About Us

Emerald Asset Advisors, LLC was formed in 1998 when its founders were motivated to find a flexible and adaptive way to manage money for their clients.

Emerald serves over 100 families located in the US and abroad.

The Emerald Team

Investment Committee

Robert A. Isbitts, CFS - Chief Investment Officer, Principal
Allan M. Budelman - Managing Partner, Principal
Matthew J. MacEachern - Portfolio Manager
Keith Stoloff, CIMA, CIMC, AWMA, AAMS, CMFC, CRPC - Research Analyst
Michael N. Kahn, CMT - Technical Analyst

Professional Staff

Scot L. Hunter, ChFC - Chief Executive Officer, Principal
Donna Naitove - Chief Compliance Officer
Medon A. Michaelides - Managing Partner and Principal, Emerald Allocation Strategies, LLC
Suzie Dean - Director of Trading and Operations
Pamela Palmer - Client Services Coordinator
Denise Karp - Director of Client Relations
Leana C. Alu – Sales and Marketing Assistant

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.

Robert A. Isbitts, CFS - Chief Investment Officer, Principal

Mr. Isbitts co-founded Emerald in 1998 and chairs the firm's Investment Committee. He is the creator of Emerald's proprietary investment approach.

Mr. Isbitts is a 20+ year veteran of the investment business, holding a variety of portfolio management positions across major institutions such as Fuji Bank & Trust, Morgan Stanley and DLJ. Mr. Isbitts takes great pride in his efforts to clarify what he believes is an increasingly confusing climate for investors. He writes the firm's market newsletter, Green Thought$, and has published over 100 investment articles and commentaries in several national publications including Wealth Manager, Registered Rep, Financial Planning, and Investment News. In 2006, Mr. Isbitts' years of research and commentary culminated in the writing of his first book, "Wall Street's Bull and How to Bear It."

Mr. Isbitts is a graduate of the State University of New York at Albany, where he earned a degree in Business Administration in 1986. He earned an MBA in Finance from Rutgers University in 1994 and is a Certified Fund Specialist (CFS) designation holder.

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.

Medon A. Michaelides - Managing Partner, Emerald Allocation Strategies and Principal, LLC

Mr. Michaelides joined Emerald in 2007 and manages the overall business development effort for Emerald Allocation Strategies (EAS), which is the marketing arm of Emerald Asset Advisors and promotes the firm's investment strategies to other investment advisors, broker-dealers and financial intermediaries. Mr. Michaelides began his career in the investment management field with Chase Asset Management, a former division of The Chase Manhattan Bank, which served as the sub-advisor to the Vista family of mutual funds. Since that time, Mr. Michaelides worked in various institutional sales/marketing and fundraising roles across the alternative investment space, including private equity placements at JP Morgan Securities, Inc. and hedge fund of funds sales at two independent investment firms.

Mr. Michaelides earned a B.S. in Psychology and Political Science from Union College in 1992 and an International MBA from the Darla Moore School of Business at University of South Carolina/Vienna Economics and Business University in 1998.

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 and Operations

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.

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.

Michael N. Kahn, CMT - Technical Analyst

Mr. Kahn joined Emerald in 2008 and specializes in the technical analysis of securities evaluated for the firm's mutual fund. Mr. Kahn has been working with charts and technical analysis since 1986 and currently writes the twice-weekly "Getting Technical" column for Barron's Online and edits the daily Quick Takes Pro market letter. He was formerly the Chief Technical Analyst for BridgeNews and has been a regular guest on such financial programs as PBS' Nightly Business Report, Yahoo Finance Vision and WebFN.

Mr. Kahn has written three books on technical analysis, most recently The Beginner's Guide to Charting Financial Markets. He has also appeared frequently as an instructor on online schools such as www.BloombergUniversity.com and live seminars such as the Money Show.

Mr. Kahn is also active in the Market Technicians Association, having served as Director and chairing both the newsletter and marketing committees.

Mr. Kahn is a graduate of Brandeis University, where he earned a degree in Physics and Economics in 1980. He earned an MBA in Finance from New York University in 1984 and is a Chartered Market Technician (CMT™), the only FINRA-recognized technical analyst designation.

Keith Stoloff, CIMA, CIMC, AWMA, AAMS, CMFC, CRPC - Research Analyst

Mr. Stoloff joined Emerald in 2007 and has over 19 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.

Pamela Palmer - Client Services Coordinator

Ms. Palmer joined Emerald in 2006 after working with Charles Schwab in their Transfer of Accounts area. Ms. Palmer is responsible for the successful initiation and maintenance of client accounts. She provides operations support and responds to clients' administrative requests.

Denise Karp - Director of Client Relations

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.

Leana C. Alu – Sales and Marketing Assistant, Emerald Allocation Strategies, LLC

Ms. Alu joined Emerald in 2009 and is responsible for supporting the overall sales, marketing and business development efforts of Emerald Allocation Strategies.

Prior to joining Emerald, Ms. Alu served as a Sales Executive in the dental care industry for over two years, where she held responsibility for proactive sales, client service and administration. Ms. Alu also has experience as an Operations Accountant and has worked closely with Financial Analysts under the Student Work Experience Program at Lockheed Martin during her studies.

Ms. Alu is a graduate of the University of Central Florida, where she earned a degree in Finance in 2005.

WEALTH STRATEGISTS forSUCCESSFUL FAMILIES.