Chong Tong Chen is the sole advisor at Rhizome Capital Management LLC and holds a Series 65 designation with three years of industry experience. He has been with Rhizome Capital Management since 2021 and has been involved with Rhizome Partners LP since 2013. Rhizome Capital Management provides discretionary portfolio management to high-net-worth individuals and manages three privately offered Delaware limited-partnership funds under Regulation D. The firm employs fundamental analysis and pursues concentrated strategies including long/short trading in micro- and small-cap equity and debt, with additional focus on real-estate and hard-asset exposures.

Cynthia Sterling is a ChFC® and founder of Sterling Financial Planning in New York, NY, with 22 years at her firm and a total of 5 years of industry experience reported. She previously worked at Washington & McGoldrick for 18 years. Sterling Financial Planning provides comprehensive financial planning and investment advice to individuals and families, focusing on retirement, college funding, and budgeting. The firm operates on fixed-fee and limited hourly arrangements, emphasizes holistic planning, and does not take custody of client assets or provide discretionary portfolio management.

Attila Mendli is the sole advisor at Mendlstein Capital Holdings LLC and holds a Series 65 designation. Although new to the financial advisory industry, his professional background includes academic roles at Corvinus University and various positions in transportation and personnel services. Mendlstein Capital Holdings LLC is a state-registered investment adviser serving individuals, high-net-worth clients, and small-to-medium businesses. The firm focuses on thematic and macroeconomic analysis, strategic asset allocation, and uses ETFs, fixed income, REITs, and managed futures, with a planning process that relies on proprietary allocation models rather than third-party portfolios.

Neil Carousso is a CFP® and Series 63 licensed advisor with 32 years of industry experience. He is the principal and sole advisor at NGC Financial, LLC, where he has worked since 2000. Outside of his advisory role, Mr. Carousso owns and operates an accounting and tax preparation business focused on individual tax clients during the tax season. NGC Financial, LLC provides fee-based investment advisory and financial planning services primarily to individuals and high-net-worth clients, as well as employer retirement plan consulting for businesses. The firm employs a customized, tactical allocation approach across various investment vehicles and manages accounts on a non-discretionary basis with ongoing monitoring and rebalancing.

Christopher Mitchell is a financial advisor at Keala Advisors with three years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has also operated his own law practice since 2015. Keala Advisors is an independent firm based in New York, NY, with a single-advisor structure.

Jonathan Fischer is the principal advisor at Fischer Advisors LLC with 10 years of industry experience. He previously worked at Credit Suisse and S3 Partners before founding his independent firm in 2024. Fischer Advisors LLC provides portfolio management and financial planning services primarily for individual and high-net-worth clients, utilizing a combination of long- and short-term trading strategies along with access to private placements and venture capital opportunities. The firm employs an Investment Policy Statement tailored to client objectives and risk tolerance and manages all assets on a discretionary basis.

Stephanie Whiston is the principal of Whiston Asset Management in New York City, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with 28 years of industry experience. She has worked at Hudson Heritage from 2001 to 2017 and has operated Whiston Advisors since 1989. Outside of investment advisory, she is the founding director of the Marine Education Foundation, a charitable organization focused on marine educational programs and fundraising. Whiston Asset Management is an independent advisory firm managing approximately $18 million in discretionary assets for individuals, high-net-worth households, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, and small businesses. The firm employs proprietary model portfolios and a strategic asset allocation approach tailored to clients’ retirement and wealth-transfer goals, combining discretionary portfolio management with affiliated consulting services and insurance solutions.

Siegfried Huhn is the principal of HF Advisory Services, LLC, an independent advisory firm. He holds a Series 65 designation and has four years of industry experience, while operating HF Advisory Services since 1999. In addition to providing investment advice, he is a Certified Public Accountant offering tax preparation and accounting services. HF Advisory Services provides investment advisory services to individual and corporate clients, including pension plans, managing accounts on both a discretionary and non-discretionary basis. The firm employs a bottoms-up security selection process, utilizing mutual funds, fixed income securities, and individual equities, and offers clients flexibility in portfolio allocation.

Justin Mc Bryan is a financial advisor at Affluence in Brooklyn, NY. He holds a Series 65 designation and has experience working at Alpha Financial Markets Consulting and Factset. Prior to his advisory career, he was involved in the food industry with Really Delicious Food Company. Affluence serves content creators, creative entrepreneurs, and high-earning individuals in the creator economy by providing investment management, financial planning, and expanded business management services. The firm combines discretionary portfolio management with ongoing financial planning and offers comprehensive business management including bookkeeping, tax treatment, contract review, and operational advisory tailored to creators’ needs.

Jon Nixon is a Series 65 credentialed advisor with over 13 years of industry experience. He is the principal of Jon A Nixon CPA PC, an independent firm specializing in accounting and tax services. Nixon also owns consulting and tax preparation firms serving international organization employees and operates as a financial operations principal for multiple FINRA member firms. Jon A Nixon CPA PC primarily offers accounting and tax services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, corporations, and small businesses, coordinating tax and accounting matters with clients’ investment arrangements. The firm refers clients to third-party money managers for investment advice and asset management, maintaining a distinctive structure that focuses on its CPA practice rather than direct asset management.

Jack Solasz is a Series 65-credentialed financial advisor with five years of industry experience. He is the sole advisor at JPS Advisors LLC, an independent registered investment adviser based in Brooklyn, NY. His prior work includes roles at Long Ridge Systematic LLC, Reynard, and teaching at Skidmore College. JPS Advisors LLC manages approximately $26.6 million in discretionary assets for a small, diversified client base. The firm offers discretionary investment management across multiple asset classes, combining fundamental and technical analysis with modern portfolio theory to construct long-term, risk-conscious portfolios, and also provides financial planning and retirement-rollover advice.

Edwin Hagan Emmin is a financial advisor at Moor Funds with a Series 65 designation and four years of industry experience. He has worked at Moor Funds since 2021 and previously held roles at Titan Alpha Systems and Aztec Exchange. Moor Funds provides discretionary investment management and portfolio construction focused on domestic and international equities for high-net-worth individuals, family offices, pension plans, trusts, estates, and other institutional clients. The firm uses a proprietary AI-driven selection system combined with traditional fundamental analysis and manages a small number of individualized accounts on a discretionary basis.

Connor Carbullido is the principal of Civitas Management LLC, an independent financial advisory firm. He holds a Series 65 designation and has recently transitioned into the financial advisory industry following prior roles at Yahoo, Inc. and other positions. Civitas Management LLC is a state-registered, fee-only investment adviser that provides financial planning and portfolio management services primarily to individuals and high-net-worth clients. The firm uses a client-tailored approach to asset allocation, employing a combination of active and passive strategies with periodic portfolio rebalancing.

Sivaparvati Thagirisa is a financial advisor at Map to Your Wealth LLC with six years of industry experience. She holds a Series 65 designation and has been with the firm since 2019. Prior to this, she was not employed in the financial sector from 2015 to 2019. Map to Your Wealth LLC provides investment management, financial planning, and employee benefit plan services to individuals, trusts, small businesses, pension plans, and charitable organizations. The firm uses client-specific investment policies and typically implements portfolios with passive, low-cost index funds and ETFs, while incorporating fundamental analysis and active strategies when requested.

Nauman Rana is a financial advisor at Wealth Forward Advisors with 25 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 designations and has worked at Fidelity Investments, Opal Wealth Advisors, Essex Financial Services, and taken a brief career break before joining his current firm. In addition to his advisory work, he is an independent insurance agent. Wealth Forward Advisors serves individuals and high-net-worth clients, offering portfolio management and financial planning with a fiduciary role on retirement accounts. The firm employs a diverse investment approach, including fundamental and quantitative analysis, and utilizes a broad range of strategies and products such as private equity, hedge funds, and higher-risk trading techniques.

Steven Zhang is a CFA® charterholder with three years of industry experience. He is the sole advisor at Youhe Advisors LLC and has been involved with Youhe Invest LLC since 2009. Zhang also holds officer roles in related financial and accounting services businesses. Youhe Advisors LLC provides investment management and comprehensive financial planning to individuals, pension plans, trusts, charitable organizations, and small businesses. The firm emphasizes strategic asset allocation and diversified holdings, using research-driven portfolio construction tailored to each client’s risk objectives.

David Goldenberg is a financial advisor at Cove Capital Management Inc. in Oyster Bay, NY, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with 12 years of industry experience. He has been with Cove Capital Management since 2011. Cove Capital Management is an independent firm providing discretionary portfolio management and periodic portfolio reviews for individuals, partnerships, pension plans, trusts, and home offices. The firm employs fundamental analysis and a range of active strategies, including long- and short-term trading, short sales, margin transactions, and options writing, with portfolios typically including equities, bonds, mutual funds, ETFs, REITs, and exchange-traded partnerships.

Jason Blumstein is a CFA® charterholder and holds a Series 66 license with 10 years of industry experience. He has worked at Julius Wealth Advisors, LLC since 2021, following roles at Satovsky Asset Management and J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. Julius Wealth Advisors, LLC provides financial planning, investment management, behavioral coaching, and retirement plan consulting to individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, corporations, and pension and profit-sharing plans. The firm employs a goals-based, tax-aware investment approach emphasizing low costs, long-term holdings, and behavioral coaching to help clients avoid emotional decisions.

Alfred Fortunato is the principal of Allegory Advisory, an independent advisory firm based in New York, NY. He holds a Series 65 designation and has 12 years of industry experience. Prior to founding Allegory Advisory, he held senior roles at Ernst & Young and Arthur Andersen. Allegory Advisory provides financial planning and discretionary portfolio management primarily for individual and high-net-worth clients, managing approximately $34.6 million in assets across about 30 clients. The firm follows a long-term investment approach based on Modern Portfolio Theory, emphasizing asset allocation, low-cost diversified funds, tax-aware asset location, and quantitative metrics in portfolio construction.

I have over 20 years of experience in how financial markets work …and sometimes fail. I recognized a need for personalized and unbiased advice for the average person’s financial planning and investment decisions that does not require an ongoing obligation, unless the client so chooses. That’s why I have built a firm that does not sell any products other than my advice and makes sure that you always know how much you are paying and what you are getting in return. I have made some atypical choices in starting Grand Central Financial Planning with the goal of providing clients a high level of service at a reasonable price. In addition to being an Advice-Only Financial Planner, in my spare time I am the founder of the non-profit Long Island City Youth Sports League (LICYSL.org) and write the local blog in Long Island City, LICtalk. For more details on my work experience check out my LinkedIn profile.