international and emerging markets asset classes

• Responds to advisor inquiries on equity portfolio construction, individual equity research, and equity portfolio reviews

• 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 master’s level finance course at Boston University and worked at Virtua Research and SBI Capital Markets in India

 

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

 

Eduardo Ciuffo, CFA®

Research Analyst, Real Assets

• Facilitates due diligence and research activities on real asset-focused investments

• Is a Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA®) charterholder and holds the FINRA Series 7 and 63 securities registrations

• Earned a master’s degree in finance from San Diego State University

• Has prior experience at LPL Financial, where he traded and rebalanced SMA platforms

 

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

 

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

• 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

 

Rob Swanke, CFA®, CAIA

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

 

Peter Roberto

Research Associate, 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

 

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