Touchstone Team

Ted is the founder/CEO of Touchstone Capital, Inc., which began operations on May 1, 2000. The company is a Registered Investment Adviser with more than $150 million in assets under management for nearly 300 client households in 24 states and one foreign country. With 27 years of experience, various conference engagements, and countless media appearances, Ted is a recognized thought leader and industry expert.

Ted is also the founder/president of Touchstone Cares, an IRS-recognized 501(c)(3) organization, which began operations in 2018. Touchstone Cares has contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to local, national, and international charities, including Transformando Vidas (Transforming Lives), a community project in Northeast Brazil. Transformando Vidas operates a school for over 200 students as well as a farm partnership program that provides water systems, operational expertise, and networking support to small, multi-generational family farms. Ted cast a vision to install 500 water systems in the region over the next 10 years, thereby making the entire project self-supporting within a decade. Ted speaks Portuguese and is married to Maria Patricia Dos Reis, a Brazilian psychologist and president of Transformando Vidas.

A Westminster College (Pa.) alumnus, Ted holds a bachelor of arts degree in finance with a minor in economics. As an undergraduate at Westminster, he played center on the college’s 1989 National Championship football team. He received the 2002 Outstanding Young Alumni Award from the college, which recognizes alumni of 15 years or less for significant accomplishments professionally, through community service, or service to Westminster. He serves on the Westminster College Board of Distinguished Visitors. Ted also has completed postgraduate work at the College for Financial Planning in Denver, Colorado, where he earned his CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® certification. He is also an alumnus of Trinity School for Ministry (Pa.), where he is working on his thesis toward a Master of Arts in Religion degree in Christian Ministry and Missiology.

In addition to his professional activities, Ted has realized a variety of personal accomplishments, including completing the Pittsburgh Marathon, publishing an Amazon 5-star rated novel titled Killing Time, A Parable for the Present Age, and earning his private pilot certificate and second-degree black belt in taekwondo. He enjoys exploring the world and has traveled to 35 states, numerous U.S. territories, and many foreign countries. He resides in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania with his wife, two children, and two dogs.

Frank is the senior financial analyst at Touchstone Capital and joined the team in November 2021.

As the senior financial analyst, Frank researches existing and potential new holdings. Areas of emphasis include financial statement analysis, reviewing company filings, third-party data, and other publicly available information. He assesses each company on a quarterly basis to confirm the investment thesis is intact and that financial metrics are meeting specifications. He also takes on projects delegated by the CEO to augment the investment process.

Frank has more than 20 years of experience in finance. He was a broker for Morgan Stanley and Charles Schwab. Frank has worked as an investment analyst with ITS Asset Management and Gibson Capital. Areas of expertise include equities, fixed income, mutual funds and ETFs, and macro and sector strategy. He is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame with a bachelor of business administration.

He has a keen interest in staying abreast of the markets. He enjoys traveling with his wife Lea and their Labradoodle. Frank also likes to devote his spare time to cycling and golf.

MJ is the President and COO at Touchstone Capital and joined the team in October 2018. In her role, MJ focuses on large projects and compliance regulations and works closely with team members to support the day-to-day at Touchstone Capital. MJ also supports the CEO’s strategic visions and implements ideas to enhance the company’s mission, values, and vision. 

With over ten years in the education industry, MJ brings experience in promoting teamwork, developing processes, finding solutions, and embracing change and growth. She holds a B.S. in Business Administration with a minor in human resources. MJ has a passion for project management, whether at the office or home and loves a good checklist! She enjoys organizing, creating structure, and collaborating with those around her to bring efficiency forward.  

MJ resides in the west suburbs of Pittsburgh with her husband, Matt, son, Maverick, and dog, Memphis. She enjoys reading, listening to podcasts, yoga, and spending time with family and friends.

Liz is the client service associate at Touchstone Capital and joined the team in April 2020. Liz works closely with the advisors and staff to provide support and assistance to our clients. She not only fields and directs all incoming calls, but she also prepares all the paperwork for client accounts, including new accounts, updates, transfers, and much more.  She enjoys utilizing her research skills to answer client inquiries.  In 2022, she became an appointed and commissioned Notary Public for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

With more than 20 years of customer service and financial experience, she brings a tremendous amount of knowledge and value to her role. Before joining Touchstone Capital, she was a conversion analyst for a local 401(k) provider. Liz obtained her Bachelor of Science from LaRoche University with a dual major in finance and business management.

Liz is married and has twin teenagers. She enjoys reading, jogging, spending time with her family and friends.

Dayanna Silva - Dayanna is Touchstone's Executive Assistant. It is her responsibility to support the CEO and the executive team. Originally from Brazil, Dayanna has lived in the United States for over four years.

Back in Brazil, Dayanna earned a bachelor's degree as an Executive Secretary with proficiency in Portuguese, Spanish, and English. Additionally, she holds a postgraduate degree in Business Management.

For the past ten years, she worked as an Administrative/Executive Assistant, and Office Assistant for large companies in Brazil.

Since she lives in California, she enjoys biking on the golden gate bridge, hiking, yoga, and meditation in her free time. She also enjoys reading and exploring new restaurants.