Having always loved math and problem‑solving, I looked for a world where puzzles were real, human, and meaningful. That curiosity grew into a career built on helping people feel confident about their money and their future. I founded Traction Wealth Management in 2018 with one clear goal: turn financial complexity into clarity. My clients often tell me I make things feel simple and easy to understand. I think that’s because I lead with education, not jargon. I want clients to know the why behind each recommendation, but never to feel buried in details. It’s about finding that balance between understanding the plan and trusting the process. Much of my practice centers on two groups I care deeply about. I grew up around court reporters. My mom owned a court‑reporting agency, and I saw how underserved their profession can be. Helping them build stability and independence has become a personal mission. Here in San Diego, I also work closely with retirees navigating what’s often the most financially significant chapter of their lives. My role is to relieve the anxiety that can come with big decisions and give them peace of mind that they’re on solid footing. When I’m not advising, you’ll probably find me outdoors surfing, riding motocross, walking our long‑haired dachshund, or relaxing with my wife on the beach. Ultimately, what drives me is helping people feel that first deep exhale. That moment they realize they no longer have to carry the stress alone. Financial planning can be clear, steady, and even freeing when you have the right guide beside you.

Hal Schweiger is a CFP® with 23 years of industry experience based in San Diego, CA. He founded BlueWater Wealth Management, LLC in 2021 and previously worked at Blue Water Capital Management, LLC from 2008 to 2021. BlueWater Wealth Management, LLC provides tailored investment management and project-based financial planning services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, and employer plan sponsors, including pension and profit-sharing plans. The firm’s investment approach emphasizes Modern Portfolio Theory and primarily uses passive index mutual funds and ETFs to build diversified portfolios, integrating fundamental analysis and individualized investment policies. The firm combines pension consulting and employee benefit plan services with individual wealth management, drawing on Schweiger’s prior experience in pension plan oversight.

Brian Basinger is a CFP® professional with 19 years of industry experience. He has been the sole advisor at Sapient Road Wealth Management, LLC since 2013. The firm is a state-registered independent investment adviser based in San Diego, CA. Sapient Road Wealth Management serves individuals, including high-net-worth clients, and pension/profit-sharing plans by providing discretionary portfolio management alongside financial planning and consulting. The firm focuses on customized, long-term portfolios primarily invested in low-cost passive index mutual funds, with active rebalancing and trading used as needed to manage risk and meet client objectives.

Mark Huffman is the sole advisor at Mark C. Huffman, CPA/RIA in San Diego, CA, with 29 years of experience as an RIA and CPA. He also provides tax preparation services alongside his advisory work. The firm offers retirement and investment planning for individuals, corporations, trusts, and nonprofit organizations, managing $95.1 million on a discretionary basis. Portfolios are constructed using individual securities, ETFs, and mutual funds selected through multi-year performance screening, with allocations tailored to client risk tolerances and reviewed regularly.

Kurt Swanson is the principal advisor at The Swanson Financial Group in San Diego, CA, with 30 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 designations and has led his independent firm since 2012. Outside of his advisory work, Swanson is a licensed independent life and health insurance agent and serves as vice president of a local homeowners association. The Swanson Financial Group provides financial planning and investment management services to individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm uses a non-discretionary approach to portfolio management, constructing individualized portfolios based on asset allocation and modern portfolio theory while conducting regular client reviews and monitoring.

Shane Fernandez is a financial advisor at Abundance Pathways LLC with one year of industry experience and holds a Series 66 designation. Prior to his current role, he worked with Equitable Advisors and has experience in other fields including hospitality and fitness, serving as a bartender and yoga instructor. Abundance Pathways LLC is a fee-only, state-registered investment adviser serving individuals, employer plan sponsors, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm offers a blend of fundamental and technical investment analysis alongside Modern Portfolio Theory, and provides retirement plan consulting with an ERISA fiduciary role, utilizing both in-house and third-party model portfolios.

Edward Devine III is a CFP® and holds a Series 66 license with 11 years of industry experience. He is the sole advisor at Roth Builder Investments, where he has worked since 2020. Prior to that, he held positions at Epstein & White LLC, Zeiders, and Creative Planning. Devine is also the Founder and CEO of Rothbuilder Holdings Inc., a role that occupies roughly half of his time. Roth Builder Investments is a state-registered advisory firm that provides an automated, discretionary online investment service for individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm integrates fundamental and technical analysis with Modern Portfolio Theory and uses passive index funds or ETFs to pursue long-term, risk-adjusted, after-tax returns.

Francisco Watkins is the sole advisor at Asesoria Financiera Independiente, Inc. in San Diego, CA, holding a Series 66 designation with 16 years of industry experience. He has worked at the firm since 2011, focusing on independent financial advisory services. Asesoria Financiera Independiente, Inc. provides fee-only, nondiscretionary investment advice primarily to families and family-held trusts. The firm employs a strategic asset-allocation, core-and-satellite approach with globally diversified portfolios, serving a concentrated client base in Mexico and emphasizing currency-aware, internationally diversified investments without the use of margin, short sales, derivatives, private equity, or hedge funds.

Richard Faust is the sole advisor at Faust Capital Management, LLC, an independent firm based in San Diego, CA. He holds the CFA® designation and Series 63 license, with 16 years of industry experience. Faust has managed his boutique advisory firm since 2009 and has a background that includes institutional and trust portfolio management as well as recognition as a Wall Street Journal All-Star research analyst. Faust Capital Management provides discretionary portfolio management and investment advice primarily to individual clients. The firm employs a model-driven tactical asset allocation approach combined with direct security selection, focusing notably on technology stocks, and emphasizes a hands-on, practitioner-led portfolio management style.

Amanda Austin is the sole advisor at Austin Consulting, holding a Series 65 designation with three years of industry experience. She previously spent 20 years at Engel Consulting. Austin Consulting provides portfolio management and investment services to individuals, trusts, estates, and charitable institutions. The firm employs a conservative, fundamental analysis approach using mutual funds and ETFs, operates on a non-discretionary basis, and customizes advice according to each client’s financial situation.

Zachary Rodriguez is a Series 65-registered financial advisor with Outlive Financial Planning LLC in San Diego, CA, bringing one year of industry experience. He previously served in the U.S. Navy for 12 years and currently holds a role as Assistant Operations Officer at Tactical Control Squadron 11, where he manages operational tasks and mission planning. Outlive Financial Planning LLC is an independent firm offering fee-only investment management and comprehensive financial planning to individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm employs both passive and active investment strategies, provides various engagement formats including project-based and subscription options, and coordinates estate-planning services through third-party providers.

John Marchand is the principal of Best Options Financial Planning in San Diego, CA. He holds the ChFC® designation and securities licenses Series 65 and Series 63. Marchand's career includes over a decade of experience in the renewable energy sector before founding his independent advisory firm in 2026. Best Options Financial Planning serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, and corporations, providing wealth management and financial planning through both ongoing and project-based engagements. The firm employs a blend of modern portfolio theory, asset allocation principles, and a combination of passive and active investment strategies tailored to clients' needs.

Kenneth Kneale Jr. is a CFP® professional with three years of industry experience, currently operating as the sole advisor at his independent firm, Arcadian Financial Services. His background includes roles at the Boston Institute of Finance and Coretex Limited, Inc., as well as prior self-employment. Arcadian Financial Services is a fee-only, state-registered advisory firm providing written financial planning to individuals, high-net-worth clients, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm specializes in tiered planning engagements and hourly consulting, typically recommending passive, index-based investment allocations supplemented by fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis, without offering discretionary portfolio management or custody of assets.

Anatoly Zuban is the principal of A. TO Z. Financial Consulting and Wealth Management in San Diego, CA, with 22 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has been involved with A to Z Financial Consulting and Wealth Management since 1994 and ATZ Consulting since 2014. A to Z Financial Consulting and Wealth Management provides individualized portfolio management and retirement plan consulting to individual clients, including high-net-worth individuals, as well as state and municipal retirement plans. The firm combines fundamental and technical analysis with an investment approach focused on value, safety, quality, and risk control, offering strategies such as option-based techniques and client-imposed portfolio restrictions.

James Sias is a CFP® professional and principal of Count Your Beans Financial Planning LLC in Bonita, CA. He has worked in the Pipeline Training & Servicing Department since 2014 and is also an independent insurance agent specializing in property and casualty insurance. His insurance activities have been ongoing since 2014, with additional experience in life and health insurance since 2018. Count Your Beans Financial Planning is a fee-based Registered Investment Adviser that serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, and businesses. The firm focuses on passive, low-cost asset allocation and portfolio construction, providing financial planning, investment analysis, and insurance services without discretionary management or asset custody.

Barret Frost is a financial advisor at Breakaway Independent Advisors, LLC in San Diego, CA, holding Series 65 and Series 66 licenses with 23 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Purshe Kaplan Sterling Investments, Fusion Financial Partners LLC, Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC, and Linsco Private Ledger. Breakaway Independent Advisors is a state-registered independent firm that offers discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and access to third-party money managers. The firm manages portfolios across various asset classes using a combination of fundamental, technical, quantitative, and asset-allocation strategies, and also assists clients with legacy annuity and insurance contracts through Broker of Record transitions and related services.

Carr Cavender is the sole advisor at Cavender Financial Planning, LLC in San Diego, CA. He holds the CFP® and ChFC® designations and has 12 years of experience with Aravaipa Productions LLC. Cavender Financial Planning provides investment management and integrated financial planning services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, and qualified retirement plans. The firm employs a long-term, asset-allocation approach with internally managed portfolios emphasizing diversification and cost-efficient investment vehicles.

Money is not complicated - our relationship with money is. As an industry, financial services has traditionally put the spotlight on money, failing to center the human in the story. Money is a human construct - it is an extension, a reflection, and a record of us and how we live. Money is important, but not as important as you. As a financial planner, my role is to support, guide, inform, and empower my clients to integrate money and finance into their lives in a way that is deeply personal and affirming. If you want to connect to money and finance in a new and positive way, we should talk! My journey in finance began in 1992, and since then I have worked with thousands of professionals and clients in the industry. Working with companies large and small and people from all walks of life, I have amassed deep expertise and empathy available to anyone who wants to create better outcomes and a healthier relationship with money. Family, curiosity, and trust are my highest values. There is nothing I love more than hiking the Northern California mountains with my husband Martin and son Sebastian or laughing wildly with my sisters and mom over something silly. I am a proud graduate of Mount Holyoke College, receiving a Bachelors of Arts in International Relations. I have held the Certified Financial Planner designation since 2003 and in 2018 I received a Juris Doctor from St. Francis School of Law.

Tan Khoa Ngo is the sole advisor at Mentor Financial Advisory Group, Ltd. in San Diego, CA, holding a Series 63 designation with 28 years of industry experience. He has been with Mentor Financial Advisory Group since 1992. Mentor Financial Advisory Group, Ltd. is a fee-only financial planning and investment advisory firm serving primarily high-net-worth individuals and occasionally corporations. The firm employs a fundamental analysis investment approach within a broad asset-allocation framework, combining passive, low-expense index strategies for long-term allocations with shorter-term trading as appropriate, and manages portfolios on a non-discretionary basis requiring client authorization for trades.

I am not your typical financial advisor. You probably won’t find me in a suit; I don’t use many fancy words, and I’m not a slick salesperson. I enjoy surfing, being outdoors, running around the house with my two kids, and I also happen to be a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ with a master’s degree in finance and tax planning. I’m a bit of a geek when it comes to all things money and can nerd out about everything from credit card points to macroeconomics, but I also love grabbing a drink and hearing about what’s happening in your life or chatting about common hobbies—I have a lot of them. Discussing money is very personal, and I want to be the guy you can trust to get an honest answer or perhaps explain the “how-to” without fear of judgment. I don’t believe there’s such a thing as an embarrassing question when it comes to personal finance because, let’s face it, the world of money is complicated, exhausting, and confusing. I take my fiduciary duty very seriously and believe that transparency is key. If you can commit to honesty, trust, and patience, I can help you navigate a path toward freedom and success, however you define them. Services I Provide: • Financial Planning • Investment Management • Tax Planning Specialties: • Growing families • California residents • Employees in tech • Physicians • Employees in energy/oil & gas • Socially Responsible Investing (Broad ESG)