Michael John Cassella

John Bell is a CFP®-certified financial advisor with 21 years of industry experience. He is currently the sole advisor at Free State Financial Planning, LLC, having previously worked at Charles Schwab and Ameritrade, Inc. Beyond his advisory work, he serves as a FINRA arbitrator and acts as the financial secretary and council member of St. Paul's Lutheran Church, where he manages donation tracking and budgeting. Free State Financial Planning LLC provides fee-only financial planning services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, and businesses. The firm’s guidance is based on Modern Portfolio Theory, emphasizing passive investments through low-cost ETFs and no-load mutual funds, and focuses on delivering educational resources without discretionary investment management.

Ben Arie is a Series 66-licensed financial advisor with Independent Financial Group, LLC, based in North Bethesda, MD. He has four years of industry experience and previously worked at Plotkin Financial Advisors and APEX Home Loans. Outside of advising, he is involved in selling life insurance and annuities. Independent Financial Group, LLC is a dual-registered broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, charities, corporations, and plan sponsors. The firm offers a variety of advisory programs through its AccessPoint platform and third-party asset managers, providing both discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management.

David Setia, AIF, CMFC, is a financial advisor with LPL Financial in McLean, Virginia, holding Series 7, Series 65 and Series 63 credentials and over 10 years of industry experience. He has been with LPL Financial since 2016. LPL Financial is an SEC-registered investment adviser and broker-dealer serving individuals, retirement plans, financial institutions, and charitable organizations through a national network of investment adviser representatives. The firm offers a range of financial planning and advisory programs, retirement plan consulting, and brokerage services, utilizing both proprietary and third-party research and model portfolios.

Simeon’s role is to help clients create a coordinated financial strategy that aligns their investments, taxes, retirement income, and long-term goals into one cohesive plan. A big part of his approach is helping clients simplify complexity and make confident decisions during periods of uncertainty.

Jessica Horner is a CFP® professional at Tender Wealth with experience that includes roles at Chevy Chase Trust and JMH Financial LLC. She also runs an after-school program combining ultimate-frisbee instruction with basic financial literacy lessons. Tender Wealth provides financial planning and consulting services to individuals and high-net-worth clients, offering educational seminars and workshops on financial literacy, budgeting, and retirement planning. The firm focuses on comprehensive planning and supports clients in implementing recommendations through custodians or brokers of their choice.

Kevin Lozer is a CFP® with 17 years of industry experience, currently serving as the sole advisor at Oakton Financial, LLC. He previously worked for ten years at CLEARLOGIC FINANCIAL, INC., formerly known as Ticknor Atherton & Associates. Oakton Financial serves high-net-worth individuals and small businesses with comprehensive financial planning and discretionary investment management. The firm emphasizes a strategic asset-allocation approach based on Modern Portfolio Theory, tax-aware investments, and a boutique, limited-client model without charging percentage-of-assets-under-management fees.