PARADIGM FINANCIAL PARTNERS - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Director of 401K Retirement Plans
Ashley joined Paradigm Financial Partners as Director of 401k Retirement Plans in August 2021. Prior to joining Paradigm, Ashley worked several years in the Financial Services industry at Beirne Wealth Consulting Services, LLC.
As Director of 401k Retirement Plans, Ashley is responsible for the implementation and daily support for our growing number of Defined Contribution Plans. Ashley serves as a valuable resource for Plan Trustees and Administrators, as well as Plan Participants. In addition to servicing the firm's retirement plans, Ashley works directly with individual clients, assisting with and maintaining their investment portfolios.
Ashley is a graduate of Western Connecticut State University with a bachelor's degree in Communications.
In her spare time, Ashley enjoys an afternoon at a local winery, traveling, and above all, spending time with family and friends, particularly down at the beach.
Job Titles:
- Director of Marketing and Communications
- Executive Assistant to Lee Rawiszer and Paul Volpe
Barbara joined Paradigm Financial Partners in June of 2013. She has over three decades of experience as an Executive Assistant, supporting C-Level Executives in the financial and consulting fields.
Prior to PFP, Barb held the position of Participant Services Coordinator at Executive Wealth Management. She has extensive experience in event planning, travel and operations.
Carol joined Paradigm Financial Partners in 2011, providing customer service and guidance to high net worth individuals. Fielding any account inquiry, Carol uses her three decades of experience in the financial services industry to guide clients through every service need. Carol also schedules client reviews and handles their transactional, account, and administrative requests with a personal commitment to exceptional customer service.
Carol holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Delaware. She and her daughter reside in South Salem, NY.
David Halper works with high net worth individuals who are in or near retirement as well as many successful professionals and entrepreneurs. He focuses on helping them understand the importance of developing a strategic, long term wealth plan. For David, it all starts with gaining clarity about a client's current situation.That includes identifying core values, defining future goals and developing a strategy that is flexible and will allow his clients to reach their objectives. Ongoing client support is equally important to David. He knows life brings changes so he conducts regular reviews to help make sure a client's plan remains on course to meet future goals.
David understands that all clients are unique and deserve highly customized solutions and strategies to meet their specific needs. As an independent advisor, he is not obligated to any "proprietary" products. David has the ability to simplify complex financial concepts so that his clients fully understand all of their options. He loves helping people make progress toward their goals and objectives. David and his firm take a "team approach" to managing a client's financial strategy. He often acts as the key liaison or "wealth guide" of the financial team to coordinate with a network of other top professional advisors.
David has a BA in History from Colgate University and taught high school history, and coached soccer and tennis teams. His background as an educator and coach is a benefit to his clients as he helps them better understand their financial issues so they can make fully informed decisions. In 1987, David's father, Chuck, introduced him to the financial services industry. In addition to his years of experience in this field, he also holds the designations of Chartered Financial Consultant and Chartered Life Underwriter.
David currently lives in Weston with his wife Jill and their combined 5 children.
Job Titles:
- Director of Insurance and Chief Client Officer
Debbie has been with Paradigm Financial Partners since 2014. She earned her BS in Marketing from Indiana University's Kelley School of Business.
Debbie has a Connecticut Life, Health, Property & Casualty Insurance license and is a Certified Long Term Care Specialist. Debbie works with our clients to make sure they have a plan should an Extended Care event occur. In addition, Debbie created our "Peace of Mind" planning guide, which was designed to provide peace of mind to your loved ones in the event something should happen to you. This way, they will know exactly what is in place and who they need to contact during this stressful time.
When not at work, Debbie enjoys skiing, tennis, pickleball, Peloton and baking.
Job Titles:
- Client Service Administrator
Flora is the newest member of the Paradigm Financial Partners team. She graduated from Sacred Heart University with a major in finance. Since, she has amassed over thirteen years of work experience in the financial services industry. Her strong academic foundation, extensive knowledge and a commitment to delivering exceptional service and results, make her an asset to the team.
Currently residing in Fairfield with her family, Flora balances her work life with her responsibilities as a parent. After work, she can often be found chauffeuring her kids to practices and on weekends cheering them on at swim meets. In her spare time, Flora enjoys moments with loved ones and walking with friends.
Job Titles:
- Director of Investment Operations
Gerlind joined Paradigm Financial Partners in February 2010, as Director of Investment Operations, responsible for implementing clients' investment strategy, executing trades and funding transfers, as well as preparing client reviews and new account paperwork.
Prior to working at PFP, Gerlind was a management consultant at Bain & Company and held positions as CFO and business manager at publishing companies in Germany and the US.
Gerlind graduated with a Ph.D. in business administration from Christian-Albrechts-University in Kiel, Germany. She and her husband Joe reside in New Canaan, CT and have a grown daughter currently living on the West Coast. They enjoy travel and various sports.
Job Titles:
- Client Service Administrator
Jim joined Paradigm Financial Partners in April of 2019. He has been in the financial services industry for more than 16 years, having previously worked at UBS Financial Services and Morgan Stanley. Jim is committed to delivering quality service in high net worth client relationship management.
Jim studied finance and business management at Norwalk Community College.
Jim lives in Darien with his wife Nikki and their two children, Alex and Grace. He enjoys volunteering with the Boy Scouts of America and his daughter's ballet academy
Job Titles:
- Associate Director of Financial Planning
Job Titles:
- Chief Financial Officer
- Managing Principal
As an independent financial advisor, Lee Rawiszer helps high net worth professionals, pro-athletes, entertainers and business owners understand their current situations and define future goals. Lee believes that financial planning is a process that should reflect the client's vision, values and goals. He designs strategies that are flexible and takes into account that nothing remains static; people's lives change and plans need to be adjusted on an ongoing basis. "Nothing is more satisfying to me as a financial advisor than helping my clients achieve their goals and protect their wealth for current and future generational planning."
Lee and his firm provide clients with meaningful solutions to a wide range of financial matters including: investments, risk management, estate and tax planning, insurance planning as well as qualified and non-qualified retirement plans. He is a specialist on retirement income planning that includes the use of a wide array of alternative investments*. Lee is never obligated to any "proprietary" products.
Lee has a BA degree in Economics from Manhattanville College. His vast financial knowledge puts him in demand as a public speaker on a variety of financial issues. He has delivered presentations and educational seminars to a range of organizations, including the American College, NYU Medical Center, Montefiore Hospital, and the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors nationwide. His videotaped presentations have been used as an educational tool for people just entering the financial services industry.
Lee has a niche specializing in working with high net worth physicians, entrepreneurs, professional athletes and entertainers on both the east and west coasts.
Lee lives in Westport, CT with his wife Eva and their two children. He enjoys film, theatre, golf, tennis and baseball.
Nikki joined Paradigm Financial Partners in February of 2017. She has a BA in English from the University of Connecticut and has worked in the insurance industry for several years. She recently obtained her Connecticut Life & Health Insurance license.
In her spare time, Nikki enjoys cooking, visiting wineries, and reading. She lives in Shelton with her dog and two cats.
Job Titles:
- Managing Partner
- Managing Partner for Paradigm Financial Partners LLC
As Managing Partner for Paradigm Financial Partners LLC, Paul Volpe specializes in financial analysis and research. He manages the firm's Investment portfolio, their web-based wealth-planning platform that provides clients with a comprehensive, aggregated view of their financial situation. Having managed his own practice for nine years, Paul understands the issues facing business owners and high net worth individuals. He brings that insight to the planning process.
He understands that in an ever changing economic environment, staying abreast of new planning techniques, strategies, tools and resources is important. Continuous advanced financial education enhances his ability to help clients stay on track to meet their goals. Paul meets with clients throughout the financial planning process as he designs and monitors client portfolios, either independently or through third party managers, and analyzes market trends. He believes in helping clients become fully informed about their financial life.
Paul joined Paradigm Financial Partners in August of 2003 after selling his own practice where he managed over $45 million. In addition to his experience and knowledge, he brings a relationship oriented philosophy to the firm's clients. Paul recognizes the importance of understanding a client's vision and values, not just their financial situation.
Paul lives in New Canaan, CT with his wife Mia and two sons, Jack and Connor. He enjoys spending time with his family and friends, traveling and sports.
Job Titles:
- Senior Client RelAtionship Manager
Sherry came from China and graduated from University of Bridgeport with an MBA in Finance and MSF concentration in Risk Management and Financial Programming from Illinois Institute of Technology. She joined PFP in 2013 for five years and after she finished the second master's degree, she rejoined PFP in 2022.
Sherry resides in Darien, IL with her husband and two-year-old son. In her spare time, Sherry enjoys cooking, traveling, and crocheting.
Traci is a financial advisor drawing upon her twenty years experience as a divorce litigator, consultant and mediator. The experience that she derived from her work as a divorce attorney, combined with her commitment to zealously represent each of her clients, translates to a highly personalized and effective approach to financial advisory.
Traci employs a comprehensive, values based, financial and estate planning strategy to each of her clients. She is very comfortable working with families' various advisors, including trust and estates attorneys, CPAs, and matrimonial attorneys. Traci is committed to guiding and supporting her clients on their journey of defining their financial objectives and pursing their goals.
Working from an independent platform such as Paradigm Financial Partners enables Traci to choose better solutions to meet her clients' needs. One of the most rewarding aspects of her job is educating clients about their finances.
Traci graduated from McGill University in Montreal, Canada with a Bachelor in Arts. She went on to earn her Juris Doctor from The Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law where she was an Editor on Law Review.
Traci lives in Westport with her husband, two children and dog. She is on the General Committee of PinkAid, a local charity that helps underserved women survive breast cancer treatment with support and dignity. In her leisure time, Traci enjoys gardening, cooking and yoga.
Job Titles:
- Director of Operations
- PFP As Director of Operations
Trish joined PFP as Director of Operations in 2021. She is a proactive problem solver, with strong collaboration and communication skills that fits well with PFP's team-oriented environment. She comes to PFP with 20+ years of experience in various areas of operations, management, marketing, technology integration and content production.
Trish grew up in Bethesda, Maryland, and graduated from Duke University with a BA in Comparative Area Studies and French. After graduation, she moved to Silicon Valley where she worked for several high-technology companies, developing her skills in project management and operations. In 1991, she joined Ed Boyle's team at Magnum Design in San Francisco, it proved to be her ultimate dream job where she worked as lead project manager for top technology and international media companies including Apple, Bertelsmann, Virgin Records, Sony and HP. Those projects involved extensive international travel working closely with C-Suite executives on innovative technology demonstrations and new product launches. Trish and Ed married at a vineyard in Napa Valley in 1995.
After deciding to return to the East Coast to be closer to family, Trish & Ed became residents of Westport, where they've lived for 21 years with their two children and a series of dogs. Domino, their current Catahoula/Aussie mix seems to enjoy his current status as an "only child." Trish loves any opportunity to travel, and spends free time playing tennis, gardening, cooking, working out, paddle boarding and enjoying time outdoors with friends and family.