Mary Thomas Spruill is a financial advisor at Serene Financial Solutions in Gaithersburg, MD, holding the ChFC® designation and Series 65 license with six years of industry experience. Prior to founding Serene Financial Solutions in 2020, she worked at The McKelvey Group and held positions at Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Navy Marine Corps Relief Society NMCRS Sasebo, and NBHC Sasebo. Serene Financial Solutions advises individuals, families, and small-business owners, providing portfolio management, comprehensive financial planning, consulting, educational seminars, and tax preparation services. The firm combines passive and active management within a Modern Portfolio Theory framework and is notable for its tax preparation practice staffed by enrolled agents and its range of business support 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.

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.

Scott Vicary is a CFA charterholder and founder of Rookwood Wealth Management in Silver Spring, MD, with five years of industry experience. Prior to establishing his independent advisory firm in 2025, he worked at Sulzberger Capital Advisors, Inc. and held roles at affiliated Rookwood investment entities. Outside of his advisory work, he serves as managing director of a real estate apartment rental business. Rookwood Wealth Management is a fee-only registered investment adviser that provides discretionary investment management and comprehensive financial planning to individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm employs an investment approach based on modern portfolio theory and fundamental analysis, combining passive and active vehicles to align portfolios with client risk tolerance and tax considerations.

Chung Hei Sing is the sole advisor at Applied Derivative Research (ADR) with four years of industry experience. He holds the Series 65 designation and previously worked at Arquitos Capital Management for one year. He serves as a board member of the Maryland Technology Development Corporation, focusing 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 employs a combined bottom-up and thematic top-down investment approach with sustainable and impact-oriented opportunities, 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® with four years of industry experience currently serving as the sole advisor at Adenry Wealth LLC in Columbia, MD. His prior experience includes roles at Commonwealth Financial Network, Financial Council, Inc., and The Colony Group. Adenry Wealth LLC provides discretionary asset management, financial planning, and an online educational workshop to individuals, small businesses, trusts, estates, and high-net-worth clients. The firm’s investment approach is based on modern portfolio theory, offering customized asset allocation using mutual funds and ETFs, with portfolio reviews that include rebalancing and tax-loss harvesting.

Wenhai Tu is a financial advisor at FortuneNavi Capital Inc. with seven years of industry experience. He has held his current position since 2016. FortuneNavi Capital Inc. provides financial planning and discretionary investment management primarily for pooled vehicles and institutional-type clients such as family offices, retirement plans, endowments, foundations, trusts, and high-net-worth individuals. The firm employs Modern Portfolio Theory and fundamental analysis to construct portfolios, using model portfolios, mutual funds, ETFs, options, and margin transactions, and it conducts quarterly reviews and rebalancing aligned with client objectives and risk tolerances.

Jorge Cortes is a financial advisor at Terrafort Capital LLC with a Series 65 designation and four years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at the United Nations Capital Development Fund, IDB Invest, and the Central American Bank for Economic Integration. He currently serves in the Maryland State Treasurer's Office, Investments Division. Terrafort Capital is an independent, single-adviser firm serving individual and institutional clients such as pension plans and endowments. The firm provides discretionary investment management, financial planning, co-advisory services, and pension consulting, combining third-party model access with direct portfolio management across traditional and alternative investments.

Harvey Robinson is a CFA® charterholder with 6 years of industry experience, currently serving as the sole advisor at Robinson Capital Group in Dayton, MD. He has been affiliated with Robinson Capital Group since 2003 and has concurrent roles at Gerson Lehrman Group and Robinson Kirlew & Associates since 2012. Robinson Capital Group is an independent, fee-only investment management firm serving individual and institutional clients, including pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and corporations. The firm utilizes a fundamental research process and a value-oriented investment approach, focusing on diversified, risk-adjusted portfolios with discretionary management and formalized investment policies.

Scott Faley is a financial advisor at Inaltis Capital Management, LLC with 13 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has worked with The Motley Fool, LLC since 2011, providing online coverage for stocks in the Income Investor newsletter. In addition to his advisory work, he operates a law firm, R Scott Faley, PC. Inaltis Capital Management offers discretionary investment management, portfolio consulting, and financial planning to a range of clients including individuals, pension plans, endowments, and small businesses. The firm uses a value-oriented investment approach through its Resolute Income and Osprey Growth strategies and employs a hub-and-spoke structure to synchronize client accounts with the manager’s personal portfolio.

John Fremont Smith is the sole advisor at Friends Wealth Management in Ellicott City, MD, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with 26 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Ameriprise Financial, Calamos Advisors LLC, and several Prudential entities. He is also a licensed insurance agent. Friends Wealth Management offers portfolio management and comprehensive financial planning for individuals, high-net-worth clients, and business entities. The firm employs a combination of analytic approaches and manages accounts directly, providing both discretionary and non-discretionary services aligned with client-specific investment policies.