James Derek Paulsen

Aloha! I'm Skyler Stokes, CEPA®, AIF®, and founder of Aloha Wealth Partners, based right here on the coast in Cardiff, CA. With over a decade in the industry, I built my practice around a simple idea: financial advice should feel like a conversation with someone who actually has your back, not a sales pitch. I work closely with real estate professionals, high income business owners, and accredited investors, helping them think through 1031 exchanges, Delaware Statutory Trust (DST) investments, pre-IPO access, and private credit opportunities. Much of my work is planning and consulting focused, built around your goals rather than a product. Outside the office, you'll find me experimenting with wood-fired pizza, chasing down a good Calabrian wine, or just enjoying the surf, which makes this part of San Diego home. If you're looking for a partner who brings clarity, honesty, and a little bit of aloha to your financial life, I'd love to talk story.

Frederick Pearson is a Series 65-licensed financial advisor with 15 years of industry experience. He operates as a self-employed advisor through his independent firm, Pearson, Frederick, Norman Jr., based in Poway, CA. His firm provides discretionary portfolio management primarily for individual investors, focusing on IRA accounts. The investment strategy centers on income through dividend-paying stocks and ETFs, with a smaller allocation to growth equities managed under a strict money-management framework.

Clair Leedom is the principal of Leedom Asset Management, Inc., an independent firm based in Rancho Santa Fe, CA. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 20 years of industry experience. Prior to founding Leedom Asset Management in 2007, he has been involved with California Equity Research since 2003, where he also serves as chairman of the board. Leedom Asset Management provides discretionary portfolio management for individual investors, charitable organizations, and pension/profit-sharing plans. The firm manages equity and fixed-income portfolios, operates a private pooled investment vehicle, and employs a growth-oriented strategy focused on small- to mid-cap emerging-growth stocks using a proprietary strength indicator and a combination of fundamental and technical analysis.

John Malaney is a financial advisor at Engineering Financial Independence, Inc. with four years of industry experience. He holds the Series 65 designation and has a background as a Program Manager at General Atomics, where he worked for fourteen years. Engineering Financial Independence, Inc. provides portfolio management and financial planning services to individual and high-net-worth clients, managing approximately $5.0 million across a small number of relationships. The firm offers a free subscription service featuring general investor commentary, and employs an investment approach that includes fundamental analysis, modern portfolio theory, quantitative methods, long-term equity strategies, options trading, mutual funds, ETFs, and fixed income.

Earl Wong is a financial advisor at Spirit Global Investment Advisors, LLC with 14 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has been with Spirit Global since 2013. Outside of his advisory role, he manages One Road Media Ventures, focusing on developing and distributing global media projects with an emphasis on partnerships in Asia. Spirit Global Investment Advisors serves family offices, ultra-high-net-worth individuals, and institutional investors with integrated wealth management, combining public-market portfolio management, alternative fund access, and institutional-grade digital asset services. The firm employs a manager-of-managers approach with significant allocations to alternatives and digital assets, primarily targeting sophisticated and institutional mandates.

Avelino Cortina III is the sole advisor at AC3 Capital, an independent firm based in La Jolla, CA. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 designations and has 30 years of industry experience. Cortina has led AC3 Capital since 2011. AC3 Capital provides wrap asset management and standalone financial planning primarily to high-net-worth individuals, as well as trusts, estates, and charitable organizations. The firm operates mainly on a non-discretionary basis, using a combination of technical, cyclical, and fundamental analysis to tailor portfolios according to client objectives.