Experience

Makes all the difference

Daniel Chorney

Managing Director–Wealth Management

Portfolio Manager

Dan is a Manager Director and Financial Advisor in the Private Wealth Management Group at UBS. He has been advising uniquely successful individuals and families on their wealth management needs for more than two decades. Dan’s approach to partnering with his clients is distinctive and deeply personalized, with advice that goes beyond traditional investment strategies to include areas such as tax and estate planning, philanthropy, and family engagement. Dan brings extensive experience guiding founders and executive teams through the sale of private businesses, helping them manage the shift of their net worth from private shares to liquid capital. He also advises private equity professionals, as well as defined-benefit and cash-balance plan assets for closely held businesses and non-profit organizations.

Dan joins UBS from Bernstein Private Wealth Management where he most recently served as a Private Wealth Advisor. He began his career as a Senior Stock Option Specialist at Merrill Lynch in 2002. Dan earned an MBA in Finance and Management from New York University and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Vermont.

Outside of work, Dan is deeply committed to philanthropy. His oldest son was born with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS), a rare genetic disorder. Dan and his wife have championed the cause, advocating for children affected by PWS through their support of the Foundation for Prader-Willi Research (FPWR). He served for six years on FPWR's Board, culminating in his role as Board President. Dan resides in Montclair, NJ with his wife and their three children.

Neither UBS Financial Services Inc. nor its employees (including its Financial Advisors) provide tax or legal advice. You should consult with your legal counsel and/or your accountant or tax professional regarding the legal or tax implications of a particular suggestion, strategy or investment, including any estate planning strategies, before you invest or implement.

Registered States:
  • CA
  • CA
  • CO
  • CO
  • CT
  • CT
  • DC
  • DC
  • DE
  • DE
  • FL
  • FL
  • GA
  • GA
  • IL
  • IL
  • MA
  • MA
  • MD
  • MD
  • ME
  • ME
  • MI
  • MI
  • MO
  • MO
  • NC
  • NC
  • NJ
  • NJ
  • NY
  • NY
  • OH
  • OH
  • OR
  • OR
  • PA
  • PA
  • RI
  • RI
  • SC
  • SC
  • TN
  • TN
  • TX
  • TX
  • VA
  • VA
  • WA
  • WA

Education

  • New York University , MBA in Finance and Management
  • University of Vermont , BA in Psychology

Credentials

  • Portfolio Manager
1285 Avenue of the Americas
15th, 16th, 17th, & 18th Floors
New York, NY 10019

Email Me

daniel.chorney@ubs.com
Daniel Chorney
1285 Avenue of the Americas,New York,NY,10019

Stefanie Schechter

Wealth Strategy Associate

Stefanie joins UBS from Neuberger Berman as a Wealth Strategy Associate. In her role, she is responsible for managing all team operations and client requests, while supporting overall business development for the team. Stefanie earned a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from New York University. She lives in New York City, and her interests include travel, music and sports.

1285 Avenue of the Americas
15th, 16th, 17th, & 18th Floors
New York, NY 10019

Email Me

stefanie.schechter@ubs.com
Stefanie Schechter
1285 Avenue of the Americas,New York,NY,10019

Our resources

  • Chris Kanavos

    Chris Kanavos

    NMLS #947868

    Senior Wealth Management Banker, UBS Bank USA

    Current role and areas of expertise

    Chris Kanavos joined UBS Bank USA in 2015 and he is currently a Senior Wealth Management Banker covering the Manhattan Market.

    Chris has an extensive background in relationship banking. He is focused on providing Financial Advisors and their clients a variety of cash management resources along with banking solutions that may complement their overall wealth management objectives. 

    Professional history

    Chris worked as a Regional Credit Director and Resident Manager at Merrill Lynch, where he partnered with Executive and Divisional Leadership to drive a credit and lending strategy for the NYC and Long Island Market. He began his Banking career in 1991, where he joined Wells Fargo during his last two years of college. Starting as a Credit Analyst, he was promoted to management shortly after graduating. As a District Manager, he was responsible for managing all aspects of the consumer finance business for initially, all of New York State and then for New York City, growing the market exponentially, from a $50MM business to an $800MM business in a 4-year period. 

    Education and personal information

    In Chris’ role as a Senior Wealth Management Banker his NMLS # is 863109. He holds his Series 7, 24, 63 and 65 securities licenses. He also holds a Bachelor’s Degree with a Double Major in Business and Economics from Stony Brook University.

    Chris grew up on the Eastern End of Long Island and has lived in Port Washington since 2002, with his wife Coleen and daughters Sarah and Gabrielle. In his free time, Chris enjoys being outdoors with his family camping, hiking, boating and skiing. He also enjoys exercising and running daily.

    Senior Wealth Management Bankers are employees of UBS Bank USA. UBS Bank USA is a subsidiary of UBS Group AG. UBS Bank USA, Member FDIC, NMLS No. 947868. Equal Housing Lender.

  • Brian Formento

    Executive Director

    Philanthropy Advisory Group/Family Office Solutions Group

    Brian Formento is an Executive Director and Head of Client Solutions and Investment Strategy in Family Office Solutions (FOS). Brian works with Advisors to deliver customized advice to clients of substantial financial wealth and coordinates cross-divisional coverage to ensure UHNW clients and family offices are properly covered by a team comprising relevant FOS specialists.

    He also remains a member of the Portfolio Advisory Group specializing in asset allocation and portfolio construction advice for the family office segment, defining risk-based strategies and developing customized investment ideas for the largest clients at UBS. Brian previously was a key member of the Private Wealth Management Alternatives Advisory Board and Private Wealth Management Family Office Strategy Team.

    Prior to UBS, Brian was a Managing Director and senior investment strategist for OTC derivatives and alternatives at Deutsche Bank. He also held senior positions at several private investment advisory firms and was head of proprietary fixed income trading North America and desk head of the primary dealer at Paribas Capital Markets, now BNP Paribas.


    Brian graduated magna cum laude and with distinction, receiving a B.A. and M.A. in Economics from Boston University. He is a past chair and member of the Economic Department's Board of Advisors for the college and graduate school. Brian, a Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) is a member of the Structured Products Association (SPA) and the Professional Risk Managers' International Association (PRIMA). More recently, Brian has been an industry contributor to curriculum development for the CFA program and has completed Wharton's Private Wealth Executive Education Program and Columbia University’s Earth Institute Investment Academy on Sustainability. He is a trustee for Historic Morven in Princeton, New Jersey. He currently holds the following registrations: 7,24,3,63,66,55, and Life and Health Insurance.

  • Andrea Sanft

    Andrea Sanft

    Executive Director

    Senior Wealth Strategist

    Andrea works with ultra-high net worth clients of UBS and their financial advisors on issues involving domestic and international estate and tax planning, business succession, wealth transfer, international cross border issues and philanthropic objectives. She focuses on developing and helping clients implement comprehensive strategies to facilitate the preservation, transfer, and management of wealth. Andrea performs thorough reviews of clients' estate planning documents to ensure that each plan accurately reflects the family's goals and objectives in a tax-efficient manner.

    Prior to joining UBS in March of 2024, Andrea was a senior wealth strategist for Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Management. Prior to that, she practiced law in the Private Client department of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton and Garrison, LLP for over 15 years.

    Education
    Andrea has an LL.M. in Tax from Boston University and J.D. from St. John’s University School of Law.
  • Emily Lau

    Executive Director

    Wealth Planning Strategist

    Responsibilities & Professional History

    Emily is a Wealth Planning Strategist in our Manhattan and Soundview markets. In
    this capacity Emily is responsible for providing Financial Advisors and their ultrahigh
    net worth clients with unbiased, product neutral, advanced planning
    strategies, design and implementation. As an advanced financial planner, she
    provides expertise in the following areas:
    • Estate and multi-generational planning
    • Retirement income and cash flow analysis
    • Business continuity and succession planning
    • Charitable giving strategies
    • Executive compensation and benefit strategies
    • Special needs and disability planning
    Utilizing the wealth planning framework, Emily aims to deliver the full breadth of UBS
    services to aid clients in achieving their wealth planning goals.

    Past experience

    Emily has held various roles within UBS through her long tenure at the firm. Prior to her
    current role, Emily headed up the Wealth Planning Specialists. In that role she led a team
    of wealth planners working with FAs and high net worth clients. Emily was also a Senior
    Wealth Strategy Associate on a team that had $1 billion assets under management. In
    that capacity, she was responsible for the development, delivery, and implementation of
    comprehensive financial plans for clients.

    Education

    Emily received her Bachelor of Science from Carnegie Mellon University with a
    concentration in finance. She is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and a Chartered
    Financial Consultant®. Emily has a Series 7 and Series 66 with FINRA and her life
    and health insurance licenses

    Life

    Emily lives in New York with her husband, son, and their two cats.
  • Heather George

    Heather George

    Executive Director

    Senior Strategist, Family Advisory and Philanthropy Services Americas