Thuy Hoang

Driven by a deep passion for finance and investing, Praveen brings a unique blend of experience to his work. As a South Asian immigrant, he navigated the complexities of building a successful 15-year career in Silicon Valley, including co-founding a startup and most recently serving as a Software Engineering Manager at Google. In parallel, he dedicated over a decade mastering various asset classes, from traditional stocks and bonds to value-add commercial real estate and alternative investments like private equity and venture capital. Having achieved financial independence through diligent saving and strategic investing, Praveen is now committed to empowering others to take control of their financial futures by drawing on his own hard-earned wisdom. Empower Financial is an independent, fee-only advisory that provides financial planning and investment consultation to individuals, trusts, estates, retirement plans, small businesses, and a variety of institutional and nonprofit clients. The firm employs a Core + Satellite investment approach, focusing on client risk profiles and asset allocation recommendations, while clients generally execute trades themselves.

Eric Hickok is the principal of Hickok Advisory, LLC and holds Series 65 and Series 66 licenses with five years of industry experience. Prior to founding his firm, he worked at Wells Fargo and has been involved in various business activities including tax preparation and legal services through Hickok Tax and Hickok Tax Law. He also maintains an active real estate license. Hickok Advisory, LLC provides discretionary and non-discretionary asset management along with financial planning and consulting services for individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and business entities. The firm tailors investment strategies to client objectives, offering both long-term and short-term approaches with regular account reviews for allocation and tax opportunities.

Douglas Andrey is a financial advisor based in San Jose, CA, with four years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and serves as the sole advisor at his independent firm. Prior to founding his advisory practice, he worked at Kaplan for 12 years and OrthoFX for three years. In addition to his advisory role, he is head of operations at OmniIndex.io, a data analytics tool focused on unstructured data. His firm provides discretionary portfolio management and investment advice to individual clients, constructing customized portfolios primarily using stocks, ETFs, and bonds. The firm employs fundamental analysis and a generally long-term investment strategy, with weekly account reviews and flexibility for shorter-term trading when appropriate.

Mark Liu is a financial advisor at Ardent Capital with 26 years of industry experience. He has been with Ardent Capital since 2005 and holds Series 63 and Series 65 designations. Ardent Capital provides discretionary portfolio management for affluent individuals, corporations, and trusts, overseeing investments in brokerage and IRA accounts under limited power of attorney. The firm emphasizes asset allocation across various asset classes with a focus on long-term holdings and uses third-party research to inform investment decisions.

Jie Shen is the sole advisor at Jie Shen, CFA, with eight years of industry experience. He holds the CFA designation and works full-time at Google as the North America Operation Lead, managing customer support and relationships. His firm provides investment advice and portfolio management services primarily to individual clients with a minimum asset size of $500,000. The firm focuses on long-term strategic asset allocation across equities and fixed income, employs periodic rebalancing and tactical adjustments, and conducts client reviews at least quarterly. It also offers investment education seminars to help clients understand investment principles and risks.

Kenneth Symons is a CFP® professional with over two years of experience at KRS Tax & Investments Inc., an independent firm based in San Jose, CA. He has been with the firm since 2015, serving as its sole advisor. KRS Tax & Investments Inc. provides portfolio management services primarily to individual and high-net-worth clients, focusing on asset allocation, selection, and ongoing monitoring. The firm employs a long-term investment approach guided by customized Investment Policy Statements and utilizes a range of investment vehicles including mutual funds, ETFs, fixed income, real estate funds, annuities, and select international securities.