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.

Vladimir Belinsky is the sole advisor at Hermitage Advisors, Ltd. in Danville, CA, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with 22 years of industry experience. He has been with Hermitage Advisors since 2003. Hermitage Advisors, Ltd. serves a small, concentrated roster of primarily high-net-worth individual clients, providing individualized portfolio management and ongoing investment advice. The firm employs a primarily non-discretionary approach, selecting and monitoring external investment managers based on a multi-decade network of research, with client decisions made collaboratively.

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.

Kevin Chung is a CFP® and CFA® with 17 years of experience in the financial services industry. He is the founding advisor of Generative Family Office LLC, where he has worked since 2024, following prior roles at JPMorgan Private Wealth Advisors and First Republic Investment Management. He holds an insurance license but is not actively engaged in insurance sales. Generative Family Office advises ultra-high-net-worth and high-net-worth individuals, families, and related entities, focusing on comprehensive family office consulting rather than direct portfolio management. The firm provides investment oversight and guidance to external managers while emphasizing long-term, diversified portfolio principles and extensive non-investment services, including family governance and life-planning coordination.

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.

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.

Durga Eedara is a financial advisor at Eedara Financials with a Series 65 designation and over 20 years of industry experience, including a long tenure at Franklin Resources Inc from 2002 to 2021. Eedara Financials LLC, founded in 2025, provides discretionary portfolio management to individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm uses a combination of charting, fundamental, and technical analysis alongside various trading strategies, operating under client-granted discretionary authority.

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.

Keith Weissglass is a financial advisor at Effective Finance LLC with a Series 65 credential and two years of industry experience. He has worked in various roles including Director of Operations at Constellation Research Center, Inc., and is a lecturer at the University of California at Davis. At UC Davis, he dedicates time to lecturing and student engagement. Effective Finance LLC is a fee-only registered investment adviser that provides financial planning services to individuals and high-net-worth clients. The firm focuses on tailored recommendations using modern portfolio theory, passive funds, and asset allocation strategies, without offering investment management or custody services.

Matthew Rittmann is the sole advisor at Rittmann Capital Management Co. in Moraga, CA, holding a Series 65 credential with 21 years of industry experience. He has led Rittmann Capital Management since 2004. Rittmann Capital Management Co. provides discretionary asset management and financial planning services to individuals, small businesses, trusts, estates, pooled investment vehicles, and charities. The firm uses a combination of fundamental, technical, and charting analysis across various instruments, actively managing accounts on a discretionary basis with regular reviews and tax-loss harvesting.

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.

Hariharan Iyer is a Series 65-licensed financial advisor with five years of industry experience. He is the sole advisor at WealthPaver and has worked at Wefea Capital LLC since 2018. Additionally, he serves as Chief Compliance Officer at Wefea Capital and works as an SCM Architect at Nvidia. WealthPaver focuses on helping students and their families accelerate repayment of student loan debt through discretionary portfolio management delivered via a proprietary web-based platform. The firm uses client-selected risk profiles and term lengths to guide investment decisions, emphasizing maintaining the chosen term to meet repayment goals.

Nicholas Fullerton is a CFP® professional with 17 years of industry experience, operating Fullerton Advisors, LLC since 2008. The firm is an independent advisory practice based in Alamo, CA. Fullerton Advisors serves individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, pension and profit-sharing plans, and corporate entities. The firm provides discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, modular financial planning, and pension consulting, using diversified asset-allocation portfolios built primarily with ETFs and mutual funds guided by fundamental and cyclical analysis.