MEET THE TEAM
Decades of planning, investment, and advisory experience
The Essex team brings together advisors, portfolio managers, and client-service professionals who share one commitment: planning-based guidance built around each client’s life and long-term goals.
The People Behind Your Plan
James Hartwell
President & CFO
James founded Essex Financial in 1991 and co-founded Essex LLC in 1997 with Art Freedman. He earned his undergraduate degree (1988) and MBA (1994) from Mankato State University and received his Certified Funds Specialist designation in 1994. He helped create the Advisors Forum in 1995 and serves on the firm’s Investment Committee and the Little City charity board.
Benjamin Cairns
Chief Operating Officer & Financial Advisor
Ben joined Essex in 2014 and serves as Chief Operating Officer. He holds a BBA from Western Michigan University and is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional. He spent 20 years in publishing before joining the firm and serves on the Investment Committee.
Robert Tutela
Chief Compliance Officer, Portfolio Manager & Financial Advisor
Rob joined Essex in 2016 from JP Morgan Asset Management, bringing 20 years of experience in trading, compliance, and operations for retail and private-bank clients. A graduate of Montclair State University (B.S., Finance and Business Administration), he has been named a Five Star Wealth Manager (2024–2025) and profiled in the Wall Street Journal and Chicago Magazine.
Debbie Gray
Chief Administrator
Debbie joined Essex in 2004 and heads the firm’s Administration. She brings more than 20 years of financial-services experience, with prior roles at Rodman & Renshaw, Mesirow Financial, and Gardner Rick & Co.
Arthur Freedman
Certified Public Accountant
Art co-founded Essex LLC in 1997. He previously served as a senior partner at the Chicago accounting firm Friedman, Eisenstein, Raemer and Schwartz, heading its Personal Financial Planning division. He holds a degree from the University of Illinois (1971) and an MBA from Northwestern (1973), and is a member of the AICPA and the Illinois CPA Society. He serves on the Investment Committee.
Ted Connolly
Portfolio Manager & Financial Advisor
Ted joined Essex in 2021 following 15 years at Iron Financial, where he managed fixed income, options, REITs, risk-based ETFs, and mutual fund portfolios. A graduate of Connecticut College (BA, Economics), he serves on the Investment Committee.
Justin Nolan
Financial Advisor
Justin joined Essex in 2016 from JP Morgan Private Bank. A third-generation CBOT member with more than 20 years on the exchange, he ran the largest order-execution business on the financial floor and brings over 35 years of experience across equities, fixed income, and alternatives.
Nancy Effert
Wealth Manager
Nancy merged Effert Financial Solutions with Essex in late 2023. She spent more than 20 years in Fortune 500 corporate leadership before founding her firm in 2006, and takes a goal-based approach to wealth management. She has been named a Five Star Wealth Manager for 12 consecutive years (2014–2025) and profiled in Forbes, the Wall Street Journal, and Chicago Magazine.
Dana Kreiman
Client Services Associate
Dana joined Essex in 2025, bringing a banking background in client services and relationship management. She holds a BA in Economics from DePaul University and an MBA from Southern New Hampshire University.
*FIVE STAR AWARD DISCLAIMER * This award was issued on 10/01/2025 by Five Star Professional (FSP) for the time period 01/01/2025 through 08/01/2025. Fee paid for use of marketing materials. Self-completed questionnaire was used for rating. This rating is not related to the quality of the investment advice and based solely on the disclosed criteria. 6399 Chicago-area wealth managers were considered for the award; 362 (6 % of candidates) were named 2025 Five Star Wealth Managers. The following prior year statistics use this format: YEAR: # Considered, # Winners, % of candidates, Issued Date, Research Period. 2024: 6,273, 400, 6%, 10/1/24, 1/9/24 – 8/9/24; 2023: 5,549, 405, 7%, 10/1/23, 1/9/23 – 7/31/23; 2022: 4912, 384, 8%, 10/1/22, 1/24/22 – 7/29/22; 2021: 5635, 386, 7%, 10/1/21, 12/28/20 – 8/6/21; 2020: 4636, 356, 8%, 10/1/20, 1/6/20 – 8/7/20; 2019: 5430, 429, 8%, 10/1/19, 1/7/19 – 8/9/19; 2018: 5449, 435, 8%, 10/1/18, 1/12/18 – 8/17/18; 2017: 3781, 438, 12%, 10/1/17, 12/16/16 – 8/3/17; 2016: 3411, 726, 22%, 9/1/16, 2/26/16 – 8/19/16; 2015: 5833, 716, 12%, 10/1/15, 2/4/15 – 8/3/15; 2014: 8161, 744, 9%, 10/1/14, 2/4/13 – 8/3/13; 2013: 3998, 772, 19%, 10/1/13, 2/4/12 – 8/3/12; 2012: 2970, 780, 26%, 10/1/12, 2/4/11 – 8/3/11. Wealth managers do not pay a fee to be considered or placed on the final list of Five Star Wealth Managers. The award is based on 10 objective criteria. Eligibility criteria – required: 1. Credentialed as a registered investment adviser (RIA) or a registered investment adviser representative; 2. Actively licensed as a RIA or as a principal of a registered investment adviser firm for a minimum of 5 years; 3. Favorable regulatory and complaint history review (As defined by FSP, the wealth manager has not; A. Been subject to a regulatory action that resulted in a license being suspended or revoked, or payment of a fine; B. Had more than a total of three settled or pending complaints filed against them and/or a total of five settled, pending, dismissed or denied complaints with any regulatory authority or FSP’s consumer complaint process. Unfavorable feedback may have been discovered through a check of complaints registered with a regulatory authority or complaints registered through FSP’s consumer complaint process; feedback may not be representative of any one client’s experience; C. Individually contributed to a financial settlement of a customer complaint; D. Filed for personal bankruptcy within the past 11 years; E. Been terminated from a financial services firm within the past 11 years; F. Been convicted of a felony); 4. Fulfilled their firm review based on internal standards; 5. Accepting new clients. Evaluation criteria – considered: 6. One-year client retention rate; 7. Five-year client retention rate; 8. Non-institutional discretionary and/or non-discretionary client assets administered; 9. Number of client households served; 10. Education and professional designations. FSP does not evaluate quality of services provided to clients. The award is not indicative of the wealth manager’s future performance. Wealth managers may or may not use discretion in their practice and therefore may not manage their clients’ assets. The inclusion of a wealth manager on the Five Star Wealth Manager list should not be construed as an endorsement of the wealth manager by FSP or this publication. Working with a Five Star Wealth Manager or any wealth manager is no guarantee as to future investment success, nor is there any guarantee that the selected wealth managers will be awarded this accomplishment by FSP in the future. Visit www.fivestarprofessional.com.