About Us
A trusted partner providing insurance planning advice and implementation support.
Who We Are
At Risk & Insurance Associates, we provide the tools, expertise, and support you need to protect your clients and grow your business. From product access and case design to dedicated service and marketing solutions, our team is here to help you succeed at every stage.
Our Values
In order to accomplish our mission, we are guided by our values:
Put the client first
We listen, understand, and tailor every solution to meet each client’s unique needs, ensuring their goals and protection always come before anything else.
Always do the right thing
We act with integrity, transparency, and honesty, building trust by making decisions that put our clients’ best interests at the forefront.
Add value in every interaction
Whether it’s answering a question, solving a challenge, or offering guidance, we strive to make every conversation meaningful and impactful.
Act like a partner, not a provider
We work alongside our clients as trusted advisors, invested in their success and committed to protecting what matters most to them.
Keys to Success
At Risk & Insurance Associates, our success is built on the principles that drive exceptional results for our clients.
Comprehensive Risk Management Identifying, assessing, and addressing potential risks to safeguard your future and protect what matters most.
Client-First Consultation Providing objective, unbiased guidance rooted in your best interests, ensuring every solution is tailored to your needs.
Strategic Alignment Partnering with you to align our resources, expertise, and approach with your practice, goals, and vision.
Process Simplification Leveraging innovative technology and tools to make complex planning simple, efficient, and effective.
Industry recognized services and solutions that create value.
Our Team
We are passionate about our work.
Matthew Teel, CFP, CLU
Founder & Managing Principal
Matthew Teel
Founder & Managing Principal
mteel@riskassoc.com
203.513.6088
Matthew Teel has helped many multi-faceted financial professionals serve their clients with often-complex life, disability, and long-term care insurance plan design. Matt’s career has evolved from his roots as an intern at a major wirehouse to running his own financial advisory practice to becoming the go-to person for insurance solutions.
Matt’s expertise and ability to establish lasting advisor relationships made him the ideal professional to lead Risk & Insurance Associates, a platform created to serve independent insurance brokers, career agents, and other financial institutions. Through Risk & Insurance Associates, clients and their financial professionals receive objective guidance on insurance solutions, as well as access to a full menu of products, all complemented by concierge service (riskassoc.com).
Matt operates on an open architecture platform and philosophy, instilling confidence in the client that he or she is receiving objective and unbiased insurance planning advice that creates value. He understands that life insurance is a crucial planning tool, most notably in the areas of income replacement, estate planning, business succession planning, and retirement and executive benefits.
He is well-versed in both basic and advanced business and estate planning concepts and is effective at taking complex topics and making them understandable to both advisors and their clients. As a result, he is a sought-after speaker at conferences and seminars, delivering main stage presentations on a wide variety of business development concepts. He also does small group and individual consultations on advanced insurance strategies.
A graduate of the University of Connecticut with a degree in business and technology, Matt is committed to life-long learning. He has earned his CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ designation, the recognized standard of excellence for competent and ethical personal financial planning, and holds the Chartered Life Underwriter® designation, the professional credential for persons involved in the protection, accumulation, preservation, and distribution of the economic value of human life.
Matt is an active member in many industry associations, including the Society of Financial Service Professionals, Financial Planning Association, and the Association for Advanced Life Underwriting. He also belongs to the prestigious International Mensa organization.
Tim Lemoine
Manager – Risk & Insurance Associates
Tim Lemoine
Manager – Risk & Insurance Associates
tlemoine@riskassoc.com
203.513.6117
With 16 years in the insurance industry, Tim Lemoine brings a deep understanding of both client needs and broker support to his role as Manager at Risk & Insurance Associates, a leading brokerage general agency.
Tim began his career as a Financial Services Representative, spending 10 years helping clients achieve their financial goals through tailored risk management and wealth planning strategies. Driven by his passion for leadership and a commitment to exceptional service, he transitioned into his current role to focus on empowering brokers with the tools, resources, and simple-to-use platforms they need to better serve their clients.
Licensed in Life/Accident & Health as well as Property & Casualty, Tim is dedicated to fostering strong relationships, streamlining processes, and ensuring brokers have every advantage in delivering value to their clients.
Originally from the Northeast, Tim now lives in North Carolina with his wife, Anna Maria, and their son, Jaxson. Outside of work, he helps coach youth travel baseball, provides lessons to kids in his community, and is an avid golfer.
Kelleen Connolly, MBA
Operations Manager
Kelleen Connolly
Operations Manager
kconnolly@riskassoc.com
203.513.6353
Kelleen “Kelly” Connolly is the Operations Manager at Risk & Insurance Associates, bringing over 14 years of experience in the financial services industry. Throughout her career, Kelly has remained focused on one central goal: providing unparalleled service to brokers so they can confidently serve their clients.
A natural team player, Kelly’s drive to help others comes from her background in sports and her lifelong passion for teamwork. Whether on the basketball court or in the office, she thrives on collaboration and sharing knowledge to ensure her entire team succeeds—because when the team wins, brokers and their clients win too.
Kelly’s professional journey has been rooted entirely in financial services, where her curiosity and commitment to learning allow her to adapt to industry changes and guide her team effectively. She takes pride in building strong relationships, fostering growth, and helping brokers navigate advancements in underwriting and processes.
She earned both her undergraduate and MBA degrees from the University of Connecticut. Outside of work, Kelly enjoys staying active and engaged—whether it’s playing volleyball, skiing, Zumba, or cheering on UConn basketball. She’s also an avid reader and pet parent to her black cat, Jinx.
Julie Drake
Agency Coordinator to the Principal
Julie Drake
Agency Coordinator to the Principal
jdrake@riskassoc.com
203.513.6237
As Agency Coordinator and Assistant to Founder Matthew Teel, Julie brings a personal and proactive approach to supporting Matthew’s clients and the team in the financial planning and life insurance fields. She works directly with Matthew on all his cases and referrals. With a strong focus on exceptional service, timely communication, and building trust, Julie aims to make every interaction smooth, supportive, and solution oriented.
Julie’s goal is to communicate clearly and effectively to clients; helping to strengthen our relationships and positively impact those we serve. Whether coordinating behind the scenes or being a point of contact, she is committed to providing the resources and care that help clients feel confident and connected.
Outside of work, Julie is passionate about fitness and staying active. She is grateful every day for her husband and their two wonderful daughters. At home, they enjoy the lively company of their two bunnies and a cat, and she does her best to juggle the ongoing adventure of balancing work and family life.
Niko Vamvakas, RICP
Annuity Manager
Niko Vamvakas, RICP
Annuity Manager
nvamvakas@riskassoc.com
203.513.6291
With 14 years of experience and a Retirement Income Certified Professional® (RICP®) designation, Niko helps advisors align client goals with the most suitable retirement planning solutions. He supports advisors by providing tools, guidance, and insight around income planning, wealth accumulation, tax deferral strategies, legacy planning, and market risk mitigation. His role ensures clients are presented with competitive, well-matched solutions. Niko holds a bachelor’s degree from Southern Connecticut State University.
David Abel, CFP, CLU
Brokerage Wholesaler
David Abel, CFP, CLU
Brokerage Wholesaler
dabel@riskassoc.com
203.513.6395
Book with David Abel
As a brokerage wholesaler, David offers education and guidance to insurance professionals, with a focus on life and disability income protection. His role is to provide everything agents need to help their clients implement meaningful risk management solutions from product knowledge to sales strategy and application support.
Whether working with a seasoned advisor or a P&C professional just starting to explore life insurance opportunities, David’s goal is to make the process clear, efficient, and client-focused.
From early on, David knew he wanted to work in a profession that let him connect with others on a human level. It wasn’t until he began delivering death claims that David truly understood the impact of what he does and the difference we can make for families when it matters most. What began as a hustle-driven career has grown into one grounded in quality, empathy, and purpose.
Now in his 17th year, David holds CFP® and CLU® designations, along with Series 6, 7, 63, and 65 licenses, and licenses in Life, Health, Property, and Casualty. He earned his degree in Business Administration from Eastern Connecticut State University and continues to learn every day from the advisors and clients he serves.
Outside of work, David stays active and curious, whether it’s rock or ice climbing, practicing yoga, playing croquet, or honing his skills in archery and recreational shooting. He shares his life with two great dogs, Mea and Osa, who keep him grounded and are always up for adventure.
Ryan Tracy
Brokerage Wholesaler
Ryan Tracy
Brokerage Wholesaler
rtracy@riskassoc.com
914.372.2896
Book with Ryan Tracy
Ryan specializes in supporting agents and their clients with their life insurance and long-term care planning needs. His focus is on helping individuals and families secure the coverage that best fits their goals — both for today and for the future.
What sets Ryan apart is a deep understanding of the insurance marketplace and an ability to anticipate challenges clients may face later in life. His area of expertise is the long-term care marketplace, where Ryan brings over a decade of experience and insight.
Ryan’s passion for this work is personal. He chose to enter the financial services industry after witnessing firsthand the profound impact that Alzheimer’s had on his grandmother and the ripple effects it had on his entire family. That experience drives Ryan’s commitment to helping others prepare for life’s unexpected turns.
Ryan is licensed in Life, Accident, and Health, and has spent the past ten years helping clients plan with confidence.
Outside of work, he enjoys golf, fishing, softball, and woodworking. Ryan is also a proud husband, father of three, and an active member of his church community.
Danessa Harris, MSPM
Client Success Coordinator
Danessa Harris, MSPM
Client Success Coordinator
dharris@riskassoc.com
203.513.6401
Danessa Harris is a Client Success Coordinator who combines strong communication skills with project management expertise to deliver a seamless, supportive experience for both clients and advisors. With a background in higher education and a Master of Science in Project Management, she brings a fresh perspective to the financial services industry, focusing on continuous process improvement to enhance the overall client journey. Passionate about creating structures within complex projects and workflows, Danessa is driven by the opportunity to make a positive impact, both behind the scenes and in client interactions. Outside of work, she enjoys reading, traveling, hairstyling, beach days, and spending time with friends and family.
Joseph Payette
Annuity Analyst
Joseph Payette
Annuity Analyst
annuities@riskassoc.com
203.513.6291
With more than a decade of experience in retirement planning strategies, JJ specializes in helping clients and advisors navigate the complexities of the annuity marketplace.
He provides in-force contract reviews, case design support, and tailored retirement recommendations that align with each client’s unique goals.
A graduate of the University of Connecticut, JJ now lives in New York City, where you’ll often find him testing out the city’s ever-changing food scene.
Ryan Mailloux
New Business Analyst
Ryan Mailloux
New Business Analyst
rmailloux@riskassoc.com
203.513.6082
Ryan Mailloux is a Brokerage New Business Analyst at Risk and Insurance Associates, where he specializes in underwriting and new business support for life insurance applications. With three years of experience in the financial services industry, Ryan is known for providing thoughtful, tailored support and ensuring a seamless application process for both advisors and clients.
Motivated by a desire to help others achieve financial security, Ryan approaches his work with professionalism, personability, and a commitment to building lasting relationships. He holds his Life and Health Insurance License as well as his FINRA Series 7 and Series 66 certifications.
Ryan earned a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology with a minor in General Business from the University of Maryland, College Park. Outside of work, he enjoys an active lifestyle that includes golfing, skiing, fishing, and spending time with his two rescue dogs.
Alyssa Rassavage
New Business Analyst
Alyssa Rassavage
New Business Analyst
arassavage@riskassoc.com
203.513.6222
Alyssa works closely with P&C agents and their clients to ensure that every case is handled with care, efficiency, and clear communication. Her goal is to make the process as smooth and straightforward as possible — keeping everyone informed, aligned, and supported every step of the way.
What makes her approach unique is Alyssa’s commitment to making each interaction personal, not transactional. She believes that even in a fast-paced business, we can create meaningful relationships that lead to better outcomes for both the advisor and the client.
Alyssa came to this field through a desire to help people. What started as a curiosity quickly turned into a passion — She loves the structure, the strategy, and the opportunity to make a positive difference in people’s lives. Alyssa originally worked in the mortgage industry before transitioning to insurance, having been in the business for nearly three years. She’s held multiple roles within the company, which has helped Alyssa develop a well-rounded understanding of the insurance process.
Alyssa holds a Life, Accident, and Health Insurance license and is constantly learning new systems and tools to better serve our advisors.
Outside of work, Alyssa enjoys life on the farm with her husband, Cal, their son Mason, and two dogs, Marley and Ryder. They raise cows, pigs, chickens, and goats — so there’s always something happening at home. Alyssa also supports her husband’s volunteer firehouse and helps out with local events whenever they can.
Shane Kelly
New Business Analyst
Shane Kelly
New Business Analyst
skelly@riskassoc.com
203.513.6221
Shane supports our agents and their clients by helping create a smooth and efficient process for placing their business. His goal is to ensure clear communication throughout each case and to make it as seamless as possible for agents to grow their book of business.
Shane has been in the industry for two years and holds his Life and Health license. Before taking on his current role, Shane was a Financial Advisor with Northwestern Mutual. That experience gave him a strong appreciation for the agent-client relationship and helped Shane better understand the support agents need to be successful.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in business management and finance from Albertus Magnus College. Today, Shane focuses exclusively on working with agents — helping them fulfil meaningful protection strategies for their clients through our platform.
Outside the office, he enjoys playing golf, ice hockey, lacrosse, and getting outdoors to hike. Shane is also a proud cat parent to Isla and Roger.
Trusted by Our Clients
Personal approach. Tailored results.
We strive to wow our clients.
We are committed to exceeding expectations and building lasting relationships. Trust starts with our objective, client-first consultations, where we listen, understand, and provide honest, unbiased guidance. From there, we work in true partnership, aligning with your goals and strategically applying our resources to deliver results that matter.
