Jacob S. Nichols

James Hickman is the sole advisor at OakLeaf Asset Advisors in Paso Robles, CA, holding Series 63 and Series 65 designations with 27 years of industry experience. He has been with OakLeaf Asset Advisors since 2010. OakLeaf Asset Advisors provides personalized financial planning and investment management to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and small businesses. The firm focuses on strategic asset allocation using research and software to design diversified, individually tailored portfolios primarily composed of no-load mutual funds and ETFs, following a buy-and-hold strategy with regular rebalancing.

John Buerger is a CFP® professional with 18 years of industry experience, currently serving as the sole advisor at Altus Wealth Solutions since 2004. He is also the business manager and 50% owner of Accents, a retail business in Atascadero, CA, and operates a one-person life insurance agency, Buerger Insurance Solutions. Altus Wealth Solutions is a virtual independent advisory providing financial planning, investment management, business consulting, and pension consulting to a diverse client base including individuals, trusts, charitable organizations, small businesses, and institutional entities. The firm offers passive and tactical investment strategies tailored to client risk profiles and manages approximately $5.2 million in assets across 26 accounts.

Nelson Kobata is the principal of Kobata Financial in Atascadero, CA, holding CFP® and Series 63 designations with 31 years of industry experience. He has worked at LPL Financial since 1998 and founded Kobata Financial in 2008. Outside of his advisory work, he occasionally sells sports tickets for games he cannot attend. Kobata Financial provides comprehensive and modular financial planning and general investment advice to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, corporations, and other business entities. The firm uses an analytical approach combining fundamental and technical security analysis with asset-allocation principles based on Modern Portfolio Theory to create written financial plans and recommendations.

John Kirkgard is the sole advisor at J. Dyhr Capital in Paso Robles, CA, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with two years of industry experience. He has been involved with J. Dyhr Capital since 2000 and concurrently with The Territory Ahead since 1990. J. Dyhr Capital provides continuous investment supervisory services to individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, businesses, and retirement plans, managing approximately $21–23 million for a small client base. The firm emphasizes non-discretionary asset management with an investment process rooted in Modern Portfolio Theory, combining fundamental and technical analysis alongside a formal rebalancing approach.

Heidi Barber is a financial advisor with De Mayo Financial, holding a Series 63 designation and 26 years of industry experience. She has been associated with Royal Alliance Associates, Inc. since 1990. De Mayo Financial provides financial recommendations and portfolio management consultation for individuals and high-net-worth clients, focusing on identifying and recommending third-party professional portfolios rather than managing securities directly. The firm operates on a part-time basis and oversees approximately $2 million in assets across four clients.

David Hicok is the principal advisor at Hicok Financial Solutions, LLC, an independent firm based in Templeton, CA. He holds the ChFC® designation and Series 66 license, with 25 years of industry experience. Prior to founding his current firm in 2026, he worked at ProCore Advisors, LLC for nine years and Partnervest Advisory Services, LLC for four years. He is also a licensed insurance agent and occasionally offers insurance products alongside his advisory services. Hicok Financial Solutions provides portfolio management, investment consulting, and financial planning primarily to institutional and pooled-vehicle clients such as pension plans, foundations, and charitable organizations. The firm typically employs discretionary, asset-allocation driven strategies and offers ERISA-focused consulting and fiduciary services for retirement-plan clients.