Our Team

Our Team

Our goal is to get you comfortable with your financial goals and work with you to execute these to the fullest. We’re here to help you pursue your overall financial goals and guide you through the complexities of planning for your retirement. Using our client-centered approach, we seek to help you design a framework for your retirement savings that will evolve with you over the years.

  • Part of the family: We have your well-being at heart and will always take a personal interest in helping address what is important to you.
  • We’re here for you: We will always listen, are available to talk, and are passionate about your goals. We will take the time to ask the right questions to recognize your needs.
  • We value our relationship: You will be delighted by the friendliness and enthusiasm of our administration and support staff.

 

Michael Alexander, CPA, MBA, PFS, JD, CPFA

Wealth Manager

My 35-year career in financial services started at two large banks, Chase Manhattan and Bankers Trust, and I attended business school at night to achieve an MBA. Preferring to solve financial issues for individuals and small companies, rather than large institutions, I transitioned to full-time accounting (at both large and small firms). Along the way, I continued learning and earned my certification as a Certified Public Accountant, and then I fulfilled a lifelong dream to attend law school and earned a JD.

My career really began when my wife, Adrienne, and I bought our house in the Holbrook Estates area of Stamford, Connecticut. We suddenly realized that even with all the skills I had learned, we were still like any other young couple who has not sorted out what their budget should be. As everyone knows, buying an old house is a money pit. Additionally, I hated the commute to the city, and so we decided that I would quit my job and work from our new home. Having a financial advisor then would have really helped us! After working on my own for a short while, I joined a local firm that has become Kolbrenner & Alexander LLC.

I enjoyed being a CPA (and have that detail-oriented focus) and loved using my advanced degrees in business and law to help business owners and families with management, succession, and estate issues. Often, accounting clients would ask my opinion on their investments, ask how to better manage their taxes, and question their insurance coverage. More learning was in order, and I proceeded to get the FINRA Series 7, 63, and 65 securities registrations and added our financial planning and wealth management practice, now known as Holbrook Wealth Advisors. I recently earned a certification as a Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor and completed NAPA's ESG(k) Certificate Program as well. Continuing to keep up with the latest tax laws and relentlessly pursuing continuing education are two of my passions.

Another is living a healthy life, eating well (although I am a foodie!), and exercising daily. After 1,500 straight days of running, walking, spinning, working out with a trainer, playing tennis, or swimming, I continue to make time to fit exercise into my day, early or late. 

Adrienne kids me about the Excel spreadsheets I keep for the wines we store in our basement cellar (by producer and year) and calls it my CPA brain, but keeping track of my inventory is one of my best ways to relax. My favorite wines are from California and Israel, as opposed to the more consistent French wines, because I enjoy the surprise of an especially wonderful crop or a different blend of varietals. By the way, if you are looking for a surprising, inexpensive white wine to go with your next turkey dinner, let me know and I will share it with you. One of the other things I also love about wine is meeting the winemakers and hearing their stories of the development of their process for creating their success. In fact, one such winemaker has become a friend, inviting us to meet the aunt who inspired him. This is also something I greatly enjoy: working with financial planning clients, hearing their backgrounds, and building long-term relationships.

Adrienne and I feel very blessed that our two daughters, Caroline and Elizabeth, and our son Daniel are thoughtful, caring members of their own communities, in Dallas, Texas; Forest Hills, New York; and College Park, Maryland. Our older two are married, gainfully employed in work they enjoy (digital marketing and hospital strategy planning and analytics) and are independent (other than the cell phone plan, of course!). Danny, our youngest, has just graduated from college, pursuing his interest in information systems and finance, and enjoying coding and data analytics. Almost three years ago, I became a grandfather, and Adrienne and I are over the moon about our grandsons, Aiden and Devin, and I am enjoying being called Saba (grandfather in Hebrew). We are also grateful that our parents have been healthy and on their own and able to spend time with all of us.

We are lucky in our life and feel strongly about giving back to the community. It is a priority of our firm to schedule an annual shredding event, just after tax season, with a request that each attendee brings some dry goods for the food pantry of the Schoke Jewish Family Service of Stamford, New Canaan, and Westport. I have served on its board for more than 10 years and, as its president, and I make it a practice to take some pro bono clients each year. I am also on the board of directors of Hillel, the Jewish students’ organization at the University of Maryland, glad that they have created such a wonderful environment for our son to thrive.

So now that you know about me, I would like to learn what is important to you. Let’s sit down together and get to know each other. If we are a good fit for each other, we look forward to getting to know you and your family and business and creating a long-term financial plan.

Adrienne Alexander, CFP®, JD

Director of Financial Planning Services

At the beginning of my career, I was lucky enough to get a perfect job, working for a boutique law firm, doing quality, cutting-edge restructuring work with highly intelligent and creative people. I was totally engrossed, trying to do my best and impress them. After our two daughters were born, I was persuaded to meet a local attorney to cut out my one-hour commute to the city. The partner jarred me into awareness by asking, "What do you want to accomplish? Where do you want to be in 5, 10 years?" Suddenly, I realized I had let more than six years pass without a thought to what I would most enjoy, besides partnership at this firm. Between caring for our daughters, Caroline and Lizzie, and work, I had no downtime and very little sleep. It took me a while (and our third child, a son, Daniel, now 22) to make a change, but today, I love what I do and have much more balance in my life. Listening to each client’s personal goals and creating a roadmap with them to pursue the goals, learning with them, and building long-term relationships is so rewarding.

We believe that if you stop learning, you stop growing. As lifelong learners, we are always keeping up with the latest tax, trust, and estate laws, reading financial planning and investment news voraciously, and participating in conferences. It was with that in mind that two years ago I began to prepare for and achieve the CFP® certification. The exam itself is a six-hour marathon, but it also requires more than three years’ experience in the field and a comprehensive review of the financial planning process, tax planning, employee benefits, and retirement planning, estate planning, and investment management. It was very fulfilling to accomplish and set a good example for our son Daniel, who had begun interning with us.

Travel is one of my passions, both for the planning and the experience of how others live, but soon after the exam, we took a difficult heritage trip to Poland and realized just how lucky our family was to have left Europe immediately before World War II. We truly appreciate the sacrifice our grandparents made to leave, and how painful it was to their parents who never got to meet their grandchildren. One of the greatest joys of my life has been the birth of our two grandsons, Aiden and Devin, the second who was born in February of this year. We wish they lived nearby, and the pandemic made us feel so far away and for so long. We did manage to have COVID choice vacation destinations with our family to Oklahoma and Montana and are happy to share the wonder of those unusual choices with you.

I also have been fortunate to bake with my mother and grandmother and had the joy of teaching Aiden how to make holiday cookies earlier this year when his brother was born. I have wonderful memories of the sugar cookies my grandmother sent to camp and how special (and popular!) they made me feel. Yes, much of our legacy is financial but becoming a grandparent gave me the sense of wonder of the next generation and how that fits in a person’s legacy plan.

Daniel Alexander

Financial Planning Intern

Daniel joined our team in 2019 working part-time. He is a recent graduate of the University of Maryland Smith School of Business, where he majored in finance and information systems. He is a big fan of the New York Rangers and New York Yankees and loves to play golf and tennis with his friends and family.

Tanya Livingston

Client Relations Associate

Tanya Livingston is the client relations associate at Holbrook Wealth Advisors. She joined the company in July 2023 and is committed to providing excellent client support. She is at the heart of the client experience. Tanya handles the firm’s operations, ensuring the smooth administration of client accounts.

Prior to joining Holbrook Wealth Advisors, Tanya spent over 15 years managing regulatory examinations for a midsized financial institution based in Connecticut. Her deep understanding of the intricacies of the financial landscape and her meticulous attention to detail are important traits for her current role as well. 

Outside of her professional pursuits, Tanya loves to travel, having explored 21 countries, and embraced the cultural richness they offer. Additionally, she indulges her artistic side through various mediums such as photography, painting, and digital art. Tanya draws inspiration from Maya Angelou's words, "You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them," which encapsulates her resilient spirit and her ability to overcome obstacles.