Team

David Carroll specializes in the design, implementation and monitoring of sophisticated life insurance portfolios. He works with senior executives and shareholders of large private and publicly held companies, as well as prominent ultra-high net worth families, providing advice and structural Alpha for this asset class in their family entities and balance sheets.

David is Co-Founder of Financial Architects Partners (FAP) and has more than 25 years of experience leading the firm, expanding its national presence and multi-point location footprint, and delivering subject matter expertise to clients. From optimizing and leveraging gift techniques to improve generational transfers to establishing a strategic philanthropy, David partners with families, and their advisors, to bring clarity to their objectives.

David is also an active private investor as a limited partner on many well-known private equity and venture funds on both coasts. He is also a general partner, co-investor, and advisor to some prominent Silicon Valley venture funds. He sits on a $500M Nevada-based private company board, advising their private investment allocations and strategic acquisitions. He also serves as director for several other organizations, including a four-location retail operating company in Massachusetts where he chairs its board. FAP was acquired by the public company NFP in 2005. David then participated as an equity shareholder, taking NFP private in 2014 along with Madison Dearborn Partners. He continues as a 20-year shareholder in NFP, a global insurance broker and consultant with more than $2.2B in revenue. FAP is a wholly owned operating subsidiary of NFP. He is also the former board chairman for the West Suburban YMCA in Newton, MA, a mid-sized Metro Boston Charity.

Before joining FAP, David was with another Boston-based national firm focused on ultra-high net worth clients and their advisors. He was a long-time shareholder of the M Financial Group reinsurance holding company. He began his career with John Hancock Life Insurance Company, where he spent more than a decade in various roles, including asset backed securitization deals, investment policy areas, programming and systems, life product development, and managing specialized insurance distribution channels.

David is a frequent industry presenter, including at the Boston Bar Association’s Brown Bag lunch series and Boston University Law School's Taxation Program (LLM), and has presented at the National AICPA's Planning meeting. In 2021, Forbes recognized David as one of the nation’s Top Financial Security Professionals, ranking him in the top five.

A Boston native, David, his wife, and four children split time between Silicon Valley, CA, Narragansett, RI, and Palm Beach, FL. He has a passion for motorsports, car and motorcycle racing, sponsoring race teams and investing in various businesses within the sport.

EDUCATION
Northeastern University Graduate School of Professional Accounting, MS in Taxation
Harvard University, AB

Lauren DiNitto joined Financial Architects Partners in June 2008 as an Associate in the New Business Department. Over the next several years, she became the AVP of Case Management, with primary responsibilities consisting of managing cases from the informal application process through portfolio implementation.

In her current role as VP, Lauren oversees the Case Management and Client Service departments. Her expertise in Case Management includes guiding clients through the application process, cultivating relationships with life insurance carriers, and negotiating with carrier contacts to ensure the best underwriting for our clients. Lauren’s experience in Client Services involves managing client portfolios from initial implementation to claiming the death benefit. This includes cultivating relationships with clients and their advising teams, preparing client reports and annual portfolio reviews, and facilitating all communications with carriers to ensure clients’ portfolios stay on track and preform as anticipated. She is focused on firm initiatives and enhancing the efficiency process of Case Management and Client Services.

Prior to joining Financial Architects Partners, Lauren was involved in various business management and marketing internships, where she carried out financial planning, competitive analysis, and in-store marketing projects.

EDUCATION
Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration, Bryant University

John is Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President with Financial Architect Partners (FAP) and brings a wealth of industry and operational insight that benefits the firm and its clients. From technology to practice management, service to plan design, John’s expertise has been an essential component of the firm’s growth and sustained position as a leader in evaluating, building, and actively managing large life insurance portfolios for the super affluent.

In managing daily operation for the firm, John’s oversight and impact are significant. His tenure with the firm spans more than two decades, during which he has proven to be an effective problem solver driven by a strong commitment to continuous improvement. He joined the firm in 2000 as Director of Design & Marketing, developing a proprietary administration platform and advancing the firm’s marketing presence in Boston.

As the business has scaled, John has been at the center of creating and refining a variety of tools, processes and procedures that have elevated efficiency and quality. Since becoming a Principal of the firm in 2005, he has worked closely with his fellow Principals and firm department heads to understand challenges and opportunities and collaborate on action plans to address them. More recently, John led the development of a custom Salesforce platform used across the firm, integrating essential functions such as marketing, design, case management, service and analytics. This includes the collection and analysis of retail life insurance data to drive strategy, inform decisions and manage their deal pipeline. Additionally, John is a member of the NFP Life management team.

He shares his broad expertise across the enterprise and consults on key initiatives to drive growth and efficiency among FAP’s fellow NFP Life firms. Through his deep relationships with the nation’s top tier carriers, John also shares insights on the needs of NFP Life firms and the clients they serve, which help to drive product and service refinements. John is also an enthusiastic mentor to colleague interested in learning more about the business and forging an attractive career path within the industry.

Prior to joining Financial Architects Partners, John spent seven years with John Hancock in their systems, marketing and software distribution departments. He serves on the John Hancock Advisory Council and is a valued resource to other carriers who seek out John’s expertise on how they can enhance the value they provide to clients.

John earned a Bachelor of Science degree in industrial engineering from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He is President of South Boston Youth Hockey and a passionate fan of Boston’s professional sports teams. John resides in South Boston with his wife and two children. 

Sara Lane joined Financial Architects Partners in 2005 as a Business Administrator before moving into the Case Management department. During her years there she implemented large complex portfolios; negotiated underwriting offers and delivered optimal results for clients. Her role expanded over the next 12 years to include Strategic Initiatives, Marketing and Operations. After a short hiatus, Sara rejoined the firm in 2021 and in her current role as VP, Operations she spearheads several of the firms’ initiatives and departmental processes. Additionally, she oversees the Portfolio Construction and Sales Operations departments.

Prior to joining Financial Architects Partners, Sara traveled frequently and worked with children. She enjoys reading, swimming, hiking, and yoga and hopes to resume those activities when her own children are older.

EDUCATION
Bachelor of Science, Environmental Science, Allegheny College 

Jeff Ostrum plays a central role in delivering life insurance programs that help meet the complex planning goals of super affluent families. For more than 20 years, he has helped Financial Architects Partners (FAP) maintain a standard of excellence driven by technical acumen, market insight, exceptional people, disciplined processes, and innovative technology.

Jeff joined FAP in Boston in 2002 and four years later relocated to Palo Alto to establish a West Coast presence. As part of the Executive Management Team, he has integrated the firm’s values of integrity, transparency, and diligence into every element of their work, engaging with top advisor firms and family offices to bring expertise and sustained value to more than 175 families. FAP has implemented dozens of $200M+ trust owned portfolios optimizing transfer tax efficiency and maximizing value to children, grandchildren, and philanthropic interests.

Jeff is a strong believer in Community. Professionally, he appreciates opportunities to collaborate with the smartest and most creative practitioners in tax, law, and wealth management to deliver outstanding outcomes for families. He is a frequent presenter at national industry events, including the annual Jerry A. Kasner Estate Planning Symposium and the Annual Meeting of the California Tax Bar and Tax Policy Conference. Jeff is also a Certified Financial Planner™ professional.

Personally, Jeff is passionate about impacting youth in Bay Area communities, serving on the boards of Project Cornerstone of Silicon Valley (YMCA) and Mentor Tutor Connection. He is also a proud supporter of the Melanoma Program (SUNSPORT) at the Stanford Cancer Center and the San Francisco Foundation.

Jeff enjoys skiing and hiking in Tahoe, and fanatically following Boston sports with his son. He lives in Los Altos with his family.

EDUCATION
Boston University, Certified Financial Planner™ Designation
Bentley University, Bachelor of Arts, Marketing

Joel Turcotte joined Financial Architects Partners in 2007 as an Associate in the Design and Marketing Department. Joel transitioned into the Finance Department in March of 2008 and has now assumed the role of AVP, Finance. As a part of managing the firm's financial accounting, monitoring and reporting systems, Joel is responsible for processing deposits and producer commissions, handling invoices and managing vendor relationships, month end closing procedures and operational reporting to the management team, budget planning and variance analysis, firm tax reporting, and developing department process and procedures to maintain best in practice accounting practices and standards.

Joel is an active runner and ski enthusiast who resides and enjoys his free time on the New Hampshire Seacoast.

EDUCATION
Bachelor of Science in Accounting, University of Rhode Island