Carmen Bississo Director of Advanced Strategies

Carmen Bississo, CFP^®, CLU^®, CIMA^®, AIF^®, CLTC, CAS^®, CFS^®, is the Director of Advanced Strategies and has been with the firm since 2008. She manages the Advanced Strategies Department, which assists clients with all their insurance and annuity planning needs. The Advanced Strategies Department works alongside clients’ advisors to provide continual management and advice, since clients’ risk needs change as their lives and circumstances evolve.

Carmen has over 20 years of experience working with high-net-worth clients, business owners, professionals, and retirees in helping with risk planning needs. As a senior member of Cassaday & Company, Inc.’s Investment Policy Committee (IPC), Carmen assists with the development of the firm’s overall investment selections and policies. She works collaboratively with clients’ advisory teams, reviewing holdings and asset allocations, market conditions, research studies, economic analyses, and other areas relevant to the investment process. Carmen is also responsible for managing the investment allocations within our variable annuity portfolios.

She holds the Series 7, 63, and 24 securities registrations, as well as the Life and Health Insurance License in Virginia. Carmen also obtained the Certified Fund Specialist (CFS®) and Certified Annuity Specialist (CAS®) designations through the Institute of Business and Finance, and the Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA®) designation through the Investment Management Consultants Association. Furthermore, Carmen is Certified in Long Term Care (CLTC) and has earned the Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF®) credential.

Most recently, Carmen obtained the Chartered Life Underwriter® (CLU®) designation from the American College of Financial Services. Carmen also earned her CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Professional certification from CFP Board. 

Northern Virginia Magazine named Carmen a “Top Financial Professional” in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2022 and 2023. Carmen is a summa cum laude graduate of the Pamplin College of Business at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), where she received her Bachelor of Science in business with a concentration in risk management finance. Prior to joining Cassaday & Company, Inc., Carmen spent five years working for The Washington Group of MassMutual as the Agency’s Investment and Annuity Specialist, where she trained financial advisors in investment and annuity sales and managed the overall investment department within the organization.

As a member of the Women Advisory Board of MassMutual, Carmen has taught Financial Literacy classes to 8th graders at The Washington Middle School for Girls in Washington, D.C., and at Holton-Arms School in Bethesda, Maryland.

Originally from Romania, Carmen has found her home away from home in Vienna, Virginia, where she currently lives with her husband and two daughters.

Carmen is registered with Osaic Wealth, one of the largest independent broker-dealers in the United States. She is not registered with Cassaday & Company, Inc.

*Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. (CFP Board) owns the CFP® certification mark, the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification mark, and the CFP® certification mark (with plaque design) logo in the United States, which it authorizes use of by individuals who successfully complete CFP Board’s initial and ongoing certification requirements. 

Award disclosures:

Northern Virginia Magazine – (2011-2023) – The Top Financial Professional list is compiled by the Northern Virginia magazine. The magazine sends out nomination forms to Financial Associations in Northern Virginia to nominate professional advisors in the various categories. The “Top Financial Professional” listing is given to those financial advisors that receive the most nominations. Financial professionals do not pay a fee to be included.