SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
2024 RHODE ISLAND
FIVE STAR AWARD WINNERS
These days , it takes a village to manage your financial world . Whether it is managing your assets with a wealth manager , navigating the ever-changing tax landscape , sorting out your estate and succession planning or picking the right life insurance , finding the right team can be a daunting task . In fact , many consumers have a hard time figuring out where to even begin .
Sometimes , a few simple questions can put you off on the right path . Asking a professional what makes working with them a unique experience can help you understand how they work and if their style meshes with your own .
This is a great place to start ! Five Star Professional uses its own proprietary research methodology to name outstanding professionals , then works with publications such as Rhode Island Monthly to spread the word about award winners . Each award candidate undergoes a thorough research process ( detailed here ) before being considered for the final list of award winners . For the complete list of winners , go to www . fivestarprofessional . com .
FIVE STAR WEALTH MANAGER
DETERMINATION OF AWARD WINNERS CRITERIA
Award candidates who satisfied 10 objective eligibility and evaluation criteria were named 2024 Five Star Wealth Managers . Eligibility Criteria – Required : 1 . Credentialed as a registered investment adviser or a registered investment adviser representative . 2 . Actively employed as a credentialed professional in the financial services industry for a minimum of five years . 3 . Favorable regulatory and complaint history review . 4 . Fulfilled their firm review based on internal firm standards . 5 . Accepting new clients . Evaluation Criteria – Considered : 6 . One-year client retention rate . 7 . Five-year client retention rate . 8 . Noninstitutional discretionary and / or non-discretionary client assets administered . 9 . Number of client households served . 10 . Education and professional designations . 703 award candidates in the Rhode Island area were considered for the Five Star Wealth Manager award . 120 ( approximately 17 % of the award candidates ) were named 2024 Five Star Wealth Managers .
RESEARCH DISCLOSURES
In order to consider a broad population of high-quality wealth managers and investment professionals , award candidates are identified by one of three sources : firm nomination , peer nomination or prequalification based on industry standing . Self-nominations are not accepted . Rhode Island-area award candidates were identified using internal and external research data . Candidates do not pay a fee to be considered or placed on the final lists of Five Star Wealth Managers or Five Star Investment Professionals .
• The Five Star award is not indicative of a professional ’ s future performance .
• Wealth managers may or may not use discretion in their practice and therefore may not manage their clients ’ assets .
• The inclusion of a professional on the Five Star Wealth Manager list or the Five Star Investment Professional list should not be construed as an endorsement of the professional by Five Star Professional or Rhode Island Monthly .
• Working with a Five Star Wealth Manager , Five Star Investment Professional or any professional is no guarantee as to future investment success , nor is there any guarantee that the selected professionals will be awarded this accomplishment by Five Star Professional in the future .
• Five Star Professional is not an advisory firm and the content of this article should not be considered financial advice . For more information on the Five Star Wealth Manager or Five Star Investment Professional award programs , research and selection criteria , go to fivestarprofessional . com / research .
FIVE STAR INVESTMENT PROFESSIONAL
DETERMINATION OF AWARD WINNERS CRITERIA
The investment professional award goes to estate planning attorneys , insurance agents and select others in the financial industry . Eligibility Criteria – Required : 1 . Credentialed with appropriate state or industry licensures . 2 . Actively employed as a credentialed professional in the financial services industry for a minimum of five years . 3 . Favorable regulatory and complaint history review . 4 . Accepting new clients . Evaluation Criteria – Considered : 5 . One-year client retention rate . 6 . Five-year client retention rate . 7 . Number of client households served . 8 . Recent personal production and performance ( industry specific criteria ). 9 . Education and professional designations / industry and board certifications . 10 . Pro Bono and community service work . This year , we honored 3 Rhode Island-area investment professionals with the Five Star Investment Professional award .
Financial Planning
Nathan L . Beauvais Sowa Financial Group , Inc .
Rick Campbell Financial Independence , LLC Page 13
James S . Cruise LPL Financial / The Virtus Group Page 2
Mark S . Cruise LPL Financial / The Virtus Group Page 2
Danny DeHoney Ameriprise Financial Services , LLC Page 6
Paul Di Palma Ameriprise Financial Services , LLC Page 6
Patricia Joy Della Torre Ameriprise Financial Services , LLC / BrightView Financial Group
Derek D . Doo WealthCare Investment Partners Page 15
Daniel A . Gamm Ameriprise Financial Services , LLC Page 14
Steven P . Hagopian Ameriprise Financial Services , LLC Page 14
All award winners are listed in this publication .
Michael Langlois Strategic Financial Group Page 15
Mark Lavallee Financial Independence , LLC Page 13
Jason M . Platt Ameriprise Financial Services , LLC Page 3
Mark Rapoza Barrett & Company Page 13
Hector R . Rodriguez LPL Financial Page 4
Guido Mogatti Sarcione LPL Financial
Greg Silva Ameriprise Financial Services , LLC Page14
Paul M . Teixeira Teixeira Financial Group Page 7
Investments
Peter Alofsin Capital Wealth Management , LLC Page 10
Karen J . Bacon Diversified Resources , LLC Page 14
Kirsten Bagaglia BankRI Investment Services Page 9
Steven Beauvais Sowa Financial Group , Inc .
Curt Caserta Capital Wealth Management , LLC Page 10
Louis Goldman Morgan Stanley Page 15
Raymond W . Gutowski Pinnacle Wealth Management Page 8
Brad Ingegneri Ivy Wealth Management , Inc . Page 11
Mark R . Provost D & P Investment Advisors , Ltd . Page 12
Matthew Ricci Ameriprise Financial Services , LLC Page 12
John Riley Cornerstone Investment Services Page 5
Shaun Thomas Scott Old Forge Wealth Management LLC
Donna Grace Sowa Allard Sowa Financial Group , Inc .
Melissa Trapp BankRI Investment Services Page 9
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Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc . owns the certification marks CFP ®, Certified finanCial Planner™ and federally registered CFP ( with plaque design ) in the U . S ., which it awards to individuals who successfully complete CFP Board ’ s initial and ongoing certification requirements . The Chartered Financial Consultant ® credential [ ChFC ®] is a financial planning designation awarded by The American College .
This award was issued on 12 / 01 / 2023 by Five Star Professional ( FSP ) for the time period 02 / 13 / 2023 through 08 / 31 / 2023 . Fee paid for use of marketing materials . Selfcompleted questionnaire was used for rating . This rating is not related to the quality of the investment advice and based solely on the disclosed criteria . 703 Rhode Island-area wealth managers were considered for the award ; 120 ( 17 % of candidates ) were named 2024 Five Star Wealth Managers .
Wealth managers do not pay a fee to be considered or placed on the final list of Five Star Wealth Managers . The award is based on 10 objective criteria . Eligibility criteria – required : 1 . Credentialed as a registered investment adviser ( RIA ) or a registered investment adviser representative ; 2 . Actively licensed as a RIA or as a principal of a registered investment adviser firm for a minimum of 5 years ; 3 . Favorable regulatory and complaint history review ( As defined by FSP , the wealth manager has not ; A . Been subject to a regulatory action that resulted in a license being suspended or revoked , or payment of a fine ; B . Had more than a total of three settled or pending complaints filed against them and / or a total of five settled , pending , dismissed or denied complaints with any regulatory authority or FSP ’ s consumer complaint process . Unfavorable feedback may have been discovered through a check of complaints registered with a regulatory authority or complaints registered through FSP ’ s consumer complaint process ; feedback may not be representative of any one client ’ s experience ; C . Individually contributed to a financial settlement of a customer complaint ; D . Filed for personal bankruptcy within the past 11 years ; E . Been terminated from a financial services firm within the past 11 years ; F . Been convicted of a felony ); 4 . Fulfilled their firm review based on internal standards ; 5 . Accepting new clients . Evaluation criteria – considered : 6 . One-year client retention rate ; 7 . Five-year client retention rate ; 8 . Non-institutional discretionary and / or non-discretionary client assets administered ; 9 . Number of client households served ; 10 . Education and professional designations . FSP does not evaluate quality of services provided to clients . The award is not indicative of the wealth manager ’ s future performance . Wealth managers may or may not use discretion in their practice and therefore may not manage their clients ’ assets . The inclusion of a wealth manager on the Five Star Wealth Manager list should not be construed as an endorsement of the wealth manager by FSP or this publication . Working with a Five Star Wealth Manager or any wealth manager is no guarantee as to future investment success , nor is there any guarantee that the selected wealth managers will be awarded this accomplishment by FSP in the future . This year , we honored 3 Rhode Island-area investment professionals with the Five Star Investment Professional award .
LEARN MORE AT FIVESTARPROFESSIONAL . COM — FS-1