Internationally-recognized economist and author Robert Stein, as the Managing Partner at Astor, heads up a team of dedicated individuals with strong financial backgrounds and decades of experience in the financial industry.
Robert Stein
Managing Partner
Rob Stein is the Managing Partner of Astor. From April 1983 to August 1984, Rob was a project analyst for the Federal Reserve, then under Chairman Paul Volker. From 1984 to 1991, Rob was employed in senior trading or portfolio management positions with Bank of America New York, Harris Bank Chicago and Continental Bank Chicago, which was acquired by Bank of America. In 1991, Rob was employed by Barclay’s Bank plc New York, as Managing Director of Proprietary Trading. Returning to Chicago in 1994, Mr. Stein formed Astor Financial, Inc.,(AF) an investment and brokerage firm.. In 2001, Mr. Stein formed Astor Asset Management, LLC a division of AF, for the purpose of providing investment advisory services to individuals. Astor Asset Management, LLC is currently an investment adviser registered with the SEC and is owned, in part, by Sanders Morris Harris Group, Inc., (Nasdaq:SMHG) a publicly traded financial services firm.
Mr. Stein is the author of ‘Inside Greenspan's Briefcase: Investment Strategies for Profiting from Key Reports & Data’ (McGraw Hill). He is also author of the recently released book, ‘Charting A Profitable Investment Course with Active Management’. Mr. Stein has spent his career following the markets and the economy. He has been featured in print and broadcast media such as The Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, Investor's Business Daily, ABC, FOX News, Bloomberg, and CNBC. Mr. Stein is Founder and President of the Dream of Jeanne Foundation and also serves as Vice Chairman on the Board of Trustees for Glenkirk. Both organizations help the mentally challenged participate fully in all areas of community life. Mr. Stein graduated from the University of Michigan.
Scott Martin
Managing Director, Investments and Private Client Group
Scott Martin assists in the management of Astor’s investment portfolios. Mr. Martin also handles the supervision of new advisory relationships that are established by Astor representatives. A recognized graduate in Economics and French from Denison University, Mr. Martin began his career in the financial industry with TD Waterhouse Investment Services Corporation. Upon leaving the company and joining Astor, he aided in the development of private and institutional relationships that became the foundation of Astor’s presence in the money management industry today. Mr. Martin has been quoted in financial publications like The Wall Street Journal, Investors Business Daily, and BusinessWeek. Mr. Martin is also a volunteer with the Cook County Anti-Cruelty Society of Illinois. He holds the series 3, 7, 63, 65, and life insurance licenses through Waterstone Financial Group.
Michael Hovanec
Managing Director, Private Client Group
Michael Hovanec co-manages Astor Asset Management’s Private Client Group. With a strong focus on client relationship management, Mr. Hovanec brings over 17 years of investment planning experience to Astor. His expert counsel encompasses individual equities, bonds, mutual funds, real estate investment trusts, variable annuities and life insurance. He began his career in Florida, working for AIG Advisor Group, managing assets for high profile executives, professional athletes and independently wealthy individuals. He has been featured on WGN TV News Chicago for his investment expertise. Mr. Hovanec is originally from Connecticut and holds an Economics and Finance degree from the School of Business at the University of Tampa. He is NASD licensed, and currently holds series 7, 24, 63, 65, and life, health and variable annuities licenses through Waterstone Financial Group.
Bryan Novak
Managing Director, Investments
Bryan Novak assists in the management of the Astor investment portfolio, oversees the trading division at Astor, and manages the trading desk at the firm. Mr. Novak began his career as a trader at the Chicago Board Options Exchange. After gaining invaluable experience in hedging risk, Bryan joined Astor Asset Management and has brought immeasurable analytical value and expertise in portfolio service and management. A graduate of The Ohio State University with a degree in Financial Management, Mr. Novak currently holds the series 3, 7, 63, 65, and life insurance licenses and is a regular guest on the financial network, WebFN.
Danny Zoller
Managing Director and COO
Danny Zoller is responsible for directing and managing the day-to-day activities of Astor. Prior to joining Astor in 2006, Mr. Zoller was a principal at Sterling Partners, a diversified private equity firm focusing on buyouts, venture capital and real estate. While at Sterling, Mr. Zoller’s focus was to identify investment opportunities, develop joint venture relationships, create and negotiate financial structures, implement operating processes and strategies, and manage investments and investment teams. While at Sterling, Mr. Zoller also served as in-house general counsel for all of Sterling Real Estate Partners’ and its affiliates’ legal activities.
Prior to joining Sterling Partners in 2000, Mr. Zoller was a partner with the law firm of Arnstein & Lehr in Chicago, where he specialized in corporate and real estate transactions. Before practicing law, Mr. Zoller served as an arbitrage clerk on the floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and as an intern for U.S. Senator Alan J. Dixon.
Mr. Zoller is also a managing member of a thirty year old private investment company and is responsible for (i) sourcing, analyzing and executing traditional and alternative investment transactions and (ii) managing the allocation and overall risk of the portfolio. In addition, he serves as a Finance Committee Member of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago and has served on the Junior Board of Emergency Fund for Needy People. Danny received his BBA in Finance from the University of Texas in Austin in 1990 and his JD from DePaul University College of Law in 1993.
Fred Smithson
Managing Director, Trading
Mr. Smithson is responsible for modeling, implementing, risk reporting, and accounting for Astor’s trading division. Before joining Astor in 2006, Mr. Smithson was a Director at BNP Paribas in capital markets, working with corporate and institutional clients on funding and financial risk management related issues.
Prior to his work with BNP Paribas, he spent 14 years at JP Morgan Chase originating and structuring fixed income, currency, equity, credit, and commodity-derivative transactions to corporate and institutional clients. He was responsible for advising, measuring, recommending, and executing asset and liability management transactions for clients. While with JP Morgan Chase, he worked in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Hong Kong.
Fred has been actively involved in marketing and trading of both OTC and exchange based futures and options for over 20 years. He is a member of the Chicago Society of Financial Analysts and was formerly a member of the Chicago Board of Trade and the Chicago Board of Options Exchange. Fred has been a CFA since 1990 and a CPA in the State of Illinois since 1988 and holds Series 7 and 63 licenses.He received his BBA from the University of Michigan in 1987 and his MBA from NYU Stern School of Business in 1990.
Sarah Bancsy
Office Manager
Ms. Bancsy manages the day-to-day operations of the firm, supervising office staff and providing solutions and means to the office. Sarah has extensive expertise in computer and data applications and handles all database administration, daily bookkeeping, and industry registrations. Sarah also assists our managing partner, Rob Stein with the overall management of the company.
