Pinnacle Team

Pinnacle Investment Team

This is the Pinnacle Investment Committee. They are responsible for the research direction and management of Pinnacle’s investment portfolios, as well as the philosophy, tactics and trading strategy. Their work includes top-down macro-economic research, domestic equity sector analysis, market capitalization strategy, and portfolio risk management.

Ken Solow, CFP®, ChFC

Chairman of the Investment Committee

Kenneth R. Solow, CFP®, ChFC is a founding partner of Pinnacle Advisory Group, Inc. As a founding Partner, he was instrumental in creating the tactical asset allocation strategy currently used by Pinnacle to manage nearly $2 billion in assets. Solow is nationally known for his views on active portfolio management, and his book, Buy and Hold is Still Dead (Again): The Case for Active Portfolio Management in Dangerous Markets, is considered the definitive work on Tactical Asset Allocation. Solow appears regularly at events sponsored by the Financial Planning Association, National Association of Financial Planners, the Investment Management Consultants Association, and the AICPA, and has been published in The Journal of Financial Planning, Smart Money, Financial Planning Magazine, The Baltimore Sun, the Globe & Mail, and the Wall Street Journal.

Carl Noble, CFA®

Chief Investment Officer

Carl joined Pinnacle in 2001 after graduating with honors with a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from the University of Maryland. As Chief Investment Officer, he both directs and is involved in all of Pinnacle’s investment efforts, ranging from broad macro-economic topics to individual security selection issues, across different asset classes and markets. Carl helped develop Pinnacle’s Tactical Asset Allocation investment strategy from its beginnings in 2002, and remains actively involved in its ongoing execution. He leads Pinnacle’s Investment Team, which handles the day-to-day portfolio management activities. Carl is a CFA® charterholder.

Sean Dillon, CMT, CFTe®

Chief Investment Strategist

Sean Dillon graduated with honors from Neumann College with a bachelor’s degree in Marketing. After graduating, he worked in sales for a major financial institution, where he obtained his Series 7 and 66 certifications. He joined Pinnacle Advisory Group in October 2005 as the company’s Portfolio Trader, handling daily trading of client portfolios and performance management. He was later promoted to Technical Analyst, analyzing and reporting technical conditions to the Investment Team. In September 2020, Sean was named Chief Investment Strategist. Sean is a Chartered Market Technician (CMT), Certified Financial Technician (CFTe®) and also serves on Pinnacle’s Investment Committee, which is responsible for making asset allocation and security selection decisions.

Sauro Locatelli, CFA®, FRM™

Director of Quantitative Research

Sauro joined Pinnacle full-time in January 2011 after completing an internship with the firm over the previous summer. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a master’s degree in Finance from Bocconi University, in Italy. As Pinnacle’s Quantitative Analyst, Sauro is primarily responsible for the management and development of Pinnacle’s in-house quantitative research models, which support the firm’s investment decisions. In addition, Sauro is an integral part of Pinnacle’s Investment Team, which is responsible for the firm’s asset allocation and security selection decisions. Sauro is a CFA® charterholder and a certified Financial Risk Manager.

Dan Mento, CFA®

Junior Analyst

Dan joined Pinnacle in 2015 as a trader for the Investment Team and was promoted to Junior Analyst in 2018. He graduated from James Madison University, earning a BBA, with a major in Finance. After graduating, he worked in equity fund accounting at T. Rowe Price and Bank of New York Mellon. Dan is a CFA^® charterholder. He currently lives in Ellicott City and enjoys playing golf in his spare time.

Joe Zimmermann

Senior Trader

Joe Zimmermann graduated from the University of New Mexico with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration in 2005. Shortly thereafter, he accepted a sales position for a global financial services firm in Albuquerque, where he obtained his Series 7 and 66 licenses. Two years later, Joe moved to Maryland to take a position in operations for the same company’s institutional trading arm. In 2013, he joined Pinnacle as their in-house trader. Joe is now the Senior Trader at Pinnacle.