David R. Burgio, CPA, PFS
President, Comprehensive Wealth Planner
After David graduated with honors in 1991 with a BS from the State University of New York at Buffalo as a dual major in accounting and finance, he went on to practice public accounting, with a focus on income tax planning for higher-net-worth clientele. He was awarded his Certified Public Accountant (CPA) license in 1994. Since then, David has dedicated his practice to a comprehensive approach to financial planning and is fluent in investment management, estate planning, business succession planning, retirement income planning, and tax reduction strategies. In 2010, David was awarded the Personal Financial Specialist (PFS) credential by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. In 2011, David was invited to join the prestigious Resource Group, consisting of a group of the top 1 percent for every year he was associated with Lincoln Financial Partners.
By acting in partnership with his clients, he is able to synergize the effects of other advisors and add new tax reduction strategies and wealth creation ideas. A hallmark of his practice has been in keeping close contact with his clients throughout the year by performing reviews and being proactive. David maintains offices in Western New York and St. Petersburg, Florida. David holds FINRA Series 6, 7, 63, and 65 securities registrations. He is licensed and currently serves clients in more than 15 states.
Michael Malaney, EA
Wealth Planning Associate
About me. I was born in Buffalo, NY, and have lived in Grand Island, NY, for the majority of my life. I grew up playing several sports, but hockey was always my go-to. Growing up, I was fortunate enough to play on a national level and win multiple state championships. The comradery that resulted from those years will last a lifetime. I realize that none of it would’ve been possible without the unconditional support from my family.
After high school, I attended University at Buffalo, thus beginning my financial education. Throughout college, I worked full-time landscaping and snowplowing. In 2017, I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a concentration in financial analysis. Upon graduation, I accepted an offer from an international financial planning firm. After passing the FINRA Series 7 and 66 examinations, I began building my financial planning practice. I absorbed so much in such a short amount of time and loved every minute of it. Having the ability to have a direct impact and help everyone from my own family to total strangers gives me all the inspiration I could ever need.
I was introduced to Dave Burgio during this time and that was when I discovered a more holistic style of planning. I was offered a position by Dave that allowed me to take a step back from running my own practice and put me in a position to learn the advanced level of planning necessary to have the deepest impact on clients’ financial lives.
The support I get from my family, my beautiful girlfriend Erica, our pups Spot and Sunny, and Dave and his team are insurmountable. I have the utmost respect for this firm and look forward to being part of the impact we have on our clients and the community as a whole.
Mary Lokken, CFP®, EA
Paraplanner
Mary received her BA in English with a minor in business studies from the State University of New York at Geneseo in 2006. She was a member of the College Honors Program and wrote and presented her honor's thesis on the Haitian Massacre of 1937. Mary holds the FINRA Series 7 securities registration and has completed graduate coursework in economics at Buffalo State College. In 2016, she was awarded her CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® certification. In 2019, she became an enrolled agent and is admitted to practice before the Internal Revenue Service. Mary has been working as an assistant to David Burgio since 2007 and joined the Custom Wealth Management team in February 2011.
Kristine Zanner
Registered Operations Specialist
Kristine began her career in banking and investments shortly after receiving her BS in business administration from the State University of New York College at Oswego in 1994. Her employment began with former Fleet Bank (now Bank of America) and covered the areas of personal trust and estate administration, recordkeeping for employee benefit plans, and cash management services for middle-market corporate clients.
Prior to joining Sagemark Consulting in 2003, Kristine was employed as a client service representative for the leading investment management team with Harold C. Brown & Co., Inc., a former Buffalo-based equity investment firm. During her tenure with Harold Brown, she received her FINRA Series 7 and 63 securities registrations.
She joined the Custom Wealth Strategies team in January 2014.
Joseph L. Fecio, CPA, CFP®
Registered Associate
I grew up in South Buffalo with five siblings in a working-class family. We lost our brother, Jim, to leukemia at age 19. My father worked hard to support our family and my mother stayed at home until we were old enough and then worked as a substitute teacher and a clerk for the City of Buffalo. Unfortunately, my parents are no longer with us, but the love they shared and the values that they instilled in me have served as a foundation of my personal and professional life. I am fortunate that my siblings live in the Buffalo area, so we are able to get together on a regular basis.
I live in East Amherst with my lovely wife, Diane, and four rescue cats (Emily, Tabitha, Leah, and Mandi). My marriage to Diane came with the added benefit of two wonderful stepchildren: Scott who now lives in Columbus, Ohio; and Dawn, who now lives in Toronto, Ontario. Over time, our family was blessed with the addition of five grandchildren. Sydney, Ethan, and Alivia live in Columbus; and Teddy and Lydia live in Toronto. We are fortunate that they are a relatively short drive away.
After a fairly short "career" as an engineer, I attended the School of Management at the State University of New York at Buffalo and graduated with honors with an MBA in finance and a concentration in accounting in 1984.
Upon graduation, I joined the Buffalo office of Price Waterhouse where I was a senior tax accountant and earned my CPA designation in 1986. My duties included reviewing corporate and individual tax returns for a diversified client base. I was also part of the Executive Financial Services group that provided financial planning services to corporate executives. During that time, I developed a comprehensive personal financial planning model used by other Price Waterhouse offices nationwide. While at Price Waterhouse, my penchant for financial analysis and skill in developing financial models became obvious.
From Price Waterhouse, I accepted a position at M&T Bank where I could utilize my analysis and modeling skills. I became a vice president of finance and managed a staff of financial analysts to provide support to senior management. During that time, I was instrumental in developing the bank’s current management reporting systems and provided sophisticated analyses that facilitated financial decisions and supported strategic planning and budgeting.
Eventually, the lure of financial planning and desire to help people on a personal basis led me to earn my securities license and my CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERTM certification in 1999. At that time, I became a financial planner with the M&T Investment Group.
After a short period of time, I decided to start my own financial planning practice and affiliated with Sagemark Consulting in 2000 which evolved into Custom Wealth Strategies in 2015.
My background includes specializing and supporting our clients in the areas of estate planning, business succession planning, retirement and benefits analysis, tax reduction strategies, and investment considerations for executives, business owners, and professionals.
In addition to financial planning, I have a passion for working with animals. Although our family didn’t have pets when I was growing up, I reluctantly agreed to adopt our first cat years ago when a friend of my stepdaughter had to rehome her cat. Miss O’Malley quickly won my heart and ultimately led to the four wonderful cats that currently share our lives. Experiencing the richness that animals add to our lives led me to become an avid volunteer at the Niagara SPCA. I earned a certificate in feline behavior and I started and continue to oversee the cat enrichment program at the shelter. We work with cats struggling in the shelter environment to socialize them and facilitate their adoption. As a result of my demonstrated gift for working with these animals, I have come to be affectionately known as the "cat whisperer."