OUR TEAM

Joe Appolito has more than 45 years of experience in the financial services industry and serves his clients’ financial interests through hard work and a commonsense approach to successful wealth retirement planning and investing. His extensive knowledge and experience in investments, business, and retirement planning enable him to advise his clients throughout the various economic cycles of business, stocks, bonds, and real estate. 

Joe became a financial planner before it was a popular profession, working with IDS (now known as Ameriprise) in San Diego, California. Currently, he is the manager of a branch office of Commonwealth Financial Network, a Registered Investment Adviser–broker/dealer based in San Diego and Waltham, Massachusetts. Commonwealth has a network of more than 2,000 independent advisors from coast to coast.

Joe is president of Charter Resources Inc., which he founded with his wife, Ella, in 1977.  In 1993, he moved his business operations and his family to Hawaii. Joe is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER^® professional and received his certification in 1988 from the Denver-based College for Financial Planning. He was the past president of the Certified Financial Planners Association in Honolulu. In 2011, he received his certification as an Accredited Investment Fiduciary^® designee from Fi360 Fiduciary Global Insights. Joe has specialized experience in wealth management planning, including investment securities; real estate acquisition and development; retirement planning, including IRA rollovers, pensions, 401(k), and profit-sharing plans; and estate planning. He holds the FINRA Series 7, 24, 27, 63, and 65 securities registrations in Hawaii and eight other states, the FINRA Series 65 investment advisory registration in Hawaii, and a life, health, and variable annuity license in Hawaii and California. Joe has trained many successful advisors in the financial services business, and has conducted numerous wealth management seminars for large and small companies. 

Joe’s superior client service, strong ethics, and high standard of integrity are the hallmarks of how he conducts his business. He does his best to stay well informed of new developments in the financial marketplace to advise his clients accordingly. It is this commitment to professionalism, as well as his dedication to his clients, that defines Joe’s approach to wealth planning. His other strong attributes include assisting his clients in getting through the “maze” of financial products and services offered today and rescuing them from what Joe calls “mainstream media confusion syndrome”. 

Most of Joe’s clients reside in Hawaii and California. He and his wife, Ella, were married for 46 years and have eight children. Ella ascended on March 28, 2021. He was the past vice president of the Homeowners Association of Na Pali Haweo in Hawaii Kai. Joe is active in faith-based activities within the Hawaii Baha'i community and enjoys golf and traveling. Joe stays healthy by following his daily workout regimen in his home gym, a balanced diet, and a positive attitude. 

Joe has earned the Five Star Award in Honolulu* in 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2019.  

*2015, 2016, 2017, 2019 Five Star Wealth Manager Award, created by Five Star Professional. The 2019 award was presented in June 2019 based on data gathered within 12 months preceding the issue date. 668 advisors were considered, and 88 advisors were recognized. Advisors pay a fee to hold out marketing materials. Not indicative of advisor’s future performance. Your experience may vary. For more information, please visit www.fivestarprofessional.com.

Deborah Tavares joined Appolito and Associates in August 2022 as an administrative assistant. She has 30+ years in the financial industry. Her experiences in this field started at Bank of Hawaii and progressed to Hawaiian Trust Co., American Savings Bank, and HawaiiUSA FCU. Debbie feels that she is an individual who "knows a little about a lot of different things, but doesn't know a lot about just one thing." Debbie has held various positions during her banking career, from starting as a supervisor in the mail department to being an escrow officer, branch teller supervisor, bank relationship officer, and ending as a financial loan officer and notary. Debbie feels that her strong financial knowledge and experience in client relationship building within the financial industry will be a major contribution to the financial investment industry.    

Her passions are painting, gardening, and raising canaries and cockatiels. Debbie enjoys various activities like going to the beach with her family and friends and traveling.