Merit | Wilton Location
Wilton, CT
195 Danbury Rd
Suite 140
Wilton, CT 06897
Phone: 203.762.8499
Fax: 203.762.8404
Emily Boothroyd
Wealth Manager, Partner
Emily Boothroyd
JD, CFP®, CPWA®
Wealth Manager, Partner
Emily Boothroyd, JD, CFP®, CPWA® is a Partner and Wealth Manager in the Wilton, CT branch of Merit Financial Advisors/Price Financial Group. She has been dedicated to helping her clients to create financial plans that reflect their individual needs for over a decade. Emily has a background in trusts and estates law, as well as a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ designation, and holds a certificate in Behavioral Finance from the Investments and Wealth Institute.
Emily has a strong focus on education and coaching and strives to empower her clients to sit in the driver’s seat when it comes to their financial lives. Her planning focuses on the articulation of goals and the methods of working towards them while maintaining a strong emphasis on risk management.
Whether her clients are moving forward to start a new chapter after a divorce, focusing on understanding financial management after the loss of a loved one, or seeking advice on how to optimize their executive compensation and stock options strategies, Emily enjoys connecting with each of her clients in a caring and compassionate manner.
She started her career as a legal counsel to the Congress of the Republic of Palau, then moved into estate planning as an attorney with the firm of Bishop, Jackson & Kelly, LLC. Emily transitioned to holistic financial planning and wealth management in 2009 as a natural progression from her experience as an estate planner.
Emily lives in Easton, Connecticut with her family. When she is not with her clients or team at Merit, you can find her at the barn or cooking with her two daughters. She also loves traveling and yoga.
Hollis Hardiman
Wealth Manager, Partner
Hollis Hardiman
CDFA™
Wealth Manager, Partner
Hollis Hardiman is a Private Wealth Advisor who joined Price Financial Group in January of 2015. A Certified Divorce Financial Analyst (CDFA™), Hollis specializes in helping clients navigate periods of transition such as divorce, the loss of a spouse, and the sometimes complex period leading up to a much-anticipated retirement. Her expertise includes all areas of financial planning, including investment management, tax strategy, risk management, and estate plan design.
Hollis graduated from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington with a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing. Upon graduation, she began a 12-year career at Enterprise Rent-A-Car, rising through the ranks to eventually manage six retail locations in Fairfield County. In her management role, Hollis oversaw all aspects of sales operations, including developing an ever-growing sales team, expansion of her territory, as well as profit and loss management for her six locations.
Capitalizing on the skills she acquired in this role, especially those related to budgeting and sound fiscal management, Hollis then transitioned to the world of private wealth management by joining Wells Fargo Advisors in Westport, CT, in October of 2013. In the time since, both at Wells Fargo and now at Merit, Hollis has considered it a privilege to utilize her hands-on experience, practical financial expertise, and passion for exceptional service to help her clients pursue their lifestyle retirement goals.
Hollis was born and raised in Fairfield, CT, and now splits her time between Fairfield and Palm City, FL. She enjoys spending time with her husband and extended family, walking her two dogs, and playing tennis in her free time.
Certifications
- Series 7 – General Securities Representative
- Series 66 - Uniform Combined State Law Examination*
- Series 65 –Uniform Investment Advisor registrations*
- Life, Accident and Health Insurance License Long-Term Care Certified by the state of Connecticut
Phone: 203.423.5985
E-mail: [email protected]
Lori Price
Wealth Manager, Partner
Lori Price
CFP®
Wealth Manager, Partner
Lori R. Price, CFP® founded Price Financial Group in 1990 as a boutique independent wealth management firm serving clients in Connecticut, Florida and throughout the country.
For over 35 years, Lori has been providing financial, retirement, estate planning and wealth management services. In February 2021, Lori was again named to the Forbes list of Best in State Wealth Advisors in Connecticut and named one of America’s Top Women Advisors.
After earning a certification as a divorce financial planner in 1998, she developed a more specialized focus guiding affluent women through the transition of divorce or losing a loved one. As an acknowledgement for her focus on educating women and helping guide them through transitions, Lori is proud to have earned Women’s Choice Award® for Financial Advisors every year since 2014 [1].
Lori and her team of advisors and professional staff also work with clients who are near or in retirement, helping guide their transition from a paycheck to having a plan in place so they will not outlive their money.
The demands of managing a small financial services firm became more time-consuming and complex. Lori merged Price Financial Group with Merit Financial Advisors in January of 2020 in order to gain access to numerous resources ranging from strong compliance oversight, dedicated technology support, a top-notch financial planning department, an excellent marketing team, administrative and operations support, and a fantastic bench of investment professionals.
Lori has been welcomed as a guest speaker at national conferences and has conducted over 350 workshops covering all aspects of financial and estate planning. She has been widely recognized in the industry by Barron’s, Forbes, Connecticut Magazine and Wealth Manager Magazine among others.
Acting on her strong belief in the importance of giving back to the community, Lori has presented special programs on “Creative Alternatives for Charitable Giving” and “Empowering Women in Philanthropy.” She actively supports several local charities including: Feeding America and local food banks, Alzheimer's Research, The Domestic Violence Crisis Center, Relay for Life, Fairfield County Foundation Fund for Women and Girls, Rock the Street Wall Street, & Special Olympics.
Lori has an MBA from Duke University's Fuqua School of Business and a BA in Business from Rutgers University. She now resides in Palm Beach Gardens, FL and Old Saybrook, CT. For fun, Lori is a competitive pickleball player and sports enthusiast and enjoys wine tastings, travel, golf, cycling, kayaking and hiking.
Industry Recognition:
- 2019-2022: Named to Forbes list of BEST IN STATE Financial Advisors[2]
- 2019-2021: Named to Forbes list of America’s Top Women Advisors.[2]
- 2014-2023: Women’s Choice Award for Financial Advisors by Women Certified.[1]
- 2012-2020: Connecticut Magazine “FIVE Star Wealth Manager”[3]
[1] The Women’s Choice Award® by Women Certified Inc. is the premier recognition award for advisors who provide quality service to their female clients. The Award is based on 17 objective criteria associated with providing quality service to women clients such as credentials, experience, and a favorable regulatory history. Financial advisors may have paid a basic program fee to cover the cost of comprehensive review and client survey.
[2] Based on assets under management, revenue produced for the firm, regulatory record, quality of practice and philanthropic work.
[3] In year 2012-2017 the award based on 10 objective criteria associated with providing quality services to clients such as credentials, experience, and assets under management among other factors. Wealth managers do not pay a fee to be considered or placed on the final list of Five Star Wealth Managers. for fee charge and overall satisfaction. The overall score is based on an average of all respondents and may not be representative of any one client’s experience.
Chris Ceponis
Wealth Manager
Chris Ceponis
Wealth Manager
Chris Ceponis, a graduate of Belmont Abbey College, has derived great satisfaction for 35 years guiding clients along their financial journey. He’s worked with individuals, small businesses, and executives, honing his experience in positioning and managing assets to pursue a comfortable retirement and effective estate distribution.
He and his family returned to Connecticut from Alabama in 2012, where he ran his 40-member financial firm. He and his wife Julie have three children, and they’ve participated in many charitable programs directed towards youth and the homeless over the years.
Chris enjoys golf, tennis, and dabbling on the piano in his free time. He’s also involved in various community theater groups as an actor, director, and playwright.
David Brounley
Wealth Manager
Karra DeBowes
CFP®, ChFC, AIF®, AAMS®, CRPS, CRPC
Wealth Manager
David is a Wealth Manager at Merit Financial Advisors. His career started with Ameriprise, where he was promoted to National Director of United Kingdom. In that role, he built sales forces from 0 to 400 Financial Planners and 17 offices in three years. He later returned to the United States to support Ameriprise’s domestic integration of technology and field sales utilization. After a long career with Ameriprise, he joined ING as SVP Head of Sales – Retail, Insurance and Advisory Markets, and was integral to the conversion of their field sales into financial planners during his 12 years there.
Because he values being close to the client, working with advisors and pursuing entrepreneurial initiatives, he started an RIA in 2009 with several partners and grew it to $500 million in AUM in three years. He served as both the CCO and an advisor, and was awarded the Five Star Wealth Manager Award in 2012. Later in 2012, he was recruited by LPL Financial to drive a new entrepreneurial initiative around their Worksite Solutions/Financial Wellness offering, which he took to unprecedented levels of success in just three years. He joined Wealth Enhancement Group (WEG) in 2015 to head up their M&A division and helped facilitate 10+ external firm integrations into WEG. David joined Merit in June of 2020 and is looking forward to helping Merit build a national wealth management footprint.
Karra DeBowes
Client Development Manager
Karra DeBowes
Client Development Manager
As the Client Development Manager, Karra splits her time working with current clients, marketing to potential clients and ensuring the office is compliant and running smoothly day-to-day.
After graduating from Fordham University in 2006 with a BS in Business Administration, Karra started her career in financial services but soon transitioned to the entertainment industry. She worked for Viacom Media Networks and, most recently, for WWE as Director of Operations.
Karra grew up in New Jersey and moved to Connecticut in 2012 with her husband, Kevin. In early 2020, Karra decided to make a career change to be closer to home and found the opportunity at Price Financial Group on the local Working Mom’s Facebook Group.
Karra lives in Wilton with her family and in her spare time, she enjoys cooking, hiking, listening to podcasts, and reading.
Kelley Watson
Client Service Manager
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