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.

John Malaney is a financial advisor at Engineering Financial Independence, Inc. with four years of industry experience. He holds the Series 65 designation and has a background as a Program Manager at General Atomics, where he worked for fourteen years. Engineering Financial Independence, Inc. provides portfolio management and financial planning services to individual and high-net-worth clients, managing approximately $5.0 million across a small number of relationships. The firm offers a free subscription service featuring general investor commentary, and employs an investment approach that includes fundamental analysis, modern portfolio theory, quantitative methods, long-term equity strategies, options trading, mutual funds, ETFs, and fixed income.

Amy Sharp is a CFP® professional with over 30 years of experience in financial advising. She is the founder of Amy T. Sharp, CFP, LLC, an independent firm based in Valley Center, CA. Her prior roles include positions at CS Planning Corp, Investacorp Advisory Services Inc, PRUCO Securities, USAA Financial Planning Services, and MSI Financial Services. Outside of advising, she co-owns a family chocolate business producing sugar-free confections. Her firm provides financial planning and portfolio management services to individuals, businesses, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations. The firm constructs diversified, actively managed portfolios with a systematic approach and offers educational resources including a monthly newsletter and online articles.

Scott Melbrod is the sole advisor at Taxable Wealth in San Diego, CA, holding Series 63 and 65 licenses with 23 years of industry experience. Prior to founding Taxable Wealth in 2019, he worked at NATIONAL PLANNING CORPORATION from 2002 to 2017 and has been associated with M Wealth Management since 2015. He is also managing partner of Accumulation Wealth Partners and SH Partners, LLC, the latter involving real estate management. Taxable Wealth provides investment advisory and financial planning services mainly to individual and high-net-worth clients, as well as corporate clients. The firm emphasizes passive portfolio construction using low-cost index funds combined with fundamental analysis and periodic reviews, and it sponsors affiliated private real estate investment vehicles.

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.

Christopher Ward is a financial advisor with Ward Capital Management LLC in Escondido, CA. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 designations and has 27 years of industry experience. Prior to founding Ward Capital Management in 2014, he worked at Chronos Corporation, FFEC Wealth Partners LLC, Banc Of America Investment Services, Inc., Quick & Reilly, Inc., and A. G. Edwards & Sons, Inc. Ward Capital Management provides investment advisory and retirement plan services to individual investors, including high-net-worth clients, trusts and estates, institutional retirement plans, nonprofits, foundations, corporations, small businesses, and churches. The firm manages portfolios using a single stock model supplemented by bonds and employs both fundamental and technical analysis, while also offering fiduciary consulting and participant education for plan clients.

Merrit Strunk is a financial advisor at Momentum Financial and Insurance Services LLC with seven years of industry experience. She holds a Series 65 designation and has worked at Momentum Financial and Insurance Services since 2017, including prior roles at Foundations Investment Advisors and Asset Marketing Systems. In addition to advisory services, she is active as an insurance agent, focusing on insurance sales and tax mitigation strategies. Momentum Financial and Insurance Services LLC provides discretionary asset management, financial planning, and consulting to individuals, high-net-worth clients, foundations, and business entities, and also offers insurance products. The firm uses an open-architecture platform with third-party model strategies and conducts seminars and webinars for client education.

Jane Edmondson is the founder and managing member of JLE Wealth Management, LLC, an independent advisory firm based in San Diego, CA. She holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has 24 years of industry experience. Prior to her current role, Ms. Edmondson worked at TMX VettaFi and founded EQM Indexes, LLC, where she remains majority owner and partners in licensing indices used as benchmarks for exchange-traded products. JLE Wealth Management is a woman-owned firm that provides discretionary investment management and bundled financial planning to individuals, high-net-worth, and institutional clients. The firm employs a quantitative, model-driven stock selection process that integrates fundamental and market-sentiment data, with ongoing portfolio rebalancing and risk controls.

Adam Bileckyj is the principal advisor at Brightway Wealth Planning in Poway, CA, holding Series 65 and Series 63 licenses with nine years of industry experience. He has worked in various roles including at Principal Life Insurance Company and Principal Securities INC before founding his independent advisory firm. In addition to financial advising, Bileckyj operates as an independent insurance agent. Brightway Wealth Planning serves individuals, including high-net-worth clients, as well as small businesses and corporations, providing customized financial planning, investment consultation, and nondiscretionary portfolio management. The firm employs a globally diversified investment approach combining Modern Portfolio Theory with a Core + Satellite framework, managing portfolios on a long-term buy-and-hold basis with client-specific guidelines.

Glenda Moehlenpah is a CFP® and Series 65-licensed financial advisor with 24 years of experience at Financial Bridges, a sole-proprietor firm based in Poway, CA. She also provides tax preparation services as a CPA, dedicating part of her year to preparing individual tax returns. Financial Bridges offers financial planning, investment consultation, and tax preparation services primarily to individual investors and families, focusing on project-based or as-needed engagements without managing client assets directly. The firm emphasizes globally diversified asset allocation and provides implementation education without discretionary portfolio management or custody.

Shane Kochon is a financial advisor at Harvestwise Wealth Planning with 18 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and has previously worked at Ameriprise Financial Services and Merrill. He serves as Treasurer on the board of directors for a local organization and holds a real estate license. Harvestwise Wealth Planning is an independent advisory firm that serves individuals, small businesses, trusts, estates, high-net-worth clients, charitable organizations, and other institutional clients. The firm provides comprehensive portfolio management and financial planning services, including estate-document facilitation and donor-advised fund oversight, while coordinating with clients’ tax, legal, and other professionals.

Robert Shabkie is a financial advisor at Pathlight Wealth Management with 15 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has previously worked at Cetera Investment Advisers LLC, Cetera Advisor Networks, and VOYA Financial Advisors. In addition to his advisory role, he maintains a legal practice focused on estate planning and serves as a licensed independent insurance agent. Pathlight Wealth Management is a single-advisor independent firm managing approximately $20.7 million for around 61 clients, including individuals and institutional pension plans. The firm provides discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and consulting services, employing various analytical methods to tailor investment strategies that may include mutual funds, ETFs, equities, and more active trading approaches.

Christopher Lis is a Series 65-registered advisor with FOX Wealth Strategies in Claremont, California. He has no prior experience in the financial advisory industry but has worked in commercial real estate, recruiting, and currently at John Paul the Great Catholic University. FOX Wealth Strategies serves individuals and families in Southern California by providing fee-based financial planning and standalone investment advice. The firm emphasizes customized, non-discretionary recommendations using fundamental analysis and offers services on an hourly or flat-fee basis rather than a percentage of assets under management.

James Paulsen is a CFP® with 22 years of industry experience. He is the principal advisor at Taxable Wealth in San Diego, CA, where he has worked since 2026. Prior to that, he spent 10 years with Guggenheim Funds Distributors LLC. Outside of his advisory work, Paulsen holds a passive ownership stake in a clothing company through TAVIK Holdings, LLC. Taxable Wealth provides investment advisory and financial planning services primarily to individual and high-net-worth clients, with additional services for corporate and business clients. The firm emphasizes passive portfolio construction using low-cost index funds combined with fundamental analysis, and it manages about $91 million in discretionary assets for roughly 40 clients.

Jamie Townsend is a financial advisor and attorney operating the Law Office of Jamie Townsend in Escondido, CA, with four years of advisory experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and previously worked at the Law Office of James E. Lund APC. Outside of advisory work, he teaches legal topics as an adjunct instructor for paralegal students at the University of San Diego and the University of California, San Diego, and occasionally performs as a professional musician. The Law Office of Jamie Townsend serves individuals planning or managing estates, fiduciaries, business owners, and corporate executives with services that include estate planning, wealth management advice, and retirement-plan consulting. The firm’s approach integrates legal and financial planning, focusing on legal-structure and asset-class guidance while using fundamental and technical analysis for portfolio design and tax-aware planning.

At Astra Wealth Management, we provide personalized financial planning and investment management for individuals and families navigating financial complexity. We serve high-net-worth families and high-income professionals, including retirees, sales professionals, business owners, and multi-generational families who value thoughtful guidance and a long-term partnership. AWM is located in San Diego, California and serves clients across the nation. Our clients often come to us during pivotal moments—retirement, equity compensation events, business transitions, job changes, inheritance, or major lifestyle shifts. We specialize in helping clients make confident, informed decisions during these life-defining transitions. Our services include: • Comprehensive financial planning • Portfolio management • Tax planning • Estate and legacy planning • Equity compensation and business transition planning • Insurance & Risk Management As an independent, fiduciary firm, we focus on helping clients align their wealth with what matters most—offering clarity, confidence, and a plan built for the long term.

Richard Bell is the sole advisor at Bell Strategic Investments, Inc. in Escondido, CA, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with 25 years of industry experience. He has led Bell Strategic Investments since 2003. Outside of his advisory work, Bell serves as a volunteer reserve police officer. Bell Strategic Investments provides discretionary investment supervisory services to individual and high-net-worth clients, managing approximately $61 million in assets. The firm employs a client-specific investment process incorporating charting, fundamental, and technical analysis, using both long- and short-term trading techniques along with higher-complexity strategies when appropriate.

Matthew Ryan is a CFP® and CFA® with eight years of industry experience. He is the sole advisor at Focused Mission Financial, where he has worked since 2022. Prior to that, he spent seven years at Creative Capital Management, LLC. In addition to his advisory role, Matthew creates financial educational videos and hosts webinars for various clients. Focused Mission Financial is an independent firm that provides fee-only investment management and financial planning to individuals, including high-net-worth clients, as well as advisory services to employer plan sponsors. The firm employs asset-allocation strategies based on Modern Portfolio Theory, combining passive and active investments, and offers educational workshops and retirement plan consulting services.

Rhonda Farrar is the sole advisor at Farrar Financials, an independent firm based in Escondido, CA. She holds a Series 65 designation and has 16 years of industry experience, having founded Farrar Financials in 2009. Farrar Financials provides comprehensive financial planning, wealth management consulting, and fiduciary services primarily to high-net-worth individuals and trusts. The firm emphasizes client-led, non-discretionary implementation and delivers quantitative reporting and tax-aware financial plans tailored to tech-savvy clients.

Marvin Mills is the sole advisor at Strategic Income Advisors in Escondido, CA, holding a Series 63 designation and bringing 25 years of industry experience. He has managed Strategic Income Advisors since 2011 and has been involved with Benefits Advisory since 1990, alongside consulting work dating back to 1985. Mills also engages in insurance-related activities, dedicating a small portion of his time to insurance commissions. Strategic Income Advisors is an independent firm providing discretionary portfolio management primarily to individuals and financial professionals. The firm employs a proprietary market-timing model focused on Nasdaq 100 exposure, using leveraged and inverse mutual fund share classes, with an average of about a dozen trades annually.