Vanessa Friedman

Aaron Kirsch is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional and founding partner of GreenUp Wealth Management. He works primarily with individuals and couples who are approaching or living in retirement, helping them design financial plans that support both long-term security and a fulfilling retirement lifestyle. Aaron began his career in financial services in 2001 at a major Wall Street firm and has since worked with clients across a wide range of life stages, both at large institutions and through his own independent wealth management firm. This experience informs his comprehensive approach to financial planning, which integrates retirement income planning, investment management, tax-aware strategies, risk management, and estate planning considerations. He is the co-author of The Rewarding Retirement Workbook, a resource designed to help people think beyond the mechanics of retirement and focus on how they want to live during this stage of life. Aaron’s work emphasizes aligning financial decisions with personal values, priorities, and legacy goals. Aaron holds himself to fiduciary standards and takes a client-centered approach to planning, helping individuals and families navigate financial decisions with clarity and confidence as they transition into and through retirement.

Grant Blindbury is a Partner and key member of the management team at FMB. He leads many of the Strategic Planning initiatives at the firm, both in design and execution. His leadership responsibilities include establishing the firm's vision, continually advancing client experience and creating opportunities and space for professional development. He’s also a member of the executive and investment committees. Grant began his career in the Investment Advisory industry in 2001 with Fields Financial Associates. As Fields Financial Associates grew, Grant eventually became a Partner in 2008, and the firm’s name was changed to FMB Wealth Management. Grant earned his bachelor’s degree in Business & Economics at the University of California at Los Angeles in 2001. He is also an active member and past president of the Board of Directors for the Conejo Valley Estate Planning Council.

Jai Prabakaran is a financial advisor with Archer Investment Corporation and holds a Series 66 designation. He has over 10 years of industry experience and previously worked at Bankers Life and HD Vest. He is also President at Pacific Taxes and Investments, which provides tax preparation and accounting services. Archer Investment Corporation offers investment management primarily to individual clients, including both non-high-net-worth and high-net-worth investors, through separately managed accounts and proprietary funds. The firm serves clients via a multi-branch, independent-contractor model and manages diversified portfolios with a focus on equities, fixed income, mutual funds, ETFs, and options.

Charles Carty is the sole advisor at Carty Financial, Inc., an independent firm based in Thousand Oaks, CA. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 designations and has 27 years of industry experience. He has led Carty Financial since 2007. Carty Financial provides personalized, fee-only investment management and financial planning services to individuals, trusts, estates, small businesses, charitable organizations, and pension and profit-sharing plans. The firm operates primarily on a non-discretionary basis and emphasizes client approval for transactions, using a mix of individual equities, ETFs, mutual funds, bonds, and selective covered-call options.

Bruce Bassin is the sole advisor at Bassin, Bruce, an independent firm based in Thousand Oaks, CA. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 28 years of industry experience. Prior to founding his sole proprietorship in 1998, he worked at Southeast Investments, N.C. Inc. from 2016 to 2018. In addition to his advisory role, he is a licensed insurance agent selling life and fixed insurance products. The firm provides financial planning, third-party manager recommendations, and retirement plan consulting to pension and profit-sharing plan sponsors, plan participants, corporations, and high-net-worth individuals. It develops written financial plans using economic and quantitative analysis but does not offer discretionary portfolio management or hold client assets.

Joseph Longo is a financial advisor based in Santa Monica, CA, operating under the independent firm Joseph C. Longo, Attorney At Law. He holds a Series 65 designation and has 14 years of experience in the financial industry. In addition to providing investment advisory services, he is an attorney specializing in sports, tax, litigation, and estate planning, with over 20 years in legal practice. The firm offers investment advisory services to individual clients through a referral relationship with a broker-dealer, focusing on customized asset allocation recommendations without exercising discretionary management. Day-to-day portfolio decisions and trade execution are handled by the broker-dealer, while Joseph Longo consults with clients on strategy and restrictions.