Meet Your Team

On your journey to securing financial independence, the experienced professionals at Prosperity Partners are well-positioned to be your trusted long-term partners.

If you value a collaborative style that is client-focused and results-oriented, we are privileged to serve you.

Mark Chandik
Founding Partner
CA Insurance License #0675533

“One of my greatest rewards is when I can sit down with a surviving spouse and say ‘You have nothing to worry about. You planned well.'”

With over 35 years of wealth management experience, Mark specializes in working with owners and operators of privately held businesses.

Mark graduated from National University in San Diego with a BA in Accounting, Cum Laude.

Mark began his career in 1983 with Tax & Financial Group, in Newport Beach, CA, becoming an associate partner in 1995. Four years later, he founded his own wealth management practice focusing on the needs of affluent families, corporate executives, and professionals.

Mark has obtained the Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) and Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC) designations from the American College in Pennsylvania, as well as the Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF) designation.  In 2017 Mark obtained the Accredited Estate Planner (AEP) designation from the National Association of Estate Planners & Councils.

He is the former president of The National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors-California (“NAIFA-CA”).

Mark resides in Dana Point, CA with his wife Cindy and daughters, Madeline and Caitlin.

Bryan Ugalde
Chief Operating Officer/Chief Compliance Officer
CA Insurance License #0F12343

Bryan has 20 years of wealth management experience and oversees all business operations, marketing directives, and strategic planning for the firm.

Bryan graduated from UC Berkeley with a BA in Political Economics, International Business emphasis.

Bryan began his professional career in 2001 amassing a wealth of experience with positions held at Salomon Smith Barney and Pacific Union Real Estate. In 2003, he joined Prosperity Partners as the Business Development Coordinator and became the Chief Operating Officer in 2005.

Bryan is actively involved in both community and industry associations. He recently served two years as Treasurer of the Board of Unidos Por Niños (United for Children), and since 2004 has dedicated his time to helping the Child Abuse Services Team of Orange County, the National MS Society, the Southern California Contractors Association program and PAC auction committees, and the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA).

Bryan resides in Huntington Beach, CA with his sons, Benjamin and Nicholas.

Michelle Winkler
Account Manager
CA Insurance License #0I44827

Michelle has over 15 years of wealth management industry experience supporting advisors with servicing client investment and insurance accounts. She joined Prosperity Partners in 2015 and holds the position of Account Manager at Prosperity Partners, assisting with the implementation and maintenance of all Prosperity Partners client accounts.

Michelle graduated from California State University, Fullerton with a BS in Business Administration, Finance emphasis. Her prior experiences working with both insurance and investment products allow her to step in and provide immediate support with performance reporting and assisting clients with their account maintenance.

In her free time, Michelle enjoys going to the beach, concerts, and spending time with her friends and family. She resides in Orange with her husband Andrew and their dog and two cats.

Calvin Chu
Client Experience Coordinator/Account Manager
CA Insurance License #4289131

Calvin has just over 3 years of wealth management industry experience supporting advisors by servicing client investment and insurance accounts. He joined Prosperity Partners in June of 2020 as an intern and has since been brought on full time, now holding the positions of Client Experience Coordinator and Account Manager. Calvin facilitates client follow-through as well as assists in the implementation and maintenance of minor Prosperity Partners client accounts.

Calvin graduated from the University of California, Irvine with a BA in Business Economics. Although he is relatively new to the industry, Calvin’s prior experiences in various leadership positions have allowed him to make an immediate impact assisting clients as well as assisting his team of advisors at Prosperity Partners.

Calvin lives in Irvine with his hometown childhood friends. In his free time, Calvin enjoys watching sports, going to live music shows, and spending time with his friends and family.

Michael McClary, MBA
Chief Investment Officer

Michael McClary is the Chief Investment Officer of Valmark Advisers, Inc. and Valmark Financial Group, LLC. His primary responsibility is coordinating all investment management solutions for Valmark Advisers and ValMark Institutional, including TOPS®, TOPS® Strategic Allocation Portfolios, TOPS® Managed Risk ETF Portfolios and Valmark ACCESS™ and ACCESS™ Plus solutions. Mr McClary was named by EFT Report as one of “10 Rising Stars” in 2012 and one of “10 All Stars” in 2014. He is nationally recognized as one of the first three members of the IMN/Research Magazine “EFT Advisors Hall of Fame” in 2007 and is regularly published on EFT.com. In addition, he has collaborated with the Wall Street Journal, Kiplinger’s, Financial Advisor and Research Magazine, to name a few. On EFT-related topics he has been a featured speaker for organizations such as S&P and the Financial Planning Association. Mr McClary holds FINRA series 7, 24 and 66 securities registrations and is a member of the Cleveland Society of Chartered Financial Analysts® as well as a Registered Investment Advisor. He earned an MBA in Financial Management  and a BBA in Finance in Financial Services, Magna Cum Lauda, both from the University of Akron.

Tyler Denholm, CFA®
Vice President of Investment Management and Research

Tyler Denholm is the Vice President of Investment Management and Research for our partner, Valmark Financial Group. His primary responsibility includes overseeing the investment management process and conducting research for TOPS®, TOPS® Strategic Allocation Portfolios and TOPS® Variable Insurance Trust. Specifically, he is responsible for portfolio design and portfolio management. Mr. Denholm regularly analyzes the TOPS® Portfolios and is heavily involved in the day-to-day operations of portfolio management. He also helps analyze our prospective portfolios, and we work directly with Tyler to determine which of the various Wealth Solutions would be the best fit for our clients. He earned his BSBA in Finance and Real Estate from the University of Akron, graduating Summa Cum Laude. In addition to his Series 7 and 24 registrations, Mr. Denholm is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA®).

Chris Finefrock, MBA, CFP®
Vice President of Investment Marketing 

Chris Finefrock is the Senior Vice President of Financial Planning and Investments for our partner, Valmark Financial Group. In his role, he oversees and is a resource for the team responsible for all aspects of design and implementation of various brokerage, insurance and advisory solutions intended to assist investors with risk management and reaching their accumulation and/or distribution goals. He also oversees the practice management and financial technology area which assesses third-party vendor technology and assists Member Firms in the selection and implementation of processes within their practice. Lastly, he oversees the investment operations division including data processing, books and records retention, principal review and custodial platform relationships. In addition to his Series 7, 24 and 66 registrations and his Ohio Life, Health and Variable licenses, Mr. Finefrock holds a BSBA in Financial Services and an MBA in Finance from the University of Akron. He is also a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®) professional.

Chris Bottaro, MBA
Vice President of Insurance Services

Chris Bottaro is the Senior Vice President of Insurance for our partner, Valmark Financial Group. He is responsible for the vision, strategy and execution of life insurance marketing, underwriting, new business, and inforce insurance solutions. In this role, he prides himself in partnering with advisors and insurance carriers to help make the life insurance process simpler and more efficient. He has a technical risk assessment background and spent the first 12 years of his career in various underwriting production and leadership positions at Lincoln Financial Group in Hartford before relocating to the Twin Cities to join Valmark in February of 2015. He has an MBA from the Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts, a BA in Economics from Boston College, and holds Series 6 and 26 registrations. Chris is a proud member of the Twin Cities Association of Home Office Underwriters and the Minneapolis Leadership Roundtable.