Luke was born and raised in Connecticut, a Hard Hitten New Britain native, and most of his family continues to reside within the Northeast. He grew up in a family-oriented household, with strong roots in sports and sarcasm, but most importantly, an emphasis on family first. He spent a lot of my summers boating and fishing in Lake George, NY and on the Charlestown, RI beaches. He has an older sister, Kylee, who holds a Doctorate in Physical Therapy.
When Luke was younger, he played baseball, soccer and lacrosse was an avid snowboarder. Frequenting the various mountains throughout Vermont is something he has been doing for the past 20 years, sometimes with his girlfriend Katie. He thoroughly enjoy the outdoors, whether it’s hiking or biking at the West Hartford Reservoir, fishing / kayaking along the Farmington river, or taking in the rays and waves in Montauk or Block Island in the summer.
Luke has always wanted to be a “stock broker” – maybe it was the movies, maybe it was four family members being in the business. He wanted to pave my own way and that’s the road he took He had a knack for numbers and found the fast paced, constantly changing environment fascinating. He still does.
Luke attended Northwest Catholic High School in West Hartford. He was a three-season varsity athlete - Soccer, Indoor Track, and Lacrosse. He attended Quinnipiac University (QU) in Hamden, CT, and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance in 2010. At QU he was involved with the American Red Cross, St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, Habitat for Humanity, Relay for Life, Alzheimer’s Association among others. QU’s recent success in hockey made him a big Bobcats supporter and an enthused hockey fan.
Luke went to work for Morgan Stanley in the Fall of 2010 with big hopes and aspirations and was accepted into their national financial advisor associate training program. After obtaining his licenses, he joined his current employer, GYL Financial Synergies, an independent registered investment advisory firm and has been with them for nine years. He is a Senior Wealth Advisor and Institutional Consultant providing comprehensive wholistic financial planning and retirement planning for private clients along with consulting services to municipalities, corporations and non-profit organizations. He completed Bryant University’s Certificate of Financial Planning program in 2016 to become a Certified Financial Planner. As of February, 2020, he now hold the Certified Investment Management Analyst® certification, administered by the Investments & Wealth Institute™ and taught in conjunction with Yale School of Management.
In his spare time Luke can be found doing something fitness related. Traveling is something Luke want to continue doing. Last year he traveled to western Europe for the first time. In March he will be taking the trip of a lifetime to Cape Town, South Africa, with friends for a wedding and looks forward to exploring the country.
Luke became interested in Rotary after hearing about it from a relative who is in the Westport, CT, club. He heard about the impact they make on the surrounding community. This emphasis appealed to him and he is happy to be part of this extended family and is excited about his future in Rotary. Although his tenure has only been a few months, he is proud to be part of what the club has accomplished and is anticipating all of the wonderful chapters still to be written.