Kara Marie Branson

Christopher Pfau is a financial advisor at Lakemont Wealth with a Series 65 credential and experience dating from 2019 in related financial roles. He is also an accountant and co-owner of Lakemont Financial Group, which provides tax planning and compliance services. Additionally, he works as a Senior Analyst with the Government Accountability Office (GAO). Lakemont Wealth Management LLC serves individual and high-net-worth clients by providing discretionary portfolio management and financial planning tailored to client goals and risk tolerance. The firm applies modern portfolio theory with diversified asset allocations and uses discretionary authority for portfolio decisions, emphasizing long-term strategies while also incorporating options trading.

Evan Schmidt is a Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®) with 16 years of industry experience. He has been with Schmidt Financial Management since 2019 and previously worked at Schmidt Financial Group, Inc. from 2009 to 2024. Schmidt Financial Management provides discretionary investment management and financial planning services to individual and high-net-worth households, including trusts, estates, and retirement accounts. The firm uses a customized, non-model portfolio approach combining fundamental and technical analysis, delegating manager due diligence to an external provider while conducting regular account reviews and financial planning updates.

Jacob Tally is a financial advisor at Prospero Wealth, LLC in Seattle, WA, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with one year of industry experience. He is the owner and founder of Tinegoba LLC, which provides contracting services to Prospero Wealth along with consulting advice to startups and small-to-medium sized businesses. Prior to his current role, he worked in various capacities at Cap Hill Brands, New Engen, Crowd Cow, and ZULILY. Prospero Wealth offers discretionary investment management and financial planning to individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, businesses, and employer retirement plans. The firm employs tailored investment programs using individual securities, ETFs, derivatives, and long-short strategies, and provides assets-under-advisement consulting and held-away account monitoring through a seven-person advisory team.

Beyond the numbers, my work is about stewardship. I’ll be here for the moments that change everything. With Bernstein's experts alongside me, we’ll simplify decisions and create a plan that manages what you’ve built and evolves with your life. My time with the Seattle Seahawks organization left me with a simple standard that still guides how I show up: “Always Compete.” For me, that means treating a client’s goals like they’re my own—preparing relentlessly, getting the details right, anticipating issues early and following through until the job is done. I joined Bernstein because I wanted to serve clients from a place where excellence is the baseline and where the work is as human as it is analytical. I’m wired to ask, “Is this the optimal move?” Bernstein’s depth of thinking, team-based approach and commitment to long-term relationships aligned with how I naturally serve—consistently thoughtful, tenacious, and deeply client‑centric. I’m also drawn to roles where you’re trusted to represent something bigger than yourself, whether it’s community-facing work with the Seahawks or now as an advisor. That responsibility keeps me grounded; it’s about earning trust, protecting what clients have built and helping them make confident decisions at the moments that matter most. Some of my earliest perspective on resilience and resourcefulness came from my family’s roots in the Philippines. Growing up, I heard stories of making do with very little, even hand‑pumping water from a ground well in my parents’ village just to cook or bathe. That upbringing didn’t just teach gratitude, it also emphasized responsibility. It shaped my values early: don’t take opportunities for granted, do what you say you’ll do, and use success to take care of people. Having built a company myself, I understand the pressure experienced by entrepreneurs, who are constantly weighing risks, trade-offs and responsibilities. That background helps me empathize with business owners, executives and families who balance opportunity with complexity. And I know how freeing it is to move forward with clarity from a set of optimal decisions, especially for founders, athletes and entertainers contemplating a “second act.”

Kathleen Gallagher is the sole advisor at Gallagher Capital Corp., an independent firm based in Bainbridge Island, WA. She holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has 22 years of industry experience, having led Gallagher Capital Corp. since 2004. Gallagher Capital Corp. specializes in discretionary fixed-income portfolio management for high-net-worth individuals, trusts, and retirement accounts, focusing on income generation and capital preservation. The firm employs an active, risk-aware investment approach with an emphasis on holding bonds to maturity and uses independent credit research to guide investment selection.

Steven Koenig is a CFA® charterholder based in Seattle, WA, with five years of industry experience. He has been with Informed Investors Group since 1992. Informed Investors Group is an independent firm that provides discretionary investment management primarily for high-net-worth individuals and related family accounts. The firm employs a buy-and-hold, lower-turnover equity strategy with a co-advisory arrangement for selecting growth stocks, and it offers customized socially responsible investment screening alongside access to specialized fixed-income opportunities.