Ascension Advisors was created to deliver a more personalized level of service and financial planning. I believe an investment strategy should align with one's values, priorities, and purpose. I created a firm where advisors have the flexibility, technology, and autonomy to craft tailored strategies that empower clients to pursue their goals with intention and confidence. Early in my career, I learned to value quality over quantity—sometimes, less is more. Deep, meaningful relationships built on empathy and trust are the foundation of delivering true client value. Managed growth enables me to cultivate these relationships with intention and provide exceptional client experiences, regardless of client net worth. The need for comprehensive, personalized fiduciary financial planning continues to grow—particularly among select client segments. Ascension Advisors was created to meet that demand. While the core principles of building, managing, protecting, and transferring wealth remain constant, the broader economic and capital markets landscape is dynamic and continuously evolving. Clients are well served when partnering with an advisor who genuinely understands and appreciates their journey—and is committed to helping them reach their destination.

Kevin Schaefer is a CFP® professional with 15 years of industry experience currently serving as the sole advisor at Spirit West Advisors, LLC in Scottsdale, AZ. He has been with Spirit West Advisors since 2017 and has operated Spirit West Certified Planning, LLC since 2014, where he is also involved in insurance sales. His prior experience includes Gradient Advisors, LLC and managing land investment entities. Spirit West Advisors, LLC is an independent, fee-based investment adviser providing discretionary portfolio management and financial planning to individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm employs fundamental analysis and modern portfolio theory to construct portfolios and serves an unusually large client base for a solo advisor.

Kyle Spahn is a CFP® professional with 17 years of industry experience. He has been the principal advisor at Spahn Wealth & Retirement LLC since 2016 and briefly worked at Taurum Retirement Partners, LLC in the same year. Spahn Wealth & Retirement provides discretionary portfolio management and tailored asset-allocation advice to individual and high-net-worth clients, managing approximately $167.4 million across about 120 client relationships. The firm’s investment approach is based on Modern Portfolio Theory with tactical adjustments, focusing on diversified allocations and periodic rebalancing aligned with clients’ objectives and risk tolerance.

Courtney Mason is a CFP® and Series 65 credentialed advisor with seven years of industry experience. She has been with CMC Advisors LLC since 2019, which she founded as an independent firm based in Scottsdale, AZ. Prior to this, she was focused on homemaking from 2016 to 2019. CMC Advisors provides investment management, financial planning, and consulting services to individual clients and families. The firm employs a core-satellite investment approach with fundamental and technical analysis, emphasizing large-cap growth positions, active risk management, and the use of derivatives within separately managed accounts.

Aaron Randak, a CFP® professional and Enrolled Agent, plans each client’s investments, retirement income and taxes together. If you are within a few years of retiring, or you have just inherited money and are not sure what to do with it, you are probably weighing decisions that are hard to reverse. When to claim Social Security. Whether to convert to a Roth before required distributions start. Which account to spend down first. What the rules are on an inherited IRA and how much time you actually have. Those questions are all tax questions before they are investment questions. As an Enrolled Agent, Aaron is licensed to represent clients before the IRS, and he prepares tax returns. So when a Roth conversion or a withdrawal sequence is decided in October, he is the one filing it in April. There is no handoff between the advice and the paperwork. Most clients come to Aaron at one of two points. They are five to fifteen years from retirement and want a straight answer on whether the plan works, what it costs in taxes, and what has to change. Or a parent has died, and there is now an inherited retirement account with distribution rules attached, a house to deal with, and a stack of paperwork that arrived at a difficult time. Some of it can wait. Some of it has deadlines with real money attached. The first step is sorting out which is which. Golden Acre Wealth Management is fee-only and independent. Aaron is paid by his clients and nowhere else. He does not sell insurance, does not earn commissions, and serves as a fiduciary at all times. He works alongside your estate attorney rather than in place of one; he is not an attorney and does not draft documents. There are no account minimums, by design: the people with the most complicated tax situations are not always the ones with the largest portfolios. If you reach out, you and Aaron spend about thirty minutes on a call. You explain what is going on and what is worrying you. He tells you what he sees, what he would look at first, and whether he is the right person for it. There is no cost and no obligation, and if your situation calls for someone else, he will say so and point you in that direction. Aaron grew up on a farm in rural Iowa and studied Finance and Financial Counseling and Planning at Iowa State. He now lives and works in Scottsdale, Arizona.

David Fernandez is a Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®) with 26 years of experience in the financial advisory industry. He has been the principal advisor at Wealth Engineering, LLC since 2003. The firm is a fee-only investment management and financial planning practice serving individuals, families, retirement plans, trusts, and estates. Wealth Engineering emphasizes macroeconomic fundamental analysis and strategic asset allocation, utilizing broad-based index and passively managed funds with tax-aware management techniques.

Ryan Haas is a Series 65-licensed financial advisor based in Scottsdale, AZ, with two years of industry experience. He is the sole advisor at Your Investment Advisor, an independent firm he has been with since 2024. Prior to his advisory role, Haas held positions at Northrop Grumman, Boeing, Ekso Bionics, and Textron Systems. He maintains full-time employment in the aerospace and defense industry alongside his advisory work. Your Investment Advisor provides discretionary portfolio management to individuals and trusts, focusing on asset-allocation-based portfolios using equities, fixed income, mutual funds, ETFs, government and municipal securities, and cash equivalents. The firm combines a strategic passive investment framework with fundamental security analysis and macroeconomic assessment.

Hi, I’m Dale L Shafer II, founder of Life Moves Wealth Management, an independent, fee-only wealth and exit planning advisor for business owners and professionals located in Scottsdale, Arizona, serving clients in multiple states. I am proud to hold professional designations, including the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER (CFP®), Certified Business Exit Consultant (CBEC®), Accredited Portfolio Management Advisor (APMA®), and Certified Divorce Financial Analyst (CDFA®). Out of the office, I am most likely found exploring outdoors, hiking, road cycling, and camping. You might also see me rocking out behind a drum kit or a guitar. I enjoy reading books on finance and leadership, and collecting deadpan “dad jokes” to try out on our kids. They’re big fans.

Frederick Schubert is the president of Stonewall Equities, Ltd. and Schubert and Associates P.C., with 15 years of experience as a financial advisor and over 40 years managing his accounting practice. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has been active in the industry since 1983. Schubert oversees client relationships and accounting operations in his accounting firm alongside his advisory role. Stonewall Equities, Ltd. provides portfolio management and financial planning services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, corporate clients, and business entities. The firm employs a computer-driven asset allocation model incorporating fundamental, technical, and tax considerations, and it serves employer plans and pension consulting alongside managing wrap fee programs and institutional retirement accounts.

Richard Oldenburg is a financial advisor with Camden Financial Management, Inc. in Scottsdale, AZ, holding a Series 65 designation and 29 years of industry experience. He operates as a sole advisor at an independent firm focused on discretionary investment management and comprehensive financial planning. Camden Financial Management serves individuals, families, retirement plans, trusts, and estates, providing fee-only portfolio management alongside non-investment planning services such as tax reporting and required minimum distribution calculations. The firm emphasizes a strategic asset allocation approach based on macroeconomic analysis, incorporates tax-aware practices, and maintains a high-touch service model with relatively high account thresholds.

Nigel Upton is a Series 65-licensed financial advisor at Pinnacle Financial Freedom LLC with four years of industry experience. He has worked at Pinnacle Financial Freedom since 2022 and concurrently operates Sellxion LLC. Prior to his current roles, he was employed at Hewlett Packard from 2015 to 2018. Pinnacle Financial Freedom LLC is a single-advisor independent registered investment adviser that provides portfolio management and financial planning services to individuals and high-net-worth clients. The firm combines fundamental analysis with modern portfolio theory and a long-term trading orientation, tailoring investment strategies to client preferences and operating on a non-discretionary basis.

Joel Bonnema is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional with 29 years of industry experience. He has been the sole advisor at Bonnema Wealth Management LLC since 2015, operating as an independent firm in Scottsdale, AZ. Bonnema Wealth Management provides discretionary investment management, written financial planning, and retirement-plan advisory services to high-net-worth individuals, families, trusts, estates, and employer-sponsored retirement plans. The firm specializes in broadly diversified, asset-class portfolios based on Modern Portfolio Theory and factor research, with a focus on passive investment vehicles and the use of Dimensional Fund Advisors funds.

Randolph Reinwasser is the sole advisor at Solitude Canyon Investment Advisors, LLC, holding a Series 65 designation with 17 years of industry experience. He has led the firm since 2009. Solitude Canyon Investment Advisors provides financial planning, portfolio management, and retirement-plan consulting to individuals, trusts, businesses, nonprofits, and qualified retirement plans. The firm emphasizes customized portfolios based on written Investment Policy Statements and a disciplined asset-allocation process, serving both individual and institutional clients, including insurance company accounts and pension or profit-sharing plans.

Brent Matthew is a financial advisor with Scottsdale Wealth Advisory LLC in Paradise Valley, AZ, holding Series 65 and Series 66 licenses and over 21 years of industry experience. He has held roles at multiple firms, including M.S. Howells & Co. and Safe Insurance Management LLC. Brent is also a licensed insurance agent involved in an annuity and insurance-related business. Scottsdale Wealth Advisory LLC provides discretionary and non-discretionary asset management, financial planning, and retirement-plan consulting to individuals, high-net-worth clients, and employer-sponsored retirement plans. The firm employs a model-driven investment approach utilizing the AssetMark platform and third-party sub-advisors, typically following a passive, long-term buy-and-hold strategy with tailored active overlays.

John Borton is a financial advisor with Investment Trends Capital Group LLC in Scottsdale, AZ, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and having 31 years of industry experience. His prior experience includes roles at B. Riley Wealth Advisors, Inc., B. Riley Wealth Management, and National Securities Corporation. Outside of his advisory work, he owns Investment Trends LLC, a non-investment-related holding entity. Investment Trends Capital Group LLC, established in 2023, provides discretionary asset management services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, foundations, and private entities. The firm uses a combination of macroeconomic, fundamental, technical, charting, and cyclical analysis to tailor portfolios based on client objectives and risk tolerance, with regular account reviews and rebalancing.

Pamela More is a financial advisor at Six Sigma Wealth Advisors, LLC in Scottsdale, AZ, with 41 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked previously at Liberty Partners Financial Services, Verus Capital Partners, and Securities America. Outside of financial advising, she owns a dog sitting and walking business called Peanut's Place. Six Sigma Wealth Advisors provides fee-based investment management, financial planning, and consulting services to individuals, trusts, pension plans, charitable organizations, and estates. The firm uses a tactical asset allocation process emphasizing risk management and offers a range of fee arrangements alongside educational seminars and insurance-product services.

Jeffrey Berk is a financial advisor at Purple Mountain Investment Advisors LLC in Scottsdale, AZ, with nine years of industry experience. He holds the Series 65 designation and has worked with Purple Mountain since 2016. Prior to this, he has been CEO and major stockholder of BOLT International Inc. since 1996 and of MedPredict Market Research LLC from 2005 to 2017, both providing consulting and research services to pharmaceutical and biotech firms. Purple Mountain Investment Advisors offers portfolio management and financial planning services to individual and high-net-worth clients, utilizing a multi-method investment approach that includes fundamental, technical, cyclical, and quantitative analysis. The firm specializes in pharmaceutical and biotech sectors and operates a subscription newsletter with specific buy and sell recommendations alongside its discretionary portfolio management.

Susan Linkous is the principal advisor at The Linkous Group, Ltd., an independent firm based in Fountain Hills, AZ. She holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has 28 years of industry experience. Prior to founding The Linkous Group in 2004, she worked at Linsco/Private Ledger. Linkous also serves as a notary public, offering this service pro bono to her clients. The Linkous Group, Ltd. primarily serves individual and high-net-worth clients, providing asset management, financial planning, retirement and employee benefits consulting, and portfolio monitoring. The firm emphasizes individualized, client-approved portfolio solutions, often favoring passive asset-class exposures and DFA mutual funds, and operates predominantly on a non-discretionary basis.

Thomas Zaleski is the principal advisor at Thomas Capital Management, LLC, an independent investment advisory firm based in Scottsdale, AZ. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 26 years of industry experience, having founded and operated his firm since 1999. Thomas Capital Management, LLC provides discretionary investment management primarily to individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm uses an active management approach with fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis, tailoring portfolios to clients’ financial situations and risk tolerances, and manages approximately $9.7 million in assets across a compact client base.

Minas Kourouglos is a financial advisor at 212 Wealth Management with six years of industry experience. He holds Series 65 and Series 66 licenses and has previously worked with firms including Ameriprise Financial Services and PCF Insurance Services. Outside of his advisory role, he is involved as a minority member or managing partner in several businesses, including an industrial first aid company and a mobile app development firm. 212 Wealth Management is an independent adviser providing fee-based investment management and financial planning to individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and business entities, including institutional portfolios. The firm employs a tactical asset allocation approach based on fundamental analysis, with strategies that incorporate long-term holdings, periodic rebalancing, selective individual stock recommendations, and tax-aware trades.