Cady North is a CFP®-certified financial advisor with 10 years of industry experience, operating North Financial Advisors in San Diego, CA. She has been with the firm since 2015 and also engages in teaching, speaking, and coaching activities, in addition to authoring books. North Financial Advisors is an independent firm managing approximately $41.7 million for about 30 clients, including individuals, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm employs a primarily passive investment approach with diversified, low-cost index portfolios and offers comprehensive, ongoing financial and business planning services alongside public education through seminars and workshops.

Jake Pezzi is a financial advisor at Pezzi Wealth Management LLC in San Marcos, CA, holding a Series 66 designation with two years of industry experience. He previously worked at LPL Enterprise, Prudential Financial Planning Services, and Pruco Securities, LLC. Outside of advisory services, he is a licensed insurance agent. Pezzi Wealth Management LLC provides discretionary investment management and comprehensive financial planning to individual and high-net-worth clients, focusing on portfolios built with exchange-traded funds and low-cost mutual funds. The firm employs a fundamental analysis-based investment process with a long-term orientation, incorporates independent managers without receiving direct compensation, and offers retirement and other planning services.

Christopher Ward is the sole advisor at Ward Capital Management LLC in Escondido, CA, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with 26 years of industry experience. He has led Ward Capital Management since 2014. Ward Capital Management provides discretionary and non-discretionary asset management and financial planning to individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, retirement plans, and institutional clients such as pension plans, charities, and small businesses. The firm employs a concentrated stock model combined with corporate and municipal bonds, and offers specialized retirement plan services including ERISA Section 3(21) fiduciary advice and benchmarking through third-party administrators.

David Banks is a financial advisor at Phase Two Capital, LLC with 10 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has been with Phase Two Capital since 2015. Phase Two Capital, LLC provides discretionary portfolio management to individual and high-net-worth clients, offering tailored investment programs supported by written Investment Policy Statements. The firm employs fundamental analysis and modern portfolio theory with a long-term trading orientation, managing approximately $25.5 million in assets across nine client accounts.

Christopher Lavine is a CFA® charterholder based in Solana Beach, CA, and has been with Marstone LLC since 2013. He holds a Series 63 license and has 13 years of industry experience. Marstone LLC provides online financial advisory and discretionary portfolio management services to individual investors, institutions, and other advisers through sub-advisory agreements. The firm uses an algorithmic process to assess client risk and manage diversified ETF portfolios, employing a buy-and-hold approach with periodic rebalancing and customized adjustments.

Francisco Maldonado is a CFP® and holds a Series 66 license with 20 years of industry experience. He is the sole advisor at Global Vantage Wealth Management in Encinitas, CA, where he has worked since 2010. Global Vantage Wealth Management provides investment management and comprehensive financial planning to individual and high-net-worth clients, including cross-border families and international professionals. The firm uses a primarily passive investment approach supplemented by fundamental analysis, focusing on individualized portfolios and maintaining mostly non-discretionary assets under management.

Nicholas Di Paolo is a CFP® professional with two years of industry experience, currently serving as the sole advisor at Forum Private Wealth, LLC. His prior roles include positions at Evoke Wealth, Crescent Bay Advisors, and BNY Mellon Wealth Management. Forum Private Wealth, LLC is a state-registered advisory firm that provides comprehensive financial planning, consulting, and family office services to ultra-high-net-worth clients. The firm focuses on tailored financial summaries and recommendations, coordinating with unaffiliated third-party managers and other specialists rather than managing assets directly.

Born and raised in Saigon, I moved to the U.S. alone at 16. Shortly after, my family’s business collapsed, and I became financially independent when I was still a teenager. That experience lit a fire in me—a desire to understand how money works, and how to use it to protect and empower the people we love. As I went deeper into the world of finance, spent over a decade working with leading private wealth management firms in California, I realized wealth isn't just about income or investments. It's about peace. It's about having choices. And it's about living a life that reflects who you are—not just what you’ve earned. Too often, we’re taught to chase someone else’s version of success. I’ve seen people climb hard, high, and fast—only to realize they were on the wrong mountain. That’s why I started Anora Wealth: to help people like you pause, get clear on your “why,” and build a financial life rooted in intention, not pressure. Today, I work with first-generation wealth builders, content creators, and women in transition to align their money with what matters most—so they can stop surviving, and start designing a life of clarity, calm, and confidence. Outside of work, I love learning new things, listening to podcasts, crafting, and spending time in nature. I stay active through boxing, cycling, hiking, tennis, and yoga. I’m fluent in Vietnamese, currently learning Mandarin, and know a bit of French.

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.

Philip Spencer is a financial advisor with Family Investment Management L.P. in Carlsbad, CA, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and having 37 years of industry experience. He has been with Family Investment Management since 2014 and previously worked at LPL Financial LLC for over two decades. Family Investment Management provides financial planning, consulting, and investment management services to individuals, business entities, and retirement plans. The firm uses proprietary algorithms alongside active management and Modern Portfolio Theory to guide investment decisions, typically employing mutual funds and ETFs in portfolio implementation.

Boonseon Gudmundsen is a CFP® and Series 65-licensed financial advisor with 14 years of industry experience. He has been the principal of Beacon Financial Management LLC since 2011 and has also managed family financial matters since 2004. Beacon Financial Management LLC is a fee-only registered investment adviser serving individuals, small businesses, trusts, estates, and retirement plans. The firm offers comprehensive and limited-scope financial planning along with discretionary investment management, focusing on long-term asset allocation and diversified portfolios tailored to clients’ objectives and risk tolerance.

Adam Bileckyj is a financial advisor with Brightway Wealth Planning in Poway, CA. He holds Series 65 and Series 63 licenses and has nine years of industry experience. Prior to founding Brightway Wealth Planning in 2020, he held roles at Principal Securities INC, PRINCIPAL Life Insurance Company, and Princor Financial Services Corp. In addition to his advisory work, he is an independent insurance agent offering insurance products through unaffiliated issuers. Brightway Wealth Planning serves individuals, including high-net-worth clients, as well as small businesses and corporations, providing customized financial planning, investment consultation, nondiscretionary portfolio management, and educational workshops. The firm’s investment approach utilizes Modern Portfolio Theory combined with a Core + Satellite framework to build globally diversified, tax-efficient portfolios managed on a long-term, nondiscretionary basis.

Matthew Garrett is the sole advisor at The Garrett Group in San Diego, CA, with 29 years of experience in the financial industry. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has been involved with TGG Management Company, Inc. since 2008. Outside of his advisory work, he is a managing member of San Elijo Partners, LLC, which invests in small businesses, and serves as a board member for Strategic Information Group, International, a software sales and consulting firm. The Garrett Group provides investment advisory and financial planning services to individuals, small businesses, trusts, estates, and retirement plans. The firm offers portfolio management, multi-family office wealth management, and financial consulting, with an emphasis on fundamental and cyclical investment analysis and primarily non-discretionary client relationships.

Kathleen Covey is a CFP® professional with 45 years of experience in financial advising. She is the principal of Covey & Covey, an independent firm she has operated since 1983. Her prior experience includes roles at Independent Financial Group, LLC and WestPark Capital Inc. Covey serves as secretary for North County Women In Networking, a nonprofit organization supporting charitable causes. Covey & Covey primarily serves individual clients and small entities, offering comprehensive financial planning through fixed-fee plans and hourly consultations. The firm does not custody client assets or provide discretionary portfolio management, instead focusing on detailed written plans and assisting clients with implementation via third-party managers or brokerage transactions.

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.

Darren Caris is a financial advisor at Caris Investment Partners with 27 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at Caris Investment Partners since 2019, following prior roles at Western Financial Corp and Caris Global Advisors. Caris Investment Partners is an independent investment adviser serving individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, retirement plans, small businesses, and high-net-worth clients. The firm emphasizes active portfolio management using fundamental research and technical analysis across a range of strategies and asset types, offering both discretionary portfolio management and institutional services.

At Arcadia, we focus on helping people over age 45 lower taxes, manage their wealth, and retire on their terms. We charge a fair, flat fee which covers all financial planning and investment management. Before founding Arcadia I was an equity Partner at one of the largest Registered Investment Advisors (RIA) in the country where I was directly responsible for managing over $400 million in client assets and 120 client relationships. Over my 18 years in the wealth management industry, I became critical of the notion that wealth management firms should be entitled to a percentage of a client’s portfolio by charging an assets under management (AUM) fee. It also began to dawn on me that – in this industry – most traditional wealth management firms would value me based on how much client assets I brought in each year, and not necessarily on how much I was helping my clients. This ultimately is what led me to become fully independent and found Arcadia Private Wealth, implementing flat fee pricing so clients are treated more equitably and more conflicts of interests are removed from the advisor-client relationship.

Walter Lange is a financial advisor at Leyenda Capital in Del Mar, CA, holding a Series 65 designation with four years of industry experience. He is also the president of Lange Capital Management, LLC, a consulting business based in Del Mar. Leyenda Capital is an independent advisory firm serving high-net-worth individuals through discretionary asset management. The firm focuses on tailored portfolios based on client goals, employing fundamental analysis and a combination of long- and short-term strategies.

Shane Kochon is a financial advisor at Harvestwise Wealth Planning with 17 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and previously worked at Ameriprise Financial Services from 2013 to 2024. Outside of advisory work, he serves as Treasurer on a nonprofit board and holds a real estate license. Harvestwise Wealth Planning provides investment advisory and financial planning services to individuals, trusts, charitable organizations, pension and profit-sharing plans, and business clients. The firm manages approximately $38.3 million in discretionary assets and employs a tailored investment approach using fundamental, technical, quantitative, and values-based analysis.

Julia Bussie is the sole advisor at JSB Capital Management, LLC, an independent firm based in Del Mar, CA. She holds a Series 65 credential and has 13 years of industry experience, having led JSB Capital Management since 2012. Bussie also holds the Chartered Market Technician (CMT) designation and participates in professional technical-analysis organizations. JSB Capital Management provides discretionary portfolio management to individuals and various institutional clients, including pension plans, foundations, and endowments. The firm employs a top-down, macroeconomic investment approach with sector rotation and technical analysis, and it uses derivatives in separately managed accounts as part of its timing and risk-management strategy.