Brenden Melrose is a CFP® and holds a Series 65 license with 14 years of experience in the financial industry. He has been with Halbert Hargrove since 2014, currently serving as an advisor at their Long Beach, CA office. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors manages approximately $4.2 billion for individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and corporate entities. The firm offers discretionary, fee-only investment management along with financial planning, consulting, and retirement plan services, utilizing a multi-advisor platform and an Investment Committee that combines qualitative and quantitative research to construct diversified portfolios.

William Blanton is a Series 66 licensed financial advisor with 27 years of industry experience. He currently works at Composition Wealth, LLC and has previously held roles at Vintage West Capital Management, Kestra Private Wealth Services, Morgan Stanley, and Merrill. Composition Wealth provides investment management, financial planning, and retirement plan advisory services to a broad client base including individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, businesses, and charitable organizations. The firm employs a primarily long-term investment approach using low-cost, diversified mutual funds and ETFs, supplemented by individual securities and other investment vehicles, and manages approximately $9.47 billion in discretionary assets.

Alexander Zanier is a CFP® with four years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Abacus Wealth Partners. Prior to joining Abacus, he held roles at JP Morgan Chase Bank, JP Morgan Securities, and E*Trade Securities. Abacus Wealth Partners provides financial planning, consulting, and investment management services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, families, and various institutional entities. The firm follows an asset-class investing approach using primarily no-load mutual funds, ETFs, and passive institutional funds, while also incorporating ESG screening and private pooled investments in suitable client portfolios.

Neela Hummel is a CFP® with 16 years of industry experience. She has worked exclusively with Abacus Wealth Partners since 2011, serving in various capacities over more than a decade. Abacus Wealth Partners provides financial planning, consulting, and investment management to a diverse client base including individuals, families, and institutions. The firm employs an asset-class investing approach grounded in academic research, incorporating ESG screening and private pooled vehicles for qualified clients.

Willow Drazen is a financial advisor with NWF Advisory Services Inc in Los Angeles, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and having 10 years of industry experience. She has worked at Royal Alliance since 2016 and New York Life Insurance Company since 2014. Drazen is also involved in providing insurance services through New World Financial and Insurance Services, Inc. NWF Advisory Services, Inc. manages approximately $3.82 billion in assets and offers portfolio management and financial planning primarily to individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm provides a range of investment programs through an open-architecture platform combining advisor-managed and third-party model portfolios, focusing on strategic long-term investing alongside tactical strategies.

Laurel Mann is a CFP® and holds a Series 66 designation with 25 years of industry experience. She is currently with Mariner Independent in Manhattan Beach, CA, and has previously worked at Purus Wealth Management and AdvicePeriod, LLC. She is involved with Reach for More, LLC, an entity created to receive non-investment related income. Mariner Independent provides investment advisory, financial planning, and consulting services to a diverse client base, including individuals, trusts, charitable organizations, corporations, and retirement plans. The firm offers portfolio management, access to model portfolios and third-party managers, and specialized retirement plan services through a platform integrating institutional resources and affiliated investment relationships.

Michael Chung is a CFP® with 20 years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Apollon Wealth Management, LLC. He has previously worked at RBC Capital Markets for 10 years and Purshe Kaplan Sterling Investments for 2 years. Apollon Wealth Management is an SEC-registered multi-team advisory firm that serves a diverse client base including individuals, high-net-worth clients, family offices, trusts, businesses, charitable organizations, and retirement plans. The firm combines centrally managed model strategies with locally managed portfolios and offers a range of investment solutions including ESG models, Direct Indexing, and sub-advisory services for private funds and insurance clients.

Ralph Jackson III is a financial advisor at FourStar Wealth Advisors, LLC with 39 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and previously worked at Morgan Stanley Private Bank and Morgan Stanley Smith Barney for a combined 26 years. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as a board member for Athletic Scholarships R US, an organization assisting high school student-athletes in obtaining college scholarships. FourStar Wealth Advisors serves individuals, retirement and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and business entities by providing financial planning, discretionary portfolio management, and retirement-plan consulting. The firm combines fundamental and technical analysis, managing portfolios primarily on a discretionary basis with a diverse range of investment vehicles tailored to client risk tolerance and time horizon.

Michael Wirth is a financial advisor at Composition Wealth, LLC with five years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has prior work experience with Miracle Mile Advisors, PCF Insurance Services, CC Capital Advisors, Merrill Lynch, and Managed Energy Systems. Outside of advising, he is also licensed as an insurance agent. Composition Wealth provides investment management, financial planning, and retirement plan advisory services to a range of clients including individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, and businesses. The firm’s investment approach focuses on long-term, low-cost, diversified portfolios using mutual funds, ETFs, and other securities, and it manages approximately $9.47 billion in discretionary assets across a multi-advisor platform.

Kevin Ryan is a financial advisor with NWF Advisory Services Inc. based in Los Angeles, CA. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and has 26 years of industry experience. Since 2005, he has worked with NWF Advisory Group and NWF Advisory Services, and he is also involved with OSAIC. Ryan owns a sole proprietorship providing life and health insurance and serves as a financial professional under the DBA Artisan Capital Partners. NWF Advisory Services is an SEC-registered investment adviser managing approximately $6.4 billion in client assets through a network of over 100 advisory representatives. The firm primarily serves individual and high-net-worth clients, offering portfolio management, model portfolios, unified managed accounts, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting through a technology-driven, open-architecture platform.

Thomas Gillespie is a financial advisor at NWF Advisory Services Inc with 50 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and previously worked at Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. from 2011 to 2023. Gillespie serves on the Board of Directors for Sonoma State, where he reviews financial statements and money market recommendations. NWF Advisory Services manages approximately $6.4 billion in client assets through a network of over 100 advisory representatives, primarily serving individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm employs an open-architecture, technology-driven platform offering portfolio management, model portfolios, unified managed accounts, and retirement plan consulting.

Julianne Copeland is a financial advisor at Halbert Hargrove with one year of industry experience. She holds a Series 65 credential and has previously worked at Modern Money and California State University of Long Beach. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors serves individuals, trusts, estates, pension and profit-sharing plans, and other institutions by offering discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, retirement plan advisory, and access to independent managers and private funds. The firm uses a formal Investment Committee with a documented analytical framework to guide its investment decisions, combining qualitative and quantitative methods across a range of investment vehicles.

Damian Dering is a financial advisor at Concorde Asset Management, LLC in El Segundo, CA, with 29 years of industry experience. He holds the ChFC® designation and securities licenses including Series 63 and Series 66. His career includes roles at Concorde Investment Services and Custom Wealth, LLC. Outside of advising, he is involved in insurance sales, particularly related to fixed insurance products and Medicare, and he participates in tax consulting and captive insurance referral activities. Concorde Asset Management serves individual, corporate, and retirement-plan clients by providing discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and access to third-party asset managers and wrap fee programs. The firm builds portfolios tailored to client objectives through asset allocation and model-based strategies, utilizing proprietary and third-party platforms and serving as an overlay manager with discretionary trading responsibilities.

Mary Abundo is a financial advisor at Thrivent Advisor Network, LLC with 29 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked with several firms including Northern Lights Distributors, Counterpoint Mutual Funds, Monograph Wealth Advisors, and Kestra Private Wealth Services. Her current tenure at Thrivent Advisor Network began in 2021. Thrivent Advisor Network provides investment advisory services to individuals, families, trusts, estates, businesses, retirement plans, and charitable organizations. The firm emphasizes a long-term investment approach with customized asset allocations using low-cost mutual funds, ETFs, fixed-income securities, and alternative investments, supported by a structure integrated within the broader Thrivent group.

Ross Gerber is a financial advisor with Gerber Kawasaki Wealth & Investment Management in Santa Monica, CA, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 31 years of industry experience. He previously worked at LPL Financial LLC from 2012 to 2018 and has been with Gerber Kawasaki since 2010. Outside of advisory work, Gerber is involved in several ventures including co-founding Cocoon Music LLC, working as a consultant and speaker in expert networks, and holding minority ownership and advisory roles in various firms such as Roundhill Financial Inc. and House Hack LLC. Gerber Kawasaki Wealth & Investment Management serves a diverse client base including individual households and institutional entities, offering wealth management, financial planning, pension consulting, and ETF sub-advisory services. The firm employs tailored portfolio strategies with active management techniques and provides alternative investment access alongside digital tools and standardized programs.

Michael Masalehdani is a financial advisor with IHT Wealth Management LLC, holding Series 66 and Series 63 licenses and bringing 12 years of industry experience. He has worked at Fidelity Personal and Workplace Advisors since 2018 and Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC since 2015. IHT Wealth Management serves individual clients, including high-net-worth individuals, as well as corporate and institutional entities and retirement plan sponsors. The firm offers discretionary asset management, financial planning, ERISA plan consulting, and OCIO arrangements, using a combination of proprietary models, third-party managers, and quantitative investment strategies.

Eyal Shmilovich is a financial advisor with Gerber Kawasaki Wealth & Investment Management in Santa Monica, CA, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and 17 years of industry experience. He worked at LPL Financial from 2012 to 2019 and has been with Gerber Kawasaki since 2010. He also serves as a liaison between clients and the firm's tax and accounting department, referring clients and providing financial planning advice. Gerber Kawasaki Wealth & Investment Management serves a diverse client base including individual households, retirement plans, trusts, and corporations, offering wealth management, financial planning, and pension consulting. The firm employs an active management approach incorporating fundamental and technical analysis, systematic rebalancing, and tax-loss harvesting while providing both discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management.

Vayle Floria is a financial advisor with NWF Advisory Services Inc in Orange, CA, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and bringing 24 years of industry experience. Prior to joining NWF Advisory Services, Floria worked at Royal Alliance from 2017 and NATIONAL PLANNING CORPORATION from 2009. Outside of advisory work, Floria is involved in managing a real estate investment LLC and operates a fixed insurance sales business as a sole proprietor. NWF Advisory Services provides portfolio management and financial planning primarily to individual and high-net-worth clients, offering a range of retirement plan consulting, trust, and estate services. The firm manages approximately $3.82 billion in assets and utilizes an open-architecture wealth management platform combining advisor-managed and third-party model portfolios with strategic long-term and short-term investment approaches.

Eli Saldamando is a financial advisor at Composition Wealth, LLC, holding a Series 65 designation. He has been with Composition Wealth since 2024 and has prior experience at Pacific Investment Management Company and IEQ Capital. Composition Wealth provides investment management, financial planning, and retirement plan advisory services to a broad client base including individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, businesses, and charitable organizations. The firm employs a primarily long-term investment approach using low-cost, diversified mutual funds and ETFs, supplemented with individual securities and other investment vehicles, and manages approximately $9.47 billion in discretionary assets.

Steven Stalick is a financial advisor at Composition Wealth, LLC in Los Angeles, CA, holding a Series 65 designation with two years of industry experience. His prior work includes roles at O'Donnell Financial Group, First Republic Investment Management, and PitchBook Data, Inc. Composition Wealth provides investment management, financial planning, and retirement plan advisory services to a range of clients including individuals, trusts, businesses, and charitable organizations. The firm follows a primarily long-term investment approach using low-cost, diversified mutual funds and ETFs, supplemented by individual securities and private investments, and manages approximately $9.47 billion in discretionary assets.