Christopher Earl Ballard

Alex Alonso, MBA, is the founder of Alonso Financial Planning, a fee-only independent advisory firm in Tampa, FL serving business owners and entrepreneurs. A lifelong entrepreneur who started his first company at sixteen, Alex helps founders turn their businesses into assets that can fund a lifetime of financial freedom. Whether they plan to sell, keep building, or anything in between. He specializes in S-corp distribution strategy, business cash management, tax-aware investing, and retirement plan design. Alex is a member of the XYPN network and holds an MBA with the ChFC designation in progress.

Reshell Smith is a CFP® professional with 21 years of industry experience, currently serving as the sole advisor at AMES Financial Solutions, LLC since 2017. Prior to that, she operated AMES Financial Education & Consulting LLC from 2013 to 2017. She is the author of two financial independence books for women and hosts the podcast "She's So Wealthy." AMES Financial Solutions provides individual clients with financial planning, investment advisory services, money coaching, and insurance product sales. The firm manages assets through a technology-driven wrap fee program using Betterment for Advisors and serves a high client count relative to its single-advisor structure.

Bryan Boyd is a CFP®-designated financial advisor with four years of industry experience. He is the principal of Oakensense, an independent advisory firm he founded in 2026. His prior work includes roles at Wells Fargo Advisors, Merrill Lynch, Fidelity Investments, and State Farm. Oakensense provides comprehensive wealth planning and discretionary investment management services for individual clients, including high-net-worth individuals, through integrated advisory engagements. The firm employs an evidence-based investment approach focused on long-term strategies and diversified portfolios, using a fixed fee structure rather than percentage-of-assets fees.

Steven Van Metre is a financial advisor at Quantum Wealth Advisors LLC in Winter Garden, FL, with 18 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has previously worked at Atlas Financial Advisors, Inc. for 14 years. In addition to his advisory work, he is a licensed insurance agent and owns Bakersfield Retirement in Bakersfield, CA. Quantum Wealth Advisors provides portfolio management, financial planning, and a subscription-based market-timing newsletter to individuals, high-net-worth clients, and business entities. The firm employs a long-term trading strategy supported by various analytical methods and offers multiple fee models, including fixed, hourly, and subscription fees.

Alexander King is a financial advisor at Macedon Financial Management, LLC with eight years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 credentials and has worked previously at Raymond James Financial Services, Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, and other firms. Macedon Financial Management provides portfolio management and pension consulting services to institutional and individual clients, including retirement plans and high-net-worth individuals. The firm employs a variety of analytic methods and typically offers discretionary management focused on mutual funds, ETFs, fixed income, and select securities.

Timothy Clifford is a CFP® professional with 23 years of industry experience, currently serving as the sole advisor at Core Wealth Consultants, LLC in Winter Garden, FL. His prior work includes a one-year tenure at Brendanwood Financial Brokerage LLC and over a decade as an independent insurance agent, which remains a small part of his professional activities. Core Wealth Consultants serves individual and high-net-worth clients through discretionary portfolio management and a structured financial planning framework called PlanAssist®. The firm integrates fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis to manage diversified portfolios and provides continuous planning support, including an optional AI-assisted engagement tool.