Our Team
A. Gary Osentoski, CFP®
Karen Caporaso, CFP®, CDFA
Erle M. Petrie, CFP®
A. Gary Osentoski, CFP®
CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™
Gary has been working in the financial services business since 1988. He genuinely enjoys helping families and businesses navigate through the complex world of financial planning and investments. His goal and mission are to help improve his clients' overall financial future. He is a FINRA-registered Series 7 stockbroker, a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, and a graduate of the University of California, Irvine Personal Financial Planning Program.
Gary and his business partner Erle Petrie started in the financial services business in 1988 and have worked together ever since. Beginning in 1994, they hosted the weekly radio show “Money Talks” on KMNY AM 1600 “Money Radio." Gary and Erle took stock market and financial planning questions from the listening audience. This is one of the ways they built their financial planning practice.
INFLUENCES:
Louis Rukeyser
Louis Rukeyser hosted a television show on Friday nights from 1970 to 2005 called “Wall Street Week with Louis Rukeyser.” Gary watched this show every Friday from the early 1980s until it ended in 2005.
Peter Lynch
Peter Lynch managed the Fidelity Magellan Fund from 1977 through 1990 and had a stellar average annual return of 29.2 percent. Equally impressive during his 13-year tenure, assets under management increased from $18 million to $14 billion. One of Gary’s favorite financial books to this day is One Up on Wall Street written by Peter Lynch. Gary was fortunate enough to meet and shake hands with Mr. Lynch at a conference in Boston in 1997.
HOBBIES:
Gary’s favorite activity is bicycle riding, and he rides approximately 100 to 150 miles per week. He enjoys being outside and riding with his friends who all believe exercise is an important part of life. After a hard ride, they look forward to spending time together having a cup of coffee and friendly conversation.
Karen Caporaso, CFP®, CDFA
CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, Certified Divorce Financial Analyst
Karen has been working in the financial services industry since 1990 after obtaining her FINRA Series 7 securities registration. With a background of 17 years in corporate accounting, Karen decided to pursue a career that combines a knowledge of accounting, finance, and the ability to help people pursue their goals. Karen is well-versed in all areas of finance, including taxes, estate planning, investments, insurance needs, and business planning. Karen graduated with a BS degree in both finance and economics from Chapman University (Orange, California) and earned her CFP® certification in 1992. Karen enjoys helping people to establish retirement accounts, college accounts for their kids or grandkids, or any other financial goal they may have. In addition, Karen knows that proper financial planning can help guard against the financial catastrophes of living too long or dying too soon. She helps her clients stay on track by having routine portfolio update meetings.
As a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst (CDFA) since 2004, Karen helps clients determine realistic and fair financial expectations from a divorce settlement. This is a specialization in addition to her financial practice. Karen's primary concerns for her clients: 1) Are they financially okay today? and 2) Will they be financially okay in the future? These issues are very important for each spouse to know before the settlement is reached, especially when children are involved. The financial aspect of the divorce must be thoroughly assessed before they sign on the dotted line.
A marital breakup is confusing, emotionally devastating, frightening financially, and legally overwhelming all at the same time. Karen helps her clients by gathering relevant financial data and presenting them with different scenarios of cash flow, tax liability, family support, and future net worth based on varied assumptions. This analysis will help her clients see if the financial proposal from their spouse is really equitable and fair. Your attorney is a specialist in providing legal advice (which Karen does not offer), while Karen's expertise is providing a clear financial picture in order to fairly and equitably divide all marital assets. Karen helps to establish a budget that is both realistic and one the spouse can stay on track with to avoid future financial problems.
Karen is a member of the National Association of Women Business Owners, Women Investing in Security and Investing, and the National Association of Financial Planning (NAPFA). Karen is a past president for two years, 2009 and 2010, of WISE (Women Investing in Security and Education).
Karen is also a member of the Certified Divorce Financial Analysts (CDFA) and the Association of Divorce Financial Planners (ADFP) organizations.
More information about Karen's services can be found here:
Divorce And Money
Working With a CDFA
Erle M. Petrie, CFP®
CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™
Erle is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® and Certified College Planning Specialist who has worked in the financial services industry since 1988. He is a FINRA Series 7 registered representative and investment adviser representative with Commonwealth Financial Network®, an independent broker/dealer based in Waltham, Massachusetts, and San Diego, California.
Erle was born in Cape Town, South Africa, and immigrated to the U.S. in 1966. He grew up in Rochester, Minnesota, and has lived in Southern California since 1978. He graduated with bachelor’s degrees in economics, with an emphasis in finance, and in design from the University of California at Davis in 1987.
In 1988, he was hired as a representative for Equitable Life Insurance Company and worked with an independent registered investment adviser as the head of the financial planning department. There he developed the financial planning process for the firm and built a program that delivered more than 150 financial plans annually. The financial plans delivered specific strategies and concepts for implementation by individuals, entrepreneurs, and business owners.
In 1996, he opened his own financial services branch office with Gary Osentoski, with whom he works to this day. Together they hosted a weekly radio program called “Money Talks” on KMNY AM 1600 “Money Radio" and built a practice in financial planning and asset management that works with individuals and business owners from all walks of life and continues to serve clients from their office in Irvine, California.
Since beginning his profession in financial services more than 30 years ago, he has practiced with the mindset of placing himself in the position of his clients to develop and implement investment, insurance, and retirement plans.
The experience and expertise gained through the years are brought to every client as new relationships are developed and existing clients transition through different phases of their financial lives.
He and his wife, Margaret, live in Tustin, California, with their three school-aged children.