Frederick Pearson is a Series 65-licensed financial advisor with 15 years of industry experience. He operates as a self-employed advisor through his independent firm, Pearson, Frederick, Norman Jr., based in Poway, CA. His firm provides discretionary portfolio management primarily for individual investors, focusing on IRA accounts. The investment strategy centers on income through dividend-paying stocks and ETFs, with a smaller allocation to growth equities managed under a strict money-management framework.

WHY JERRY CHOSE TO BE A FINANCIAL PLANNER: His lack of financial literacy was not by choice. It was because personal finance was not taught in school or in his community. As a first-generation wealth builder, Jerry's money journey has been shaped by a profound understanding of both cultural and financial expectations. His experiences have uniquely positioned him to empathize with the challenges faced by first-generation families, inspiring a distinctive approach to financial guidance. His moment of profound solitude occurred during his transition from the Marine Corps back to civilian life. In uniform, Jerry felt in control, with camaraderie, financial stability, and a consistent salary. However, the day he left, all that stability vanished giving way to a cascade of emotions - depression, anxiety, and fear. Jerry, who had grown up facing financial hardships, relying on food stamps, and public aid, knew it was time to stop merely talking about wanting to build wealth and start acting. The realization struck deep: He needed to make a difference not just for himself, but for others facing similar issues. Motivated by a desire to help his family and friends, Jerry decided to be the guide he wished he'd had. He obtained his license, college degree, and joined a firm not only to enhance his life but the lives of other 1st-time wealth builders. After a few years of helping high net worth individuals grow their assets, Jerry felt the firm wasn't built to help families like his. In 2024, Jerry took the leap and launched Confianza Wealth Management as a guide for aspiring wealth builders. Jerry is on a mission to empower 1st-time wealth building families. Jerry wants to bridge the financial planning accessibility gap by helping these millennial families take control of their financial futures.

John O'Reilly is the sole advisor at O'Reilly Wealth Advisors in Carlsbad, CA, holding a Series 65 designation with 19 years of industry experience. He has been the principal of O'Reilly Financial Services, LLC since 2006. In addition to his advisory role, Mr. O'Reilly is a licensed insurance agent affiliated with various companies. O'Reilly Wealth Advisors serves individuals, corporations, and pension/profit-sharing plans, offering investment management, financial planning, retirement advisory, and insurance services. The firm employs a risk-tolerance questionnaire to construct diversified model portfolios primarily using low-expense mutual funds and reviews accounts quarterly.

Brian Caine is the principal advisor at CSJ Wealth Management, LLC, an independent firm based in Solana Beach, CA. He holds a Series 65 designation and has 29 years of industry experience, including prior roles at Caine Capital Management and CSJ Capital Advisors Inc. Outside of his advisory work, he is president of The Caine Group, Inc., and is involved in private real estate development and legal services. CSJ Wealth Management serves individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, ERISA plans, and certain corporate and institutional clients. The firm offers discretionary portfolio management, outsourced financial planning, and advice on private funds, employing a long-term, asset-class diversification strategy for individual accounts and a more active security-selection approach for pooled and institutional mandates.

Clair Leedom is the principal of Leedom Asset Management, Inc., an independent firm based in Rancho Santa Fe, CA. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 20 years of industry experience. Prior to founding Leedom Asset Management in 2007, he has been involved with California Equity Research since 2003, where he also serves as chairman of the board. Leedom Asset Management provides discretionary portfolio management for individual investors, charitable organizations, and pension/profit-sharing plans. The firm manages equity and fixed-income portfolios, operates a private pooled investment vehicle, and employs a growth-oriented strategy focused on small- to mid-cap emerging-growth stocks using a proprietary strength indicator and a combination of fundamental and technical analysis.

John Malaney is the principal advisor at Engineering Financial Independence, Inc., holding a Series 65 designation with three years of industry experience. He also works as a Program Manager at General Atomics, a role he has held since 2012. Engineering Financial Independence, Inc. provides portfolio management and financial planning primarily for individual and high-net-worth clients, combining fundamental analysis, modern portfolio theory, and quantitative methods. The firm offers written Investment Policy Statements and free educational content such as newsletters and blog posts, with an investment approach that includes equity recommendations and options strategies.

Gabriel Katzner is a CFP® professional with five years of experience at Frame Wealth Management and over 17 years as a solo attorney at Katzner Law Group, P.C., specializing in estate planning, asset protection, and estate administration. He operates out of Carlsbad, CA, combining financial advisory with legal expertise in his practice. Frame Wealth Management offers a “Personal Chief Financial Officer” style wealth management program focused on discretionary investment management, advanced planning, and financial planning for individuals, trusts, and charitable organizations. The firm’s approach is based on Modern Portfolio Theory and a long-term, buy-and-hold strategy utilizing diversified asset-class exposure primarily through no-load mutual funds and ETFs, and includes affiliated legal services for estate and asset protection planning.

Curt Di Giacomo is a CFP®-certified financial advisor with 23 years of industry experience, currently serving as the sole advisor at Goal Line Wealth Management, Inc. His prior roles include positions at Sowell Management, Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network, and Morgan Stanley. In addition to his advisory work, Di Giacomo is a licensed insurance agent and a notary public. Goal Line Wealth Management serves individual and high-net-worth clients, offering portfolio management, financial planning, and managed-account services. The firm also advises pension and profit-sharing plan clients, employing tailored investment strategies reviewed quarterly and utilizing custodial relationships primarily with Schwab.

Amy Sharp is the principal advisor at Amy T. Sharp, CFP, LLC, an independent firm based in Oceanside, CA. She holds the CFP® designation and has 30 years of industry experience. Prior to founding her firm in 2016, she worked at Investacorp Advisory Services and Investacorp Inc. Outside of financial advising, she co-owns a family business that produces sugar-free confections. Amy T. Sharp, CFP, LLC provides comprehensive financial planning and discretionary portfolio management for individuals, businesses, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations. The firm manages approximately $57.8 million in client assets and emphasizes broadly diversified portfolios with ongoing monitoring and formal reviews tailored to clients’ risk tolerance and time horizon.

Andrew Arroyo is the principal of Andrew Arroyo Investments, LLC and holds a Series 65 designation with 15 years of industry experience. He has operated Andrew Arroyo Real Estate Inc. since 1999, focusing on residential real estate sales and investment. Arroyo is also involved in managing real estate and securities investment funds through related entities. Andrew Arroyo Investments, LLC provides investment supervisory services to pooled investment vehicles and a variety of individual, corporate, and retirement clients. The firm employs a combination of fundamental, technical, and cyclical analyses across equity, options, and real estate-related investments, offering both discretionary and consultative advisory services.

Ahmet Turken is a financial advisor at Turken Investments LLC with five years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has worked in finance roles at Becton Dickinson, Thermo Fisher Scientific, and DEI Holdings. In addition to his advisory work, he serves as Senior Finance Manager at Becton Dickinson, focusing on financial planning and budgeting for the Biosciences division. Turken Investments provides investment management and financial planning services to individuals including executives, professionals, entrepreneurs, retirees, and small business owners, with a client base that may include U.S. clients with family or business interests abroad. The firm emphasizes client-specific investment policies, asset-class allocation, and diversification, operating on a non-discretionary basis and offering both asset-based management fees and hourly billing for certain planning projects.

Scott Goswami is a CFA® charterholder with 11 years of industry experience. He is currently the sole advisor at Archstone Capital Advisors, where he has worked since 2025. Prior to joining Archstone, he spent nine years at RBC Capital Markets. Archstone Capital Advisors is a newly registered investment advisory firm that provides discretionary portfolio management and integrated financial planning primarily to individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm’s investment approach focuses on income-oriented, risk-defined option strategies alongside long- and short-term trading and ongoing portfolio rebalancing.

John Goodrich is a CFP® and ChFC® with 25 years of experience in financial advising. He has been the principal of Goodrich Financial Group, LLC in Escondido, CA since 2006. Outside of advising, he owns a single-family townhouse rental property in San Diego. Goodrich Financial Group provides discretionary investment supervisory services to individuals, high-net-worth individuals, and select corporate clients. The firm employs a blend of asset allocation and multiple analytical methods, using both long- and short-term strategies and active instruments such as options and margin transactions.

Robert Shopes is a CFP® with 15 years of industry experience and the principal of Favrile Financial, an independent wealth management firm based in Del Mar, CA. Prior to founding Favrile Financial in 2017, he worked at Waddell & Reed, Inc. for seven years and has a background in the biotech industry with TERA Biotech Corp and Exotica Biologics. Outside of financial advising, he owns and operates an e-commerce business that buys and resells used goods online. Favrile Financial provides wealth management and financial planning services to individual and high-net-worth clients, focusing on fundamental analysis and long-term portfolio construction using low-cost mutual funds and ETFs, with flexibility to include individual securities and alternative strategies. The firm operates on fixed and hourly fee arrangements and emphasizes fiduciary responsibility and client-directed investment restrictions.

Jake Pezzi is a financial advisor at Pezzi Wealth Management LLC in San Marcos, CA, holding a Series 66 designation with two years of industry experience. He previously worked at LPL Enterprise, Prudential Financial Planning Services, and Pruco Securities, LLC. Outside of advisory services, he is a licensed insurance agent. Pezzi Wealth Management LLC provides discretionary investment management and comprehensive financial planning to individual and high-net-worth clients, focusing on portfolios built with exchange-traded funds and low-cost mutual funds. The firm employs a fundamental analysis-based investment process with a long-term orientation, incorporates independent managers without receiving direct compensation, and offers retirement and other planning services.

Christopher Ward is the sole advisor at Ward Capital Management LLC in Escondido, CA, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with 26 years of industry experience. He has led Ward Capital Management since 2014. Ward Capital Management provides discretionary and non-discretionary asset management and financial planning to individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, retirement plans, and institutional clients such as pension plans, charities, and small businesses. The firm employs a concentrated stock model combined with corporate and municipal bonds, and offers specialized retirement plan services including ERISA Section 3(21) fiduciary advice and benchmarking through third-party administrators.

David Banks is a financial advisor at Phase Two Capital, LLC with 10 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has been with Phase Two Capital since 2015. Phase Two Capital, LLC provides discretionary portfolio management to individual and high-net-worth clients, offering tailored investment programs supported by written Investment Policy Statements. The firm employs fundamental analysis and modern portfolio theory with a long-term trading orientation, managing approximately $25.5 million in assets across nine client accounts.

Francisco Maldonado is a CFP® and holds a Series 66 license with 20 years of industry experience. He is the sole advisor at Global Vantage Wealth Management in Encinitas, CA, where he has worked since 2010. Global Vantage Wealth Management provides investment management and comprehensive financial planning to individual and high-net-worth clients, including cross-border families and international professionals. The firm uses a primarily passive investment approach supplemented by fundamental analysis, focusing on individualized portfolios and maintaining mostly non-discretionary assets under management.

Nicholas Di Paolo is a CFP® professional with two years of industry experience, currently serving as the sole advisor at Forum Private Wealth, LLC. His prior roles include positions at Evoke Wealth, Crescent Bay Advisors, and BNY Mellon Wealth Management. Forum Private Wealth, LLC is a state-registered advisory firm that provides comprehensive financial planning, consulting, and family office services to ultra-high-net-worth clients. The firm focuses on tailored financial summaries and recommendations, coordinating with unaffiliated third-party managers and other specialists rather than managing assets directly.

Merrit Strunk is a financial advisor at Momentum Financial and Insurance Services LLC with six years of industry experience. She holds a Series 65 designation and has worked at Momentum Financial and Insurance Services LLC since 2017, with prior experience at Foundations Investment Advisors and Asset Marketing Systems. In addition to advisory work, she is involved in insurance sales and tax mitigation strategy. Momentum Financial and Insurance Services LLC provides discretionary asset management and financial planning to individuals, high-net-worth clients, foundations, and business entities. The firm combines advisory services with licensed insurance and tax mitigation activities and offers educational seminars and workshops, managing approximately $39.6 million for about 87 clients.