John Cruse is the principal of Cruse Investments in Petaluma, CA, holding a Series 66 designation and bringing 24 years of industry experience. He has led Cruse Investments since 2013. Cruse Investments provides investment management and written financial planning services to individuals, trusts, estates, and corporations. The firm customizes portfolios using stocks, bonds, ETFs, and mutual funds, operates primarily on a non-discretionary basis, and offers advice on retirement rollovers and employer plan distributions.

Sean Scruby is a CFP® professional with over two years of experience at Olde World Investments. He has worked in the investment advisory field since 2006 and also owns and operates Olde World Design, a construction company in Napa, CA, where he serves as a licensed general contractor. Olde World Investments is a state-registered, sole-proprietor firm providing financial planning and discretionary portfolio management to individuals, high-net-worth clients, and small businesses. The firm offers customized financial plans and employs a flexible investment approach that includes passive, active, and core-and-satellite strategies tailored to client objectives and risk tolerance.

Hardik Patel is the principal of Trusted Path Wealth Management, LLC in Santa Rosa, CA. He holds a Series 65 designation and began his advisory career in 2025. Prior to founding his firm, he worked as a lead software engineer at Williams-Sonoma Inc., where he continues to hold that role. He also serves as a board member of Catholic Charities of Northwest California. Trusted Path Wealth Management provides discretionary investment management and comprehensive financial planning primarily to individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm employs a blend of passive and active investment vehicles guided by modern portfolio theory and offers financial planning services on both a project and ongoing basis.

Patrick Brennan is the sole advisor at Brennan Asset Management in Napa, CA. He holds the CFA® designation and Series 63 license, with 12 years of industry experience. He has led Brennan Asset Management since 2015. Brennan Asset Management provides discretionary investment supervisory services to a select group of individual and institutional clients, focusing on client-specific investment policy statements and concentrated equity portfolios. The firm uses a bottom-up, fundamental research process and combines retail advisory services with active management of private funds and pooled investment vehicles.

Daniel Peterson is a CFP® with 32 years of industry experience and has been with Northbay Financial Group, Inc. since 2003. He is the president and CEO of North Bay Financial Group, which provides income tax preparation services through its subsidiary Express Income Tax Services. Northbay Advisors is an independent firm serving individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and small businesses with personalized financial planning and investment management. The firm combines advisory services with an affiliated tax-preparation practice, offering clients integrated tax and planning coordination.

John Jones is the principal of John Schooler Jones LLC, an independent advisory firm based in Petaluma, CA. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 24 years of industry experience. Jones has led his firm since its founding in 2003. John Schooler Jones LLC provides financial advisory and planning services to a client base primarily consisting of higher-net-worth individuals, closely held corporations, trusts, and pension plans. The firm operates on a non-discretionary model, coordinating third-party asset managers and dedicating significant focus to business succession planning.

Harry Licursi is the principal advisor at Harry Licursi Tax & Retirement Planning in Santa Rosa, CA, with 19 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has led his independent firm since 2004. The firm offers personalized investment advisory and portfolio management services to individuals, trusts, foundations, corporations, and retirement plans, emphasizing tax-efficient strategies, diversified asset allocation, and risk management. It combines fee-based advisory services with insurance product sales, including fixed annuities, and provides pension consulting and IRS representation as part of its comprehensive financial planning approach.

Brian Corr is the principal of The Wheeler Corr Group, LLC in Santa Rosa, CA, holding a Series 65 credential and having entered the financial advisory industry in 2025. Prior to founding his firm, he worked in aerospace engineering roles at SpaceX and Blue Origin. He also partners in a tax preparation business, Wheeler/Corr Tax Solutions. The Wheeler Corr Group provides asset management, project-based financial planning, and in-house tax preparation services for individuals and high-net-worth clients. The firm employs fundamental and technical analysis along with modern portfolio theory in managing accounts separately, with periodic reviews at least annually.

Janet Mlynar is a CFP® professional with 43 years of industry experience, currently serving as the principal of Benefits Plus, LLC in Napa, CA. She has worked with LPL Financial since 2009 and has been involved in healthcare compliance since 2013. Outside of financial advising, she owns Division Productions, a company that films historic properties for media use. Benefits Plus serves employer plan sponsors, employee benefit plans, professionals, and individuals by providing settlement consulting, pension consulting, health insurance consulting, and financial planning. The firm offers time-limited consulting and written plans without managing client assets, combining ERISA-focused employee benefits work with fee-based consulting and insurance-affiliated activities.

“I want to make the right decisions but I don’t have time to figure it out on my own.” “Can you help me with my student loans? This is more complicated than I thought it would be.” “How do I invest? I know it’s important but I don’t know the best way to do it and I don’t want to mess it up” Have you said any of these before? You’re not alone if you have. I have heard these statements from many lawyers I’ve met throughout my wife’s time in law school and her legal career. As a CPA, CFP, and someone who has worked in financial planning, I have seen young people who are overwhelmed about managing their personal finances. I have also seen people near retirement who unfortunately didn’t make good financial decisions and now have to modify their future lifestyles because of their financial situations. I hate seeing people not achieve everything they want in life because they can’t afford their dream lifestyle. So I set out to change that. My mission is to help young lawyers establish a strong financial foundation early in their careers so they can capitalize on future opportunities instead of trying to fix financial mistakes. So I created the Developing Financial Process. My process identifies what is most important to you, analyzes your current financial situation, builds a comprehensive financial plan, implements the plan, adapts the plan as your life changes on an ongoing basis, and most importantly educates and empowers you throughout the entire process. My process helps you pay off your student loans completely, invest effectively, save and spend intentionally, and achieve your financial goals and ambitions. I believe that everyone should live their dream life without worrying about their finances. I live what I preach and when I’m not working, I am out living. I love to travel and have visited many states and countries. My family and I go camping, spend time at the beach, and visit friends and family as often as possible. I truly love educating and empowering people to live their ideal life. I hope you reach out to learn more about my process and how financial planning can benefit young lawyers like yourself!

E. Wannen is a financial advisor with Sustainvest Asset Management, LLC, holding Series 63, 65, and 66 licenses and 15 years of industry experience. He has worked at Sustainvest Asset Management since 2013. Sustainvest Asset Management provides investment management and advisory services to a diverse client base including individuals, trusts, charitable organizations, and foundations. The firm employs a long-term, diversified investment approach focused on sustainable and responsible investing using ESG factors, screened funds, and tailored portfolios, with an emphasis on working with charitable organizations and an active proxy-voting policy.

John Liles is a CFP® professional based in Napa, CA, with 32 years of experience at his own firm, John H. Liles, CFP. He has provided financial planning and investment advisory services since 1994. His firm offers investment advisory and financial planning services to individuals and entities including trusts, pension and profit-sharing plans, estates, and charitable organizations. The investment approach emphasizes strategic asset allocation through a core-and-satellite structure with passively managed index funds and ETFs as the core, complemented by selected individual securities and actively managed funds, with portfolios reviewed at least quarterly.

Stephen Bossio is the sole advisor at Magnum Financial in Sonoma, CA, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with 19 years of industry experience. He has been with Magnum Financial since 2009. Outside of advising, he consults to charter schools in California and is a licensed insurance agent, spending a portion of his time on insurance-related business. Magnum Financial is an independent advisory firm offering discretionary portfolio management and financial planning to individuals and institutional clients, including 401(k) plans and pension funds. The firm focuses on asset allocation and diversification, combining strategic and technical analysis to manage portfolios and provides ongoing planning and regular reviews.

Kenneth Perine is a CFP® professional with 17 years of industry experience, currently serving as the sole advisor at Meritage Wealth Advisory, LLC in Santa Rosa, CA. He has led the firm since 2008. Outside of advisory services, he is involved with DSBC Transition Corp, a holding company for commercial rental property. Meritage Wealth Advisory provides comprehensive financial planning and investment supervision to individuals, families, trusts, estates, and related entities, with additional retirement plan consulting services. The firm’s investment strategy follows Modern Portfolio Theory, emphasizing global diversification through low-cost index funds, mutual funds, and ETFs, and generally offers non-discretionary advice without taking custody of client assets.

Eva Soares is a CFP® professional with 23 years of experience in financial advising. She is the principal and sole advisor at Soares Financial, Inc., an independent firm she has led since 2002. Prior to founding the firm, she was self-employed in the financial services industry. Soares Financial primarily serves individual clients through discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and portfolio analysis. The firm manages approximately $19.6 million for about 18 clients, focusing on no-load mutual funds and exchange-traded funds, and also provides portfolio management for institutional clients.

Autumn Kruse is a CFP® professional with 13 years of experience in financial advising. She is the sole advisor at Kruse Financial Strategy in Petaluma, CA, where she has been practicing since 2007. Kruse Financial Strategy is an independent, fee-only firm that provides personalized and confidential financial planning for high-net-worth individuals, families, and small businesses. The firm focuses on planning rather than portfolio management, emphasizing socially responsible investment recommendations primarily through mutual funds, ETFs, bond funds, and CDs.

James Hague is a financial advisor at Janian Investment Advisers, LLC in Santa Rosa, CA, holding a Series 65 designation with 13 years of industry experience. He has been with Janian Investment Advisers since 2012. Janian Investment Advisers provides discretionary portfolio management and financial planning primarily for individual investors and related entities such as trusts and charitable or business-controlled accounts. The firm employs a bottom-up fundamental analysis approach combined with a portfolio-level risk framework, utilizing strategies that include third-party fund menus, bond-benchmarked allocations, and both hedged and unhedged equity selection, with the use of derivatives and hedging techniques as part of its investment process.

Michele Berson is the sole advisor at Berson Money Management in Santa Rosa, CA, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with 16 years of industry experience. She has led her independent firm since 2012, focusing on personalized investment management and financial planning. Berson Money Management serves primarily individual clients while also working with corporate and pension or profit-sharing plan sponsors. The firm offers tailored portfolios using a mix of fundamental and technical analysis, incorporates third-party sub-advisors, and provides specialized services such as pension consulting and employer plan sponsor support under ERISA fiduciary standards.

Earl Knecht is a CFP® with 25 years of industry experience, currently serving as the sole advisor at Knecht Capital Management, LLC. He has worked at LPL Financial, Napa Valley Wealth Management, and Cetera Advisor Networks. In addition to his advisory work, Knecht teaches in the business department at Pacific Union College. Knecht Capital Management provides discretionary asset management, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting to individuals, trusts, charitable organizations, and corporate plan sponsors. The firm employs a range of investment strategies across various securities and works with both individual and institutional clients.

John Cort is a financial advisor at Compass Wealth Advisors in Petaluma, CA, holding a Series 66 designation with 15 years of industry experience. He has been with Compass Wealth Advisors since 2012. Compass Wealth Advisors is an independent firm providing discretionary investment management and financial planning services to individual households. The firm manages approximately $32.5 million across about 165 client accounts, employing an active portfolio approach that incorporates both fundamental and technical analysis tailored to client objectives.