Brett Friedman is a CFP® with 17 years of industry experience, currently serving as the sole advisor at D&S Wealth Management Group. He has held roles at Peak Investment Advisors and has been involved with DeLeon and Stang CPA's since 2006, where he serves as Chief Growth & Strategy Officer. He is also the managing member of D&S Insurance Solutions, an insurance agency. D&S Wealth Management Group is a Maryland-registered advisory firm that primarily serves individual clients and their families, as well as entities such as foundations, charities, and retirement plans. The firm offers discretionary portfolio management and comprehensive financial planning, emphasizing tailored plans and diversified asset allocation using a variety of investment vehicles.

Dixie Butler is a CFP® with 37 years of industry experience, currently serving as the sole advisor at U.S. Advisors, Inc. She has been with U.S. Advisors, Inc. since 1999 and also maintains a role at Butler Financial, Inc. since 1993. U.S. Advisors, Inc. provides discretionary and non-discretionary investment management, comprehensive financial planning, and hourly consulting to individuals, trusts, estates, and business clients. The firm’s investment approach focuses on broad asset allocation tailored to client goals, utilizing mutual funds and ETFs, with ongoing portfolio monitoring and a preference to remain invested rather than time the market. It also offers educational seminars and workshops to various organizations as part of its services.

Jonathan Cohen is a financial advisor at CHC Financial Solutions, LLC with 17 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) credential. Prior to his current role, Cohen has held positions at firms including Avantax and Cetera. Outside of advising, he serves on the Board of Trustees of the Association of Practicing CPAs and participates on the Maryland Association of CPAs Investment Committee. CHC Financial Solutions, LLC provides comprehensive wealth management services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, and business owners. The firm emphasizes discretionary portfolio management and financial planning, focusing on customized asset allocation and the use of mutual funds, ETFs, and third-party managers.

David Malmgren is a CFA® charterholder and principal advisor at Parkview Capital LLC, an independent firm based in Germantown, MD. He has 22 years of industry experience, including 18 years at FBB Capital Partners before founding Parkview Capital in 2021. Parkview Capital LLC provides advisory services to individual and high-net-worth clients, offering portfolio management and financial planning. The firm combines fundamental analysis, modern portfolio theory, quantitative techniques, and technical analysis to create tailored investment strategies across various asset classes.

Glaister Welsh is the principal advisor at Calabash Asset Management, LLC, holding a Series 65 designation with nine years of industry experience. He has managed Calabash Asset Management since 2016 and concurrently serves as a Regional Operations Manager at Kaiser Permanente since 2015. Calabash Asset Management is a single-advisor independent firm providing discretionary portfolio management, wealth management, and financial planning to individual and institutional clients. The firm employs a quantitative, low-volatility long/short U.S. equities strategy combined with qualitative analysis to construct benchmark-agnostic portfolios and manages both pooled investment vehicles and separately managed accounts.

Jeff Mitchell is the principal of JRM Capital Management Inc., an independent advisory firm based in Mitchellville, MD. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 27 years of industry experience. Prior to founding JRM Capital Management in 2003, he has been associated with Lifemark Securities Corp. since 2009. JRM Capital Management provides investment advisory and financial planning services to individual and institutional clients, including pension plans, trusts, and charitable organizations. The firm employs both fundamental and quantitative analysis to manage portfolios across various asset classes and offers specialized pension consulting services alongside unique engagement models such as performance-based fees and subscription publications.

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.

Timothy Machasio is a financial advisor at Salio Capital LLC, holding a Series 65 designation and beginning his advisory career in 2026. His background includes roles at Capital One Financial Corporation, Harvard University, Box Inc., Boston Consulting Group, and the University of Notre Dame. Salio Capital LLC is a state-registered investment adviser that provides fee-only financial planning and non-discretionary investment advice to individual clients. The firm focuses on tailored recommendations and fundamental analysis, typically advising on exchange-listed equities, ETFs, and mutual funds, while clients retain responsibility for implementing recommendations.

Introduction ⭐️Serving Mid-/Late-Career Women and Families, Growing & Multigenerational Families, and Multicultural Families. ⭐️Founder & Financial Planner - Neat Financial Planning LLC ⭐️CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™® Professional ⭐️IRS Enrolled Agent ⭐️UCLA MBA; Professionally trained at Deloitte & Goldman Sachs ⭐️ Fiduciary & Fee-Only I founded Neat Financial Planning in 2023 with a mission to make effective and affordable financial planning more accessible. My goal is to help you regain control of your time and resources, allowing you to focus on what matters most in your life. My career began at Deloitte as a public accountant, followed by various roles in accounting and corporate finance at Fortune 500 companies. During those years, I worked extensively with large Excel spreadsheets, analyzing financial models and statements for both public and private companies. While honing my financial analytical skills, I always aspired to make a more personal impact. Before founding Neat Financial Planning, I served as a Wealth Manager at Goldman Sachs, advising high-net-worth families and nonprofit organizations. I currently reside in Falls Church, Virginia, with my wonderful husband, son, and daughter, who are my greatest sources of joy. In my free time, I enjoy reading, practicing yoga, and exploring new restaurants. We've also made it a tradition to visit China, Kentucky, and Michigan to create fond and lasting memories with our extended families.

Michael Braswell is the principal of Braswell Capital, LLC in Arlington, VA, with two years of experience as a financial advisor. He holds a Series 65 credential and has a background that includes roles at the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation and the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, as well as legal experience at Latham & Watkins LLP. He maintains an inactive sole practitioner law firm, Erwin Osborne Law, PLLC. Braswell Capital provides financial planning and investment advisory services primarily to individuals and small businesses in disadvantaged communities. The firm offers hourly, low-cost financial planning focused on cash flow, retirement, and debt counseling, emphasizing a fiduciary standard and fundamental investment analysis without charging asset-based fees or taking custody of client assets.

Veska Kita is a financial advisor at ACI Group with 24 years of industry experience. She holds a Series 66 designation and has been associated with Arete Wealth Management since 2011 and AFC Asset Management Services, Inc. since 2010. Outside of her advisory work, she serves as the treasurer for the nonprofit City Wildlife and is a board member and shareholder of Accustrata, Inc., a company specializing in thin film technology. ACI Group provides investment advisory services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, and corporations. The firm offers discretionary portfolio management, comprehensive financial and business planning, and corporate retirement-plan advisory, employing a range of strategies that include fundamental and technical analysis, with a formal communications and education program for clients.

John Peterson is a CFP® professional with 28 years of experience in financial advising. He has been the sole advisor at Cwm Financial Group, Inc. since founding the firm in 1998. Based in Rockville, MD, he holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses. Cwm Financial Group serves individuals, high net worth clients, trusts, and estates by providing wealth management and discretionary portfolio management, along with written financial planning on an hourly or fixed-fee basis. The firm emphasizes long-term investment strategies using diversified mutual funds and ETFs, incorporates multiple analytical methods, and manages approximately $94.7 million in discretionary assets for 57 clients.

Charles Sterling is a financial advisor with DeafInvest in Tysons, VA, holding Series 65 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 17 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Cetera Advisors LLC and Dawn, each for three years. Sterling is involved with several nonprofit organizations related to the deaf community, including long-term affiliations with the Maryland School for the Deaf Alumni Association and Global Deaf Muslim. He also conducts tax preparation, consulting, and bookkeeping services through DeafTax LLC. DeafInvest provides fee-based investment advisory and financial planning services primarily to individuals and small organizations connected to the deaf community. The firm offers discretionary portfolio management alongside tax planning and preparation, managing portfolios with equities, ETFs, and investment-company securities, and employs a combination of fundamental, technical, and quantitative analyses.

Samuel Asare is a financial advisor at Laser Wealth Management, LLC in Kensington, MD, holding the ChFC® designation along with Series 63 and Series 65 licenses. He has 14 years of industry experience, including roles at Laser Wealth Management and Laser Financial Group. Outside of advisory services, he is also 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 with investment advice, financial planning, and consulting. The firm utilizes a third-party manager who implements investment strategies based on Modern Portfolio Theory, while Laser provides plan development, periodic reviews, and client communication.

Donald Wright is the principal of Wright Wealth Management LLC in Chevy Chase, MD, with 23 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and previously worked at Wells Fargo Clearing and Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC. Wright Wealth Management provides discretionary investment management, financial planning, and consulting services primarily to individuals, high net worth clients, trusts, and estates. The firm constructs customized portfolios using ETFs, mutual funds, individual stocks, and bonds, employing both fundamental and technical analysis within a fiduciary framework and generally following a long-term investment approach.

Michael Miles is a CFP® certified financial advisor with 27 years of industry experience. He has operated Variplan, LLC since 2006 and also serves as an investment advisor for Turnkey Financial Services, a related firm currently winding down its operations. Variplan, LLC provides integrated financial planning and non-discretionary investment advisory services to individuals and trusts through a proprietary annual engagement package. The firm employs quantitative methods and emphasizes diversified, low-cost index and ETF strategies, tax efficiency, and periodic rebalancing.

Christopher Leader is the sole advisor at Leader Investments LLC in Silver Spring, MD. He holds a Series 65 designation and has two years of industry experience. Prior to founding his firm, he worked in various roles in the technology sector, including positions at Stripe and Preply, where he continues to work as a product manager. Leader Investments LLC provides personalized financial advice to individual investors without managing assets or taking custody of client accounts. The firm focuses on diversified, value-oriented portfolio recommendations primarily involving indices and publicly traded securities, delivering advice through consultations while clients maintain responsibility for executing transactions.

Claire Emory is a CFP® and CFA® with 14 years of industry experience, currently operating Clarity Financial Planning in Arlington, VA. She has led the independent firm since 2010. Clarity Financial Planning serves middle- and upper-middle-income individuals and families, offering fee-only comprehensive financial planning without asset minimums. The firm focuses on tax-sensitive, low-cost investment strategies, with a low-turnover, individualized asset allocation approach and uses fixed retainer fee arrangements rather than percentage-of-AUM fees.

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.