“Fiduciary duty is the first principle of the investment
Adviser… Fiduciary comes from the Latin word for trust.”
Emerald Asset Advisors was founded in 1998 when its founders were motivated to find a flexible and adaptive way to manage money for their clients.
We provide fee-based, discretionary asset management to our private and institutional clients. Fee-based advisors minimize potential conflicts by not accepting commissions on products they sell. Our discretionary trading arrangement with our clients allows us to make changes to their portfolios in a timely manner.
We do not hold our clients’ assets. Your portfolio will be maintained at an unaffiliated firm that is a qualified account custodian. Your account custodian will provide you periodic account statements, confirmations and tax reports. We supplement these reports with our customized performance and holdings reports.
The Emerald Team
Professional Staff
Scot L. Hunter, ChFC
Chief Executive Officer, Principal
Allan M. Budelman
Managing Partner, Principal
Keith Stoloff, CIMA, CIMC, AWMA, AAMS, CMFC, CRPC
Senior Portfolio Manager
G. Todd Silva
Senior Portfolio Manager
Matthew J. MacEachern
Portfolio Manager
Mark S. Fein
Director of Business Development
Compliance and Operations Staff
Donna Naitove
Chief Compliance Officer
Suzie Dean
Director of Trading
Denise Karp
Director of Operations
Scot L Hunter, ChFC – Chief Executive Officer, Principal
Mr. Hunter co-founded Emerald in 1998 and is responsible for the overall strategic and corporate development activity of the firm. He also represents the company in various charitable initiatives and civic organizations.
Mr. Hunter received his degree in Business Administration from the University of Nevada at Las Vegas, graduating in 1982 as an “Academic All-American.” In 1984, after two years as a tennis professional, he was recruited by a major insurance company to market their products. His determination, coupled with his business acumen, paved the way for the formation of The Emerald Planning Group (an insurance advisory firm) and later Emerald Asset Advisors. Mr. Hunter holds the designation of Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC). He has been a resident of South Florida since 1970.
Allan M. Budelman – Managing Partner, Principal
Mr. Budelman joined the firm shortly after its formation in 1998 and has over 15 years experience in the investment industry, serving both high net worth individuals and large institutions.
Prior to joining Emerald, Mr. Budelman served as an Associate in JP Morgan’s Private Bank for two years, working with the portfolio management team for ultra high net worth individuals. From 1996-1997, he was an Assistant Treasurer with Bankers Trust Company serving as a relationship manager for institutional banking clients. Previously, from 1994-1996, Mr. Budelman worked with Chase Manhattan Bank in New York, serving as an Administrator in the foreign exchange and global securities settlement department.
Mr. Budelman is a graduate of the University of Maryland at College Park, where he earned a degree in Business Administration in 1992. He also earned an MBA in International Business from the University of Miami in 2000.
Keith Stoloff, CIMA, CIMC, AWMA, AAMS, CMFC, CRPC -Senior Portfolio Manager
Mr. Stoloff joined Emerald in 2007 and has over 20 years experience working in the financial services industry. Prior to joining Emerald, Mr. Stoloff held portfolio management and financial advisory roles at Raymond James Associates, Great Western Financial Securities and Citicorp Investments.
Mr. Stoloff holds many professional designations, including: Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA), Certified Investment Management Consultant (CIMC), Accredited Wealth Management Advisor (AWMA™), Accredited Asset Management Specialist (AAMS™), Chartered Mutual Fund Counselor (CMFC™) and Chartered Retirement Plan Counselor (CRPC™).
Mr. Stoloff is a graduate of the University of South Florida, where he earned a degree in Finance in 1987.
G. Todd Silva – Senior Portfolio Manager
Mr. Silva joined Emerald in 2010 and has 20 years of investment experience. His area of expertise span portfolio management, financial analysis (including credit and equity), valuation, research/diligence and corporate actions such as mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, spin-offs and balance sheet recapitallizations.
Over the span of his career, Mr. Silva worked as a Portfolio Manager for both institutional accounts and mutual funds for several large institutional fund management companies in New York including John A. Levine & Co., Jennison Associates and Scudder Investments. He also served as an Analyst covering a wide variety of industries including automotive, aerospace, financial services, media, telecom, energy, natural resources, retail, and construction, among others.
Mr. Silva worked in the hedge fund industry beginning in 2000 when he co-founded Candlewood Capital Management and co-managed the Candlewood Funds, long-short equity funds with peak assets of $1 billion. At Candlewood, he focused on deep values, special situations and turnaround investing. He also advised a number of investee management teams on ways to maximize value for shareholders.
Prior to joining Emerald, Mr. Silva worked for multi-strategy hedge fund-of-funds management firm, and he has also consulted for private companies and for the Office of the State Attorney (Florida) Economic Crime Unit.
Mr. Silva received his BS in Economics and Finance from Lehigh University in 1987 and his MBA from Columbia Business School in 1992, where he later served as a guest lecturer and adjunct professor of finance.
Matthew J. MacEachern – Portfolio Manager
Mr. MacEachern joined Emerald in 2004 and has over 15 years experience working in the financial services industry. Prior to joining Emerald, Mr. MacEachern worked as a Senior Financial Advisor with Fidelity’s Private Client Group for six years. During this time he was also a registered investment advisor with “Strategic Advisors,” a wholly owned subsidiary of Fidelity Investments which managed over $27 billion for discretionary accounts.
From 1992 to 1998, Mr. MacEachern worked as a retail/institutional Advisor with two Boston-based investment firms, primarily dealing with hedge fund managers and high net worth individuals.
Mr. MacEachern attended Suffolk University in Boston, MA, where he studied international finance.
Donna Naitove – Chief Compliance Officer
Ms. Naitove joined Emerald in 2003 and is responsible for ensuring that the firm complies with all SEC regulations as well as those of other regulatory authorities. Ms. Naitove has been in the investment advisory and brokerage industry since 1982 and has held various roles at major institutions including UBS Financial Services, Oppenheimer Securities, Prudential Securities and Bear Stearns.
Ms. Naitove earned an undergraduate degree in Finance from Georgia State University in 1999.
Suzie Dean – Director of Trading
Ms. Dean joined Emerald in 2004 and is responsible for directing and supervising trading for the firm’s investment strategies. Ms. Dean has been in the brokerage industry since 1989 and has held various trading/operational roles at major institutions including Barnett Bank, Prudential Securities and Smith Barney.
Ms. Dean earned an associates degree from St. Augustine Community College in St. Augustine, FL in 1986.
Denise Karp – Director of Operations
Ms. Karp joined Emerald in 2008, and is responsible for all operations and administrative functions. She is also the firm’s Technology Specialist and is responsible for the coordination of our technology services. Ms. Karp has held similar positions at both financial services and legal firms for over ten years.
Ms. Karp graduated New York University with a B.A. in English.
Mark S. Fein – Director of Business Development
Mr. Fein joined the firm in 2011 and has over 15 years of experience in the financial services industry. Mr. Fein specializes in new opportunity development and cultivating relationships with prospective clients of the firm. Prior to joining Emerald, Mr. Fein worked as a Financial Advisor at both Morgan Stanley and Merrill Lynch.
Mr. Fein lives in Coconut Grove, FL and graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology.