Honors & Achievements

OPERATION SMILE
www.operationsmile.org/

For 5 years, the Cotto & Padovani family has been actively involved in Operation Smile Program, founded by Dr. William P. Magee, a plastic surgeon, and his wife, Kathleen, a nurse and clinical social worker.  In 1982, the Magees traveled to the Philippines with a group of medical volunteers to repair children's cleft lips and cleft palates. They discovered hundreds of children ravaged by deformities, and although they helped many children, the volunteers were forced to turn away the majority of those who sought help. The Magees saw the need and Operation Smile was born.  Since 1982, more than 100,000 children and young adults have been treated by thousands of volunteers worldwide and thousands of healthcare professionals have been trained globally.

September 11, 2001
In May of 2001 James was selected by Worth Magazine as one of America's Top 250 Financial Advisors.¹  In that same year James was also selected by Worth to provide pro bono advice to the families who lost loved ones in the September 11 tragedy.  James was selected by Worth Magazine for a second year in a row in 2002.

Children with Disabilities
James Cotto assisted the New York State Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities (OMRDD), the not-for-profit corporations servicing this state agency and families of children with disabilities. Since then he has focused on areas such as financing community development for the OMRDD, cash flow and endowment money management for not-for-profit corporations, and future-care planning, a specialized form of investment planning for families of children with disabilities. James has been designated as a keynote speaker for the OMRDD and has been invited to speak at conferences for United Cerebral Palsy, the New York State Association of Community Residential Agencies and the New York State Rehabilitation Association.

As a result of these efforts, Merrill Lynch, his former firm, appointed James as a national spokesperson for their "Families of Children with Disabilities" program. He was also appointed as a media representative while at Merrill. James has been featured in educational broadcasts on local, national and syndicated television shows such as Money Talks and Good Day New York. 

Awards
James Cotto has been nominated by Wachovia Securities in 2005, 2006 & 2007 as 1 of 400 Financial Advisors nationally to the "Barron's Circle Council".  Wachovia Securities has also nominated James for appointment to Registered Rep magazines "Nations Top 50 Financial Advisors" list and appointment to Reuters "Top Advisors of 2008" list.

In their July 2002 issue Worth Magazine chose James for the second year in a row to their prestigious list of the Nation's Top 250 Financial Advisors.¹ He was also listed in Hispanic Business magazine's "Corporate Elite" directory in 2002.² The National Football Players Association has admitted James to a program it created, which is designed to provide its NFL Players, who currently lack representation and advice, access to qualified professionals.

The Winners Circle Council
Paul Padovani was acknowledged by Merrill Lynch as a successful financial advisor and was appointed to the Winners Circle Council for production in 1998, 1999, and 2000.

1 Recipients were chosen from a larger field of nominees and selected on the basis of an extensive personal survey which includes questions about credentials, professional distinction and compensation structures. Finalists were interviewed for their best ideas and recommendations and subjected to an extensive background check and verification of their professional credentials.
2 The directory consists of employees at companies who work at the vice-presidential level or above and who provided information for the listing by the deadline.