Robert A. Fortino, Managing Partner of DFP Partners, advises broker-dealers on FINRA/SEC membership and their adherence to net capital rules during daily operations, committed underwritings, and periods of re-structuring. Mr. Fortino works with investment banks, institutional trading firms, alternative investment firms, and retail brokerage. He sits on the board of a non-profit company and several client firms.
He is a FINRA registered Financial and Operations Principal (Series 27) and a member of the AICPA and the Stockbrokerage Committee of the NY State Society of CPAs. He held senior positions at KPMG, formally Peat Markwick Mitchell & Company, Kidder, Peabody & Co. and Prudential Securities, Inc. Mr. Fortino earned a BBA in Public Accounting from Hofstra University and an MBA from St. John’s University.
Scott D. Daniels, Founder of DFP Partners, has dedicated over 30 years to leading his CPA and consulting company to expertly fulfill the accounting, supervisory, and compliance needs of financial services firms on an outsourced yet onsite basis. Accordingly, he is particularly skilled at advising clients on the formation, funding, operations, and administration of their businesses. Mr. Daniels holds Financial and Operations Principal (Series 27) and Corporate Securities Limited Representative (Series 62) FINRA licenses. He is a member of the AICPA and the Stockbrokerage Committee of the NY State Society of CPAs and has served on boards of financial services firms. He began his career with KPMG, formally Peat Markwick Mitchell & Company, after graduating cum laude from the University of Hartford.
David R. Portnoff, Senior Partner of DFP Partners, has extensive experience servicing broker-dealers, with an emphasis in the Latin American securities sector. He also directs SDDco Fund Services LLC, which supports privately held funds. Mr. Portnoff worked previously for Moore Capital Management Inc. and McGladrey LLP, performing audits and consulting engagements for FINRA member firms. He is a FINRA registered Financial and Operations Principal (Series 27) and an AICPA and NYSSCPA member. Mr. Portnoff received a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Hartford.
Rick Daniels, Senior Partner of DFP Partners, has serviced broker-dealers for over a decade. Mr. Daniels works closely with founders from the formation stage, through the life cycle of their business, addressing their specific accounting and regulatory needs along the way. Rick’s areas of emphasis include fixed income trading and Fintech. Mr. Daniels is a CPA and FINRA registered Financial and Operations Principal (Series 27). He graduated from Northwestern University and holds a master’s degree in accounting from SUNY.
Richard B. Sobel, Retiring Partner of DFP Partners, joined the company in 1986. Mr. Sobel has over 30 years of service at SDDco and has been instrumental in the growth and development of the firm. Mr. Sobel is a registered Financial and Operations Principal (Series 27) and a member of the New York State Society of CPAs. Prior to his tenure at S. D. Daniels & Co., Mr. Sobel honed his accounting skills with CPA firms servicing a variety of industries. Mr. Sobel earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from C.W. Post University in New York.
Hale Halasy, President of DFP Partners, is a compliance and training professional with over 30 years of experience. He leads broker-dealers through the membership process and provides continued assistance to their internal compliance programs. A Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist, Mr. Halasy directs the AML testing program of S.D. Daniels & Company LLC.
In addition, Mr. Halasy is a member of FINRA’s Sales Representative Test Writing Committee (’99 to Present), FINRA’s SIE Academic Outreach Committee, and FINRA’s Capital Acquisition and Placement Broker Committee. He was a Founder of CCH Wall Street Financial Training and amassed 13 years training compliance professionals to pass securities industry licensing examinations. He holds the Series 7, 24 and 99 licenses. Mr. Halasy maintains memberships in the National Society of Compliance Professionals and SIFMA Compliance & Legal and earned a BS from Brooklyn College in Business, Management and Finance.
John Cullinane, Senior Managing Director of DFP Regulatory Services and Compliance Partner of DFP Partners, has over 25 years of compliance experience. Mr. Cullinane works closely with broker-dealers throughout the FINRA membership process and provides continued assistance to their internal compliance programs (i.e. developing and updating procedures manuals, conducting compliance meetings, reviewing and testing compliance programs in accordance with FINRA Rules 3120 and 3130, and assisting clients in responding to regulatory inquiries).
Prior to joining DFP Partners, Mr. Cullinane began his career in compliance at the New York District office at FINRA (formerly NASD) where he served as a Compliance Examiner. In 1999, Mr. Cullinane moved to New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) Member Firm Regulation where he served as a Principal Examiner until 2005. Mr. Cullinane’s responsibilities included conducting examinations of member firms; investigating customer complaints, presenting findings of investigations to member firm, and scrutinizing firms’ anti-money laundering programs. From 2005 to 2010, Mr. Cullinane served as a Divisional Compliance Director for the Eastern Division of Smith Barney, where he oversaw compliance matters for over 400 branch offices.
He is a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist and holds FINRA Series 7, 14, and 24 licensures, as well as memberships in the National Society of Compliance Professionals and SIFMA Compliance & Legal. He is also a current member of FINRA’s Continuing Education Content Committee. Mr. Cullinane earned a BS from Brooklyn College in Business, Management and Finance.
Bryon Lyons, Partner and CEO of Independent Brokerage Solutions LLC (IndieBrokers) MEMBER: FINRA/SIPC, specializes in regulatory services and consulting for broker-dealers and investment advisers. Mr. Lyons began his career at Dreyfus Service Corp. and Wit Capital Corp. where he supervised representatives, developed procedures, and instituted training programs. He later served as President and CCO of a New York brokerage firm dedicated to hedge fund and proprietary trading. Mr. Lyons is a FINRA registered Series 7, 14, 24, 63, 57, 82 and 27 principal, and is a member of the National Society of Compliance Professionals. He graduated with a BAH from the University of Virginia.
Janice Parise, Partner of DFP Partners, joined the firm in 2010 and provides all aspects of FinOp and CFO services to securities industry clients. Ms. Parise has more than 30 years of experience in the financial services field. She specializes in the highly regulated broker-dealer environment, having strong knowledge of the SEC net capital and books & records rules and reporting requirements. Ms. Parise’s former positions include senior roles at various financial institutions. Ms. Parise is a CPA and FINRA Registered Financial and Operations Principal (Series 27). She is vice-chair of the Stock Brokerage Committee, as well as a member of the FINRA Series 27 Exam Review Committee and the FINRA FinOp Working Group. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from CUNY – Queens College.
Michael Chung, Partner of DFP Partners, joined the firm in 2006. Mr. Chung started his career servicing financial industry clients. During his time at DFP Partners, P.C., Mr. Chung served as FINOP and Chief Financial Officer for a wide variety of Broker-Dealers that engage in private placements, M&A, institutional trading and business activity under governance of Exchange Act Rule 15a-6. Mr. Chung’s expertise lies with small to medium-sized firms, including start-ups. Mr. Chung is a CPA and FINRA Registered Financial and Operations Principal (Series 27). Mr. Chung is a member of the NYS Society of CPA’s Stock Brokerage Committee. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from CUNY – Queens College.
Andy Miller, Partner of DFP Partners, joined the firm in 2006. Mr. Miller has over 25 years of experience servicing the financial services industry. Mr. Miller’s diversified experience includes financial management and SEC reporting along with controller responsibilities. Prior positions include Audit Manager with Citigroup, Inc., VP of Management Reporting for BNY Brokerage, and also Assistant VP with Merrill, Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith in the International Private Banking Group and the Corporate Credit department. He began his career with KPMG, formally Peat Markwick Mitchell & Company, serving as a senior accountant specializing in the banking industry. Mr. Miller is a FINRA registered Financial and Operations Principal (Series 27). He earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Rhode Island.
Michael Glynn is a Principal of DFP Partners, a professional service firm that provides outsourced support to the financial services industry. Mr. Glynn maintains over 25 years of progressive finance and accounting experience. Mr. Glynn began his career in Dublin, Ireland at the public accounting firm William J. O’Connor & Co. He later moved to New York City and served as senior analyst for Paine Webber Inc., financial controller for Tucker Anthony Inc., and financial controller for Wall Street Access. Prior to joining DFP Partners, he acted as US Head of Finance for Macquarie Bank Limited. Mr. Glynn received his Bachelor of Business Studies from the University of Limerick. Mr. Glynn is a Fellow Chartered Certified Accountant, holds his FINRA Registered Financial Operations Principal (Series 27) license, and is an International Member of The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
Ross Marlin, a Director with DFP Regulatory Services LLC (DFP-RS), is a compliance professional with more than eighteen years of experience in the securities industry.
He serves as a compliance consultant and CCO for numerous FINRA-regulated broker-dealers, helping to maintain and update their compliance programs. In addition, he has conducted numerous OSJ, branch office, and AML examinations during his tenure with DFP-RS.
Prior to joining DFP-RS, Mr. Marlin’s experience included approximately 6 years in FINRA’s Membership Application Program and over 5 years as a practicing attorney.
Mr. Marlin received a B.A., Cum Laude, in Economics from New York University in 1997, and went on to earn his law degree, Summa Cum Laude, from Rutgers University School of Law in 2000. Mr. Marlin holds the Series 7 and 24, as well as, the Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist certification.
Tara Horne joined DPF Partners in 2022 as a Director of IA and BD Compliance. She has served as a compliance professional in the financial services industry for nearly 14 years. During her career, she has completed thousands of mock exams, has extensive experience leading firms through the IA and BD registration process, as well as designing and supporting effective compliance programs for IA and BD firms.
As a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS), Tara has executed AML testing for a variety of financial institutions, as well as consulted with financial institutions on the key principles of money laundering and how to effectively mitigate its associated risks.
Tara also holds a designation as an Investment Adviser Certified Compliance Professional (IACCP); as such she has been a panel speaker at several industry conferences and desktop training seminars.
She graduated from California State University of Long Beach, CA with a BS in Business Marketing and Finance.
Mr. Lee serves as an Associate Director at DFP Partners, where he is responsible for proactively managing compliance and regulatory risks for his RIA clients. He previously was Director of Compliance at Stash and Chief Compliance Officer of The Midway Group. Prior to The Midway Group, he was a Compliance Manager at Lazard Asset Management, where he was responsible for assisting with the ongoing implementation, monitoring, and enhancement of the investment adviser’s compliance program. He worked in this capacity for other investment advisers, including Soros Fund Management and Avenue Capital Group, and has over 15 years of regulatory compliance experience. Mr. Lee received a B.A. in English and M.A. in Sociology from the University of West Georgia.
Angelina Fortino, Manager at DFP Partners, joined the firm in 2017 and provides all aspects of Financial and Operations Principal and CFO services to securities industry clients. Ms. Fortino has approximately 6 years of experience in financial services. Prior to joining DFP Partners, she was with Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC) in the audit department. Ms. Fortino is a Certified Public Accountant and FINRA Registered Financial and Operations Principal (Series 27). She earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Masters in Accounting both from Northeastern University.
