NORTHWEST FINANCIAL ADVISORS - Key Persons
Anthony Reese joined Northwest Financial Advisors as a Financial Consultant in August 2023. He offers individuals and businesses sound advice and strategies that help them build and protect the financial foundation that can support their hopes and dreams.
Anthony has more than 25 years of experience in financial services. Prior to joining the firm, he was a Partner and Registered Representative with New York Life. Previously, he worked as a fee-based Financial Advisor and Wealth Manager for Ameriprise Financial.
Over his career, he obtained multiple professional licenses and certifications that demonstrate his passion for comprehensive financial and retirement planning, including the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification as well as the Chartered Financial Consultant® (ChFC®), Chartered Life Underwriter® (CLU®) and Retired Income Certified Professional® (RICP®) designations. In addition to Financial Industry Regulatory Authority® (FINRA®) securities licensing,* he is licensed as a Life and Health Insurance professional.
One of Anthony's favorite principles for investing and financial planning is:
Garrett Boyd joined Northwest Financial Advisors in September 2022 as a Financial Advisor. He offers individuals and businesses advice and support in building, managing and protecting the financial resources that help make their life's aspirations possible.
Garrett began his financial services career in 2011 at State Street Bank. He moved to Putnam Investments in 2014 where he worked on the firm's fixed income trading desk as a Data Analyst. In 2016, he transitioned to a sales role at Pioneer Investments, starting as a Divisional Sales Associate, moving up to a Regional Sales Specialist, and subsequently, a Regional Vice President. In this role, he provided financial advisors insight on capital markets, current trends and recommended investment products based on the latest economic backdrop. After partnering with advisors over the past six years, Garrett recognized the impact sound financial advice can make in the lives of individuals and families and developed an interest in personally helping them pursue their financial and retirement goals. In his own words, he is "passionate about helping clients get into a position where they don't have to worry about outliving their money."
With over a decade of experience in the financial services industry, Garrett offers his clients not only enthusiasm in his work, but extensive investment product knowledge as well as market analysis and client service skills.
Garrett holds Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA®) Series 7, 66, 6 and 63 licenses.* He is also licensed to sell health, life and annuities products. He is a graduate of Merrimack College where he obtained a bachelor's degree in Business Administration and Management. At Merrimack, he was a scholarship football player and team captain, as well as a winner of the team's Unsung Hero Award, an award recognizing his positive influence and personal contributions to the team.
Garrett lives in Chantilly, Virginia with his wife, Jenna, and infant son, Logan. Having lived in Boston before moving to Virginia, he is a big Boston sports fan. In addition to sports, he enjoys spending time with his family, golfing and any activity near or on the water.
Job Titles:
- Wealth Advisor and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER
Glen Cesari is a Wealth Advisor and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional for Northwest Financial Advisors. With over a decade of experience, Glen has been serving individual and business clients with complex needs, balancing between varied sources of income, tax-efficient investment, retirement savings and estate planning. Glen leverages his analytical background in military Special Operations planning and forecasting to provide personalized and comprehensive financial strategies and plans to support his clients' objectives.
Prior to joining Northwest Financial Advisors, Glen served as an Officer in the U.S. Navy. He spent tours deployed aboard ships, taught at the U.S. Naval Academy and provided environmental and technological mission support to operational units. After serving both in the active duty and the Reserves, Glen retired from the Navy in 2018.
Glen holds an undergraduate degree in oceanography from the United States Naval Academy, a Master of Science degree in meteorology and oceanography from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, and the highly regarded CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ designation.
Greg Grinnell is a Wealth Advisor for Northwest Financial Advisors. Through his affiliation with LPL Financial, the nation's largest independent broker-dealer, 1 Greg provides a comprehensive range of financial and investment planning services to individual and business clients, including insurance and liability protection planning, education planning, retirement planning, and estate planning.
Greg has nearly 15 years of experience in the financial services industry. Prior to joining Northwest Financial Advisors, he served as a financial representative for The Washington Group/Mass Mutual Financial Group, and was previously a sales representative for Bankers Life & Casualty. Prior to his career in financial services, Greg held management positions in both operations and sales, including employment as a senior district sales manager for USA Today.
Greg holds his FINRA Series 7 and 66 licenses.2 He also holds undergraduate degrees in business administration and computer information systems from James Madison University. He lives in Leesburg, Virginia with his wife Kristie and three children, Emma, Ty, and Addie, and enjoys baseball, golf, racquetball, softball, reading, and travel.
After a successful career as a senior executive in both the public and private sectors, Jim Christy joined Northwest Financial Advisors in 2003. Jim advises higher net worth families and individuals on a range of retirement income planning, estate planning, investment planning and tax mitigation strategies.
Consistently each year for over a decade, Jim has received national recognition as one of the leading LPL Financial Institution Services (FIS) advisors. In 2022 and 2023, LPL ranked Jim the #3 FIS advisor in the U.S. in total production. From 2019-2021, he ranked #2. In 2018, he ranked #3; from 2010-2017, #2; and in 2009, #3.¹ Jim was also recognized on Bank Investment Consultant's former list of Top Bank Advisors from 2012-2019, including a #2 ranking in 2015.² Jim has been selected as a Five Star Wealth Manager award recipient every year since 2015.³
Prior to joining Northwest Financial Advisors, Jim was a senior executive for two Fortune 500 companies and one of the nation's leading industry trade associations. He was Vice President, Government Relations, in charge of the Washington office of defense and aerospace conglomerate, TRW Inc. (1993-1999), Washington Counsel for Air Products & Chemicals Inc. (1985-1993) and senior vice president at PhRMA, the trade association of the U.S. pharmaceutical industry (2000-2001). He previously served seven years on Capitol Hill in senior staff positions in the U.S. House of Representatives, including as Counsel to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce (1981-1984). Jim also served as Counsel to the Secretary of the Interior in the Reagan Administration (1984-85). In 1980, Jim was a candidate for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives representing Ohio's 6th Congressional District.
Jim holds his undergraduate degree in economics from the University of Cincinnati and his Juris Doctor (J.D.) from the University of Cincinnati College of Law. Jim is a member of the Bar of the U.S. Supreme Court.
Jim and his wife, Grace, are the parents of six adult children and are blessed with 11 grandchildren.
Job Titles:
- Wealth Advisor and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER
Jerry Guido is a Wealth Advisor and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional with Northwest Financial Advisors. He provides a wide range of personalized comprehensive financial planning services to his clients, including retirement income planning, education savings, tax-efficiency planning and investment management. He is affiliated with LPL Financial, the nation's largest independent broker-dealer.*
Jerry has more than three decades of experience providing financial, accounting, business operations and tax services to individuals and small businesses, and over a decade of experience in the financial advisory business. He holds an executive certificate in financial planning from Georgetown University. He also earned a master's degree in taxation from American University and an undergraduate accounting degree from the University of Maryland.
Jerry lives in Herndon with his wife of 25 years and has three adult children. He volunteers his time to many community and charitable organizations including the Dulles Rotary Club, Boy Scouts of America, the Dulles Foundation Club and Upward Basketball.
Jonathan Adams is a Wealth Advisor for Northwest Financial Advisors (NWFA). He enjoys working with individual and business clients to simplify and unify their investment strategies. He likes sitting down with clients to discover their unique interests and goals and then crafting a financial plan that aims to help them become a reality.
To Jonathan, his years of experience have helped him to understand that money is the ultimate metaphor because it always represents something else. Whether it is walking a daughter down the aisle, sending a child to school, retiring comfortably or relieving someone's burden, what truly matters most is defining what you want your money to do for you, then charting a course to get you there.
As a member of NWFA's Investment Committee, he contributes his insight and recommendations to ensure the firm's investment models are properly balanced and consistent with the firm's fiduciary duty. The role suits Jonathan well considering his experience in portfolio analysis.
Jonathan joined NWFA nine years ago after providing financial advice as an independent Financial Consultant with LPL Financial for seven years. Prior to working independently, he served as Senior VP of Investments for a major financial services firm. In that capacity, Jonathan oversaw the company's securities business for the DC region, including due diligence, advanced case design and training. In addition to his financial services career, Jonathan served our country as an Officer in the U.S. Marine Corps.
Along with 30 years of experience in the financial services business, Jonathan earned the Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC®) and Retirement Income Certified Professional (RICP®) designations conferred by The American College in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia and earned an MBA (Finance and Investments) from The George Washington University School of Business.
Jonathan and his wife, Lili, live in Arlington, Virginia, and are the parents of two sons. In addition to his wealth management career, he enjoys hiking, baseball and being outdoors.
Job Titles:
- Certified Private Wealth Advisor
- Wealth Advisor
Job Titles:
- Leader
- Senior Vice President
Karen Benedict is a proven leader in the wealth management industry with more than 30 years of experience in financial services overall. She currently serves as the Senior Vice President for Northwest Financial Advisors (NWFA), a registered investment advisor, and Northwest Financial Group (NWFG), a referring broker-dealer. Karen also serves as the Financial Operations Principal (FinOP) for NWFG.
Before entering the wealth management business, Karen was the Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of NW Capital Management, the parent company of NWFA and NWFG. She also spent five years serving as the Controller and Chief Financial Officer for two separate mortgage companies. She started her career with Community Bank of Northern Virginia (CBNV) where she worked for over 12 years. As Controller of CBNV, she was responsible for all accounting and finance aspects of the institution and its large mortgage division.
As the hybrid firm's SVP and Program Manager, Karen's many responsibilities include leading business development/growth, recruitment, staff development and training, marketing and strategic direction. She ensures that her team of advisors is structured to meet the needs of a diverse range of clients and strives to meet the unique needs of individual advisors while maintaining guidelines and standards for excellence. She also diligently seeks out the most contemporary tools and resources available to help advisors and client service staff effectively support clients in pursuing their financial goals and dreams.
The industry has recognized Karen's management and leadership talent. Bank Investment Consultant (BIC), an organization that provided analysis, insights and data for financial institution wealth managers (now Financial Planning), selected Karen as a Top 25 Program Manager in 2017 and 2018 and a Top 30 Program Manager in 2019 and 2020. 1 In addition, Kehrer Bielan, an award-winning business providing wealth management industry research and insights, has recognized Karen on its annual Top Directors Award lists, ranking her the No. 1 director of mid-size bank and credit union financial advice firms in 2021 and 2022. 2
Karen holds a bachelor's degree in accounting from Strayer College. She also holds Financial Institution Regulatory Authority (FINRA) Series 73, 24 3, 28 4, 53 4 and 66 5 securities licenses. Her education combined with decades of experience makes Karen a tremendous asset to the firm and its ability to remain a trusted provider of wealth management services for years to come.
Kevin Fisher is President and CEO of Northwest Financial Advisors (NWFA), a subsidiary of NW Capital Management (NWCM). Kevin joined NWFA in 2005 as Vice President, and with his thoughtful leadership and financial management skills, quickly rose to his current position.
Kevin has led the tremendous growth of NWFA's advisory business during his 15-year tenure with the firm. As a former program manager for NWFA, Kevin was honored with a #2 ranking on Bank Investment Consultant's 2011 Top 20 Program Managers list. 1 As President and CEO of NWCM, he also founded and leads three sister subsidiaries, Northwest Tax Group, NW Insurance Agency and Northwest Title & Escrow.
Prior to joining NWFA, Kevin held the position of VP of Strategic Planning for Northwest Federal Credit Union (NWFCU), where he worked directly with the executive team to define the strategic direction of the organization. From 2000-2004, he was a Branch Manager for NWFCU, where he effectively managed branch operations and built a team that provided superior member service. His previous employment includes positions as VP of Retail & Commercial Development for BUCS Federal, a Financial Advisor for Prudential Securities and a Vice President for First Virginia Bank. Before embarking on his successful, more than 25-year financial services career, he served in the United States Navy.
In addition to a bachelor's degree in Finance and Financial Management Services from Frostburg State University, Kevin received an Executive Certificate in Financial Planning from Georgetown University and has completed numerous professional development courses. He holds FINRA Series 7 and 24 registration with LPL Financial. He also holds FINRA Series 66 with LPL Financial and Northwest Financial Advisors. LPL Financial is Northwest Financial Advisors' securities custodian and the nation's largest independent broker-dealer. 2
Kim Heffernan joined Northwest Financial Advisors (NWFA) as a Client Service Assistant in September 2016. Having proven herself to be a highly knowledgeable, qualified and client-focused member of the team, she progressively advanced to her current Financial Advisor role.
Kim began her financial services career at Omega Wealth Management where she worked directly under a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional to gain a solid understanding of the financial planning profession. She previously worked at Intelsat, a communications satellite services provider, conducting financial planning and analysis for the business.
LPL Financial, the nation's largest broker/dealer 1 and a partner to NWFA, selected Kim for its 2022 Achieve Rising Star scholarship, a recognition honoring the next generation of top-producing female advisors. 2 Kim was among only 21 winners selected out of approximately 2,000 eligible candidates nationwide.
Kim graduated from Virginia Polytechnic Institute with a degree in Finance/Financial Planning. At NWFA, she has put her alma mater's motto Ut Prosim (That I May Serve) into practice. In addition to her financially focused college education, she earned her FINRA Series 7 and Series 63 licenses. 3 Not one to eschew learning and growing on behalf of our clientele, Kim also earned the respected CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®) certification in early 2019.
Kim grew up just down the street from NWFA's Herndon office in Oak Hill, Virginia, and now resides in Arlington, Virginia. When she has time to relax, she likes to hike, spend time with family and friends and travel. She also enjoys attending various DC sporting events, including the Washington Nationals and Washington Capitals games, as well as supporting the Virginia Tech Hokies.
Nakia Brown joined Northwest Financial Advisors in November 2022 after working in the financial services industry for 20 years. She is highly skilled in effective leadership, team building, compliance and risk management, operation policies and procedures, wealth management and financial planning services, performance reporting and delivering exceptional client service.
Nakia started her financial services journey in 2003 as a teller at the Members First Services Federal Credit Union in Maryland. She later began a six-year journey with Chevy Chase Bank (now Capital One) where she started as a Customer Care Associate and grew to an Assistant Branch Manager. In this role, she led by example to ensure that her staff demonstrated excellent customer service. In 2013, Nakia relocated to Charlotte, NC and began her career with LPL Financial as an RIA Associate Consultant. On behalf of LPL, she researched complex situations, helped establish account opening policy and procedures and provided her LPL policy expertise to RIA firms and their administrative staff.
Nakia holds the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) Securities Industry Essentials® (SIE)®, Series 7, 66 and 24 licenses;* the Virginia Accident, Health, Life & Variable Annuities license; and is an honorable notary public for the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Nakia grew up in Maryland and currently resides in Northern Virginia. She is a dedicated volunteer and advocate for the American Diabetes Association and the National Kidney Foundation.
In her spare time, Nakia enjoys meditation, reading and spending time with her son, William, and her dog, Aiko.
Neetu Kohli joined Northwest Financial Advisors in June 2021 after working in financial services for several years.
Neetu began her financial services career in 1995 and has an understanding of asset management, retirement planning, life insurance and estate planning, as well as expertise in planning, CRM and other financial services technology. She leveraged this deep knowledge and experience as our Advisor Development Manager to support our advisors' successful onboarding, development and technical training, ensuring their ability to provide exceptional service and deliverables to our clients. In December 2022, Neetu was promoted to Assistant Vice President of Wealth Management. In addition to her advisor development role, Neetu oversees our branch-based advisors and intern academy, working closely with the financial advisors and credit union leadership to augment relationships and promote growth.
Neetu spent her childhood in the Himalayan foothills and received a degree in Business Administration and Human Resources in India. She continued her career-related education, earning the professional designation of Accredited Asset Management Specialist (AAMS) from the College of Financial Planning. Neetu also earned a Certificate in Leadership from the Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and holds FINRA Series 7, 63, 65, and 9/10 licensing.*
Neetu is passionate about giving back to the community and volunteers to promote education for underprivileged children. She writes children's books in her spare time and is a published children's book author.
Job Titles:
- CCO / SVP Operations & Compliance
Since early 2016, Nicole Davis has served as Northwest Financial Advisors' Chief Compliance Officer (CCO) where she oversees and manages NWFA's compliance with regulatory requirements and internal policies.
Her more than 25-year career in the financial services industry began in 1993 as a Regulatory Reporting Manager for the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). Nicole then worked for Bank of America as a Compliance Officer. In 2006, she joined LPL Financial, growing her career to a Service Center Manager, and subsequently, took a role as an LPL Senior Branch Examiner. Prior to joining NWFA, she held the role of VP, LPL OSJ Manager at Sandy Spring Wealth Management.
Nicole holds a Bachelor of Sc ience degree in Business Administration and Management from University of Maryland University College. She also holds FINRA Series 7, 63 and 24 licenses with LPL Financial and the FINRA Series 65 license with Northwest Financial Advisors.
Mrs. Davis lives in Montgomery County, MD. She enjoys spending time with her husband, family and friends.
Job Titles:
- Financial Advisor
- Financial Advisor With
Nikki Young is a Financial Advisor with Northwest Financial Advisors. Nikki joined the firm in April 2017 as an Operations Specialist and soon progressed to a Client Service Associate with the Cesari wealth management team. Shortly thereafter, she was promoted to Associate Financial Advisor before quickly progressing to her Financial Advisor role.
Prior to joining Northwest Financial Advisors, Nikki worked as a Lending and Mortgage Advisor at PenFed Credit Union. During her previous service-oriented positions at Mission Federal Credit Union and Bank of America, Nikki excelled at providing a valuable and tailored client experience. Her decade-long engagement within the financial services industry helped build a solid foundation for her financial advisory career.
Nikki's mission is to provide financial well-being across multiple generations as well as to motivate clients toward realizing their unique financial goals.
With FINRA Series 6, 63 and 7 licensing* and the highly regarded CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification, Nikki's financial education background is strong. She also holds a bachelor's degree in Financial Services from Penn State University.
Nikki grew up in Lake Charles, Louisiana and has settled in Northern Virginia with her husband Gary, daughter Maela, and their family dog Boba Fett. During her personal time, she enjoys hiking, spending time with family and cheering on the New Orleans Saints football team.
Pristine Aylor joined Northwest Financial Advisors as a Financial Consultant in August 2023. She offers individuals and businesses a comprehensive range of financial advice and solutions, helping them pursue long-term financial stability and success.
Russ Cesari has been a Wealth Advisor for Northwest Financial Advisors since 2001. He is affiliated with LPL Financial, the nation's largest independent broker-dealer. 1
Job Titles:
- VP of Investment Management
Scott Aune is the VP of Investment Management for Northwest Financial Advisors. He serves as a permanent member of the firm's Investment Committee, providing research, analytics and insight to committee membership. Scott also assists our advisors in the construction and management of investment portfolios and conducts asset allocation studies, asset manager searches, investment performance monitoring and manager due diligence.
Scott has more than 20 years of experience in the financial services industry. He is a graduate of Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts. He also graduated from the College for Financial Planning® in Denver, Colorado, where he earned a Master of Science degree in Personal Financial Planning and the Accredited Asset Management Specialist SM (AAMS®), designation. In addition, Scott is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional.
Prior to joining Northwest Financial Advisors, Scott served as Director of Research, Investment Consultant and Investment Committee member for an institutional investment consulting firm. He also served as a Financial Advisor with a prominent national financial services firm and enjoyed a successful military career as an Administrative Officer and Career Counselor with the United States Marine Corps.
Scott resides in Arlington, Virginia with his wife Kyong. Together, they enjoy traveling, cooking, and camping in the great outdoors.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Financial Advisor
Thomas is an Associate Financial Advisor with Northwest Financial Advisors, offering individuals and families holistic wealth management and financial planning advice and support. He joined the firm in April of 2019 as a Client Service Assistant and was promoted to a Client Service Associate prior to embarking on his current role.
During his tenure with the firm, Thomas earned the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification, a highly respected financial planning certification requiring extensive education and successful completion of a comprehensive exam. He also earned Financial Institution Regulatory Authority (FINRA®) Series 7 and 63 licenses,* as well as life, annuities and health insurance licensing from the state of Virginia.
Thomas obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Economic Management with a concentration in Financial Planning from Virginia Tech. He has always had an interest in finances and investing, realizing at a young age how important saving, investing and financial planning are throughout one's lifetime. He enjoys helping people and making a difference in their lives and believes providing personalized, sound financial advice can help them accomplish their goals.
A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Thomas now lives in Herndon, Virginia, with Rooney, his black rescue lab. He enjoys woodworking and doing home projects in his spare time.
Todd Holden is a Financial Advisor for Northwest Financial Advisors. Through his affiliation with LPL Financial, the nation's largest independent broker-dealer, 1 Todd provides a comprehensive range of financial and investment planning, including retirement income planning, estate and wealth transfer planning, insurance protection planning and tax-efficient investment management.
Todd has more than 20 years of industry experience, having entered the financial services industry at Merrill Lynch in 1987. From 2009 to 2016, Todd served as the Financial Consultant for Belvoir FCU and Library of Congress FCU, successfully working to meet members' needs. Other industry experience includes time spent at MetLife and HSBC.
Tom Turner is a Wealth Advisor for Northwest Financial Advisors. He currently ranks no. 12 on LPL Financial's nationwide list of top 25 Financial Institution Services (FIS) advisors.* Tom provides a comprehensive range of financial and investment planning services to individuals and business clients, including insurance and liability protection planning, education funding, retirement income planning, and estate planning.
Tom has over 25 years of experience in the financial services industry. Prior to joining Northwest Financial Advisors, he served as a Financial Representative for Financial Network Investment Corporation, and was previously a Financial Representative for Lincoln Financial Group.
Tom has an undergraduate degree in psychology from George Mason University and is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ practitioner. With an education in human behavior and personal finance, Tom brings a unique mix of counseling and coaching skills to assist clients in financially preparing for their future.
Tom grew up in Laytonsville, Maryland and currently resides in Northern Virginia. His favorite pastimes are playing basketball, hiking, traveling, and reading, often on the subject of personal growth.