James Iannazzo biography: 13 things about Fairfield, Connecticut financial advisor

Who is James Iannazzo?

James Anthony “Jim” Iannazzo is an American financial advisor originally from Norwalk, Connecticut, United States. He actively volunteers at community events and supports several non-profit organizations in Fairfield, Connecticut where he lives with his wife Pam Iannazzo and their three children Lauren Iannazzo, Michael Iannazzo and Matthew Iannazzo.

When Jim is not coaching his children in baseball and basketball, he and his family enjoy bike riding and traveling together. As a licensed investment advisor in Connecticut and in Texas, USA, he enjoys helping people anticipate, identify and achieve meaningful goals by bringing them value that extends beyond ordinary wealth management.

On January 22, 2022, Jim brought home a smoothie he bought from a Robeks store in Fairfield, which caused allergic reaction that sent his nut-allergic son to the hospital. Just before 2:30 p.m. that day, he went back to the store, demanded to know who made the smoothie, tossed a beverage at an employee named Gianna Miranda, then 17, and commented on the immigration status of another employee.

A video of the incident went viral. According to the employees, Jim ordered a peanut smoothie with no peanut butter but did not note the request was because of an allergy.

For Jim, it is gratifying to bring clients his experience and energy. Here are 10 more things about him:

1. In 1991, he graduated from Norwalk High School in Norwalk.
2. In 1995, he graduated from the University of Connecticut in Mansfield, Connecticut with a bachelor’s degree in finance and started working for Merrill Lynch as a wealth management advisor.
3. In 2004, his wife gave birth to a son. The son is allergic to nuts.
4. From December 2014 to March 2021, he made transactions purposely structuring cash deposits and withdrawals in his personal banking and at Merrill Lynch to avoid filing currency transaction reports on transactions over $10,000 as required by law. 
5. In 2018 and in 2019, he was included in Forbes’ list of best-in-state wealth advisors.
6. In March 2019, Barron’s recognized him as one of the top 1,200 advisors in the U.S. state by state for the fifth year in a row.
7. Amid the new coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in 2021, he and his wife bought a new house worth $1.3 million in Fairfield.
8. On January 22, 2022, he turned himself and was arrested and charged with intimidation based on bigotry or bias in the second degree, breach of peace in the second degree and criminal trespass in the first degree. He deeply regretted his actions and acknowledged that he acted completely out of character in the Robeks store in Fairfield that day, according to his lawyer Frank Riccio.
9. On January 23, 2022, Merrill Lynch fired him.
10. In June 2022, he joined the Aegis Capital Corporation as a managing director.
11. On March 9, 2022, he appeared in the superior court of Bridgeport, Connecticut.
12. On June 23, 2023, two litigators with the Department of Enforcement for Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) filed a complain against him.
13. In May 2024, he turned 51.