Christien Hughes is a financial advisor with First Command Advisory Services in Houston, TX, holding a Series 66 designation and 10 years of industry experience. His work history includes roles at Merrill and various entities within First Command since 2016. He established an LLC unrelated to investment activities but has not engaged in operations for it. First Command Advisory Services is an SEC-registered investment adviser that serves individuals, corporate, and charitable clients, with a focus on active-duty service members and their families. The firm offers financial planning and multiple wrap-fee asset management programs utilizing model portfolios and third-party managers selected by a centralized Investment Management Team.

Victoria Wolfson is a financial advisor with Oppenheimer in Houston, TX, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 29 years of industry experience. Her prior roles include positions at Stanford Group Company, Wells Fargo Clearing, and Prudential Equity Group. She also serves as a trustee managing the distribution of assets for her deceased mother’s trust. Oppenheimer is a registered investment adviser and broker-dealer serving individuals, corporations, pension plans, and charitable organizations. The firm offers a wide range of investment and consulting services across discretionary and non-discretionary platforms, maintaining custody of client assets while operating both advisory and broker-dealer businesses.

Michelle Hermann is a financial advisor with CIBC Private Wealth Advisors, Inc. in Houston, TX, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and with 18 years of industry experience. She has worked at CIBC Private Wealth Advisors since 2017, following roles at Geneva Investment Management of Chicago and LPL Financial. Outside of advisory work, she co-owns an LLC that invests in vacation homes used for short-term rentals. CIBC Private Wealth Advisors serves a diverse client base including individuals, families, trusts, employee benefit plans, corporations, and investment companies. The firm combines internal investment teams, relationship managers, and governance committees to deliver customized portfolio management and wealth advisory services, with a notable presence in managing assets for investment company clients.

Kong Bun is a financial advisor with Valic Financial Advisors in Houston, TX, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 18 years of industry experience. He has worked at Valic Financial Advisors since 2007 and is also affiliated with Landry's Restaurants, Inc. Outside of his advisory role, he is an agent involved in non-securities insurance products. Valic Financial Advisors primarily serves U.S.-domiciled individual investors, including high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth clients, as well as corporate and retirement-plan participants. The firm offers discretionary managed-account programs, financial planning, and brokerage services, utilizing Envestnet UMA models and managing approximately $26.4 billion in discretionary assets.

Daniel Ingram is a financial advisor with Valic Financial Advisors in Houston, TX, holding Series 63 and 65 licenses and three years of industry experience. His prior work includes roles at Corebridge Capital Services, American General Life Insurance, JSC Federal Credit Union, LPL Financial, and Equitable Advisors. He also spent several years with Junhua Education Group and Hong En Education Group before entering the financial industry. Valic Financial Advisors is an SEC-registered investment adviser and FINRA-member broker-dealer serving primarily U.S. individuals, including high net worth and ultra-high net worth clients, as well as employer-sponsored retirement participants. The firm utilizes discretionary unified managed accounts through Envestnet’s platform and offers tax-aware and impact/ESG overlay services, managing approximately $29.2 billion for close to 300,000 clients through a network of over 1,200 advisors.

Mark Ledson is a CFP® with 40 years of industry experience, currently serving at Empower Advisory Group. His prior roles include positions at Wealth Enhancement Group, GWFS Equities, and JCN Financial & Tax Advisory Group. He is also a self-published author of a book on practice management. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management primarily to employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors and their participants, as well as Empower Premier IRA and certain retail brokerage account holders. The firm integrates its services with Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative platforms, offering point-in-time financial plans and optional managed account solutions.

Matthew Wukitsch is a financial advisor with Oppenheimer in Houston, TX, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and 13 years of industry experience. He has worked at Oppenheimer in two periods, from 2013 to 2024 and again starting in 2025, with prior roles at U.S. Coins & Jewelry and UBER Technologies in 2024–2025. Oppenheimer is a registered investment adviser and broker-dealer serving individuals, corporations, pension plans, charitable organizations, and other entities. The firm offers a range of investment and consulting services across various asset classes, with both discretionary and non-discretionary account management.

Amanda Sadler is a financial advisor at Valic Financial Advisors with 11 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has been with Valic Financial Advisors since 2015. Outside of her advisory role, she is an agent for Agia, a provider of non-securities insurance products. Valic Financial Advisors, Inc. is an SEC-registered investment adviser and FINRA-member broker-dealer serving primarily U.S. individuals, including high net worth and ultra-high net worth clients, as well as employer-sponsored retirement participants. The firm offers portfolio management, financial planning, and consulting services through a large network of advisors, utilizing discretionary unified managed accounts and overlay services on Envestnet’s platform.

Alberto Francis is a financial advisor at Corient with nine years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has previously worked at LPL Financial, Bank of America, Lone Star National Bank, and Cypress Street Capital. Based in Houston, TX, he has been with Corient since 2026. Corient provides investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, pension plans, and corporate entities. The firm employs a goals-based, team investment approach that integrates in-house strategies with third-party managers and utilizes risk management tools to align portfolios with client objectives.

Carine Smith is a financial advisor at TIAA-CREF with 21 years of industry experience. She holds a Series 66 designation and has been with TIAA-CREF since 2006. TIAA‑CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC provides financial planning, discretionary managed account programs, and broker-dealer services primarily to individuals with existing employer retirement plan relationships, as well as trusts, estates, and corporate entities. The firm distinguishes between point-in-time planning services and ongoing discretionary portfolio management, with an advisory model that includes both model-based and customized portfolios.

Nicholas Eoff is a financial advisor with VALIC Financial Advisors in Houston, TX, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and 12 years of industry experience. He has been with VALIC Financial Advisors since 2014. VALIC Financial Advisors serves primarily U.S. individuals, including high net worth and ultra-high net worth clients, as well as employer-sponsored retirement participants. The firm offers portfolio management, financial planning, and wrap programs through a network of over 1,200 advisors, managing approximately $29.2 billion in assets.

Brent Strawn is a Series 66 licensed financial advisor with Oppenheimer in Houston, TX, where he has worked since 2007. He has 23 years of industry experience, including longstanding involvement with Bayou City Tax Service since 2001. Oppenheimer is a registered investment adviser and broker-dealer serving individuals, corporations, pension plans, and charitable organizations with a range of discretionary and non-discretionary investment and consulting services. The firm offers diverse programs such as Fahnestock Asset Management and financial planning, and it maintains custody of client assets while managing a significant portion of advisory assets on a non-discretionary basis.

David Searls III is a financial advisor at Fayez Sarofim & Co. with 16 years of industry experience. He has held his current position at Fayez Sarofim & Co. since 2012 and holds a Series 66 designation. Fayez Sarofim & Co. provides discretionary investment management to institutional and individual clients, including pension plans, endowments, foundations, and registered investment companies. The firm employs a predominantly bottom-up research process focused on large-cap, high-quality companies with multi-year investment horizons and offers a range of equity and fixed-income strategies while generally avoiding derivatives, leverage, short selling, and market timing.

Francisco Cordova is a financial advisor at Empower Advisory Group in Houston, TX, with four years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has worked at Empower Advisory Group since 2026, previously holding roles at Empower Financial Service, Inc., Human Interest Inc., ADP Broker Dealer Inc., and ADP LLC. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management primarily to employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors and their participants, along with Empower Premier IRA and certain retail brokerage account holders. The firm offers integrated services tied to Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative platforms, emphasizing long-term portfolio returns, annual rebalancing, and clients’ savings rates.

Andreina Franceschi Neff is a financial advisor with Oppenheimer, holding a Series 66 designation and eight years of industry experience. She has worked at Oppenheimer since 2021 and previously held roles at Wells Fargo Clearing and Banco Santander International. Oppenheimer is a registered investment adviser and broker-dealer serving a variety of clients including individuals, corporations, pension plans, and charitable organizations. The firm offers a wide range of programs and advisory services across equity, balanced, and fixed-income portfolios, with both discretionary and non-discretionary management.

Dana Otoole is a financial advisor with Fifth Third Securities, Inc. in Houston, TX, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and possessing 21 years of industry experience. Prior to joining Fifth Third Securities, Otoole worked at Frost Brokerage Services, Edward Jones, and JP Morgan Chase bank. Outside of his advisory role, he is a partner in a family real estate venture involving the sale of inherited property. Fifth Third Securities serves individual and institutional clients through investment advisory and brokerage channels, offering a variety of managed account programs and third-party portfolio management options on the Passageway platform. The firm operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of Fifth Third Bank and maintains municipal-advisor and broker-dealer activities.

Ryan Gloff is a financial advisor with Valic Financial Advisors in Houston, TX, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and six years of industry experience. His prior work includes roles at AIG Capital Services, America General Life Insurance, and Agia, where he also serves as an agent for non-securities insurance products. Valic Financial Advisors is an SEC-registered investment adviser and FINRA-member broker-dealer serving primarily U.S. individuals, including high net worth and ultra-high net worth clients, as well as employer-sponsored retirement participants. The firm offers portfolio management, financial planning, and unified managed accounts, operating at scale with a technology-driven approach and a broad network of advisors.

Todd Stephens is a CFP® professional with 24 years of industry experience. He has worked at Hightower Advisors since 2020 and previously spent nine years at Frontier Investment Management Co. He is based in Houston, TX. Hightower Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to a diverse range of individual and institutional clients. The firm’s approach focuses on manager selection and multi-manager solutions, employing both affiliated and third-party managers, and offers services including portfolio management, financial planning, and access to various investment vehicles.

Jason Hennington is a financial advisor at VALIC Financial Advisors with 12 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at VALIC since 2014. Hennington also serves as an agent with Agia, providing non-securities insurance products. VALIC Financial Advisors primarily serves U.S.-domiciled individual investors, including high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth clients, as well as corporate and retirement-plan participants. The firm offers discretionary managed-account programs, financial planning, and brokerage services, utilizing Envestnet UMA models for portfolio construction.

Maica Walker is a financial advisor with Independent Financial Group, LLC in Houston, TX, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 28 years of industry experience. Her prior experience includes roles at Ameriprise Financial Services and Valic Financial Advisors. Outside of her advisory work, she owns a book publishing and marketing company and is involved in motivational public speaking. Independent Financial Group, LLC serves a diverse client base including individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, and corporate plans, offering financial planning and portfolio management through multiple platforms and third-party asset managers. The firm combines strategic asset allocation with ongoing due diligence across active and passive investment exposures.