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.

Jeffery Holmes is a financial advisor at Investream with seven years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at firms including Morgan Stanley and Merrill Lynch. Holmes is also a licensed real estate agent. Investream is a single-advisor independent investment adviser serving individual and high-net-worth clients, providing portfolio management and customized Investment Policy Statements. The firm utilizes a multi-method investment approach, including fundamental and technical analysis, options strategies, and both discretionary and non-discretionary account management.

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.

John Lewis is a financial advisor with Regatta Financial LLC, holding Series 63, 65, and 66 designations and bringing 23 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Universal Medical, Private Client Services, Citigroup Global Markets, and H. Beck, Inc. Outside of finance, he co-owns TheraBleu, LLC, an e-commerce business supplying UVC lamps, and owns Campus Quick Fix, LLC, a franchise focused on device repairs for college students. Regatta Financial LLC provides discretionary asset management along with financial planning and consulting services to individuals and business entities. The firm emphasizes client goal documentation, risk tolerance alignment, and targeted consultation, utilizing technical analysis, charting, and Modern Portfolio Theory to construct and monitor portfolios.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Patrick Tuma is a CFP® professional with 23 years of experience in financial advising. He has worked at Financial Dimensions, Inc. from 1997 to 2024 and has been the principal of Tuma Financial, LLC since 2016. In addition to his advisory role, he also practices as an accountant, providing services outside the advisory business. Tuma Financial, LLC offers portfolio management and financial planning primarily to individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm uses fundamental analysis and modern portfolio theory for asset allocation and security selection, combining long-term strategies with options trading while maintaining documented risk tolerances and quarterly account reviews.

Kenneth Diehl is a CFP® professional with over 25 years at Cornerstone Financial Planning, Inc. in Gaithersburg, MD. He has four years of industry experience. Cornerstone Financial Planning, Inc. offers personalized, fee-only financial planning and advisory services to individuals, trusts, estates, and small businesses. The firm follows Modern Portfolio Theory and efficient-market principles, focusing on diversified, low-cost index funds and ETFs, and operates on a fixed-fee basis without accepting commissions or referral fees.

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.

Chung Hei Sing is a financial advisor at Applied Derivative Research (ADR) with four years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has worked at Arquitos Capital Management and UNC Management Company prior to joining ADR. He serves as a board member of the Maryland Technology Development Corporation, an organization focused on economic development through early-stage investments. Applied Derivative Research provides discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management and advisory services to high-net-worth individuals, institutional investors, and pooled investment vehicles. The firm combines bottom-up fundamental research with a thematic top-down overlay emphasizing sustainable and impact-oriented opportunities, employing customized mandates and offering both strategic asset allocation advice and active portfolio implementation.

Michael Worch is the principal advisor at Worch Financial Group, LLC, an independent firm based in Rockville, MD. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has nine years of industry experience. His prior work includes roles at The Financial Xchange and 1939 Capital, LLC. Worch is also a licensed insurance agent and dedicates a significant portion of his practice to insurance sales. Worch Financial Group serves individual and high-net-worth clients, providing financial planning, portfolio management through third-party money managers, and access to pooled investments. The firm emphasizes fundamental analysis and uses both long- and short-term trading strategies, often implementing investment solutions via referrals rather than direct discretion over client accounts.

Kendell Phillip is a financial advisor at Lockstep Financial LLC with five years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and previously worked at Maverick Trading and Northrop Grumman. Lockstep Financial LLC is an independent advisory firm serving individual and high-net-worth clients with financial planning and discretionary portfolio management. The firm employs a primarily passive investment approach using index funds and ETFs, supplemented by fundamental and technical analysis, and manages held-away assets through third-party platforms.

Stephen Berube is the sole advisor at Echo Creek Capital, LLC, an independent investment advisory firm based in Rockville, MD. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 27 years of industry experience. Berube has led Echo Creek Capital since 2013. Echo Creek Capital manages discretionary and non-discretionary portfolios for individual and institutional clients, focusing on tailored investment strategies that combine fundamental and technical analysis. The firm utilizes a range of instruments including equities, fixed income, ETFs, derivatives, and option strategies, and incorporates borrowing and margin as part of its approach.

John Gillick is a CFP® and holds a Series 66 license with Commonwealth Financial Network, where he has worked since 2021. He has two years of industry experience and previously held roles at The Colony Group, Randstad LP, Cresa, and Deloitte LP. Commonwealth Financial Network is a registered investment adviser that supports a national network of approximately 2,950 advisors and their clients by providing advisory programs, technology, investment management, and compliance support. The firm offers a variety of program structures and discretionary model portfolios managed by its Investment Management and Research team.

Wenhai Tu is an investment advisor at FortuneNavi Capital Inc. with six years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at eFinance / FortuneNavi Capital since 2016, following three years at China Merchants Securities Co. FortuneNavi Capital Inc. provides discretionary investment management and financial planning services primarily to pooled vehicles and institutional clients, including trusts, family offices, and endowments. The firm combines Modern Portfolio Theory with fundamental analysis to construct and manage portfolios, utilizing mutual funds, ETFs, alternative investments, and other securities.