Ash Bhatnagar CFP® is President and Founder of RIA Independence Company. Ash is an expert in designing and integrating infrastructure including Compliance, Technology, and Operations, for independent and breakaway advisors.  He has over 20 years of financial industry experience in addition to his background in information technology.  He started his financial career at Pershing LLC, now a Division of Bank of New York, in investment research and wealth management.  He was eventually responsible for many internet technology related projects.  After Pershing he managed the affluent advisory business at JP Morgan.  With a team of 300 advisors, the advisory business was able to raise three billion in new assets in two years.  Ash then moved to the Private Bank where he was responsible for managing product, compliance and systems integration with the Bank One merger.

 More recently Ash has written multiple articles related to Technology and Compliance for the Financial Planning Association and the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors.  Ash is also a resident expert for the Financial Planning Association.  Ash volunteers his investment expertise to his local school’s endowment and also sits on the school board.  He also volunteers his time to advise clients based on need.

 Ash has a BA in Engineering and MBA from Rutgers University and is a CFP® Certificant.  Ash lives with his wife and thee children near Princeton, New Jersey.

Vandana Sharma is lead technologist.  She has over 15 years experience in telephony and technology.  She has led teams to run major project at Intel and Dialogic.  Vandana has a BA in Electrical Engineering and a BA in Computer Science.  Vandana has two children and resides in New Jersey.