Joe has provided investment services and strategies to high and ultra-high-net-worth individuals and families since 1999. He began his wealth management career at Goldman Sachs, where he was an ultra-high-net-worth private client advisor. In 2003, he joined UBS, where he continued his focus as an accredited ultra-high-net-worth advisor. Over the course of his career, Joe has worked in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, and Boston.

Joe joined the Private Banking and Investment Group at Merrill Lynch in 2008, where he heads The Cefalu Group, a dedicated high and ultra-high-net-worth team. Joe, his team, and their associated investment partners, and an extended team of wealth structuring specialists, work with individuals, families, family offices, and corporate executives throughout the United States in addressing their investment and wealth management needs.

Joe draws upon extensive corporate experience in serving the needs of business owners and executives. Prior to working in investment and wealth management, Joe was Managing Director of CRD Consulting, a strategy consulting firm, where he advised CEOs of Fortune 500, mid-cap, and emerging growth companies on issues of strategic positioning and market differentiation. Joe was also a senior management consultant with Coopers & Lybrand, LLC, where he advised CEOs and senior executives on enterprise and market strategy.

Joe holds an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago, Graduate School of Business, and a B.S.B.A. from Babson College. Joe Cefalu is a qualified Portfolio Manager who, in addition to providing traditional advice and guidance, can help clients pursue their objectives by buildng and managing his own personalized or defined strategies, which may incorporate individual stocks and bonds, Merrill Lynch model portfolios, and third-party investment strategies. When servicing clients through the firm's Investment Advisory Program, a Portfolio Manager may manage his strategies on a discretionary basis.

Joe presently serves on the Boards of Overseers for The Celebrity Series of Boston, a performing arts and educational organization, where formerly he was a Director.  He is a past Board of Director for Noonan Scholars, now SCS Noonan, whose mission is providing mentoring and educational scholarship opportunities for promising inner-city Boston area high school students.  Other past community service includes Board of Directors for private schools, Board of Directors for the YMCA of Ipswich, MA, committee membership for Boston Children's Theater, and serving as a one-to-one youth mentor through Friends and Family Services of Salem, MA.

Kathy joined Merrill and The Cefalu Group in 2019. Kathy's role and focus on the team is optimizing Practice Management via Technology, Infrastructure, and Operational Systems. Kathy will also specifically oversee the role of Private Wealth Client Associate and is currently in that position to provide client services directly to our clients while training other client associates for our team.

Prior to joining Merrill, Kathy worked for Universal Studios as Director of Strategic Marketing, and as a Planner at the Leo Burnett Advertising Agency with key roles in Leo Burnett's McDonald's and Coca-Cola product development teams, as well as their branding and advertising work.

She holds a B.A. in Public Policy from Brown University and has lived and worked in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Boston.

Peter joined The Cefalu Group in 2016 following his graduation from college.

Peter’s prior work experience includes equity research analyst for Granite Point Capital Management, investment banking analyst for Tianjin Bohai Security Co., and Assurance Analyst for Price Waterhouse Coopers. Born and raised in Tianjin, China, Peter attended high school at Shattuck St. Mary’s School in Minnesota. At Babson College, Peter was President of the Chinese Student Association.

Peter earned his B.S. in Business from Babson College, majoring in both Finance and Mathematical Computational Finance. Peter is Boston based and has lived and worked in Boston and Tianjin, China and is language fluent in both English and Mandarin.