Tag Archives: E3 Wealth Advisory Group

Roundup: Frank Pepe Pizza, Train Station Parking, Sam Nestor Campaign…

Posted on May 19, 2026 | 2 comments

When Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana opens at 361 Post Road West — formerly the Naan restaurant — on June 1, it may seem like an Italian restaurant replacing an Indian one. (Which previously took over from Kibberia, a Middle Eastern spot.)

Residents with longer memories will recall that for many years, the space was occupied by John’s Best Pizza. So — like a big pizza pie — things are coming full circle.

But Frank Pepe has been around the block far longer than John’s Best. The “Original New Haven Apizza” place opened in 1925, on Wooster Street.

The Westport location — its 18th nationally, and 9th in Connecticut –features a large coal-fired oven, enclosed with a cast iron door that matches the original one in New Haven location. The dining room seats 110.

Frank Pepe Pizzeria will be open every day, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Takeout, delivery and catering ordering is available here. Diners get $10 in their account by signing up signing up here, or downloading the Frank Pepe Pizzeria app.

Frank Pepe’s new Westport location.

==================================================

Attention, taxpayers!

Tomorrow (Wednesday, May 20, 7:30 p.m., Town Hall auditorium), the Board of Finance will set the town’s mill/tax rate.

That’s item 6 on the agenda. They’ll also hear:

  • A request for additional funds to cover legal expenses, due to an atypical cost overrun. The item allows residents to glimpse the type of litigation the town faces (agenda item 8).
  • Funding to prepare the 2027 Plan of Conservation and Development. The state requires each town to create this, every 10 years. The POCD is important, as Westport thinks about housing in the years ahead (agenda item 9).
  • Funding for a new Wakeman Town Farm barn (agenda item 12).

Click here for the full agenda, and associated packets.

In addition, the Board of Finance will hold office hours this Thursday (May 21, 10 a.m. and 7:30 p.m.), Westport Library room 213). The public is invited to meet a member, and ask questions about any aspect of the board, and public finances.

==================================================

Railroad station parking permits expire on June 30.

To renew a railroad permit, click here. Then click the “Permit” icon at the top of the page. Double-check that your email address is correct.

All renewals are online, or dropped off in the Police Department lobby. Drop-offs require cash or a check made out to “Town of Westport – Railroad Parking,” and a copy of the current vehicle registration(s). The Police lobby is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Time to renew! (Photo/Elle Bowe)

=================================================

Weston 1st Selectwoman Sam Nestor took a big step toward a new job last night.

She earned the Democratic Party endorsement to run for the State Senate’s 26th District. She captured 48 delegate votes, nearly twice as many as State Representative Lucy Dathan. A primary is set for August 11.

The winner will face a Republican opponent in November: Westporter Alma Sarelli.

State Senate candidate Sam Nestor.

==================================================

Prospect Gardens — the spectacular 9-acre arboretum-style Greens Farms space featuring flowers, plants — is open to public on Sunday, May 31 (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.). The event is a partnership with the national Garden Conservancy.

Main garden designers Cindy Shumate and Judy Gardner will there all day, telling stories and answering questions.

Greens Farms Garden Club members will explain how they plant, tend and harvest the 3-tiered vegetable garden. Last season, their harvest of over 1000 pounds was donated to local organizations that feed families in need.

Prospect Gardens dates back to an 1812 Victorian farmhouse and onion farm. Property acquisitions over the past 20 years have created the current gardens.  Mature deciduous and evergreen trees create a sweeping canvas.

Key features include a Mediterranean entry garden, 2 orchards, berry houses, bee hives, perennial garden, shady woodland walk, conifer collection, numerous flowering shrub and grass borders, a Japanese-inspired meditation garden and maple collection, citrus and cacti, a glasshouse, sculptures, 1-acre perennial/ native wildflower meadow, and a 4-tiered grassy amphitheater with a stone-medallioned stage.

The Staples high School Jazz Ensemble plays at 10:30 a.m. They’ll be fresh off an appearance 2 days earlier at New York’s Birdland Club.

Click here to register, and for more information. Walk-ins are welcome.

Propsect Gardens are open to the public twice a year. The fall date is September 19.

A small part of Prospect Gardens. (Photo/Cindy Shumate, Cynscape Designs)

==================================================

The Westport Weston Domestic Violence Task Force is collecting items for their Crisis Center.

They need toothbrushes, toothpaste, menstrual products, deodorant, lotion, soap and body wash, shaving gel, shampoo and conditioner, and hair care products.

Drop-off locations are the Westport and Weston police stations.

To purchase items directly through an Amazon wish list, click here.

============================================

Anyone can get scammed.

Before scammers hack your accounts, they hack your emotions.

In response, Westport’s E3 Wealth Advisory Group is sponsoring a 30-minute webinar. Attendees will learn how to recognize emotional manipulation, before they react.

It’s repeated 4 times: 12 noon and 2 p.m., tomorrow (Wednesday, May 20) and next Wednesday (May 27). Click here to register. 

=================================================

Singer Melissa Newman — Westport’s own, and a Jazz at the Post favorite — kicks off their first-ever Voices of Spring festival this Thursday (May 21, shows at 7:30 and 8:45 p.m.; dinner from 7; VFW Post 399).

She’ll be joined by musicians she’s worked with for years: guitarist Tony Lombardozzi, bassist Phil Bowler and drummer Bobby Leonard. Click here for tickets, and more information.

==================================================

Getting a good shot of an osprey in a nest is not easy.

Getting one of the raptor in flight is even harder.

But Matt Murray did it, in the sky above Sherwood Mill Pond. Enjoy today’s majestic “Westport … Naturally” image:

(Photo/Matt Murray)

==================================================

And finally … speaking of a big pizza pie (story above):

(When you click on this link, so this blog’s in the pink … that’s amore. Mille grazie!)

2 Comments

Posted in Entertainment, Environment, Local business, Politics, Restaurants, Transportation

Tagged , , , , , ,

E3 Advisors: “Know What You Own. And Why.”

Posted on July 13, 2025 | Comments Off on E3 Advisors: “Know What You Own. And Why.”

John Nelson has a mantra: “Know what you own. Know why you own it. And know what you’re paying for it.”

Sounds simple. But even in a financially savvy town like Westport, there are plenty of people who may not have clear insights into their portfolios.

Many are women, in the baby boom generation. Which is why Nelson and his financial services partner, Stacy Thomson, work closely with that cohort at their E3 Wealth Advisory Group, in the Wright Street building overlooking downtown.

Those 3 E’s stand for “Engage, Educate, Empower.” It’s telling that the pair — who are affiliated with Stifel, a 135-year-old St. Louis-based firm — did not name their company the traditional wealth management way: after themselves.

“Every firm uses last names. But that means nothing,” Nelson explains.

“They’re middle-aged white men in suits who say, ‘Trust us. We’ll take care of it.'”

Stacy Thomson

“That’s so old-school,” Thomson adds. Clients need “empathy, education, the ability to understand their finances. That has nothing to do with a man behind a curtain.”

They lack that “trust us, we know what’s right for you” mentality, because wealth advisory is not their first careers.

Nelson spent 20 years as a pilot and intelligence officer in the Marine Corps, and 10 more as a United Airlines 767 pilot.

Thomson had a 20-year career in marketing and advertising agencies, with clients like Nestle and Unilever. She joined Nelson — a long-time friend — with the intention of “fixing the (financial services) brand.” As an outsider — and a woman — she wanted to “break the mold” of what clients expect.

The advisors say that the much-ballyhooed “great wealth transfer” from boomers to the next generation is not what it seems.

In fact, Nelson notes, the first transfer is often from a man to his wife, since women generally outlive their husbands. Boomer women are expected to receive $30 trillion in assets by 2030.

“They have sophisticated needs: attorneys, CPAs, caregivers,” Nelson says. “The first thing we try to do is educate them. We don’t sell products.”

One client — a 65-year-old artist, whose husband had dementia — felt stressed, because their advisor had never talked to her. She had no idea how to locate any documents.

John Nelson

Nelson worked with her to find an appropriate assisted iving facility, where her husband could receive the care he needed. Nelson helped her negotiate the rates, and executed her long-term care policy.

Another group targeted by Nelson and Thomson is 40- to 65-year-olds. They may have a parent to take care of, along with their own children. That “sandwich generation” includes younger boomers, GenXers and millennials.

“They’re paying bills for their parents, who forget passwords, can’t find their wills. have 5 different bank, with safe deposit boxes,” Thomson says.

“Meanwhile, they’re looking at college tuitions for their kids — and maybe even still paying off their own student loans. There’s a lot going on.”

One other reason for stress: People in this area spend a lot of time making a lot of money. But they may not have a lot of time to take care of it.

So John Nelson and Stacy Thomson engage. They empower. They educate.

And they help clients understand what they own, why they own it, and what they’re paying for it.

(“06880” often shines a light on local businesses — what they do, how they do it, and why. If you appreciate our coverage of everything Westport, please click here to support us. Thanks!)

Comments Off on E3 Advisors: “Know What You Own. And Why.”

Posted in Local business

Tagged , ,