Meet Your Team
We are all about family and embracing flexibility.
(You might even catch us in the car in between juggling family responsibilities.)
The teams behind the team!
We are proud to partner with Commonwealth’s Advanced Planning & Investment Research teams. They strengthen us and all the work we do for you.
Meet them here!
Scott Coopersmith, CDFA®, CLU®
Founder, Wealth Manager
Scott formed his own independent firm in 2012 — now known as SDA Wealth Strategies. The "SDA" stands for Simplify, Design, and Advocate, as well as an anagram for myself and his children (Scott, Daniel, and Alexa).
Going out on his own allowed him to continuously evolve and best meet his clients needs. He has a wide range of experience includes working for large corporations, nonprofits, and every in-between. Before going independent Scott began as an advisor at Smith Barney and MetLife.
Having gone through his own divorce with young kids, he became a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst® from the Institute for Divorce Financial Analysts, to help others through this challenging time. This specialization in divorce financial planning is through SDA Divorce Solutions.*
Scott knew early on that he wanted to enter the financial field after, oddly enough, after watching Oliver Stone's Wall Street in a business law class in high school. No, it wasn't because of the "greed is good" sound byte. Instead, I wanted to understand markets and how they worked and, most of all, help others understand them.
He believes giving back is an important part of life, and has been involved in various boards and causes. He's especially proud to have been a dedicated volunteer and significant fundraiser for the Alzheimer's Association since 2000 after losing his grandfather to the disease.
He grew up in Sullivan County, N.Y., and around a family business, which helped foster my entrepreneurial spirit. Many of the most crucial business lessons outside the classroom came from watching my dad and mom go above and beyond for each customer.
Outside work, Scott loves his time with Gena, his kids and Goldendoodle Rosie (named after the great Springsteen song Rosalita). They split their time between NY and Richmond, VA. He's an avid and often suffering sports fan, specifically the Mets, Giants, and Knicks.
Gena Altizer
Chief of Staff & Client Relationship Manager
Gena joined SDA in 2020 and helps in many ways. Previously, she worked for nearly 20 years as a business systems analyst in the staffing and retail industries, primarily at Apex Systems. Gena was the key liaison between functional and development teams to design system solutions for business needs. In that role, she excelled in requirements analysis and design and supported all areas of the software development life cycle. Her background includes projects around Billing, AR, AP, GL, Contracts, Project Costing, and HR and Payroll.
Gena holds a Bachelor of Science in Applied Economics from Ithaca College and is a Certified Divorce Specialist. She grew up outside of Rochester New York and graduated from Ithaca College. She is a country music fan and avid traveler. Gena has lived in Glen Allen, VA with her two children Addison and Jacob. After more than 20 years out of NY, Gena and Scott split their time between NY and VA.
Don't just survive life's transitions.
Get the right team in your corner so you can thrive in them.