Michael Kirk Elder

James Ward is a CFP® with 4 years of experience in financial advising and is the sole advisor at J Ward Financial in Morgan Hill, CA. He has a background in legal and real estate fields, operating an estate-planning and elder-law practice as well as a real estate business. Ward also holds licenses related to insurance and broker-dealer activities outside his advisory role. J Ward Financial provides discretionary investment management primarily for high-net-worth individuals, families, and trusts. The firm focuses on asset-allocation strategies tailored to clients’ circumstances and regularly reviews portfolios every one to three months, often utilizing third-party managers such as FPAS and Dimensional.

Edward Rodden is a financial advisor at Disciplined Growth Capital, LLC with 21 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 designations and has previously worked with Central Coast Partners, 3 Factor Indexing, and Silicon Valley Consulting. Rodden is also the owner of Central Coast Partners, a business consulting firm. Disciplined Growth Capital provides portfolio management services primarily to individuals and high-net-worth clients, tailoring Investment Policy Statements to each client’s specific goals and risk tolerance. The firm combines fundamental analysis and modern portfolio theory with a long-term trading orientation, offering diversified portfolios across multiple asset classes.

Brenda Friederich is a CFP®-certified financial advisor with 21 years of industry experience. She is the sole advisor at Abundit Wealth in San Jose, CA, and has worked previously with Mariner Independent Advisor Network and RNP Advisory Services. In addition to her advisory work, she is a licensed insurance agent in California and has been involved in insurance sales since 2003. Abundit Wealth provides financial planning, discretionary portfolio management, and wealth management services primarily to individual clients and pension or employee benefit plans. The firm constructs broadly diversified, long-term portfolios using institutional mutual funds and ETFs, employing a small- and value-tilt approach, and offers pension consulting and participant-level advice under ERISA.

Michael Garber is a CFP® with eight years of industry experience and the principal of Michael Garber Financial Planning, an independent advisory firm. He has worked at Keysight Technologies, Inc. since 2014 in an internal organizational consultant role focused on sales skills development. Michael Garber Financial Planning serves individuals and families through a fee-only, independent model offering comprehensive financial planning, investment consulting, tax preparation, estate-plan review, risk management, and small-business planning. The firm emphasizes a long-term, cost-minimizing investment approach using passive vehicles and operates on a retainer- and project-based fee structure without discretionary trading authority or acceptance of commissions.

Michael Zaplitny is a CFP® professional based in San Jose, CA, with 29 years of experience at Fireside Financial Planning, Inc., which he founded in 1997. He also operates Fireside Tax Consulting Inc., where he provides tax preparation and related services. Fireside Financial Planning, Inc. is an independent advisory firm serving individuals, trusts, small businesses, and institutional clients with both financial planning and portfolio management. The firm’s approach integrates a range of analyses and generally focuses on long-term investments in mutual funds, ETFs, and ETNs, while also offering services to corporate pension and profit-sharing plans and charitable institutions.

Ying Chen is a financial advisor with Wolfe Signal Capital LLC in San Jose, CA, holding a Series 65 designation and one year of industry experience. She is also a Senior Analyst with Aurum Equity Partners, a position she will hold until the end of September 2025. Wolfe Signal Capital LLC provides investment advisory and financial planning services to individuals, including high-net-worth clients, using a blend of fundamental analysis, modern portfolio theory, and quantitative models to tailor portfolios according to client risk tolerance and objectives. The firm offers discretionary portfolio management and fixed-fee financial plans, with a distinctive investable universe that includes venture capital funds and private placements.