Seasoned Financial Advisors With A Modern Investing Perspective

Known for his straightforward communication and steady reliability with the 1776 Financial Management Group of Wells Fargo Advisors, Jake helps clients navigate the full scope of their financial lives—not just their investments, but the decisions and transitions that shape their futures.

An Early Commitment to Long-Term Relationships

Jake’s clients know how dedicated he is to helping them achieve their investing goals. We believe self-assurance, combined with a peerless work ethic that he’s nurtured since the beginning of his career distinguishes him today.
He has spent his entire professional career—now more than ten years—with the same Wells Fargo Advisors team and its committed client base.  This uncommon level of continuity that has allowed him to build deep, multigenerational relationships.

A Holistic and Down-to-Earth Advisory Style

Jake believes investing is only one component of a well-structured financial life. His advisory approach is intentionally holistic, helping clients think through tax strategy considerations, estate planning strategy considerations and long-term family planning.

He sees himself as a strategic partner for highly accomplished individuals and families, often serving as a sounding board for major life decisions. Consistency and day-to-day execution are central to his work; Jake prides himself on taking care of clients repeatedly, reliably and well.

With many clients spanning multiple generations, he helps ensure younger family members are informed and confident, helping them build financial literacy early and understand the legacy they will eventually steward.

Jake describes his role as deeply ingrained in who he is, a responsibility he approaches with sincerity and long-term commitment.

Life Outside the Office

Jake lives in Cranford, New Jersey—the same town where he grew up—and recently married his wife, Jaclyn, an interior designer. A lifelong golfer, he spends much of his free time on the course, where he finds both challenge and relaxation.

_{Wells Fargo Advisors does not provide legal or tax advice.}

With decades of investment experience, Mark provides a thoughtful blend of technical insight and personable client service to the 1776 Financial Management Group of Wells Fargo Advisors. As a Chartered Financial Analyst® professional, he is dedicated to educating clients with clarity, guiding them through complex decisions and building investment strategies grounded in discipline and long-term purpose.

An Analytical Mind with an Athlete’s Work Ethic

Mark earned his bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Maryland, where he balanced academic achievement with the demands of being a member of the Terrapins football team.

His early career began in pharmaceutical marketing, where he interfaced with the FDA and major companies such as Johnson & Johnson. During that time, Mark recognized a gap in his own financial knowledge and became motivated to learn how to manage wealth responsibly. That spark led him to American Express Financial Advisors, where he first immersed himself in wealth planning. He later earned his MBA in Finance from Seton Hall University, further strengthening the analytical foundation that supports his advisory work today.

Over the next two decades, Mark built an expansive career across investment leadership roles, including serving as Chief Investment Officer of a multifamily office, leading investments for a national RIA aggregator and advising cross-border tech entrepreneurs. In 2025, he joined Wells Fargo Advisors and the 1776 group, drawn by the cultural alignment and longstanding professional relationships he trusted.

Disciplined and Educational

Mark’s philosophy centers on “being brilliant at the basics.” He helps build strong, scalable investment foundations before layering in complexity, helping ensure clients receive strategies that feel tailored but remain consistent and repeatable. He works with multigenerational families and entrepreneurs preparing for or transitioning after a business exit—often managing $15–$50 million in assets. Whether clients have $30,000 or $30 million, he applies the same disciplined framework, prioritizing risk-adjusted returns and careful cost efficiency.

Curiosity and clarity define his client relationships. Mark helps clients understand their options, avoid emotionally driven decisions and stay focused on long-term outcomes.

Life Beyond Finance

Mark lives in Wayne, New Jersey, with his wife, Wendy, and their three children—Drew, Mason and Mika. The family is active in supporting Autism Speaks, participating each year in walks held around Wendy’s birthday.

As a former athlete, Mark enjoys golf, skiing and snowboarding, though family activities—from hockey games to swimming lessons—happily take priority.

Craig brings a powerfully diverse background to the 1776 Financial Management Group of Wells Fargo Advisors, shaped by two decades of experience across nearly every major corner of the wealth and investment industries. A CFA® and CAIA® charter holder, Craig pairs deep analytical expertise with an easygoing style that he believes clients find both grounding and confidence inspiring.

A Broad Investment Lens Built Over Twenty Years

Craig graduated from Lafayette College and entered the financial field immediately, joining a large wealth management team at UBS that later transitioned to Morgan Stanley. Early in his career, he developed a strong foundation in municipal bonds and mutual funds—an experience that sparked his interest in understanding portfolio construction from multiple angles.

His career path later led him to OppenheimerFunds, which became part of Invesco, where he spent nearly a decade working across product management, portfolio management, distribution and sales. Craig then moved into a portfolio manager role within Morgan Stanley’s institutional business, further strengthening his understanding of markets, product design and investment implementation.

In February 2025, Craig joined the 1776 Financial Management Group of Wells Fargo Advisors, drawn by the opportunity to return to the client-facing side of the industry while bringing a depth of experience rarely found in a single advisor.

A Multi-Perspective, Solutions-Oriented Professional

Craig views advisory work through an unusually wide lens: having seen how products are built, how institutional clients evaluate risk and how families navigate real-world financial decisions. This breadth helps enable him to pivot quickly, find creative solutions and identify opportunities where others may see limitations.

He enjoys the personal side of the business—working with clients one-on-one, building portfolios with a human touch and supporting individuals in their peak earning years as they begin planning seriously for their futures and young families.

Life Beyond the Office

Craig lives a vibrant family life as the father of two young boys, whom he also coaches in basketball. Married to an orthodontist, he spends much of his free time coaching, traveling and enjoying anything related to the water—swimming, surfing, boating or fishing.

He serves on the board of his children’s school and actively supports causes including the National MS Foundation and the March of Dimes.

As a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® professional, Leean helps bridge the gap between strategic guidance and day-to-day execution, helping ensure that clients receive thoughtful, well-coordinated support at every stage of their financial situations.

A Commitment to Depth and Purpose

Leean earned her bachelor’s degree in marketing from Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey. She entered the financial services industry in 1995, working with Financial Advisor Bruce Pomerantz—the predecessor of Jake Decotiis, Managing Director – Investments—while still in college. What began as administrative and operational support grew into a long-standing career grounded in client service, planning and analytical work. She studied for the CFP® certification while working with Bruce, formally earning it 2011.

Between 2010 and 2022, Leean worked across several types of advisory environments, including a planning-centric practice, an insurance-aligned firm with a different business model, and a wirehouse where she ran her own office and branch. These experiences broadened her expertise in planning models, advisory platforms, operations and best practices among top-performing teams.

She returned to Wells Fargo in 2022 to rejoin Bruce and begin working with Jake as he took over the practice, bringing back institutional knowledge, planning depth and continuity of relationships. Today, while her title is Client Performance Analyst, her role is intentionally broader—spanning planning, operations, client coordination and team execution.

Practical and Steady

Leean is known for seeing solutions differently, often translating high-level advice into clear, actionable steps. She bridges strategy and implementation, helping ensure that client needs, planning outcomes, and internal workflows align seamlessly. Her work is balanced between client interaction and behind-the-scenes coordination, and she attends many client meetings to support planning discussions, follow-through and implementation.

She values the multigenerational family relationships that exist within the practice—some extending back to the mid-1990s and spanning third- and fourth-generation clients. Her favorite moments are seeing long-term plans succeed, especially when clients’ legacy wishes come to life.

Life Outside the Office

Leean met her husband, Joe, in high school, and they’ve been married for 25 years. They have two daughters. She loves spending time outdoors—hiking, running, camping—and enjoys reading, cooking, and relaxing with her family and their dogs.

Known for her clear communication and natural ability to connect with clients, Therese plays an essential role in providing both relationship support and operational reliability to the 1776 Financial Management Group of Wells Fargo Advisors and the families they serve.

A Career Shaped by Breadth and Resilience

Therese earned her bachelor’s degree in economics and Spanish before beginning her career at Butcher & Singer, a firm that would eventually merge into the legacy organizations of Wells Fargo Advisors. She later spent nearly a decade at Shearson Lehman American Express—later Shearson Lehman and ultimately Lehman Brothers—working in bond trading and sales to mutual funds and large institutions—developing a strong foundation in fixed-income markets that continues to inform her work today. 

In 1992, she paused her career to raise her three children, returning to the workforce in 1999 at Bank of America. There, she worked in a high-volume, diverse client environment, gaining broad exposure to lending, retail banking and the full spectrum of client needs across different demographics. After relocating to New Jersey in 2006, she re-entered the financial services industry in 2008, joining Financial Advisor Bruce Pomerantz as a Client Associate. She continued with the team after his retirement, supporting Managing Director – Investments Jake Decotiis as he assumed leadership of the practice.

A Warm, Welcoming Presence

Therese is deeply experienced and sets clear expectations, follows up proactively, and communicates with ease across a wide range of personalities and levels of financial sophistication. Her background in institutional trading complements her deep experience in banking and client service, giving her a unique ability to bridge technical understanding with thoughtful, personable interaction. She values long-term relationships and takes pride in supporting clients she has known for many years—and often across generations.

Life Beyond Work

Therese has been married to her husband Don, a creative director, for over 40 years. They met in college and have built a life grounded in family. In fact, her greatest joy is traveling to visit family all over the country, planning ski trips in the Northeast and out West, or exploring new destinations together. She also enjoys the beach and spending time with her close friends and has written a children’s book that’s soon to be available on Amazon.

With more than forty years of experience in the financial services industry, Andrea has a well-deserved reputation as a steady, dependable leader. Valued for her analytical mindset and direct communication style, she plays a critical role in supporting both client service and the operational infrastructure behind the 1776 Financial Management Group of Wells Fargo Advisors team’s work.

A Career Grounded in Leadership and Problem Solving

Andrea earned her BA in Business Administration from Rutgers College and entered the industry immediately afterward, joining Bache Halsey Stuart Shields. What began in Commodity Credit quickly evolved into a distinguished progression through senior leadership roles as the firm changed over time. Her positions included Director of Retail Administration, Chief Compliance Officer and membership on the firm’s Operating Council—roles that afforded her a comprehensive understanding of risk, oversight and firm-wide operations.

When Prudential Securities transitioned to Wachovia, Andrea moved into Branch Management. Three years later, she joined the Short Hills office where she took on a compliance and management support role—a natural fit for her strengths in analysis, structure and execution.

Andrea went on to join an FA team in 2018, focusing heavily on practice management and operational problem solving. In July 2025 she joined the 1776 Financial Management Group of Wells Fargo Advisors, functioning in a capacity that aligns with her natural ability to troubleshoot complex issues and keep operations running with consistency and care.

A Steady, Analytical Approach

Andrea takes ownership of complicated or delicate challenges—the types of matters that require patience, technical understanding and persistence. Her approach is calm, clear and unflappable. Colleagues rely on her to “just take care of it,” and she consistently delivers.

She values honesty, efficiency and grounded decision-making, drawing on her deep compliance and leadership background to support clients and the team behind the scenes.

Outside the Office

Andrea has been married for 40 years to her husband, Peter. They have three adult daughters and are actively involved in several non-profit organizations in both leadership and volunteer capacities. They enjoy attending sporting events—Rutgers in particular—traveling and spending time with friends.