Brett Bernstein

CEO & Co-Founder, XML Financial Group

Term of Service: 14 years (since 2010)

Brett is the CEO and Co-founder of XML Financial Group. He manages the operations of the firm, including the firm’s M&A strategy. Brett is an active financial advisor assisting clients with his holistic approach to goal-setting and problem-solving.

Prior to co-founding XML, he was a Vice President and Senior Financial Advisor at Merrill Lynch, where he was designated Producing Sales Manager for a complex that managed over $5 billion in assets. XML has been a Focus Financial partner firm since 2016.

Brett is a serial entrepreneur actively investing in many start-up companies and has led his firm in acquiring three wealth management firms. This entrepreneurial spirit has led Brett to be active at the Bullis School as an Entrepreneur in Resident as well as volunteering at the Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business as an Advisor and Subject Matter Expert.

Brett received a Bachelor of Science in finance from the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business and continued his education at Georgetown University and Harvard Business School’s Executive Leadership Program. He earned his CFP® certification in 2003.

Brett also serves as a Board Trustee for the Bullis School in Potomac, Maryland. Brett volunteers his time to the Bullis School’s entrepreneurial program, sponsoring the Capstone Entrepreneurial Shark Tank competition, and was recently named to Bullis’ Entrepreneurs in Residence.