James Robert Patterson

WHY JERRY CHOSE TO BE A FINANCIAL PLANNER: His lack of financial literacy was not by choice. It was because personal finance was not taught in school or in his community. As a first-generation wealth builder, Jerry's money journey has been shaped by a profound understanding of both cultural and financial expectations. His experiences have uniquely positioned him to empathize with the challenges faced by first-generation families, inspiring a distinctive approach to financial guidance. His moment of profound solitude occurred during his transition from the Marine Corps back to civilian life. In uniform, Jerry felt in control, with camaraderie, financial stability, and a consistent salary. However, the day he left, all that stability vanished giving way to a cascade of emotions - depression, anxiety, and fear. Jerry, who had grown up facing financial hardships, relying on food stamps, and public aid, knew it was time to stop merely talking about wanting to build wealth and start acting. The realization struck deep: He needed to make a difference not just for himself, but for others facing similar issues. Motivated by a desire to help his family and friends, Jerry decided to be the guide he wished he'd had. He obtained his license, college degree, and joined a firm not only to enhance his life but the lives of other 1st-time wealth builders. After a few years of helping high net worth individuals grow their assets, Jerry felt the firm wasn't built to help families like his. In 2024, Jerry took the leap and launched Confianza Wealth Management as a guide for aspiring wealth builders. Jerry is on a mission to empower 1st-time wealth building families. Jerry wants to bridge the financial planning accessibility gap by helping these millennial families take control of their financial futures.

Scott Weber is a financial advisor at WealthLynk, Inc. with 20 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked previously at J.P. Morgan Securities and Tollminder. Weber is also an independent insurance agent. WealthLynk serves individual and high-net-worth clients, providing ongoing portfolio management and financial planning without additional fees. The firm follows a non-discretionary investment model, combining charting, fundamental analysis, and modern portfolio theory with quarterly reviews tailored to client risk tolerance and asset allocation.

Rick Alvarado is a CFP®-designated financial advisor with 35 years of industry experience. He has been the principal advisor at Wealth One Advisors since 2000 and previously worked with LPL Financial (formerly Linsco/Private Ledger Corp.) starting in 1993. Wealth One Advisors provides financial planning and consulting to individuals, high-net-worth households, trusts, estates, and certain pension or profit-sharing plans, focusing on retirement, estate, and protection planning. The firm offers written plans and consulting engagements without managing client assets or accepting custody, using both fundamental and technical analysis to recommend tailored strategies emphasizing long-term asset allocation and periodic rebalancing.

Darren Schuringa is a CFA® charterholder and the sole advisor at Yorkville Capital Management LLC, where he has worked since 2006. He has 20 years of industry experience. Yorkville Capital Management provides discretionary portfolio management and investment supervisory services to high-net-worth individuals and various institutional and household accounts. The firm employs proprietary risk models and asset-allocation algorithms, tactical hedging, and short selling as part of its risk-management strategy.

Amy Sharp is the principal advisor at Amy T. Sharp, CFP, LLC, an independent firm based in Valley Center, California. She holds the CFP® designation and Series 63 license and has 31 years of experience in the financial industry. Outside of advising, she is co-owner of a family chocolate business, Amy's Best Sugar-Free Confections. Her firm provides financial planning and portfolio management services to individuals, businesses, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations. It serves approximately 121 clients with about $62.4 million in assets under management, offering actively managed, broadly diversified portfolios tailored to client risk tolerance and goals.

Ahmet Turken is a financial advisor at Turken Investments LLC with six years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has held roles at Thermo Fisher Scientific and Becton Dickinson, where he currently serves as Senior Finance Manager responsible for financial planning and budgeting in the Biosciences division. Turken Investments provides investment management and financial planning to individuals, including executives and retirees, as well as to legal entities such as trusts and business entities. The firm serves U.S.-based clients with domestic and international interests, offering diversified portfolios constructed around written investment policies and risk questionnaires, and operates on a non-discretionary basis with client approval required for trades.