MEET THE TEAM

Chris Thomas, CFP^®, AIF, CPFA

Managing Director

I started in the financial services business with John Hancock in 2002 and ever since have diligently pursued my mission of helping busy professionals get organized and better define the role that money plays in their life. After leaving John Hancock in 2013, I began my pursuit of creating an independent wealth management business that best represents what I believe in which led to the creation of the Forty W Advisors team.

I’m keenly aware of the stress that money and finances can play in people's lives no matter where they are on the wealth spectrum. The individuals and families that I work with through our personal wealth management services are typically self-employed or busy executives.  Like me, they are passionate about their career, their families and personal development.  They value their time and want to know that their hard-earned money is aligned with their goals and objectives.  

I made retirement plan consulting a part of my business to help small and medium sized businesses better meet the fiduciary and administrative demands of their company’s retirement plan and to have an impact on the lives of employees.  

I spent my early childhood in the Mid-West before moving to the New Jersey suburbs of NYC and then to James Madison University.  Following college, I moved to the DC area and a decade later married my wife Jessica.   We have three awesome daughters Claire (10), Elise (9) and Grace (5).   As our family grew we migrated north to Ellicott City, Maryland and in an attempt to find a male ally in the house we got a labradoodle named Sammy. 

I try and spend my free time outdoors as much as possible.  When not coaching or watching the kids activities I enjoy golf, tennis and hiking or running the trails near our house.  

Sofia Walters

Client Experience Manager 

I believe the best businesses are those that are relationship-based, grown through client referrals, and continually strive to serve their clients first.  That’s how I ran my own boutique business and how I have helped other businesses throughout my career.  

I joined Forty W Advisors in 2021 because of the team’s enthusiasm for taking their client experience to another level resonated with me personally.  

Being a California girl, when I was eight years old my family and I took our annual trip to Disneyland to celebrate Father’s Day.  Throughout the day, little disappointments kept happening, nothing terrible, but later in the afternoon, over an hour after crowds had lined up to see the new Fantasmic!,  a street sweeper casually swept past us saying there was no show tonight.  My father could see I was crushed so we tracked down several employees trying to figure out if and why the show had been cancelled. No one had a satisfactory answer and we joined the grumbling crowd that dispersed. 

I was brought up with Disney “magic” and knew how seriously the Disney company took customer service. The next day I wrote a letter to Disneyland expressing my sadness at having a less-than-magical day. Less than a week later, I received a hand-signed letter back from the Guest Services, with 4 tickets to revisit the park. The letter detailed how they would implement better communication controls for their cast members based on my feedback and said my letter had been copied and posted throughout the cast member areas, and at the corporate office to remind everyone how much every Guest interaction mattered.

While financial services isn’t exactly Disneyland, I want every one of our clients to know and feel our appreciation for them.   

Micah Patashnik, CFP®, AIF®, CRPC®

Financial Planning & Investment Operations 

Micah is a partner of MacroView Investment Management, LLC and provides financial planning and  investment operations support to the Forty W Advisors team.  

As an investment advisor, Micah works diligently with MacroView clients on analyzing their overall financial situation in order to build an investment portfolio around their unique goals, risk tolerance, and time horizon. Micah believes in the importance of client communication and transparency of their investment portfolio. By helping clients understand and not deviate from their investment plan, they increase the likelihood of achieving their long-term goals.

Micah graduated magna cum laude from American University with a Bachelor's Degree in Mathematics & Economics. Micah is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional and also holds the designations of Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor (CRPC®) and Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF®). In addition, Micah has his Life and Health License from the state of Maryland and is licensed as an Investment Advisor Representative.

Daniel Cohen, JD*, MBA

Chief Compliance Officer

Daniel is the Owner and Managing Partner of MacroView Investment Management, LLC.  In his role he also serves as the Chief Compliance Officer over all MacroView business including the Forty W Advisors team.

Daniel has been an investment advisor since 1997, with both small and large money management firms. Prior to joining MacroView, he was a Director at Chevy Chase Trust.  He graduated in 1985 from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor's Degree. In 1989, he graduated from the State University of New York at Buffalo with a Juris Doctor and a Masters of Business Administration.

* Not practicing