The Abacus Group

The Founder and senior member of the Abacus Group, Shawn Rubin leads an exceptional team of dedicated professionals who help create, implement and maintain comprehensive wealth management strategies for financially successful families. Shawn personally oversees the team’s overall investment strategy, monitors and selects investment managers, coordinates trust and estate planning strategies, analyzes alternative investment strategies and focuses on strategies to support clients’ philanthropic efforts. He has over 25 years of financial services industry experience of positively impacting clients' lives and net worth.

Shawn’s dedication to his clients has been recognized by his peers across the financial services industry, including:

• 2018-2022 Barron's Top 100 Financial Advisors (formerly referred to as Barron's Top 1,000 Financial Advisors: State-by-State)
Source: Barrons.com (Awarded 2018-2022.) Data compiled by Barron's based on 12-month period concluding in Dec of the year prior to the issuance of the award.

• 2010-2018, 2020-2024 Barron's Top 1,200 Financial Advisors: State-by-State (formerly referred to as Barron's Top 1,000 Financial Advisors: State-by-State)
Source: Barrons.com (Awarded 2010-2018, 2020-2024). Data compiled by Barron's based on 12-month period concluding in Sept of the year prior to the issuance of the award.

• 2016-2018 Forbes America's Top Wealth Advisors
Source: Forbes.com (Awarded 2016-2018). Data compiled by SHOOK Research LLC based 12-month time period concluding in June of the year the award was issued.

• 2019-2024 Forbes America's Top Wealth Advisors
Source: Forbes.com (Awarded 2019-2024). Data compiled by SHOOK Research LLC based on 12-month time period concluding in March of the year the award was issued.

• 2020-2024 Forbes Best-In- State Wealth Advisors
Source: Forbes.com (Awarded 2020-2023). Data compiled by SHOOK Research LLC based 12-month time period concluding in June of year prior to the issuance of the award.

• 2023 Forbes America’s Top Wealth Management Teams
Source: Forbes.com (Awarded Nov 2023) Data compiled by SHOOK Research LLC based on time period from 3/31/22 – 3/31/23.

A New Jersey native, Shawn earned his bachelor’s degree in economics from Rutgers University. He and his wife, Suzanne, now live in Rumson with their four children, Jack, Cate, Clare and Grant. Shawn serves on the board of the New York Chapter of Beat the Streets, a wrestling organization devoted to developing the human and athletic potential of urban youth. Shawn and his family enjoy skiing, backyard basketball and almost anything else that gets them running around outdoors.


Alternative investments often are speculative and include a high degree of risk. Investors could lose all or a substantial amount of their investment. Alternative investments are appropriate only for eligible, long-term investors who are willing to forgo liquidity and put capital at risk for an indefinite period of time. They may be highly illiquid and can engage in leverage and other speculative practices that may increase the volatility and risk of loss. Alternative Investments typically have higher fees than traditional investments. Investors should carefully review and consider potential risks before investing.

Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Actual results may vary. Diversification does not assure a profit or protect against loss in a declining market.

Drawing on more than two decades of institutional equities experience, Anthony Perna brings a sophisticated perspective to the wealth management needs of affluent families and individuals, with a focus on finance professionals, public and private company executives, and entrepreneurs. Anthony focuses on helping clients of Abacus Group create and maintain comprehensive solutions to pursue their financial goals, support their lifestyles, and secure their legacies. In addition, Anthony helps clients achieve their investment objectives by providing tailored ideas in the public and private markets as well as tax planning strategies. Anthony is also responsible for Abacus Team’s Integrated Firm Strategy and business development.

Anthony graduated from Princeton University in 2003 with a B.A. in Politics, was a four-year member of the Men’s Lacrosse Team and Team Captain his senior year. Born and raised in Montclair, New Jersey, Anthony and his wife, Eliza, now live in Rumson, New Jersey with their three children, Everly, AJ and Kitson. He enjoys time with his family and friends, coaching and mentoring youth through sports, and time at the beach near Rumson.

Prior to joining The Abacus Group as a Financial Advisor, Brian Cumberland worked as the Director of Business Development at GreyArc Global Investors, which is the equity subsidiary of Axonic Capital. Before GreyArc, Brian was a partner and the COO/Head of Business Development at ABR Dynamic Funds, LLC, a liquid alternatives asset management firm that creates and manages proprietary systematic quant mutual funds and UCITS. He previously worked for Susquehanna International Group, MKM Partners, and Merrill Lynch as a senior institutional equity sales manager, where he advised many of the largest global hedge funds for over 15 years. Brian earned a BA degree in English and Economics from Bucknell University and an MBA degree from The Johnson School of Cornell University. He is an active fundraiser and participant of Swim Across America and Cycle for Survival, which fund cancer research for the Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy and Memorial Sloan Kettering. Brian currently resides in Old Greenwich, Connecticut with his wife, Bevin, and two children, Brooke and Chase.

Tony has over 25 years of investment experience managing assets across the capital structure. Prior to joining The Abacus Group at Morgan Stanley as a financial advisor, he was a founding partner and head trader of Realm Partners LLC, an event-driven and special situations hedge fund. He started his career as an investment professional at Lehman Brothers in the proprietary trading group, Global Trading Strategies (GTS) rising to managing director and global head trader. While at Lehman, he established and supervised the GTS’s European and Asian trading operations. Tony was a member of both the investment and risk committees while at Realm and Lehman GTS. He brings to his clients a broad analytical skill set covering various asset classes, economic cycles, and geographies to help them achieve their investment goals.

Tony grew up in Fair Haven, NJ and currently resides in Locust, NJ with his wife and three children. He is the chair of the Cleverley Stone Foundation, a non-profit which benefits the Houston Food Bank. He also served as a longtime member of the finance committee at The Rumson Country Day School.

Tony graduated with a B.S. in Accounting from New York University, Stern School of Business.

Responsible for the client service model and administration of the Abacus Group, Tara oversees a support team that handles all aspects of account maintenance for the team's clients. Tara also works closely with the team's clients and their other trusted advisors to coordinate collective efforts ranging from specific employment compliance guidelines to legal and estate planning. She also assists clients with the implementation of their philanthropic strategies utilizing the MS GIFT Donor-Advised Fund. Prior to joining the Abacus Group in 2011, Tara worked with the firms' Northeast Divisional Management team. Tara is a graduate of Adelphi University, where she majored in business management with a specialization in finance, and minored in economics.  She lives in Westbury, on Long Island, and enjoys spending time in New York City. An avid traveler, Tara plans to continue exploring a new country every year.

Brian Horowitz works closely with the Abacus Group’s sophisticated ultra-high net worth clients, focusing primarily on creating and presenting financial reports and customizing asset allocations. His responsibilities also include due diligence on alternative investments and investment managers, and coordinating efforts with the team’s network of accountants, attorneys, insurance agents, and trust and estate planning specialists. A Chartered Financial Analyst^® charter holder, Brian joined Abacus Group in 2012. He previously worked in the Morgan Stanley Consulting Group on fee-based accounts.
Brian lives in Port Washington, on Long Island, with his wife, Kari, and their three children, Isla, Ford, and Gigi. He enjoys snowboarding, ice hockey, spending time outdoors and travelling with his family.

Wayne Jenq focuses primarily on customizing investment and portfolio solutions for current and prospective clients based on their investment objectives and risk tolerances. This involves researching equity, fixed income and alternative investment managers to identify appropriate strategies. Wayne also works directly with the team's clients to address their investment and portfolio-related questions, and to execute their trade orders. Prior to joining the Abacus Group in 2016, Wayne served as an investment strategist at HSBC Private Bank. He began his financial services career as a proprietary trader at T3 Capital. A Chartered Financial Analyst^® charterholder, Wayne graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, where he majored in economics. He lives in Manhattan.

Giana (D’Avanzo) Benson works to deliver an outstanding service experience to clients of the Abacus Group, focusing on account opening and maintenance, as well as various other day-to-day operations. Prior to joining the team full-time in 2017, Giana interned with the Abacus Group for two summers. She continues to deepen her knowledge of the financial services industry, and strives to exemplify the team’s mission and philosophy. Giana holds her Series 7, 66, as well as Life & Health Insurance licenses.

Giana graduated from Providence College, Summa Cum Laude, in 2017 with a Bachelor’s degree in finance. At Providence, she studied abroad in Rome, Italy and served as captain of the Division 1 athletics dance team. She continues to travel abroad, as well as dance in NYC. Giana resides in Manhattan with her husband, Hunter and mini golden doodle, Semolina.

Gary Rettig joined the Abacus Group as a Client Service Associate in January 2022. He graduated from Farmingdale State College with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration. He is currently Series 7 & Series 66 licensed. Prior to joining the team full-time, Gary interned for the Abacus Group throughout 2021. Gary was born and raised in Massapequa, New York where he currently resides. In his free time, he enjoys training jiu jitsu, skiing, biking, & playing basketball as well as spending time with family & friends.

Ariel Salerno recently joined the Abacus Group as a Client Service Associate in 2022. She graduated from Connecticut College, Summa Cum Laude, with a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics with a concentration in Behavioral Finance. At Conn, she was the recipient of the 2021 Ruby Turner Morris Econometrics Prize for excellence in quantitative analysis. She holds her Series 7 and 66 licenses. Born and raised in the one-square mile town of Carle Place, Long Island, she deeply appreciates the team’s collaborative nature and passion. Ariel enjoys singing, songwriting, and watching Marvel movies