Weiss & Hale Financial, LLC

Jim is a Managing Partner at Weiss & Hale Financial with more than 30 years experience helping individuals, families, and organizations create solutions for their financial challenges and plans to achieve their goals. Jim holds an Accredited Asset Management Specialist (AAMS) designation from the College for Financial Planning and is a Registered Life Planner (RLP). Jim is an Investment Adviser Representative of Commonwealth Financial Network^®.

Jim is a former First Vice President for Investments, at both Merrill Lynch and Advest, Inc., and is a member of the Kinder Life Planning Network.

Jim enjoys working with clients regarding transitions, such as retirement, inheritance, and divorce. In addition to the typical Financial Planning modalities available today, Jim specializes in Financial Life Planning, a process that enables people to first focus on their deeply held values and goals, and then create a plan from that perspective. Jim's planning clients actually create a Life Plan with Jim's guidance; in it, they strive to map out a path to greater financial freedom. In addition, he hosts a radio program called "You & Your Money" featuring guest speakers and touching on everything from personal financial planning to the region's economic development.

Jim is a graduate of Northfield Mount Hermon and holds a BA from St. Lawrence University. In addition to serving two terms as Representative in the Connecticut State House, Jim has a long history of community service, having served in leadership positions on many boards and commissions over the years. He enjoys tennis, golf, and yoga, and is an avid cook and baker. He lives in Pomfret with his wife, Nancy, a local columnist and fund raising consultant. They have two children, Hadley, who resides in the Hartford area, and Chelsea, who resides in the Boston area.

Laurence holds the positions of chief executive officer (CEO) and chief investment officer (CIO) at Weiss & Hale Financial. He enjoys working with clients to develop and refine their financial goals and to create investment strategies that support these goals through optimized portfolio management programs.

Laurence is also an appointed member of Connecticut's Investment Advisory Council, which serves as an advisory body to the state treasurer in overseeing the approximately $25 billion in Connecticut's retirement plans and trust funds.

Before forming Weiss & Hale with Jim, Laurence worked in the institutional defined contribution business at Putnam Investments, Inc. He graduated from Hobart College in Geneva, New York, with a degree in economics and holds the designations of Accredited Asset Management Specialist (AAMS) and Chartered Retirement Plans Specialist^SM (CRPS^®) from the College for Financial Planning.

Laurence is active with a number of nonprofit and charitable organizations. He currently serves on the Rectory School Board of Trustees. He is a former member of the Pomfret School Board of Trustees, serving as Chair of the Audit Committee and as a member of the Finance and Facilities Committees. Laurence was recently appointed to the YMCA of Greater Hartford Board of Directors. He is also a Corporator of Day Kimball Healthcare and a past member of the DKH Financial and Investment Oversight Committees. Laurence has also served as Past President of the Quinebaug Valley Community College (QVCC) Foundation, Inc., and QVCC Foundation Finance Committee. Laurence also volunteers for his alma maters. A native of Pomfret, Connecticut, he resides there with his wife, Jane, and their three children. In his free time, Laurence enjoys fly-fishing, hiking, golf, and sailing.

Heather anchors the Weiss & Hale Financial customer service team. She has more than 12 years' experience with advisors Laurence and Jim and more than 20 years in the financial services business. She has been an integral part of the growth of the firm and the satisfaction of our clients. Heather has held positions at Paul Revere, First Union in Worcester; Merrill Lynch; and Advest, where she was honored with the distinguished Client Service Award.

She holds a producer's license for life and health insurance, the FINRA Series 7 registration, and a Registered Paraplanner designation from the College for Financial Planning. Heather's commitment delivers skilled, timely answers to client questions and due diligence to outstanding matters. She offers industry experience along with an extraordinary personal commitment to client service.

Heather lives in northeastern Connecticut with her husband and their loyal dog. She enjoys traveling in Maine and hiking the many trails of Acadia National Park. She is a devoted follower of U2, but above all else she is an incredibly loyal fan of the Boston Red Sox.

Deirdre joined the firm in 2008 and leads the firm's communications, advertising, events, institutional business development, and sponsorship endeavors. She focuses on developing the client experience within the firm's mission to help clients large and small to Plan Well, Invest Well, and Live Well. She has an agency background in strategic marketing, branding, and program management, working with corporate clients throughout Fairfield County and New York City. Deirdre developed strategic campaigns with brand management teams at James River Corporation, Pepsico, Guinness Import Company, and Unilever. Deirdre began her career in financial services industry in 1990 at Irving Levin Associates with a focus on appraisal reporting for hospitals and tracking health-care facility mergers and acquisitions. Prior to this, she worked with CIGNA in 401(k) investment plan servicing. She is also a licensed Connecticut real estate salesperson, affiliated with Connecticut Prudential Real Estate.

Deirdre's positive attitude, discretion, innovation, and attention to detail complement Weiss & Hale's commitment to excellence in client satisfaction. Deirdre volunteers for several commissions in the region and recently served as project director for the Last Green Valley organization's mini-grant project to construct an outdoor classroom and interactive trail along the Still River. She is a member of the Rectory School board of visitors and is a corporator for Day Kimball Hospital. Deirdre attended the University of Vermont business program and graduated cum laude from the University of Connecticut with a degree in political science/international affairs. She is an outdoor aficionado: a hiker, mountain biker, and an avid downhill skier.

Tammy comes to Weiss & Hale from Woodstock Academy, where she provided support for the Academic Dean's office, school community families, and the Academy's administration. She enjoyed her position at WA for over 12 years. At Weiss & Hale, Tammy is chiefly responsible for client service and advisor scheduling. She is the voice on our telephone, and her experience and enthusiasm for following details to the end made her an excellent addition to our team in 2010.

Tammy is passionate about family. She and her husband have raised three wonderful daughters who are in various stages of accomplishment in high school, college, and post-graduate work. To further show her support for family, she rallied and in 2003 organized "Wayne's Walk" for her father who was suffering from ALS. More than 800 participants walked to benefit the ALS Foundation in CT.

Tammy has lived in the northeastern corner of Connecticut and in Newport, Rhode Island, and maintains many close ties to family and friends throughout the Last Green Valley. She adores fashion, shopping, working out, reading, and cooking.

For years, we have prided ourselves in our very personal approach to managing your financial health, and with our alliance as Investment Advisor Representatives of Commonwealth Financial Network and its vast service and research resources, we continue our tradition of excellence.

Our partnership Commonwealth Financial Network^®, one of the preeminent independent broker/dealers in the United States ensures that you receive access to a wide variety of nonproprietary investment choices to complement your financial goals.

Commonwealth also provides us with efficient back office, industry compliance, investment, and technology support so that we can spend our time focusing on you, and your financial needs. To learn more about Commonwealth, please visit their new site at: www.commonwealth.com.