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Meet our team
Steven Puckett, AIF®, CRPS® Vice President of Retirement Plans
Steven Puckett serves as the Director of Retirement Plans for Gateway Advisory LLC. Steve manages and consults on retirement plans in the areas of investment advisory services, fiduciary services, forensic plan audits, fiduciary risk mitigation solutions, compliance assistance, and fee audits for 403(b) plans, 401(k) plans, 457 plans, Defined Benefit plans, and Non-Qualified Plans. With over 20 years of experience in the retirement plans industry, Steve has assisted and consulted with hundreds of companies with their retirement plans concerns.
spuckett@gatewayadvisory.com
Prior to joining Gateway Advisory LLC, Steve held senior level positions at HANYS Benefit Services, Gallagher Retirement Services, MetLife, Oppenheimer Funds, and Nicholas Applegate Capital Management. Steven has been a featured retirement plans speaker at the Securities Industry Association (SIA) conference and the National Tax Sheltered Accounts Association (NTSAA) national conferences.
Steven has been named as one of the Top 100 retirement plan advisors in the United States by Plan Sponsor Magazine in 2015 and 2016. Steve was also named one of the Top 300 in the years 2008, 2009, 2010. Steve has been awarded his Accredited Investment Fiduciary designation (AIF®) from the University of Pittsburgh and the Chartered Retirement Plan Specialist (CRPS®) designation from the College for Financial Planning. Steve received his Bachelor’s Degree (BBA) in Finance from the University of Iowa.Rita Riccardi Director of Retirement Plans
Rita Riccardi serves as Director of Retirement Plans for Gateway Retirement Consulting. Rita manages the service team responsible for assisting in the daily administration of each plan. Rita works with clients to deliver retirement plans solutions for both sponsors and participants.
Prior to joining Gateway Advisory LLC, Rita was Vice President at Bankers Trust/Deutsche Bank where she started her financial services career.
rriccardi@gatewayadvisory.com
Rita received her Bachelor of Science degree from Montclair State University in Business Administration.Richard S. Banasiak Senior Account Manager
Richard S. Banasiak serves as a Senior Account Manager for Gateway Advisory LLC. Rich manages and consults on retirement plans in the areas of investment advisory services, fiduciary services, pension audits and fee audits for 401(k)plans, 403(b) plans, Defined Benefit plans and Non-Qualified Plans. Rich has over 29 years of experience in the retirement plans industry, specializing in annual compliance testing (ADP,410(b) coverage and Top-Heavy testing) along with consulting clients on keeping their plans compliant. Rich is also well versed with handling mergers and acquisitions and has extensive exposure working with CEO’s, CFO’s and Human Resource personnel onplan design and at on-site RFP sales meetings.
Prior to joining Gateway Advisory LLC, Rich worked for the past 17 years with Merrill Lynch as both a Senior Compliance Consultant and Senior Account Manager. In the late 1990’s he worked as a Retirement Plan Manager for a 30,000 live commercial cleaning company in New York City where he managed a Non-Qualified Executive Plan, 401k Plan and Defined Benefit Plan.
Rich is a graduate of Rutgers University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Statistics, is married 24 years to his wife Rose and has 3 daughters Jessica, Amanda and Sara. Rich is an active parishioner at Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Scotch Plains, NJ and a member of St. Joseph the Carpenter Council Knights of Columbus in Roselle, NJ. In his free time Rich loves watching and playing sports,traveling with his family and making a difference in the local community helping those less fortunate through various charities.
rbanasiak@gatewayadvisory.comTheresa McIlroy Client Services
Theresa joined Gateway Retirement Consulting in July of 2018. Prior to joining Gateway, Theresa was a teacher’s assistant at Holy Trinity Preschool in Mountainside, New Jersey. Theresa earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Marist College.
Theresa lives in Westfield, New Jersey with her husband Gary and two sons, Matthew and Patrick. When not working Theresa enjoys spending time with her family and friends, attending her son’s lacrosse games, relaxing at the beach and volunteering in the community.
tmcilroy@gatewayadvisory.comGlenn A. Blachman, CFP®, CIMA®, AIF®, M.S. Principal
Glenn is one of the founding partners and a principal of Gateway Advisory, LLC. Prior to forming Gateway in 2010, Glenn was a Vice President and investment advisor at Merrill Lynch where he started his financial services career in 1994.
Glenn earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Rutgers University, his CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™/ CFP® certification from NYU, his Master of Science degree in Financial Planning from the College for Financial Planning, his Certification as an Investment Management Analyst (CIMA®) from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and his Accredited Investment Fiduciary designation (AIF®) from the Center for Fiduciary Studies.
Glenn is a member of The National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA) and the Investment Management Consultants Association (IMCA).
401(k) Wire named Glenn as one of the 300 Most Influential Defined Contribution Advisors. Financial Times named Glenn as Top 401 Financial Advisors and Gateway Advisory as Financial Times 300 Top Registered Investment Advisors.
Glenn resides in Brooklyn, New York with his wife and two daughters. He is also on the Advisory Board for Eisner Crane Lake Camps. When he is not at work, he enjoys spending time with his family, an occasional round of golf, fishing and skiing.
gblachman@gatewayadvisory.comDonna Renson Client Services
Donna has been a Client Associate for Gateway Advisory, LLC since its inception in 2010 and is part of the service team supporting our Wealth Management Clients. Prior to the formation of Gateway Advisory, Donna was a Senior Client Associate at Merrill Lynch for over 20 years and has worked in client service for various firms throughout her career. Donna is focused on providing a high level of personalized service to our Wealth Management clients while handling all operational and administrative issues.
Donna resides in Staten Island with her husband and two children.
drenson@gatewayadvisory.comBrian J. Power, CFP®, M.S. Principal
Brian is one of the principals of Gateway Advisory, LLC, established in 2010. Prior to forming Gateway Advisory, LLC Brian was a Vice President and investment advisor at Merrill Lynch. He has devoted his professional career to working with clients and their families to understand not only their financial needs and goals but to learn about their personal goals and favorite past times. He has over 25 years experience in the financial industry.
Brian earned his Bachelors of Science Degree from Rutgers University, his CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™/ CFP® certification from NYU and his Masters of Science in Financial Planning from the College for Financial Planning.
Brian is a New Jersey native. He dedicates his free time attending events and activities for his 4 children.
bpower@gatewayadvisory.comJay H. Flamme Principal
Jay is one of the principals of Gateway Advisory, LLC, established in 2010. Prior to forming Gateway Advisory, LLC Jay was a Senior Portfolio Manager at Merrill Lynch. He continues to cultivate his role as Portfolio Manager at Gateway Advisory. He formulates investment strategies and controls portfolio risk and is hands on with evaluating portfolio managers and the selection of Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) for our clients. He has over 27 years’ experience in the investment industry.
Jay earned his Bachelors of Arts Degree in Economics from Villanova University.
Jay is president and investment committee member of FASTACT, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping Summit, New Jersey public school system. In his spare time he likes to play golf and work on projects around the house.
Jay is a New Jersey native. He lives in Summit with his wife and 2 children.
jflamme@gatewayadvisory.comCathy Sealey Client Services
Cathy has been a Client Associate for Gateway Advisory, LLC since its inception in 2010; prior to her tenure with Gateway Advisory she was a Client Associate at Merrill Lynch for 8 years. She has over 15 years working closely with clients and advisors.
Cathy earned her Associate’s Degree in Applied Science from Berkeley College and earned a certificate in Help Desk Support from Lincoln Technical Institute.
She resides in Old Bridge with her son, Amari.
csealey@gatewayadvisory.comJay R. Horowitz, M.S.
Jay is an Advisor at Gateway Advisory, LLC. Prior to joining Gateway Advisory LLC, Jay was the Managing Member of FSH Financial Services LLC in New York. FSH merged its client base into Gateway in 2012. As a Financial Advisor, Jay has worked to prepare his clients for retirement and help them work toward achieving their current and future financial goals. Understanding his clients life issues and desires has allowed Jay to assist his clients solve many of life’s financial issues.
Prior to forming FSH Financial Services, LLC, Jay was President of Jay R. Horowitz CPA’s PC, a New York based Public Accounting firm concentrating on tax and auditing of closely held businesses.
Jay received his Bachelors of Business Administration degree from The Baruch School of the City University of New York and a Master of Science Degree from Queens College in New York with a major in Administration.
Jay enjoys playing Golf and serves on the board of a Middle States accredited college in New York.
Jay is a native of New York, presently residing in Florida with his wife Rita. He has three children and 6 grandchildren.
jhorowitz@gatewayadvisory.comPeter L. Inverso, Jr., CFP®
Peter has worked in the financial arena for over 30 years; he owned and operated Inverso Capital Management prior to joining Gateway Advisory, LLC in 2016. Peter has lectured on financial planning and investments at schools, corporations and for AARP senior groups and has taught adult education classes in the College for Financial Planning. He is involved in ongoing lectures and course work in economics and investment studies at Princeton University. Peter has conducted live call-in radio shows concerning college planning and funding.
Peter earned his Bachelor of Science Degree (B.S.) from The College of New Jersey (formerly Trenton State College) and his CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™/ CFP® certification from the College for Financial Planning in Greenwood Village, CO. Peter has completed course work, on a Master’s Degree level, in biblical theology at The Philadelphia Biblical University.
Peter is a professional drummer and continues to perform in concerts. He is also a member of the Trenton Country Club.
Peter resides in Titusville with his family.
pinverso@gatewayadvisory.comLisa M. Lebbing, FPQP™, MEd. Client Services
Prior to entering the financial industry Lisa was a grade school teacher at St. Joseph Grade School in Toms River, New Jersey. In 2000 Lisa joined her father at Amherst Financial Services; in 2016 she became part of the Gateway Advisory team.
Through the College for Financial Planning, Lisa completed the Foundations in Financial Planning Professional Education Program. She is a Financial Paraplanner Qualified Professional (FPQPTM), a designation accredited by the College for Financial Planning. Lisa earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education from The Elms College in Chicopee, Massachusetts and a Masters in Education, with a concentration in Personnel Services from Georgian Court University in Lakewood, New Jersey.
Lisa is a former member of the Young Professional Advisory Council, Community Medical Center Foundation. She is a member of the Seaside Park Yacht Club (SPYC), where she served as a trustee, chaired the Entertainment Committee and is currently co-chair of the Bar Committee.
Lisa lives in Seaside Park with her husband, Brad.
lisa@gatewayadvisory.comGonzalo Figueroa, CFP® Wealth Management Advisor
Gonzalo is a Financial Planner at Gateway Advisory, LLC, joining the team in 2021. Gonzalo previously worked as a Financial Advisor for Merrill Lynch, providing advice and guidance to help clients achieve financial success. Gonzalo has been in the financial services industry for 5 years, entering shortly after graduating Magna Cum Laude from William Paterson University with bachelor's degrees in Finance and Economics. Gonzalo earned his CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™/ CFP® certification from Northwestern University.
Gonzalo is a New Jersey native, currently residing in Little Ferry.
gfigueroa@gatewayadvisory.com