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.

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.

Philip Spencer is a financial advisor at Family Investment Management L.P. in Carlsbad, CA, with 38 years of industry experience. He has held roles at Family Investment Management since 2014, LPL Financial LLC since 2003, and UBS Financial Services from 2000 to 2003. Spencer holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses. Family Investment Management provides financial planning, consulting, and investment management services to individuals, business entities, and pension and profit-sharing plans. The firm uses proprietary algorithms alongside active management and Modern Portfolio Theory to guide investment decisions, with portfolios typically composed of mutual funds, ETFs, and occasionally variable annuities or life insurance.

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.

Tommy Wadsworth is a Series 65-licensed financial advisor with three years of industry experience. He operates Safe Harbor Assets, an independent registered investment adviser based in Fallbrook, CA. Prior to founding Safe Harbor Assets, Wadsworth worked at Voice by the Sea Inc. for over a decade. Safe Harbor Assets serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, and business entities by offering discretionary and non-discretionary asset management along with financial planning and consulting. The firm tailors portfolios to client goals and risk tolerance using various analysis methods and investment strategies, and it does not impose a minimum account size.

Darren Caris is the principal of Caris Investment Partners in Encinitas, CA, with 27 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at Western Financial Corp and Caris Global Advisors prior to founding his current firm in 2019. Caris Investment Partners is an independent, state-registered advisory firm managing approximately $48.4 million in discretionary assets across various client types. The firm employs an active portfolio management approach based on fundamental research and technical analysis, offering a range of strategies and serving both individual and institutional clients.

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.

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.

Justin Reckers is a CFP® with 20 years of experience in financial advising. He is the owner and lead advisor of Fonte Financial Advisors and has held roles at multiple firms including Calton & Associates, Inc. and Advisory Services Network, LLC. Reckers also manages Reckers Group, LLC, providing financial planning and support services related to divorce. He serves as a trustee for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Fonte Financial Advisors serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, trust and estate entities, charitable organizations, and pension/profit-sharing plans, offering discretionary asset management, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting. The firm utilizes a blend of fundamental, technical, and quantitative analyses to construct and monitor diversified portfolios and offers corporate-focused consulting services alongside traditional wealth management.

Helping you organize and simplify your finances, build steady income, and retire with clarity and confidence. Over the last decade, I’ve worked at different wealth management firms, gaining valuable experience alongside some incredibly smart, kind people. My biggest takeaway? There’s no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to personal finances. Customized financial planning works. And that’s what makes this work so rewarding. That’s why I created JRO Wealth Management. I built this firm for people who want to cut through the jargon and complexity and get real guidance from someone in their corner. Someone who understands how all the pieces of your financial life fit together — retirement income, taxes, investments, healthcare, legacy — and helps you make decisions across the board that actually work for you. My job isn’t to sell products or try to time the market. It’s to help you weigh the tradeoffs, see the bigger picture, and make smart, informed decisions with someone you trust by your side.

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.

Darren Devries is the principal of De Vries Asset Management, LLC, with 11 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has a background that includes roles at Tweet Management Services and ownership of a CPA and tax preparation practice, FleetRidge Financial, Inc., which he continues to operate. De Vries Asset Management serves individuals, businesses, endowments, and nonprofit organizations primarily by acting as a promoter and referral source to third-party asset managers, while also providing direct wealth management, discretionary portfolio management, and financial planning services tailored to client objectives. The firm is affiliated with an accounting practice, reflecting Mr. Devries's dual role as a licensed CPA offering tax and accounting services separate from advisory offerings.

James Reyes is a financial advisor with Allen James Financial LLC in San Marcos, CA, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and 18 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at First Advisors National, LLC and JCG Investments, LLC. He is also an insurance agent specializing in fixed indexed insurance contracts, a business he has been involved with since 1985. Allen James Financial LLC provides portfolio management and investment advisory services to individual and high-net-worth clients, focusing on tailored strategies based on technical analysis and long-term trading principles. The firm advises on insurance products, ETFs, hedge funds, and private placements, with client permissions required for trade execution.

Steven Allen is a financial advisor at SOP Advisors LLC in Rancho Santa Fe, CA, holding a Series 65 designation with two years of industry experience. He has been with SOP Advisors LLC since 2022 and also has a long tenure at Greenbriar Partners L.P. dating back to 1994. SOP Advisors LLC provides discretionary investment management services primarily to individual clients and small businesses, employing a tailored portfolio management approach that includes a range of trading strategies across U.S.-based commodity, cyclical, and real asset sectors. The firm uses a combination of charting, fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis along with proprietary models to implement both short-term and long-term investment positions within client-directed guidelines.

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.

Lucille Shaw is the sole advisor at Finances for Life, LLC, an independent firm based in Carlsbad, CA. She holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has 23 years of industry experience. In addition to her advisory role, Shaw is president of FFL Insurance Agency, LLC, where she is involved in life, health, long-term care, and disability insurance sales. Finances for Life, LLC provides investment management and comprehensive financial planning services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, retirement plans, trusts, and business entities. The firm emphasizes client-specific investment strategies, primarily manages accounts on a non-discretionary basis, and integrates advisory services with an affiliated insurance agency.

I’m on a mission to inspire women to be more intentional with their financial choices and provide a place where they can learn and share – without judgment. I’ve been through divorce and death of loved ones, I’ve worked with hundreds of clients with unique financial situations. One thing hasn’t changed throughout my career – my commitment to providing personalized services to my clients to inspire their financial journeys. You’re a busy professional woman in the middle to later stages of your career (or maybe you’ve already retired!). You have a lot going on, but you want to make sure you’re making smart financial moves. Whether you’re the family CFO or not, you want to be treated with respect. You won’t be afraid to ask questions and learn what you don’t know. You’d like to find someone you can bounce ideas off of, to get help making financial decisions, or to delegate to an expert. Finances don’t have to be a drag. You probably are already in the habit of saving. You may be making a lot of money, but haven’t been intentional about what you’re doing with it. Throughout my career, I’ve been inspired by so many women who are doing amazing things in their professional lives. However, the traditional financial advice industry does not serve us well. ➡️Our plans need to account for income shortfalls due to the gender pay gap – leading to a lifetime of reduced savings opportunities. ➡️We may need to plan around periods of income plateaus due to caregiving responsibilities for children or parents – it’s important to be intentional about career choices. ➡️Women live longer than men and are often entering or experiencing retirement solo – this impacts all aspects of retirement income, taxes, and leaving a legacy.

Michael Cortina is the principal of Cortina Capital, LLC in Fallbrook, CA, holding Series 65 and Series 66 licenses with 11 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Fisher Investments, TD Ameritrade, and Citigroup Global Markets. Cortina Capital, LLC provides discretionary portfolio management to individual and high-net-worth clients, creating Investment Policy Statements tailored to each account. The firm employs a blended investment approach incorporating charting, fundamental and technical analysis, with a focus on mid- and large-cap technology stocks and utilizes a range of long, short, margin, and options strategies.

James Heczko is the principal advisor at Opus Investment Advisors, LLC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials with 18 years of industry experience. He has worked at Opus since 2002. Outside of his advisory role, he owns and manages a small avocado farm and is involved in developing a consumer appliance startup. Opus serves institutional clients and family offices, focusing on pension trusts, corporations, and ultra-high-net-worth family offices. The firm provides consulting services including performance reviews, manager evaluations, and pension consulting, operating solely on a fee-for-service basis without managing client assets or exercising investment discretion.

Christopher Edwards is a financial advisor with Pax Horizon Wealth Management, LLC, holding a Series 65 credential and starting his advisory career in 2025. He concurrently works as an External Manufacturing Manager at Viasat, Inc., where he manages people and operations within the Global Planning department. Pax Horizon Wealth Management, LLC is a fee-only advisory firm serving individual clients with investment management and financial planning services. The firm’s approach emphasizes asset allocation based on Modern Portfolio Theory and a preference for passive funds, managing portfolios on a discretionary basis with quarterly reviews.