Sarah Marie Schmitz

I watched my family work incredibly hard their whole lives -- and I never wanted anyone else to reach the end of theirs wondering if they did enough with what they had. That's the reason I became a financial advisor. Not because I loved spreadsheets -- though I do -- but because money is the thing that funds the life you're trying to build, and most people deserve someone in their corner who actually treats it that way. I moved to the U.S. from India as a kid and started working at 13. Money was never theoretical in our house. It was decisions with real consequences, and I learned early that the difference between a good outcome and a bad one often came down to information, timing, and who you had helping you. I've spent 14+ years in financial services. Long enough to understand how the industry works -- and long enough to be frustrated by it. Clients getting sold products they didn't need. Advisors earning more when clients invested more, regardless of whether it made sense. Tax, investments, and estate planning treated like separate problems instead of one integrated picture. Singh PWM exists because I refused to operate that way. No commissions. No AUM fees on assets I don't manage. No incentive to recommend anything other than what's right for you. Just transparent flat fees and a clear scope of work -- so you always know what you're paying for and why. I hold two credentials that matter for the kind of work I do: CFP® since 2016 and Enrolled Agent since 2026. The CFP® covers the planning side. The EA means I'm federally authorized to represent clients before the IRS and work through tax strategy directly -- not hand it off to someone else. Together, they let me build retirement plans where tax decisions, investment structure, and income planning actually work together. My wife Stefania runs client services. We live in Phoenix with our son Luke and three dogs. This is a small firm by design -- because the kind of advice I give requires knowing you, not managing a book of 500 accounts. If you're serious about getting your financial life in order before retirement, I'd like to talk. CFP® Since 2016 | EA Since 2026

Hayden Ess is a financial advisor at Iridescent Capital Management with two years of industry experience. He holds Series 65 and Series 63 registrations. Prior to joining Iridescent Capital Management, he has worked with firms including Charles Schwab and Bank of America. Outside of advising, he owns a tax preparation business and works as a wedding DJ. Iridescent Capital Management is a solo, fee-only registered investment adviser serving a small client roster that includes high-net-worth individuals, pension/profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm provides portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement-plan consulting, applying a modern portfolio theory approach with an emphasis on low-cost passive funds, tailored client restrictions, and integration of planning and investment oversight.

I started in the advice business in 2012 as an intern at First Allied Securities. Lucky for me, I got to see the inside of a lot of classic wealth management firms - how the sausage was made. Fast forward to 2016, I've worked a few years in the industry, but I'm not happy with my trajectory; I want to write my own story. A couple of industry guys create a platform called XY Planning Network, seemingly tailor-made for me & my dreams. I want to serve the next generation of clients in a fair & transparent way, and I'd like to do it on my own terms. XYPN's little push, their "Yes, you can do this" at the September 2016 conference in San Diego, was the catalyst for launching my firm, Montebello Avenue Limited Company, which went live in February 2017. Today, my firm serves 50+ clients locally & throughout the country. I couldn't be more proud of our clientele or more hopeful about the future of the firm. Some more personal quick-hits: BS, Computational Mathematical Sciences, Arizona State University CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Published in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Barron's, and the Alpha Architect blog Mississippi native Youngest of 4 siblings I love basketball, baseball, sushi, and my dog's underbite Married on 10/10/2020 to the love of my life

I work with people who are within about five years of retirement, or already moving into it, in an ongoing advisory relationship that runs through the transition and past it. You've saved for decades and the balances are real. What changes as retirement gets closer is the questions: how much you can comfortably spend, when you can stop working, which accounts to draw from first, when to claim Social Security, and how to cover health insurance before Medicare. I'm a CPA and a CFP® professional, and I prepare my clients' tax returns myself. The plan and the filing come from the same desk, so a Roth conversion, a withdrawal order, or an equity sale gets modeled against the return it will land on before anyone acts on it. Based in Phoenix, Arizona, working with clients across the country. Fee-only, no commissions.

Bryan Wisda is the President of Almega Wealth Management, a fee-only fiduciary financial planning and investment advisory firm with offices in Arizona, Kentucky, and North Carolina. With more than three decades of experience in financial services, investment management, and financial planning, Bryan helps families coordinate their wealth, taxes, retirement planning, and long-term legacy goals. Bryan has been a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional since 2006 and is also an Enrolled Agent, a NAPFA-Registered Financial Advisor, a Dave Ramsey SmartVestor Pro, and a member of Ed Slott’s Elite IRA Advisor Group. His path into financial services began in high school, when he worked as a bank teller and discovered an early interest in helping people navigate financial decisions. After college, he worked in the insurance industry before being recruited by PaineWebber. His first day as a financial advisor was September 10, 2001. The events of September 11th, and the questions clients asked in the days following, shaped his belief that financial advice is ultimately about helping families make wise decisions in uncertain times. That belief became more personal after Bryan watched inherited wealth create strain within his own extended family. Today, much of his work centers on helping families build multi-generational wealth without allowing money to damage the relationships it was meant to support. Like a well-built bridge, good planning should help one generation cross safely while leaving the next generation on firmer ground. Prior to founding Almega, Bryan held roles with Bank of America, Farmers Insurance, UBS PaineWebber, and Summit Wealth Management. He also served as a Deputy Sheriff and received the Purple Heart after being wounded in the line of duty. Bryan studied Economic Philosophy at the University of Arizona and Financial Planning through Boston University, and he has completed additional coursework in Adult Education through Rio Salado College. He lives in Scottsdale, Arizona, with his wife, Sarah. Their youngest son attends Notre Dame Preparatory, and their oldest son attends High Point University.

Hi, I’m Ekenna Anya-Gafu, CFP, AAMS, AIF and the founder of Pacific Canyon Investments. I started this firm because growing up, I saw too many people make the wrong financial decisions, not because they didn’t care, but because no one ever showed them how. I decided to change that. After years in the industry helping build a firm from $200K to over $483M in assets, I launched PCI to bring honest, strategic, and empowering financial guidance to people from all walks of life. Whether you’re managing an IPO, a new or experienced healthcare worker, or want a better plan, I’m here to help.