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White Plains Branch

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Gary Schwartz, CEO, RFC

President

gschwartz@MadisonPlanning.com

For Gary Schwartz, life has been a fascinating ride. Always an entrepreneur, he started his first business while he was still in college, working as a landscaper. After graduation, he opened a butcher shop in the Bronx, got married, and he and his wife soon adopted their two sons, Ben and Andrew, who are just six weeks apart. And while he loved the business and his family, Gary stood in his own way when it came to success. “At the time, I was struggling with alcohol and drugs,” says Gary. “I’m lucky the only thing I lost was my butcher shop.” 

The shop failed, and Gary went into recovery. And though he’s been clean for more than three decades, his path to success wasn’t easy. “I’ve been lucky to have amazing people in my life who were willing to help, even when I least deserved it.” But help they did. With the help of a good friend, Gary entered financial services at MetLife, and while he learned the business there, it didn’t fit his entrepreneurial nature. It was time to start his own firm. “It sounds crazy, but I came into the business completely broke. What pushed me forward—every day—was having a mentor who believed in me. Luckily, I was at a point in my life where I was completely humbled, and I was finally ready to really to listen…and to learn.” His mentor, Bernie Mayer, took Gary under his wing, teaching him the business and even giving him rides into the city to save Gary the train fare. “I had no connections, but I had a passion to help people, and that’s what’s made all the difference.”

Gary opened the doors to Madison Planning Group in 1997 in White Plains, Westchester County NY, followed by the Syracuse office in 2007,  Long Island in 2013 and Lake Worth FL in 2017. Gary attributes the firm’s success to the fact he and his team are focused on one thing: managing the success of every single client. “For me, it’s all about relationships and helping people. The best part of my day is when a client tells me—or others—that I’m ‘family.’ I love teaching, I love helping, and I love seeing my work pay off for the people I care about.”

Of course, anyone around Gary will tell you that one of his greatest traits is his willingness to help others. But Gary doesn’t see himself as a hero. “Really, I do what I do for me, not for them. When I help someone out, it makes that little kid with no self esteem and no direction feel pretty darned good.” Yet everyone who talks about Gary has a story to tell of how he’s helped—and even changed their lives completely. “Everybody deserves redemption,” says Gary. “I believe there are a lot of people out there who just need a break to get back on their feet. Whether I’m helping someone get on a better financial path or a better life path, that’s why I’m here.”

As part of his personal commitment to financial education, Gary provides worksite educational seminars for employees of state agencies, unions , as well as financial workshops for employees of and private and public corporations. A Registered Financial Consultant (RFC®), a Certified in Long-Term Care (CLTC) designee, and a member of Ed Slott’s Elite IRA Advisor Group, Gary is also a proud member of Forum 400, Association for Advanced Life Underwriting (AALU), Million Dollar Round Table's Top of the Table, and Financial Services Institute.

Ed Slott's Elite IRA Advisor Group is solely an indication that the financial advisor has attended training provided by Ed Slott and Company. Ed Slott is not affiliated with Royal Alliance Associates, Inc.

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Andrew Schwartz

Senior Vice President
Financial Advisor

aschwartz@MadisonPlanning.com

As Gary’s son, it’s easy to assume that he always knew he was destined to be part of the team at Madison Planning, but it wasn’t always clear to Andrew.

In high school, Andrew played football, and was the enthusiastic manager of the school business club which produced tee shirts and screen-printed clothing for school teams and events. He began his post high school education by attending Landmark College, a small college in South Vermont that features a highly innovative educational model. “The curriculum at Landmark changed everything for me,” says Andrew. “I learned a whole new way to learn—to ask the right questions, to really understand the content, and to solve problems in an entirely new way.” He earned his AA degree, made the Dean’s List, and went on to University of Denver where he earned his bachelor’s degree in marketing, focusing on finance and management.

But after graduating, Andrew still wasn’t ready to jump into working with his father. “By the time I graduated, I knew financial services and helping people was where I wanted to be. Not only did I love the pure financial aspects of it, but I’d seen first hand the impact Gary’s work had on his clients’ lives. But I wanted to learn more about the business first.” He joined Royal Alliance, Madison Planning’s broker-dealer, working in advisory services where he supported the firm’s independent advisors. The role taught him how to be a problem solver for the advisors and their clients. After two years, he’d earned the respect of both his colleagues and the advisors he served, and had learned the back office side of the business inside and out. Recognizing his growth and knowledge, Gary asked him to join the firm. “Madison Planning was growing fast, and Gary really needed my help, so the timing was perfect. I guess it was all part of the master plan.”

Today, Andrew supports Gary’s clients by providing policy analysis to ensure every policy is appropriate, and accurate, as well as tends to all areas of their financial planning. He is also working to meet the needs of the next generation of Madison Planning’s clients— the adult children of Gary’s existing clients. “I’m proud to say that we’re ‘a family helping families.’ I don’t know many people who get as much personal satisfaction out of providing support and solutions to their clients. I’m happy to be one of the few.”

When he’s not busy helping his clients with their financial planning needs, Andrew enjoys snowboarding, camping, hiking, and listening to great live music (jazz, blues, and classic rock top the list), and spending time with friends and family.

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Ben Schwartz

Chief Operating Officer

bschwartz@MadisonPlanning.com

While Ben has known Gary literally his whole life, he never saw himself working in his father’s business. In college, he began studying broadcast communication, then switched majors, and then switched again. But nothing really connected with him in the right way. Even after earning a degree in Marketing Management from Pace University, he was unsettled. When he pursued a career as a police officer and that also didn’t work out, he realized where he’d been headed all along. “Long ago, someone told me ‘when a door doesn’t open for you, it’s best not to push it open.’ I realized my own ‘open door’ had been there all along.”

Ben had worked with his dad on and off through college, but took the real plunge when he joined Madison full time in 2008. He’s never looked back. “I’d already invested a lot of myself into the business, and I’d always viewed the people here as my family—and not just because of my dad, but because of the whole team. What could be better than working with people you’ve known and cared about most of your life?”

In the beginning, Ben put his marketing degree to work, focusing primarily on marketing and communications, but over the years, his responsibilities have evolved to include a growing amount of operations planning. “Increasing our efficiency is important, especially as the firm grows.” And managing growth is vital as the firm completes its transition to a multi-generational business. “Our goal is to do a great job for every one of our clients—including our established clients, as well as their own children and grandchildren. It’s my job to be sure that continues to happen over the long term.”

What Ben loves most about the work Madison does is that every client seems to truly appreciate what the team does to help. “I used to think financial services was about making and losing money, but it’s so much more than that. When I know we’ve helped someone retire early or take that vacation they’ve always dreamed of, I see that it’s really about improving people’s lives and creating a better future. That’s a pretty great feeling.”

When he isn't working, Ben enjoys watching sports, reading about Presidential history, and spending time with his wife, Kathleen, their misbehaved beagle, Snoopy, and their newborn son Dylan!

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Andrew Federico, CFA, CFP

Chief Investment Officer

afederico@MadisonPlanning.com

For most people, solving word problems isn’t something to look forward to. For Andrew Federico, Madison Panning Group’s Chief Investment Officer, it’s what makes him tick. While earning his bachelor’s degree in economics at American University, he learned a lot of theory about how economics works and how why markets and finance work the way they do—or at least how they should work. When he started working at Madison Planning in 2005, he got a fast lesson in real-world challenges.

“I came to Madison straight out of college, so it was eye opening,” says Andrew. “I started in a client service role, and after just three months, the perfect opportunity opened up in planning. Once I started working with Gary, I learned that helping a client get from point A to point B was about more than theory. Our recommendations are based on each client’s personal preferences and changing circumstances as well, so the path isn’t always a straight line. It’s a creative process, and that’s what I love about my job.”

A problem solver to the core, Andrew likes that things are always changing in financial services. New rules. New regulations. New products. New solutions. To be sure he’s on top of it all, he earned his Certified Financial Planner® (CFP®) designation in 2014, and recently become a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charter holder as of September 2018. “In college, finance was very black and white. In the real world, there are many different routes, tools, and processes to get to the same outcome. It really is like one never-ending word problem, and the more knowledge and information I have, the more effective I can be at helping our clients reach their goals.”

In addition to the work he does for clients, Andrew also loves the atmosphere at Madison. “It’s great to work in an environment where we’re all like family. We’re relaxed and have a lot of fun, but we’re serious and professional at the same time.” Just like an equation, it’s the perfect balance.

When he’s not in the office, Andrew loves to travel, ski, and snowboard, and watch soccer with his wife, Frances, and their children Alessandra and Andrew IV (skiing and snowboarding are clearly in their future!).

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Dean McBeth

Chief Financial Officer

dmcbeth@MadisonPlanning.com

While Dean came into financial services later in his career, growing up in a prosperous Detroit in the 1950s gave him a great appreciation of financial planning and wealth management. “When Detroit began its decline, I watched what was happening to the families all around me,” says Dean. Having seen the devastation that can come from such a financial downfall, he values that the fact that the team at Madison Planning are able to help clients avoid a similar outcome.  “We do a good thing. A really good thing.”

Dean didn’t join the team until 2001, but he’s known Gary for decades, beginning when he became Gary’s third client back when Gary was just starting his business. At the time, Dean was moving from startup to startup, helping a series of promising companies in the medical field. After his last startup, Gary asked him to take over operations at Madison. “When it comes to personalities, Gary and I are polar opposites, which turned out to be a great match. The things I love to do are the things he hates to do, and visa versa. And because we’d known each other for so long already, we shared a rather brutal honesty with each other. That’s added up to a really good working relationship.”

As Madison’s Operations Manager, Dean is responsible “keeping the lights on and the doors open.” Of course, in the world of financial services, that translates into much more than simply paying the electric bill. From maintaining securities and insurance licenses in each state, tracking and submitting the firm’s regulatory filings, overseeing compliance and bookkeeping, to maintaining the firm’s IT systems, Dean has his hands full. “Our business has quadrupled since I came on board a decade ago, and our team has grown a lot as well. Keeping it all running brings me new challenges every day, but working with people I know and like makes it all worthwhile.”  

Dean holds a degree in engineering from the University of Michigan, and he is securities registered.

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Rochelle Odesser, CFP

Vice President

rodesser@MadisonPlanning.com

Rochelle came into the world of financial planning in a roundabout way, yet it’s no mystery about why it became her calling.

From an early age, Rochelle understood the value of a dollar. Born and raised just three blocks from Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, Rochelle grew up with working class people, many of whom lived paycheck to paycheck and were likely in some form of debt. Her mother was a firm believer in unions and civil service who worked for New York City, and her father was a hard-working cab driver with his own NYC taxi medallion. Recognized for her book smarts in elementary school, Rochelle was placed in an accelerated academic program and graduated two years ahead of her class. By 20, she’d already earned a bachelor’s degree from City College of New York, and she earned her MA from DePaul University four years later.

Though the pressure was on to live up to “being that smart,” Rochelle took a different path, embarking on a career as an elementary school teacher. “I loved teaching and working with my students. I loved learning that there is no such thing as one-size-fits-all.” And while the shrinking population resulted in a lay off and no new prospects, her passion for education had taken its roots. Working at an advertising firm, she realized that helping clients solve problems was her greatest strength. When an opportunity dropped in her lap to train as a financial planner, she knew she was on the right path after all. “Suddenly I had an opportunity to fold everything together: education, helping people, and offering solutions to help people like my parents leverage their hard-earned dollars into greater financial security. Voila! I had found my calling.”

She became a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) in 1987 and holds securities and insurance licenses in multiple states. She became an independent financial planner in 1992, working for notable companies such as IDS Financial Services (now Ameriprise), UNUM, and Ernst & Young where she focused on advising employees of the State of Florida regarding the changing pension system and employee options, as well as with employees at Pfizer, NYSUT, and Phillips Electronics.

Rochelle joined the team at Madison Planning's Westchester County office in 2006. In her role as Vice President, she continues to help individuals and families plan for the future, manage debt, handle complex family situations, and more. “I enjoy people, and people enjoy working with me because I understand and empathize with them. If someone is experiencing a financial issue, I may have experienced it myself or worked with someone who has. And I love to share real-world stories—they’re often the best way to illustrate a fact of life and provide perspective. The best part of my day is when someone tells me I’ve helped them feel understood and comfortable, and that I’m helping them take a step forward.”

Married to her high school sweetheart, Rochelle and her husband have three grown children and live in Westchester.

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Adam Kalender, CFP

Principal

akalender@MadisonPlanning.com

Adam learned firsthand how important wise financial planning can be to a family—and to the future of the next generation. When his mother was diagnosed with a chronic disability in her 30’s, his father was mid-career and busy saving everything he could for the future. When his father died prematurely from cancer in his 60’s, the situation could have been even more devastating to Adam if his father hadn’t been so fiscally prudent. “If he hadn’t made plans to take care of my mother, there would have been no choice but to have her move in with me—and my wife and our very young daughter. Taking care of an older parent who was immobile would have been nearly impossible for us at the time.” says Adam. “Knowing that my mom was well cared for made a huge difference in my life.”

That personal experience gave Adam a rich appreciation of financial planning and a desire to help others build a secure future for themselves and their families.  Coupled with his work experience, Adam brings unique knowledge and perspective to help people prepare for their future. He began in advertising and after a few years decided to pursue a career in planning and he took a position at AXA where he began to learn about comprehensive financial planning. “Back then, the idea of holistic planning was brand new. Until then, nobody was looking at each client’s financial big picture, so it was easy to make a difference in people’s lives.” When he was ready to move on, he met Gary Schwartz at Madison Planning Group, and his career took another step forward. “Gary was a great mentor to me early in my career.  He taught me new strategies, and I saw the value of being independent.”

Still, when a major bank offered him a position as a wealth management specialist, he couldn’t resist. “My goal was to learn as much as I could about every area of the business, and working at the bank gave me training and insight into estate planning and high net worth financial planning.” Four years later, he decided to return to being independent, working with American Business to focus on advanced life insurance and wealth transfer strategies.

Adam returned to Madison Planning's Westchester County branch in 2013, bringing with him a new breadth of experience and the ability to provide a unique level of guidance to his clients. By looking at every piece of the planning puzzle and working in concert with his client’s estate planners, attorneys, insurance providers, and more, He is certainly doing what he’d hoped all along: helping his clients build a secure future for themselves and their families.

A past board member of the Financial Planning Association in the Greater Hudson Valley,

Adam holds a bachelors degree in marketing and economics from SUNY Oswego and is a Certified Financial Planner® (CFP®). His course “Retirement Planning Today” is offered periodically at Rockland Community College and Westchester Community College. He currently lives in Hudson Valley with his wife and their two children.

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Jay Dworkin, MBA

Vice President

jdworkin@MadisonPlanning.com

Jay has been with Madison Planning Group's Westchester County office since 2006. As Vice President, Jay's aim is to empower his clients to make informed decisions and take effective action toward meeting their specific goals.

Jay has more than thirty years of experience as a Financial Services Executive. He holds Series 6, 7, and 66 registrations, and he is a five-time qualified member of the financial services industry's prestigious Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT).

Jay holds a Bachelors Degree in Economics from Colby College in Waterville, ME, and a Masters Degree in Marketing from Seton Hall University in South Orange, NJ.

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Saber Aggoub

Vice President

saggoub@MadisonPlanning.com

When Saber moved from Morocco to the US as a young boy, the difference in living standards between the two countries was shocking. In Morocco, so many families lived in poverty. In the US, even those without wealth enjoyed a level of luxury he’d never seen. “That stark contrast made me wonder, ‘What caused some people to be financially secure? And what caused others not to be secure?’” He set a goal to find the answers by learning everything he could about finance.

As a student at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, NY, Saber focused on finance and earned a bachelor’s degree in business management. After graduation, he researched the best way to break into the world of finance, and discovered that being sponsored by a company was step one toward a securities license. “I knocked on a lot of doors, but I ended up hitting dead ends.” That’s when Saber reached out to Gary. “I’d known Gary for a few years through his service work in my own community. He was always a great guy—very easy to talk to—and I knew he was in finance. Of course, being Gary, he welcomed me with open arms.” Gary invited Saber to spend time in the office to learn about the business, and soon after offered to sponsor him. With the help of Gary and Andrew Federico, Saber earned his Series 7 and Series 66 licenses, and he officially joined Madison Planning Group in October 2016.

In college, Saber learned the difference between good companies and bad companies, and he studied the nuts and bolts of finance and economics. Working with Gary has helped him bring all those pieces of the puzzle together and make sense of it all. Even more, in his role as a planning specialist, Saber has been able to realize his childhood dream of helping people make choices that lead to financial security. “My long-term goal is to follow in Gary’s footsteps and become the kind of financial advisor who has a powerful and positive impact on my clients’ lives. When I see the postcards from Gary’s clients thanking him for all he’s done for them, I know I’m in the right place and on the right path.”

In November, 2019 Saber became a financial advisor with Madison Planning Group.

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Nina Occhino-Melito

Director of New Business

nocchino@MadisonPlanning.com

When Nina finished an 18-month program in business administration back in 2003, she had no idea her next step would put her on a path toward her dream job. “I originally wanted to be a chef, but when I decided to take a more practical path, I was pretty sure I’d find myself number crunching in a job that didn’t bring me a whole lot of fulfillment.”

That all changed when Nina replied to a job posting at her college for Madison Planning Group and came on board to do what she’d expected: crunching numbers. But when an assistant position opened up 10 months later, a door opened. She was soon managing Gary’s schedule—and she began learning about new business management.

“Gary has always been there to guide me and help me find my path,” says Nina. “The fact is, everybody who’s here is here because of Gary and the fact that he treats us like family. We all joke around with each other, but we also have high respect for each other, and we know we all have each others’ backs.”  That sense of family has had a huge impact on her career. “Gary pushed me to be where I am today, and now I’m studying for the Life and Health Insurance exam.” It’s one more ‘next step’ in what’s become Nina’s dream career at Madison Planning Group. Currently Director of New Business, she is responsible for new and existing business for all advisors, processing applications, and servicing existing accounts and policies. Once she has her new license, she’ll be taking on life insurance responsibilities for the firm.

That’s a far cry from number crunching, and Nina couldn’t be happier.

Nina Occhino-Melito is not registered with Royal Alliance Associates, Inc.

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Gabriella B. Kearney

Assistant Director of New Business

gbermudez@MadisonPlanning.com

“I love coming to work. Our team feels like family to me. It has since the very beginning.” As someone who had done “everything under the sun” before landing at Madison Planning Group, Gabriella doesn’t say that lightly.

She first joined the team in 2010 to support Nina Occino-Melito during her upcoming pregnancy leave. Six months pregnant herself at the time, Gabriella covered for Nina during her maternity leave, and then came back to join the team full time. “There was no question in my mind that this is where I belong,” she says. Like the rest of the team, she values Gary’s ongoing guidance and caring through even the toughest times. “As I always say, I love to grow—which has become a bit of a joke at the firm. But Gary knows it’s my passion, and he is always pushing me to continue to move forward and get the education I need to reach my goals.” He encouraged her to take her Series 6 securities exam and continues to support her efforts to grow in her role as Assistant Director of New Business where she is responsible for processing new applications and servicing existing accounts and policies.

“There aren’t many people who are lucky enough to work side-by-side with their best friend and work with a team that truly feels like family,” says Gabriella, and it’s no cliché. “Who else has a boss who pushes you to open up about your own struggles so he can help—and keeps toys in his office for the kids to play with when I need to bring them to work? That’s the level of support he gives to our entire team—and that translates directly into how we work with and treat every one of our clients.”

Gabriella B. Kearney is not registered with Royal Alliance Associates, Inc.

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Julie Abato

Administrative Assistant

jabato@MadisonPlanning.com

While everyone at Madison Planning Group talks about the company feeling like family, for Julie, it feels even more so. Gary has known Julie and her family for over 10 years, and their friendship has grown so much that it has now created an ultimate team to upkeep his growing book of business. “As Gary’s assistant, there’s always the possibility for chaos,” says Julie. “Of course, that’s true for any office, but when Gary offered me a position in 2014, I didn’t realize how much chaos I was actually leaving behind at my prior job at a local car dealership.”

Julie was happy to escape the noise of her old job. Since the start of her journey with Gary and his team, she’s proud to say she has a career that amplifies her true skills. Although she is the newest hire at Madison Planning Group, it wasn’t long before she really understood her new role and just how well she fit into the team. “I love coming to work in a happy environment – the atmosphere, my co-workers, the aura; it all comes together to make Madison Planning Group a great place to be.”

Julie Abato is not registered with Royal Alliance Associates, Inc.

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Wesley Wilson

wwilson@madisonplanning.com

Wesley joined Madison Planning Group in November 2019. 

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