Prasant Sahoo is a CFA® charterholder and principal of Mission Peak Investors, LLC, an independent wealth management firm based in Fremont, CA. He has nine years of industry experience, including time as a self-employed advisor before founding Mission Peak Investors in 2017. Mission Peak Investors is a fee-only practice serving individual and family clients, trusts, and select institutional accounts. The firm focuses on discretionary portfolio management driven by bottom-up fundamental analysis, using a mix of ETFs, mutual funds, closed-end funds, and selected individual securities, with occasional tactical strategies and performance-based fee arrangements for qualified clients.

Dalbir Gill is the principal of Khalis Financial Advisors LLC and holds the PFS™ designation with two years of industry experience. He also owns and operates Dalbir Singh Gill, CPA, a tax and accounting services business. His prior experience includes roles at Stanford Health Care, Kforce, and several accounting firms. Khalis Financial Advisors LLC provides portfolio management, pension consulting, and financial planning services to retirement plans and individual clients. The firm employs a variety of analytical approaches within documented Investment Policy Statements and primarily manages assets on a non-discretionary basis.

Richard Holbrook is the sole advisor at Holbrook Global Strategies in Foster City, CA, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with 22 years of industry experience. He has worked at Wells Fargo since 1998. Holbrook Global Strategies manages approximately $160 million, providing discretionary investment management primarily for individuals and families, as well as foundations, trusts, pension plans, and other institutional clients. The firm employs a global, long-term, and diversified investment approach across multiple asset classes, with portfolios tailored to client objectives and the capacity to include private placements and illiquid investments.

Adam Sharma is a financial advisor at Sharma Everyday Finance in Oakland, CA. He holds a Series 65 designation and has prior experience in health-care management and consulting, including roles at Central California Alliance for Health and San Francisco Health Plan totaling over a decade. Sharma Everyday Finance provides hourly financial planning, investment consulting, and portfolio management services for individuals and families, serving both non-high-net-worth and high-net-worth clients without account minimums. The firm’s investment approach is based on Modern Portfolio Theory, emphasizing low-cost, diversified allocations and tax-aware planning, with additional offerings that include financial education and group workshops.

Maosong Fu is a financial advisor with Tianhu Investments in Foster City, CA, holding a Series 65 credential and four years of industry experience. He has prior work experience at Twitter, Inc. and currently works as a software engineer at Samsung Research America, where he designs and develops big data software. Tianhu Investments provides investment supervisory services and discretionary separately managed account management primarily for individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm employs a process-driven, systematic investment approach based on quantitative analysis and proprietary computer models to manage actively traded, diversified portfolios across multiple asset classes.

Brett Bucher is a CFP® professional with 26 years of experience in the financial services industry. He is the sole advisor at Bucher Wealth Advisors, an independent firm he founded in 2010. In addition to his advisory role, he is also an insurance broker. Bucher Wealth Advisors serves individuals, trusts, corporations, and retirement plans by providing asset management and financial planning, including separately managed account services and pension consulting. The firm employs a combination of fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis in managing portfolios and offers advice primarily on a non-discretionary basis while using the Pontera® platform for held-away retirement accounts.

John Gardner is a CFP®-certified financial advisor with 36 years of industry experience. He has worked at Equity Research & Portfolio Evaluation, Inc. since 2001. Gardner is the sole advisor at Blackhawk Wealth Advisors, an independent firm based in Danville, CA. Blackhawk Wealth Advisors provides discretionary investment management, financial planning, and independent security research to individuals, trusts, estates, and investment companies. The firm employs a proprietary blend of fundamental and technical analysis to manage portfolios across various asset classes, focusing on risk reduction and predictable income through both long- and short-term strategies.

Peter Lee is a financial advisor at GP Wealth Management, LLC in Alameda, CA, holding a Series 65 designation with 13 years of industry experience. He has been with GP Wealth Management since 2012. GP Wealth Management provides asset management and portfolio supervision for individual and institutional clients, including high-net-worth individuals, pension plans, trusts, and corporate entities. The firm tailors portfolios to clients’ financial situations and objectives, employing a combination of fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis alongside strategic and tactical asset allocation.

Alexander Conaghan is the principal of Conaghan Financial Services in Dublin, CA, holding a Series 65 credential with 12 years of industry experience. His work history includes roles at Strand Boyce O'Shaughnessy CPAs and TruNote Investment Advisors. He also operates a sole-proprietorship tax and accounting service known as Five Star Tax and Accounting. Conaghan Financial Services serves individual investors, small and medium-sized businesses, pensions, trusts, and other entities, providing financial planning, portfolio management, retirement planning, college savings advice, and small-business retirement plan services. The firm integrates tax-related services into its advisory work and employs a proprietary investment process that emphasizes risk mitigation and a combination of quantitative and qualitative analysis.

Tony Pico is the sole advisor at Pico Associates in Oakland, CA, where he has worked since 2005, accumulating 21 years of industry experience. Pico Associates provides retirement income planning, portfolio management, and educational IRA services for individual and family clients. The firm emphasizes diversified allocations using mainly no-load mutual funds and ETFs, with ongoing monitoring and proprietary fund analysis conducted by the principal. It operates as a fee-only adviser with a primarily non-discretionary implementation model and serves a small client base.

Satya Chillara is a financial advisor at RAJS Funds with 19 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at firms including Boustead Securities, Darrow Associates, Mercury Securities, and Aemetis. Outside of his advisory role, he is involved in investing in almond farms and serves on the advisory board of Blue Power Systems. RAJS Funds provides discretionary and non-discretionary asset management and financial planning services to institutional investors, pension and profit-sharing plans, banks, charitable organizations, corporations, and individuals. The firm employs diversified, asset-class exposure strategies using mutual funds, ETFs, equities, fixed income, and alternative instruments, with portfolios monitored continuously and reviewed at least annually.

Timothy Smith is a financial advisor at Fairway Asset Management, Inc. in San Ramon, CA, with 24 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and has been with Fairway Asset Management since 2007. Outside of his advisory role, he owns and operates an insurance agency that offers life insurance policies and fixed annuities tailored to client needs. Fairway Asset Management serves individuals, high net worth clients, pension and profit-sharing plans, and businesses by providing asset management, financial planning, consulting, and educational workshops. The firm uses a combination of fundamental and technical analysis across various investment strategies, including long-term holdings, active trading, and options, while maintaining liquidity through cash and short-term instruments.

I launched Focused Finances, a sole proprietorship, in 1994 and transitioned to Focused Finances, LLC, in 2004. My objective then and now is to help individuals and couples with their financial planning and investment needs. My advice and insight have been featured in the San Francisco Chronicle, the Oakland Tribune, the Huffington Post, Real Simple, and the Wall Street Journal, among others. I am a member of the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA), which is the premiere professional association for fee-only financial planners, and the XY Planning Network (helping advisors serve the other 99% effectively). I am a Certified Financial Planner™ and hold an MBA in Finance from California State University, Hayward (now CSU East Bay). I am also a well-trained and avid musician (my undergraduate degree is in music, and I pursued graduate work as well). I specialize in choral singing and an unusual Baroque instrument – the viola da gamba. I perform with the San Francisco Bay Area Chamber Choir, California Bach Society, participate in numerous vocal and instrumental music workshops, and informal musical gatherings. For me, music is an important touchstone; it’s one of the ways I keep my life in balance.

Paul Roach is a CFP® professional with 18 years of industry experience, operating Roach Investment Services since 2005 in San Mateo, CA. He holds Series 63 and 65 licenses as well. Outside of advisory work, he manages residential real estate investments as a property owner and landlord. Roach Investment Services provides discretionary investment management and financial planning to individuals, families, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, and a variety of business and retirement plan clients. The firm develops customized asset allocations using individual securities and managed investments, serving a broader client base including small businesses and retirement-plan clients.

Adam Gould is a CFP®-certified financial advisor with 18 years of industry experience, currently serving as the sole advisor at Dogpatch Wealth. His prior work includes roles at Boustead Securities, Growth Capital Services, and Emerson Equity. He is also the owner and operator of Dogpatch Capital, a non-discretionary California-registered investment advisory firm. Dogpatch Wealth provides discretionary investment management and comprehensive wealth-management services to individuals, high net worth clients, trusts, estates, and private foundations. The firm manages approximately $69.5 million in discretionary assets and employs a range of strategies including equities, fixed income, mutual funds, ETFs, options, and alternative investments.

Denise Johnson is the principal of Five Talents Wealth Management in Dublin, CA, with 17 years of industry experience. She holds Series 66 and Series 65 credentials and previously worked at Accenture, LLC for eight years. Denise also founded Denise-Danielle Strategy Consulting, where she provides business strategy consulting, authors content, and delivers educational materials. Five Talents Wealth Management offers non-discretionary investment supervisory services and financial planning to individuals, charitable organizations, and corporations. The firm uses a range of analytical approaches and implements diverse investment strategies tailored to client goals, operating primarily on an asset-based advisory model without taking custody of client assets.

Samah Naguib is a CFA® charterholder with 12 years of industry experience. She has worked at Pleasanton Wealth LLC since 2018 and previously spent 11 years at Charles Schwab. Pleasanton Wealth provides comprehensive financial planning and portfolio management to individuals, families, trusts, estates, business entities, charitable organizations, and retirement plans. The firm employs a discovery-driven financial planning process and combines technical, fundamental, cyclical, quantitative, and qualitative analysis in portfolio construction.

Sunday Peters is the principal of SOBORA Capital and holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with nine years of industry experience. His prior work includes roles at Security Industry Specialists, Inc. and various SOBORA entities dating back to 2016. Peters also holds California real estate, mortgage, and insurance licenses and provides related services through affiliated SOBORA entities. SOBORA Capital offers non-discretionary investment management, capital-markets advisory, and financial planning primarily to institutional and business clients, including pension plans, endowments, and firms in real estate, construction, and engineering. The firm combines investment advisory with mortgage, real estate, and insurance services and provides ERISA plan consulting and participant education.

Eugene Demmler is a financial advisor with LPL Financial in Castro Valley, CA, holding a Series 63 designation and over 33 years of industry experience. He has been associated with LPL Financial since 1996 and operates E. Demmler & Associates, an independent investment advisory firm, since 2002. Through this firm, he provides financial planning and consulting services. LPL Financial offers advisory and brokerage services to a diverse client base including individual investors, retirement plan sponsors, institutions, and high-net-worth households. The firm supports its investment advice with in-house research and a broad range of portfolio management options, combining advisory operations with non-advisory product offerings.

Barbara Steinmetz is a CFP® professional with 36 years of experience at Steinmetz Financial Planning, an independent firm based in Redwood City, CA. She has maintained her practice since 1990. In addition to her financial planning credentials, she holds a real estate broker license, which she does not use in client engagements. Steinmetz Financial Planning is a California-registered, fee-only adviser serving individual investors and small business owners. The firm offers financial planning and portfolio management services guided by a fiduciary standard, employing a blend of fundamental, technical, and cyclical analyses with a range of investment exposures.