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Meet the Team Ready to Guide You

Raymond J. Stecker, Jr.

President/Founder/CEO

Raymond J. Stecker, Jr. is the founder and president of Boston Research and Management, Inc. In addition to his investment responsibilities, he is responsible for the general management of the firm. Ray has had extensive experience in investments and management over the last few decades through his positions as a sales manager for Procter and Gamble Distributing Co., account executive at E. F. Hutton & Co. and senior officer in the investment services division at Shawmut Bank.

Ray has appeared twice as a guest speaker on the financial information television program The Bottom Line and has been quoted in BOND WEEK (a publication of Institutional Investor, Inc.), as well as on the real-time Bloomberg Financial Analytics service. He was president (two years) and a director (six years) of the Phillips Academy Alumni Association of New England and was founder and president of the Andover Business Roundtable. He was also on the board of directors of the Cape Ann Symphony (1992-1993). From 1989-1992, he was on the Finance Committee and a trustee of the Glen Urquhart School, an independent, coeducational elementary school north of Boston. From 2002-2005 he served on the board of directors of the City of Beverly Contributory Retirement System, and from 2005-2012 he served on the Northeast Health System Investment Committee. Ray is currently a member of the Cape Ann Investment Forum.

A graduate of Union College with a degree in Comparative Law, Ray lives in Beverly Farms, Massachusetts, with his wife Candy. They have two daughters.

Benjamin J. Muchler, CFP®

Managing Director

Ben joined Boston Research and Management in 2006. His primary responsibilities include portfolio management, financial planning and development of alternative strategies. Ben is also instrumental in the day-to-day operations of the firm and serves as a direct contact for many of our clients.

Ben obtained degrees in both finance and economics from the Sigmund Weis School of Business at Susquehanna University in his home state of Pennsylvania. He also earned a Certificate in Financial Planning from Merrimack University. Ben holds the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®) designation, which he earned in 2003. He is an active member of the Massachusetts chapter of the Financial Planning Association (FPA) having served on its board of directors and as advocacy chairman (formally government relations). Through this role, he has met with many lawmakers in Washington to promote increased transparency and protections for investors.

Frequently consulted by the media, Ben has most recently been quoted by NBC News, AARP, The Boston Globe, Financial Advisor Magazine, Bankrate.com, Dow Jones Newswire and Kiplinger's. Ben also served as a subject matter expert for Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards (CFP Board®), contributing to the development of examination questions for the CFP® Certification Examination.

Prior to joining BRM, Ben was a partner at an advisory firm in Wellesley, Massachusetts for six years. Before that, he operated his own practice for three years. Ben brings with him a deep understanding of financial planning, specifically retirement income and estate planning strategies, as well as advanced tax reduction and investment strategies.

Ben lives in Boxford, Massachusetts with his wife, daughter and son. He enjoys golf, skiing and guitar. He is also an accomplished woodworker and photographer.

Daniel F. Tortola, CFA

Chief Investment Officer

Dan joined Boston Research and Management in 2007. While Dan's primary responsibility is equity research and analysis, he is also instrumental in portfolio management, asset allocation and trading operations.

Dan earned the right to use the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation in June 2011 and is an active member of the CFA Institute. In 2007, Dan received his MBA with a concentration in finance from Boston College, where he was recognized for academic achievement through his induction into the Beta Gamma Sigma honor society for collegiate schools of business. He was also chosen to participate in phase III of the Center for Investment Research and Management through which he managed a portion of the Boston College endowment. Prior to entering the MBA program, Dan worked in global operations services at Putnam Investments for four years. Dan received a Bachelor of Arts in economics at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts in 2001.

Dan lives with his wife Jessica and twin boys in Lynnfield, Massachusetts.

Robert S. McKenzie, J.D.

Senior Client Advisor

Bob joined Boston Research and Management in 2012 and offers our clients deep experience in Family Office Services. He works with clients and their external advisors to identify needs and implement solutions that better preserve and grow family wealth. He is dedicated to superior client service and delivering peace of mind with the utmost integrity.

Prior to joining Boston Research and Management, Bob was a longtime senior relationship manager serving a select few of the wealthiest clients at Tanager Financial Services and its successor organizations. Before that, he was tax manager at Woodstock Corporation and Crestar Bank (now SunTrust) and risk manager for Crestar Bank and was responsible for the tax work of the highest net worth clients at BankBoston (now Bank of America).

Bob earned his LLM Masters in taxation from Boston University School of Law, his JD law degree from Franklin Pierce Law Center, and his B.S. in business administration from University of New Hampshire. He also earned a diploma from the National Graduate Trust School, offered by the American Bankers Association. Bob brings our clients expertise in estate planning, trusts and taxation. He has organized and presented seminars (nationally and locally) on tax matters and fiduciary topics, authored a Trusts & Estates Magazine article on generation skipping taxes and chaired the Massachusetts Bankers Association Taxation Committee.

Bob lives with his wife in Amesbury, Massachusetts, and has three children.

Les W. Kernan III, CFA

Analyst

Les joined Boston Research & Management in 2017 and primarily focuses on equity research while assisting with portfolio management, trading, and other securities analysis.

Les is a CFA® charter holder and is an active member of the CFA Institute and CFA Society Boston. He obtained his Master of Science in Finance from the Carroll School of Management at Boston College in 2017 and his Bachelor of Science in Music, with a minor in Business Administration, from Northeastern University in 2016. Prior to joining Boston Research & Management, Les worked in the music industry in Boston where he helped run a local business providing performance and recording facilities for musicians.

Les lives in Beverly, Massachusetts with his wife and their dog.

Charles E. Babin

Senior Advisor

Charlie joined Boston Research and Management in 1999. In his role as senior advisor, he oversees asset management strategies for private and institutional clients. Charlie's curriculum vitae traces associations with a number of prominent financial institutions including NatWest Investment Management and State Street Global Advisors. He launched his professional career in 1969 when he joined H.C. Wainwright & Co., an internationally respected investment-banking firm, and was admitted to partnership in 1974. In 1978 he co-founded H.C. Wainwright & Co. Economics, a highly regarded economic forecasting and consulting firm which received national attention for its work in modeling the U.S. economy and financial market behavior.

In 1988 he became managing director and principal stockholder of BRS Capital Management, a Registered Investment Advisor formed for the purpose of commercializing the investment disciplines pioneered at Wainwright Economics. Counted among his accomplishments is Investing Secrets of the Masters: Applying Classical Investment Ideas To Today's Turbulent Markets, a McGraw-Hill publication which he authored in October 1999.

Charlie's published work has appeared regularly in national and local press. His 1978 analysis of capital spending trends in America - a Financial Analysts Journal feature article - was honored with the Federation's Graham and Dodd Award. He was also a contributing columnist at Forbes magazine from 1985-2000.

A former naval officer and Vietnam veteran, Charlie earned his Bachelor of Science and MBA at Boston College.

Amy E. Flynn

Operations Manager

Amy joined Boston Research and Management in 2006 as an operations assistant and assumed the role of operations manager in 2010. She is responsible for account reconciliation and reporting, client service, compliance support and office management. Prior to joining Boston Research and Management, Amy spent eight years at Thomson Financial (now Thomson Reuters) in Boston, where she served the investment management community in various roles, including sales, training and account management.

Amy graduated from Wesleyan University in 1994 with a Bachelor of Arts in history and lives with her husband in Danvers, Massachusetts.

Gina M. Panarello

Operations Coordinator

Gina joined Boston Research and Management in 2012. Her primary responsibilities include general operations, marketing assistance and account reconciliation as well as client service. Prior to joining Boston Research and Management, Gina worked in various marketing roles within companies such as Studentrate.com, The CRAVE Company, The Patriot Financial Group and Smith Barney.

Gina obtained her Bachelor of Science in marketing from Salve Regina University in 2007 and lives in Peabody, Massachusetts, with her husband, daughter and their dog.

Marcia Hermann

Accounts Payable

Marcia joined Boston Research and Management in 2006. Her primary responsibilities include bill payment, monthly reconciliation and end-of-year data organization for BRM and other clients. Marcia is proficient in QuickBooks, Quicken, Microsoft Money and Excel. She has spent 13 years as a freelance bookkeeper on the North Shore, working for numerous small businesses and individuals. Marcia graduated from Indiana University in 1972 with a Bachelor of Arts in English.