Who is Pinnacle Advisory Group?

Pinnacle Advisory Group is a private wealth management firm, founded in 1993 and headquartered in Columbia, Maryland, with a second office in Naples, Florida. We work with more than 700 families and manage over $1 billion in assets for clients both in the mid-Atlantic region, and around the world.

We serve as your family’s personal Chief Financial Officer, and ensure your overall financial goals are met in a responsible way, through the combination of comprehensive financial planning and active portfolio management. Our team has a single mission: to help you live the life you’ve worked so hard to enjoy. When we take on new clients, they become part of our extended family, and in the past two decades, we’ve developed multi-generational relationships with many of them.

Those we work with include successful professionals, corporate executives, business owners, entrepreneurs, and individuals and families with substantial and complex assets. While our clients’ investable assets typically exceed $1 million, we are able to serve clients at every asset level.

EXECUTIVE TEAM

WEALTH MANAGEMENT TEAM

Mike Hamolia joined Pinnacle in November 2005, and over the past several years, has had the opportunity to work with and learn from Wealth Manager William Bissett and Partners Dwight Mikulis and Deb Kriebel. He was certified as a Registered Paraplanner (RP®) in February 2007, and became a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) in 2011. He works with clients regularly, often drafting and presenting retirement plans and portfolio reviews. Mike has a bachelor’s degree in Business from the University of Maryland, and is an active member of the Financial Planning Association (FPA) of Maryland.

INVESTMENT TEAM

Carl joined Pinnacle in 2001 after graduating with honors with a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from the University of Maryland. In his role as Senior Investment Analyst, he is involved in a variety of different research and analysis efforts, ranging from broad macro-economic topics to individual security selection issues, across different asset classes and markets. He helped develop Pinnacle’s Tactical Asset Allocation investment strategy from its beginnings in 2002, and remains actively involved in its ongoing execution. He is an integral part of Pinnacle’s Investment Team, which handles the day-to-day portfolio management activities. Carl is a CFA charterholder.

Sean Dillon graduated with honors from Neumann College with a bachelor’s degree in Marketing. After graduating, he worked in sales for a major financial institution, where he obtained his Series 7 and 66 certifications. He joined Pinnacle Advisory Group in October 2005 as the company’s Portfolio Trader. In this role, his primary responsibilities include daily trading of client portfolios and performance management. He also serves on Pinnacle’s Investment Committee, which is responsible for making asset allocation and security selection decisions, and has become the firm’s Technical Analyst, analyzing and reporting technical conditions to the Investment Team. Sean is a Chartered Market Technician (CMT).

Sauro joined Pinnacle full-time in January 2011 after completing an internship with the firm over the previous summer. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a master’s degree in Finance from Bocconi University, in Italy. As Pinnacle’s Quantitative Analyst, Sauro is primarily responsible for the management and development of Pinnacle’s in-house quantitative research models, which support the firm’s investment decisions. He also serves on Pinnacle’s Investment Committee, which makes the firm’s asset allocation and security selection decisions, with a focus in international markets. He is currently pursuing the professional certification of Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA).

OPERATIONS AND CLIENT SERVICES

Karen is Pinnacle’s Office Manager and is responsible for overseeing the day to day business operations of the firm, along with all aspects of staff management. Karen’s areas of responsibility include Pinnacle’s accounting and banking, operational SEC compliance, Human Resources, and oversight of Custodial Relationships. She also serves on the firm’s Management Team. A graduate of the University of Maryland, she has spent time on both coasts, having worked in the banking and financial fields in California and Maryland.

Kristin came to Pinnacle Advisory Group in July 2006 with more than six years of experience in client services, and with a background in banking. She was certified as a Registered Paraplanner (RP®) in February 2007, and received her CFP® in 2011. She now serves as the manager of Pinnacle’s Operations department. She has a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Salisbury University.

Tim joined the Pinnacle team in December 2009, and handles business development and performance marketing. He started his career in the financial services industry at Legg Mason as a broker’s assistant, and has worked for both asset managers and financial planners. In 2003 he graduated from McDaniel College (formerly Western Maryland College), where he received his bachelor’s degree in History with a minor in Journalism. Tim currently lives in Towson, Maryland, with his wife, Jessica, and their sons, Benjamin and William.

Tom is a graduate of the University of Baltimore with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. He joined Pinnacle in 2008 from the real estate title industry, where he was a settlement agent, and currently provides client support to Mindy Gasthalter and Jeff Troll. Tom became certified as a Registered Paraplanner (RP®) in November 2010. He’s a lifelong native of Baltimore, where he lives with his wife, Carrie, and their three children.

Amanda Staelens joined the Pinnacle team as an Operations Associate in August 2009, with 2 years of experience in accounts receivable and more than 8 years in customer service, and provides support to the clients of John Hill, Deb Kriebel, Barbara Ristow, and Michael Green. She has her associate’s degree in Business Administration and hopes to pursue a bachelor’s degree in the same field. She is actively involved with Animal Rescue, Inc. and lives in Baltimore.

Larrissa Regnault joined Pinnacle’s operations team in 2011, bringing with her over ten years of experience in customer service. Prior to Pinnacle, she spent 5 years as the Manager of Operations Support for TekSystems, overseeing a team of 6 and handling the collection of customer accounts. Currently, she provides operational support for the clients of Dwight Mikulis, William Bissett, and Andrew Krone. Larrissa is originally from Colorado, but now lives in Odenton, Maryland, with her husband — a lieutenant in the Navy — and two sons, Michael and Nathan.

Vilas joined the Pinnacle Team in September 2009. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Computer Information Systems and a master’s degree in Applied Information Technology from Towson University. Vilas worked for eight years with Baltimore-based Erickson Retirement Communities as a Network Administrator at their corporate headquarters, an IT Site Manager at one of their Baltimore campuses, and finally in Dallas, Texas, as a Senior IT Site Manager. Vilas is responsible for overseeing the various technological aspects of Pinnacle’s operation.

Brian Saint-Paul joined Pinnacle in 2011. He received his bachelor’s degree in Philosophy and master’s degree in Religious Studies from the Catholic University of America. In the time since, he has been a high school teacher, a missionary, the associate director of a health research institute, and was for ten years the editor-in-chief of an influential political/cultural magazine in Washington, D.C. Brian handles Pinnacle’s brand development — including the writing, website, graphic design, videos, and media outreach. He lives with his wife and two daughters in Federal Hill, Baltimore.

Cybil joined Pinnacle as the administrative assistant in July 2012. She has over 16 years of experience in customer service and sales, with 12 years of experience in human resources and management. Cybil provides administrative support to the day-to-day operations of the business and is the first line of contact for our clients. She is detail oriented, organized, and highly motivated to be successful. She lives with her husband and son in the Annapolis area.