Team Group: Advisors

  • Eric Montgomery

    Eric joins Confluence Financial Partners with 12 years of experience in the financial services industry, most recently as a Financial Advisor with Cashdollar & Associates where he worked with clients in managing their wealth. Eric began his career at Mercer County Bank and Hill Barth & King before joining Cashdollar & Associates in 2018.

    He graduated from Grove City College with a degree in Business Management and holds the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® certification.

    As Eric grew up, he learned valuable life lessons like hard work and sacrifice while working at his family’s business, a hometown hardware store. Working in the business gave him an appreciation for helping people make the most of what they had, identifying goals and objectives, and watching them work towards the life they envisioned for themselves and their families. Understanding how hard clients have worked for what they have has made it easy and enjoyable for Eric to connect with them.

    Eric and his family reside in Jackson Center where he volunteers his time as Treasurer of the borough as well as the local fire department. He is also a board member of the local Chamber of Commerce.

    Eric, his wife, and daughter enjoy spending time together going on camping trips. The family attends Victory Family Church.

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  • George Epitropoulos

    With nearly a decade of experience in financial services, George takes pride in guiding individuals and families through important financial decisions with clarity and care. Before joining Confluence Financial Partners, he worked at BNY Mellon, supporting institutional investors through fund accounting of derivative products and alternative assets, setting a foundation for executing detail-focused financial planning.

    George earned his Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Pittsburgh and holds the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® designation, reflecting his commitment to delivering comprehensive planning and investment strategies for his clients.

    Outside the office, George is active in Pittsburgh’s Greek-American community and is a member of both the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association (AHEPA) and Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church. He enjoys coaching soccer, playing golf, and making annual trips to visit family and friends in Karpathos, Greece.

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  • Sophia Kann

    Sophia’s passion to serve clients in the financial service industry developed at a young age as she was exposed to discussions with her family’s financial planner. As the years went on, Sophia’s understanding of how financial peace of mind and the power of wealth creation can impact one’s life and family’s life grew and directed her to a career in the financial services industry.

    Sophia attended Lafayette College and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics. While at Lafayette, she was a member of the Women’s Soccer Program, serving as captain her senior year, and earned Lafayette’s Certificate in Financial Policy and Analysis. Sophia was an intern at Confluence, earned her Certificate of Financial Planning from Boston University and holds the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® certification. Currently, she serves as a Associate Wealth Manager on the Cashdollar Team where she utilizes her financial planning and interpersonal skills working with clients and their families. She has spent significant time with the Investment Advisory and Wealth Planning Teams and currently sits on the Investment Advisory Committee.

    Sophia is a member of Northway Christian Community Church. Outside of the office, she enjoys working out, playing the occasional game of pick-up soccer, and taking on home renovation projects within her Oakmont residence.

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  • Paul Frey

    Paul comes to Confluence with more than 30 years of experience in the financial services industry. Paul’s mission is to improve his clients’ lives by providing caring, knowledgeable financial advice and tangible solutions that help them attain their lifetime goals and aspirations. He has focused his practice on holistic financial planning including goals-based investment management, risk management, estate planning, and a special focus on retirement income planning.

    Prior to joining Confluence, Paul served clients at Stifel Financial, A.G. Edwards, and Wells Fargo. Paul is a graduate of Penn State and holds a MBA from the University of Pittsburgh. He is also a Certified Investment Management Analyst and holds the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® certification.

    Paul and his wife, Lori, live in Peter’s Township where they enjoy spending time with their children, grandchildren, and family dogs. Paul enjoys traveling, especially hiking in Arizona, and reading about global geopolitics.

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  • Mike Touscany

    Mike joins Confluence with more than 30 years of experience in the wealth management industry. Mike’s passion is working with clients and their families and providing solutions for a well-lived life.

    Prior to joining Confluence, Mike served clients at Stifel Financial, A.G. Edwards, and Wells Fargo. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin- Eau Claire and received his MBA from the University of Pittsburgh. Mike enjoys providing holistic financial planning and investment management solutions to clients and holds the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® certification.

    Mike is a Michigan native, avid boater, and hockey player. He and his wife reside in Mt. Lebanon where they participate in their church’s Food Lift program that delivers to local food shelters. The couple’s most prized hobby is spending time with their three daughters.

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  • Rob Linkowski

    Rob Linkowski brings more than 35 years of experience in designing and providing quality life and disability insurance programs to his clientele of medical professionals, business owners, family and friends. Rob is passionate about advocating for his clients and not the insurance companies.  

    After graduating from Duquesne University in 1989 with a bachelors in Business Administration, Rob began his career at Equitable Life Insurance Company. Shortly thereafter, he founded The RJL Group, Ltd., an insurance firm that focused on life and disability insurance planning for physicians, dentists and a variety of other professionals. Rob’s specialty is making sure his clients receive a comprehensive insurance evaluation for their specific needs. At Confluence, Rob takes a consultative approach when working with individuals and families to design the most appropriate and cost effective insurance protection.  

    Rob is a lifelong resident of Pittsburgh. He and his wife, Andrea live in Mt. Lebanon where they raised their four children. Rob is a faithful parishioner at St. Paul of the Cross Parish. He enjoys tending to his yard and flower garden, traveling to SEC football games, managing a national fantasy football team but most of all spending time with his family.  

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  • Scott Rogowicz

    Scott brings years of experience and deep relationships to the team at Confluence Financial Partners. He has a passion for serving clients from multiple generations. It is not uncommon for Scott to have worked with three generations of a single family. This uniqueness in his business makes him a great fit for the team at Confluence.

    Scott began his career with the US Coast Guard before attending the University of Pittsburgh, where he graduated summa cum laude with a degree in Finance and Economics. Scott began serving clients and building his business with The Ayco Company, a Goldman Sachs Company, in 2007 and has since spent time with other wealth management firms over the years, most recently with Stifel Financial.

    For Scott, the most enjoyable part of being an advisor is seeing his client’s reaction when he’s able to illustrate that their goals are possible and provide them the steps necessary to achieve them. The moment a client realizes there is more to the process than simply investing as much as possible, but instead providing an answer to the “why are we investing and can/how do we get it done?”  is what Scott enjoys the most.

    Scott was born and raised in Pittsburgh, which is why doing business and raising his family here is so special. Scott and his wife, Jessica, and their two children, Hailey and Drew, and two dogs (Rusty & Clark) reside in Peters Township. Scott enjoys watching his son play youth ice hockey for SHAHA and watching his daughter dance for Ultimate Dance Complex. In his spare time, Scott coaches for Peters Township Youth Baseball. Scott is actively involved in The Pittsburgh Melanoma Foundation, which was founded by his wife, who is a two-time melanoma survivor! The foundation raises awareness and funds for melanoma research.

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  • Melissa Pirosko

    Melissa’s love of investing combined with her desire to help and serve others led her to a career in wealth management. Melissa enjoys working with clients to help them reach their financial goals and focuses on building long term relationships with each of her clients based on integrity and trust. She is driven to exceed her client’s expectations.   

    Melissa graduated from Penn State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics and a minor in Economics, she then went on to receive her MBA. She served her country as an officer in the United States Air Force. After the Air Force, Melissa started her investment career in real estate and then joined the team at Confluence Financial Partners. Melissa is an Investment Advisor Representative and holds the Series 65 as well as her insurance licenses. She also holds the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® certification.

    Melissa enjoys giving back to the community by volunteering with different service organizations and children’s youth sports. She is intimately involved with the TC Open Foundation, a 503c children’s charity.  She is an avid runner and fitness enthusiast, loves to travel and when not at the office, you will usually find her on the sideline of a soccer field. Melissa and her husband, Tom, are both natives of and currently live in Peters Township where they are raising their four daughters, Lexi, Addie, Mandy and Avery. 

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  • Brian Ripley

    Brian has worked in the financial services industry for more than 20 years and has focused his practice on clients ranging from individuals to organizations and businesses. The most rewarding part of Brian’s career has been working with multiple generations of families and watching them grow both personally and professionally. The relationship Brian has built with his clients is his favorite part of his role as an adviser.

    Prior to joining Confluence as an investment adviser representative, Brian spent time at Huntington Bank as a Portfolio Manager within their trust department. Most recently, he was with Oppenheimer as a Senior Portfolio Manager. Brian graduated from Indiana University with a Bachelor of Science in Business.

    He resides in Upper St. Clair with his wife, Amy, and their six children. In his spare time, Brian enjoys tennis, golf, and loves being outdoors with his family, especially skiing and hiking. He also enjoys live music and is an avid reader, focusing his reading on behavioral science or history.

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  • Nick Proud

    Throughout his life, Nick has been placed in numerous leaderships roles from sports to education, and business. The cornerstone of his leadership involves communication, integrity, perseverance, and a passion for seeing others succeed. Nick believes that this passion can be best utilized in the financial services industry where he will form long lasting relationships with individuals and families by helping them achieve their financial goals and instilling financial confidence.

    Prior to joining Confluence, Nick was a sales manager for a local Pittsburgh based company, where he continued to grow in his leadership, finance, and business skills while successfully exceeding established business objectives. His results driven mindset will serve as a conduit for helping clients accomplish their personal financial goals and in doing so, maximize their lives and legacies.

    Nick earned a marketing degree from the Carl H. Lindner College of Business at the University of Cincinnati. While there, he played on the men’s golf team and served as co-captain two of the four years.

    Originally from Cincinnati, Nick now resides in the Southpointe/Canonsburg area with his wife, Lauren, and their children, Luca and Mackenzie. They are members of the St. Louise de Marillac Church. Outside the office, Nick enjoys spending time with family and friends, playing golf, reading, traveling, outdoor activities and watching his favorite sports teams.

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