Alexander Levy is a CFA® charterholder and financial advisor at Noordzee Capital LLC with one year of industry experience. He manages operations and content for Jetway Intel LLC, a news media and market intelligence firm focused on the airline and aerospace industries, and leads Noordzee Consulting LLC, providing research and consulting services. Noordzee Capital serves institutional clients, employer retirement plans, family offices, and high-net-worth individuals, including a significant non-U.S. client base. The firm offers portfolio management, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and advisory services using fundamental analysis supported by economic and technical tools.

Christopher Rhim is a CFP® with 25 years of experience in the financial services industry. He is the principal of Green View Advisors LLC, where he has worked since 2008. The firm provides discretionary asset management, ongoing financial planning, and specialized divorce financial analysis for individual and trust clients. Green View Advisors manages approximately $25.2 million for a small roster of clients, using active management across multiple asset classes tailored through model portfolios and client risk assessments. The firm offers a formal divorce financial analysis service and focuses on individualized client service through a deliberately small client base.

Oliver Fratzscher is the principal of EM Leaders, LLC, an independent advisory firm based in Bethesda, MD. He holds a Series 65 designation and has 13 years of industry experience. Since founding EM Leaders in 2012, he has focused on providing investment advisory services related to emerging markets. EM Leaders serves institutional investors seeking exposure to emerging markets by selecting and monitoring local investment managers across multiple jurisdictions. The firm offers multi-manager and fund-of-fund supervisory services, emphasizing thorough local due diligence and customized investment policy implementation.

Kathleen McQuade is a Certified Financial Planner® with three years of industry experience, operating as the sole advisor at her independent firm in Laurel, MD. She has been managing her practice since 2010 and holds a Series 65 license. Her firm provides fee-only financial planning and consulting services to individual clients, focusing on investment, retirement, insurance, education, and estate planning. The practice employs a long-term, buy-and-hold investment approach, primarily recommending no-load, low-cost, tax-efficient mutual funds with asset allocation as the key factor in portfolio returns.

Hi, I’m Matt. My job as a financial planner is to make your life simpler. To help you efficiently and effectively narrow down your options, so you can make the right decisions. And be confident in those decisions for the long-term. Financial planning and investment management are often muddied by unnecessary complexity (usually in an effort to sell you something). It doesn’t need to be this way. I began my career in the financial services industry in 2003 as an analyst with the due diligence law firm Snyder Kearney, LLC (Columbia, MD). At Snyder Kearney, I reviewed public and private securities offerings and evaluated national securities sponsoring companies, focusing on real estate investments and non-traditional investment products. It was there that I realized that I wanted to know more about the practice of law and a lot more about the pretty co-worker in the cubicle next to me, Sylvie. I earned my law degree in 2007 from the University of Baltimore School of Law and married Sylvie in 2008; further proof that education and personal relationships are the investments that produce the best returns. After law school, I practiced law with the firm David Albert & Associates, LLC (Bethesda, MD), focusing in estate planning and administration, guardianship administration, taxation of estates and trusts, and business formations. There, I recognized that helping clients through complicated and often stressful issues was intellectually stimulating and emotionally fulfilling. In 2010, I opened Patuxent Financial Partners, LLC, registered as an Investment Adviser with the State of Maryland in 2017. Here, I leverage my legal background to provide clients with value-added insight in the overlapping areas of estate and financial planning. More importantly, as a personal financial planner and small business owner, I can build lasting relationships with clients and their families; these connections make my work fulfilling, because client success becomes intertwined with my own. I am a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ practitioner and hold the FINRA Series 65 securities registration. Raised in Columbia, Maryland, I graduated from McDaniel College with a bachelor's degree in English. Outside of the office, I enjoy running, reading, and hiking with my wife, son, and our mutt hound, Kodi.

Jonathan Cohen is the owner of CHC Financial Solutions, LLC in Rockville, MD, with 16 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at firms including Avantax and Cetera. Cohen is a CPA and serves on the Board of Trustees for the Association of Practicing CPAs, as well as on the Maryland Association of CPAs Investment Committee. CHC Financial Solutions provides investment advisory services to retirement plan sponsors, institutional accounts, and individuals, emphasizing strategic asset allocation and discretionary portfolio management. The firm integrates investment advice with accounting and insurance services and offers ERISA 3(21) fiduciary engagements and sub-advisor oversight.

Veska Kita is a financial advisor at ACI Group with 24 years of industry experience. She holds a Series 66 designation and has been associated with Arete Wealth Management since 2011 and AFC Asset Management Services, Inc. since 2010. Outside of her advisory work, she serves as the treasurer for the nonprofit City Wildlife and is a board member and shareholder of Accustrata, Inc., a company specializing in thin film technology. ACI Group provides investment advisory services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, and corporations. The firm offers discretionary portfolio management, comprehensive financial and business planning, and corporate retirement-plan advisory, employing a range of strategies that include fundamental and technical analysis, with a formal communications and education program for clients.

Christopher Mamunes is a financial advisor at Railroad Street Wealth Management, LLC with 29 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has led his independent firm since 2014. Railroad Street Wealth Management provides customized investment management and periodic financial planning to individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm manages approximately $20.4 million across 55 client relationships, using a tactical, rules-based investment process that combines technical analysis with a relative-strength framework to guide portfolio construction and risk management.

Samuel Asare is a financial advisor at Laser Wealth Management, LLC in Kensington, MD, holding a ChFC® designation along with Series 63 and Series 65 licenses. He has 13 years of industry experience, previously affiliated with Laser Financial Group. Outside of advisory services, he is a licensed insurance agent and provides tax planning and filing services as an enrolled agent and bookkeeper. Laser Wealth Management serves individual clients and business owners by offering investment advice, financial planning, and consulting. The firm uses a third-party manager to implement investment strategies based on Modern Portfolio Theory, focusing on asset allocation and periodic rebalancing, while providing clients with plan development, reviews, and educational seminars.

Donald Wright is the principal of Wright Wealth Management LLC in Chevy Chase, MD, with 23 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and previously worked at Wells Fargo Clearing and Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC. Wright Wealth Management provides discretionary investment management, financial planning, and consulting services primarily to individuals, high net worth clients, trusts, and estates. The firm constructs customized portfolios using ETFs, mutual funds, individual stocks, and bonds, employing both fundamental and technical analysis within a fiduciary framework and generally following a long-term investment approach.

Christopher Leader is the sole advisor at Leader Investments LLC in Silver Spring, MD. He holds a Series 65 credential and has two years of industry experience. Prior to founding his firm, he worked in various roles at Twilio, SendGrid, and Stack Labs. He currently works as a product manager with Preply outside of his advisory activities. Leader Investments LLC provides personalized financial guidance to individual investors without managing client accounts or custody of assets. The firm focuses on diversification and value-oriented recommendations, primarily utilizing indices and publicly traded vehicles, with advice tailored to client suitability factors.

Mary Thomas Spruill is a financial advisor at Serene Financial Solutions in Gaithersburg, MD, holding the ChFC® designation and Series 65 license with five years of industry experience. Prior to founding her firm, she worked at The McKelvey Group and held roles at Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research and Navy Marine Corps Relief Society NMCRS Sasebo. Serene Financial Solutions serves individuals, families, and small businesses, providing portfolio management and comprehensive financial planning alongside tax preparation, business accounting support, and financial consulting. The firm combines passive and active investment strategies based on Modern Portfolio Theory and integrates tax services through enrolled agents, offering educational seminars and workshops as part of its client services.

Sara Cavendish is a financial advisor at Plein Air Capital Advisers, LLC with 26 years of industry experience. She holds a Series 65 designation and has worked at Windward Asset Management, LLC since 2008. Plein Air Capital Advisers provides discretionary investment management and advisory services to individuals, trusts, corporations, and institutional clients. The firm employs a fundamentally driven, long-term, value-oriented investment approach with concentrated portfolios typically holding 15–20 stocks selected below their view of intrinsic value.

Robert Sandler is the principal and sole advisor at Robert A. Sandler, LLC, an independent firm based in Clarksville, MD. He holds a Series 65 designation and has eight years of industry experience, including four years at Element Fleet Management prior to founding his current firm in 2017. Robert A. Sandler, LLC provides personalized financial planning and investment management primarily for individual clients, focusing on diversified, low-cost index mutual funds and ETFs with a buy-and-hold approach. The firm emphasizes customized risk profiles, periodic rebalancing, and operates on a fee-only basis without commission arrangements or custody of client assets.

Alexander Ruda is the sole advisor at Ruda Financial and holds a Series 65 credential. He has eight years of experience with the Internal Revenue Service and two years with Fannie Mae before founding his firm in 2025. Ruda Financial is a fee-only advisory firm that serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, and charitable organizations with investment management and financial planning services. The firm emphasizes individualized investment policies and asset allocation, employing fundamental analysis and Modern Portfolio Theory alongside passive investment strategies.

Stephen Lee is the principal of Lee Financial Group, Inc. in Columbia, MD, and holds the CFP® designation and Series 63 license. He has 45 years of industry experience and has been associated with Raymond James Financial in various capacities since 2004. Outside of financial advising, he is the owner of a law office focusing on wills, trusts, and powers of attorney, and serves on the advisory board for River Hill FBLA, providing student mentoring. Lee Financial Group offers individualized financial planning and wealth management advice to individuals and families, including high-net-worth clients, trusts, and charitable organizations. The firm provides written financial plans through a data-gathering process and offers follow-up consultations, with investment recommendations based on fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis.

Edmund Wellington is the sole advisor at Wellington Capital Management, Inc., an independent firm based in Chevy Chase, MD. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 designations and has 24 years of industry experience. He has been with Wellington Capital Management since 1996. Wellington Capital Management provides discretionary portfolio management and investment counseling to a select group of private individuals, partnerships, and trusts. The firm employs a conservative, long-term investment approach focused on U.S. large-cap equities and high-quality fixed-income securities, tailoring strategies to clients' objectives and managing accounts on a discretionary basis.

Frank Byskov is a CFP® and CFA® with 11 years of industry experience. He is the sole advisor at Forty4 Financial, an independent firm he joined in 2023, having previously worked at Advisory Services Network, LLC and Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network. Outside of his advisory work, Mr. Byskov serves as head coach for Rock Creek Tri Club, is a board member of Bethesda Green, participates on the board of Mentamorph, which promotes financial literacy, and co-founded Advisors for Good, a nonprofit focused on climate action and social justice within the financial advisory community. Forty4 Financial serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, businesses, and retirement plans with discretionary investment management, financial planning, and retirement-plan advisory services. The firm constructs customized portfolios primarily using ETFs and diversified mutual funds, applying fundamental analysis with a long-term focus, and provides active retirement plan advisory services including investment oversight and participant education.

Lee Miller is a CFP® and Series 65 credentialed financial advisor with 23 years of industry experience. He is the principal of Miller Capital Management, Inc. and also operates Lee J. Miller, CPA, P.C., a public accounting practice. Miller serves on the board of directors of a charitable foundation as its vice president and treasurer and acts as trustee for several trusts. Miller Capital Management provides personalized investment supervisory services and financial planning to individuals, high-net-worth clients, and trusts. The firm focuses on capital preservation through fundamental security analysis and a long-term buy-and-hold strategy, making tailored recommendations and requiring client approval before transactions.

David Merkel is a CFA charterholder and principal of Aleph Investments, LLC, an independent advisory firm he founded in 2010. He has 15 years of industry experience. Outside of his advisory work, he maintains AlephBlog.com, a website providing educational content for investors since 2007. Aleph Investments manages discretionary portfolios primarily for individual investors, as well as charitable organizations and small pension clients. The firm employs fundamental equity analysis and a risk-conscious fixed income approach, offering strategies including a yield-oriented balanced portfolio and customizable accounts, with features such as hedged equity options and client-imposed ethical restrictions.