Richard Vera II

Patrick Graver is a CFP® professional with one year of experience in financial advising. He is the principal of Center Stage Planning LLC, an independent firm, and has prior experience working at Bishoff Financial Group, Cambridge Investment Research Inc., and Creative Financial Planning. Before entering the financial industry, he worked in the performing arts, including roles with The Book of Mormon and Fireside Theatre. Center Stage Planning LLC provides fee-only investment advisory services and comprehensive financial planning to individuals and high-net-worth clients. The firm uses a combination of passive and active strategies guided by asset-allocation principles and integrates educational seminars and speaking engagements as part of its client outreach.

Jonathan Kline is a financial advisor with Lakewood Financial Group, LLC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and 15 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at JP Morgan Securities Inc. and JP Morgan Chase Bank. Lakewood Financial Group provides comprehensive wealth management to high-net-worth individuals and families, offering institutional-caliber portfolio management combined with holistic financial planning. The firm employs a strategic core with tactical overlays, emphasizes tax sensitivity, and utilizes both internal and unaffiliated third-party managers through formal due diligence without accepting referral compensation.

Michael La Rosa Jr. is a financial advisor at MissionSquare Retirement with one year of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and previously worked at LPL Financial, Wolf and Company, Freedom Mortgage, Citibank, J.P. Morgan Chase, and TD Bank. Outside of advising, he serves as an adjunct instructor for undergraduate business courses at Southern New Hampshire University and volunteers as a community manager for Mania Club Champions of Hope, a nonprofit focused on cancer and mental health causes. MissionSquare Retirement serves state and local government employers, their employees, and certain nonprofits by administering deferred compensation and qualified retirement plans. The firm provides plan administration, recordkeeping, education, and Guided Pathways Advisory Services, with investment advice developed by Morningstar Investment Management and delivered through multiple channels within MissionSquare-administered accounts.

Michael Kruger is a financial advisor with Valic Financial Advisors, holding a Series 66 designation and four years of industry experience. His prior experience includes roles at Equitable Advisors LLC and Selective Insurance. Outside of advisory services, he is also an insurance agent with Agia, focusing on non-securities insurance products. Valic Financial Advisors primarily serves U.S.-domiciled individual investors, including high-net-worth clients, as well as corporate and retirement-plan participants. The firm offers discretionary managed-account programs, financial planning, and brokerage services, utilizing Envestnet-developed UMA models for portfolio construction.

Cody Albrecht is a financial advisor with J.W. Cole Advisors, Inc., holding a Series 66 designation and nine years of industry experience. He has worked at J.W. Cole Advisors and J.W. Cole Financial since 2017 and previously at National Planning Corporation from 2015 to 2017. Outside of finance, he is involved with ARKKC Entertainment as an actor and serves as Vice President of the Red Hook Chamber of Commerce. J.W. Cole Advisors is an SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, charities, corporations, and retirement plans through a national network of over 400 independent investment adviser representatives. The firm offers portfolio management, fee-based financial planning, access to third-party managers, and multiple managed account solutions, implementing investment decisions through discretionary and non-discretionary approaches.

Scott Fonner is a financial advisor at Empower Advisory Group with Series 63 and Series 66 credentials and over a decade of experience in the financial services industry. His prior roles include positions at USAA FSB and Guild Mortgage. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management primarily to employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors and their participants, as well as to Empower Premier IRA and certain retail brokerage account holders. The firm delivers services through an integrated model connected to Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative platforms, offering point-in-time financial plans and optional managed account solutions.