Advisors and Advisory Support
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Brandon has been with Northwestern Mutual since 2010 and joined our team in 2011. Brandon is an Associate Wealth Management Advisor with Northwestern Mutual and a Registered Representative of Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC maintaining securities Series 7 and 63 registrations and his Life, Accident & Health Insurance license. Brandon also holds the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification, Certified Investment Management Analyst®, Chartered Financial Consultant®, Chartered Life Underwriter®, and Retirement Income Certified Professional® designations.
Brandon grew up in Kailua, Hawaii and moved to New York in 2005. He is a graduate from Columbia University with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and a minor in Education. Brandon is on the Junior Board of Read Ahead, a non-profit organization focused on mentoring children to succeed in school through literacy. He resides in the Bronx, NY with his wife Miho.
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Lucas Scocchia CFP®, CPWA®, WMCP®, ChFC®
Director of Business Analytics & Lead Advisor
Lucas joined Pioneer Financial in 2016. He currently holds the titles of Lead Advisor and Director of Finance & Analytics. In addition, Lucas is the Chair of the Mergers, Acquisitions, and Strategic Partnership Committee within the organization. He also is a member of Pioneer Financial’s Leadership Team. He holds multiple certifications and designations, including the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification (CFP®), Certified Private Wealth Advisor™ certification (CPWA®), and also the Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA®), Wealth Management Certified Professional (WMCP®), and Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC®) designations.
As a Lead Advisor, Lucas details a comprehensive financial planning approach, focusing in the areas of complex estate & next-generational wealth, wealth accumulation, retirement distribution, & risk management strategies. Within his leadership team position as the Director of Finance & Analytics, he analyzes firm financial data & industry trends to provide insights & strategic recommendations to improve efficiency, optimize profitability, manage expenses, and support informed decision making within the organization.
Lucas was born and raised in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada, where his time was occupied as an outdoorsman, an athlete, and grinding with his father within the family construction business. He accepted an athletic scholarship and graduated from Oakland University with a Bachelor's of Science in Finance and a Minor in Accounting. Academically, Lucas was a four-time Horizon League Honor Roll Student. Athletically, he competed for the NCAA Baseball Division 1 Golden Grizzlies for 4 seasons in a late-bullpen role. He also met his wife, Elizabeth (a tennis team athlete) during their time in school.
Lucas rigorously trains Jiu Jitsu, enjoys riding his motorcycle and competing in any athletic activity. He is an avid reader of educational material and fantasy novels. He currently resides in Long Island City, NY with his wife Ellie and two Australian shepherds Maya & Zuko.
He is an Associate Wealth Management Advisor with Northwestern Mutual and a Registered Representative of Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC maintaining securities Series 7 and 63 registrations and his Life, Accident & Health Insurance license.
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Michael joined Pioneer in August of 2020 as a Lead Advisor. He graduated from the CW Post Campus at Long Island University in 1994, summa cum laude, majoring in Marketing. He brings to Pioneer Financial a wealth of knowledge and experience in both financial planning and servicing high net worth individuals. Early in his career, he worked as a market-maker/trader on one of the busiest OTC trading floors at the time.
Later in his career he shifted his focus to planning and eventually worked to obtain his CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional designation in 2012. Michael grew up on Long Island, NY and now resides in Massapequa with his wife and two teenage children. He enjoys running, boating, and pretty much anything that involves his family.
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Sue oversees the design and creation of financial plans at Pioneer Financial. She is also a Lead Advisor working directly with clients helping them implement strategies to achieve their goals. Sue has over 20 years of experience working in various planning capacities. She received a bachelor’s degree in business administration-risk management and insurance as well as a bachelor’s degree in consumer science-personal finance, both from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Prior to joining Pioneer Financial, she worked at the home office of Northwestern Mutual as well as R.W. Baird. Sue is married to Dave, and they have two sons, Zander and Will. In her spare time, she enjoys watching her kid’s games, reading a good book and is on a mission to visit all 63 National Parks.
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John P. Parisi CLU®, ChFC®, CLTC®, CASL®
Financial Advisor | Long Term Care Specialist
John Parisi is a Northwestern Mutual Financial Advisor and Long-Term Care Specialist with over 37 years of experience providing personalized, comprehensive and objective financial planning and wealth management advice.
John Parisi graduated from Boston College in 1986 with a degree in finance. He joined Northwestern Mutual the same year and went on to earn the professional designations of Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU®) and Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC®). John Parisi is also Certified in Long Term Care (CLTC®) planning and also earned the Chartered Advisor for Senior Living (CASL®) designation.
John has been named to the Forbes Best-In-State Top Financial Security Professionals List in 2023.
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Alex began his career with Northwestern Mutual in 2009 and is a Wealth Management Advisor and member of Pioneer Financial. Pioneer Financial is one of Northwestern Mutual’s largest multi-leader ensembles and they are recognized as a member of Northwestern Mutual’s Private Client Group. Pioneer Financial consists of over 30 highly credentialed financial professionals, collectively focused on providing comprehensive, customized, objective financial planning and wealth management advice. The Pioneer Financial advisor team has more than 75 combined years working to meet the varied and personalized needs of their clients.
In guiding his clients as an advisor and financial resource, Alex works with his clients to create comprehensive financial plans. These plans start with gaining clarity around what it will take to achieve financial independence, oftentimes the missing link as his belief is that an investment portfolio does not equate to a financial plan. This comprehensive approach includes retirement planning, portfolio/asset allocation advice, tax diversification strategies, estate planning, life and disability insurance as well as long term care planning. Alex is committed to helping his clients make the right decisions today so they wake up well positioned tomorrow.
Alex earned his Bachelor of Arts in Economics while attending SUNY Stony Brook University. As a Registered Representative of Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC, Alex has access to a wide array of investment products and services. He maintains securities Series 7, 6 and 63 registrations and his Life, Accident & Health Insurance license.
Alex has achieved various professional accomplishments over the years including qualifying for membership with the Million Dollar Round Table, the premier association of financial security professionals. In 2023 he was named to the Forbes Best-In-State Top Financial Security Professionals.
Alex resides in Bay Shore, NY with his wife Brittany, their two children Kennedy and Anderson, and their two dogs Buddy and Darby. In his spare time Alex enjoys traveling, exercising, and playing golf.
Forbes Best-in-State Top Financial Security Professionals list (July 2023), Research and ranking provided by SHOOK Research, LLC. Based upon data as of 12/31/2022. Northwestern Mutual (NM) and its advisors do not pay for placement on 3rd party rating or ranking lists. NM and its advisors do, however, pay marketing fees to these organizations to promote the rating or ranking(s). Rankings and recognitions are no guarantee of future investment success.
Ray has been with Northwestern Mutual since 2011 and joined our team in 2013. Ray is an Insurance Agent with Northwestern Mutual and a Registered Representative of Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC maintaining securities Series 6 and 63 registrations and his Life, Accident & Health Insurance license.
Ray grew up in Rockaway Beach, NY. He graduated from Amherst College with a Bachelor of Arts in Law, Jurisprudence and Social Thought. While there he balanced his time between academics and athletics, playing point guard on the varsity basketball team. Ray has a passion for music and currently lives in Greenwich, CT with his wife Sarah and their three boys Kieran, Jack, and Casey.
Sarah Urichianu MBA
Director of Client Engagement & Associate Lead Advisor
Sarah joined our Pioneer team in 2016. She is an Associate Lead Advisor, a member of our Leadership Team, and serves on the D&I Committee.
She graduated in 2015 with her Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Texas of the Permian Basin, where she was a member of the Women’s Volleyball Team and the Cheer Team.
Sarah was born and raised in Texas. She and her husband Mihai have lived in Texas, New Jersey, and Buffalo, NY, where their two children, Luca and Mia, were born. She and her family now reside in San Antonio, TX. She enjoys music, singing, running, outdoor sports, and hiking and kayaking with her family.