Our Team

Featured in Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, Financial Times, Hartford Business Journal and more, Retirement Visions Owner and Founder Jay Gershman has become one of Central Connecticut’s most sought after financial planners quite simply because he cares more than anyone else.

As former President of the Financial Planning Association of Hartford and Connecticut, Jay is a veteran of the financial planning industry and uses his philosophy and practice of life planning to better understand his client’s motivations and concerns. Through these relationships, he can work more personally with people to ensure they can achieve their personal financial goals and get them to a place that they never thought possible. Over the course of his career, Jay has spoken to thousands of 401(k) participants to help them get “all set” to retire.

In addition to retirement and life planning for individuals and families, Jay also specializes in advice and implementation of retirement and profit sharing plans for business owners. His passion for working with people and helping them to reach their goals is evident in his unbiased and highly personalized approach to financial planning. From buying and selling a home to developing a strategy for paying college tuition, Jay incorporates real life into his client’s long-term financial goals and helps to take the worry out of their futures.

Jay graduated Cum Laude with Bachelor of Science degrees in Biology and Finance and holds a Masters Degree in Business Administration from the University of Connecticut. He began his career in 1991 as a financial consultant with Guardian Life Insurance Company, and in 1996 he founded Farmington, Connecticut-based advisory firm Sound Advisors, Inc, which merged with AdviceOne LLC in 2000. In 2007, Jay started Retirement Visions, LLC with the goal to offer clients independent advice and direction in order to make their retirement dreams a reality.

Married to wife Nancy for 27 years, Jay has two daughters in college and loves to work outdoors specifically in stonework and landscape design. He also enjoys putting his handy work to good use and has rebuilt homes in New Orleans, Baltimore, Denver and several in Hartford through his Visions for Friends organization. When you meet, don’t forget to ask him about his trip to Panama with the USA Baseball Team!

With 15 years of experience in financial planning, Jason Hand has the innate ability to help his clients build a retirement plan that gets them excited about their investment strategy. With a keen interest in helping people from their 30’s right up through retirement, Jason pays close attention to exactly what his clients want to achieve and makes communication a priority to ensure progress is being tracked every step of the way.

As a regular contributor to employee education programs across the state, Jason gets to see people in various stages of life who are both excited and intimidated by the financial planning process. It is this hands-on experience that allows him to connect with his clients in a way that many of his peers struggle to do, which is exactly why his portfolio management skills are sought out in the Central Connecticut region.

Jason graduated from Springfield College with a degree in business management and a minor in economics concentrated in finance. His exposure to financial planning began at UBS in 2002 where he learned about asset allocation and due diligence. In 2006, he joined MetLife as a Financial Advisor and soon worked his way up to Portfolio Manager, working closely with top managers and developing his skill set as an investment specialist. In 2013, Jason joined Retirement Visions for the opportunity to offer clients independent financial advice and use his expertise to help people build strategies that take their unique needs into account. As a portfolio manager, his career goal is to get people excited about financial planning and the possibility of their futures in retirement.

Jason currently resides in Haddam, Connecticut with his wife Elisa and their two children. In his free time, Jason enjoys skiing in the winter, boating in the summer, and working on classic cars every chance he gets. He’s also a pie eating champion, can you guess which flavor?

As a Financial Advisor at Retirement Visions, David Sutkaitis believes that a disciplined approach to wealth management is what allows people to live their dreams both now and in the future. From working with people to buy their perfect retirement home to helping them provide education for their children, Dave looks at every opportunity to make someone’s life better as a great privilege. For Dave, helping clients achieve their financial dreams is all about creating a plan of accountability and working together to make what seems impossible a reality.

One of Dave’s favorite parts about being a Financial Advisor is watching people face their fear of the unknown and finally take that first step towards controlling their own destiny. From this starting point, Dave can utilize his well-honed skills as an Accredited Investment Fiduciary to put his client’s wealth to work. From his lifelong career in service industries, Dave draws from previous business management experiences to help his clients plan through creative concepts and techniques that are unique to each individual. For Dave, the key to success is listening and ensuring that every conversation and strategy is delivering towards his client’s goals.

Prior to Retirement Visions, Dave had an independent practice for five years and also served as president of the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors Hartford chapter. He began his planning career in 2002 with New England Financial and before that, he held management positions with Loomis Fargo and Aero All Gas.

Dave has been married for 23 years to his high school sweetheart and loves nothing more than spending time with his wife, 16-year-old daughter and twin 12-year-old boys. He is a massive downhill mountain biking enthusiast and you can catch him on Thunder Mountain during the warm months and on his skis during the winter. Don’t forget to ask him for a glimpse of his broadcasting talents when you visit the office!

 Courtney Crandall sees every interaction as an opportunity to create bonds with the clients of Retirement Visions as well as those she works with. From questions to requests, her focus is on the happiness and satisfaction of everyone she encounters. 

Courtney prides herself on her attention to detail and unique problem-solving abilities and is driven by exceeding people’s expectations in every way possible. She prioritizes listening and understanding the wants and needs of both clients and team members and believes each person she has the pleasure of talking to and working with should be treated like family. Courtney sets a high bar to deliver top quality service to the people who rely on her. 

Courtney attended Central Connecticut State University and earned her degree in history and secondary education. During her school years, she enjoyed several student-teaching opportunities, covering psychology, U.S. government, and economics. After graduation, Courtney decided to explore different opportunities and found herself in a role she loved with Retirement Visions. She has been able to utilize her love of educating other and leadership to help create and implement processes that work for the team as well as onboarding any new team members. 

When not at work, Courtney enjoys spending time with her husband Joe and their daughter Elyse at their home in Windsor Locks. She loves playing with her family and their three dogs – Murphy, Raya, and Freya, reading books with Elyse, and scrolling through Pinterest to find the next recipe she is going to make! 

401(k) Specialist

Amanda spent time in Florida for college before returning home and entering the retirement world. She started working in participant services for another leading retirement company, before finding herself at Retirement Visions. Amanda has a positive attitude and enjoys helping others. She is excited to contribute her knowledge, while incorporating Retirement Visions view of client’s needs.

Amanda was born in Illinois but has been a Connecticut resident for the last ten years and currently lives in Hartford County. In her free time, Amanda enjoys reading a good book, baking, exploring new coffee shops with her husband, and spending time outside with family and friends.