Daniel Hawthorne

Benjamin Doernberg is a financial advisor at First Step Financial in Boston, MA, holding a Series 65 designation with one year of industry experience. Prior to founding First Step Financial, he worked with Never Again Action and Escape the Room Boston. First Step Financial provides financial planning and advisory services to individual and high-net-worth clients through one-off plans, ad-hoc hourly engagements, and an ongoing subscription option, focusing on modern portfolio theory and broad index mutual funds and ETFs. The firm does not custody or trade client accounts and uses a pricing model based on subscription and hourly fees rather than asset-based charges.

Adam Apt is a CFA® charterholder and holds a Series 65 license, with 18 years of industry experience. He has been the principal of Peabody River Asset Management, LLC since 2007. Additionally, he serves as Vice President of Investment Analytics at LTSAVE, Inc., where he designs and oversees an automated investment advice system for defined contribution retirement plans. Peabody River Asset Management is a fee-only registered investment adviser providing portfolio management, financial planning, and consulting services to individuals, families, and institutional clients, including charitable organizations. The firm employs a top-down, four-stage portfolio construction process with a focus on ETFs, bonds, and a mostly buy-and-hold approach, supplementing fundamental analysis with quantitative risk models.

Newton Spurr is a financial advisor with Ms Financial Services, LLC in Reading, Massachusetts, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 25 years of industry experience. He has been a partner at Spurr & Spurr, LLP, a tax preparation and accounting firm, since 1997. Outside of advising, he manages the accounting practice as a general partner. Ms Financial Services, LLC provides discretionary investment management and consulting to individuals, high-net-worth individuals, trusts, and estates. The firm focuses on fundamental analysis and long-term strategies, constructing diversified portfolios while also advising on retirement accounts and acting as a fiduciary.

Steve Ng is the sole advisor at Woodland Investment Consulting LLC in Boston, MA. He holds the CFA® designation and Series 63 license and has 17 years of industry experience. He has been employed with MFS Fund Distributors, Inc. since 2005 and has served as an instructor at the Boston Security Analysts Society since 1992. Woodland Investment Consulting provides discretionary portfolio management and integrated financial planning primarily for individual investors and pension plans, including defined-contribution plans. The firm follows a value-oriented, relatively low-risk investment approach with broad diversification and a focus on income and capital preservation.

Peter Ferriero is the founder and president of Rocky Hill Advisors Inc., where he has worked since 2002. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 designations and has 23 years of industry experience. Outside of his advisory role, Ferriero is involved in youth hockey through founding and leading Top Gun Youth Hockey, Top Gun Arena Management, and the New England Fall Prep Hockey League. Rocky Hill Advisors provides investment management and expert witness consulting to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, corporations, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and Native American tribes. The firm employs a customized tactical allocation strategy with a focus on rebalancing and downside risk management, operating primarily on a non-discretionary basis.

Todd Carter is the principal of The Blue Oak Group, LLC, an investment advisory firm based in Boston, MA. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 15 years of industry experience. Prior to founding The Blue Oak Group in 2008, Mr. Carter worked at Kalos Management and Kalos Capital, Inc. He also co-owns Mercer Consulting, LLC, a real estate consulting firm specializing in §1031 like-kind exchanges. The Blue Oak Group provides alternative investment advice and consulting to select accredited individuals, trusts, and corporate entities, focusing on tax-aware capital deployment and customized alternative allocations as part of broader financial plans. The firm’s approach includes working with a range of alternative assets and coordinating with clients’ existing legal, tax, and wealth teams.