Richard Hagins is a financial advisor with Transamerica Financial Advisors in Woodland Hills, CA, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and 27 years of industry experience. His career includes roles at World Financial Group, Inc., WFG Direct, and ownership of an Amada Senior Care franchise and a veteran benefits consulting business through Hagins Financial Services. Outside of financial advising, he streams video games and works as a residency counselor for a retirement community. Transamerica Financial Advisors serves a diverse client base including individual investors, pension plans, and charitable organizations, offering a combination of advisory and broker-dealer services through proprietary and third-party model portfolios with discretionary and non-discretionary management options.

Rachel Baroma is a financial advisor with Valic Financial Advisors in Glendale, CA, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 28 years of industry experience. She has worked at Valic Financial Advisors since 2009 and is currently affiliated with Agia. Outside of advising, she is a licensed independent insurance agent with Midland Life & Annuity but does not solicit new business in that role. Valic Financial Advisors serves primarily U.S. individuals, including high net worth clients and employer-sponsored retirement participants, offering portfolio management, financial planning, and discretionary unified managed accounts implemented through Envestnet’s platform and third-party model managers.

Julie Lee is a financial advisor with Eagle Strategies (NY Life) based in Calabasas, CA, holding a Series 63 designation and 35 years of industry experience. She has been with Eagle Strategies since 1994 and Nylife Securities Inc. since 1993, and has a total of 50 years in the financial services industry including time at Bankers Life Nebraska. Her other business activities include brokering non-registered investment-related insurance products through outside insurance carriers. Eagle Strategies serves a broad mix of individual and institutional clients, providing financial planning, investment management, and retirement-plan advisory services. The firm offers multiple program types and emphasizes tailoring recommendations to client objectives, managing the vast majority of assets on a non-discretionary basis while maintaining fiduciary responsibilities to retirement investors.

James Eddy is a financial advisor with TLG Advisors, Inc. He holds a Series 66 designation and has 20 years of industry experience. Prior to joining TLG Advisors in 2017, he worked at Lincoln Investment and has been involved with Pacific Southwest Financial/Capitas Financial since 2005. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as a director at Pacific Southwest Financial, where he is involved in consulting, teaching, and managing insurance brokerage services. TLG Advisors, Inc. manages approximately $2.0 billion in discretionary client assets and serves individuals, retirement plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, businesses, and institutional investors. The firm combines fundamental analysis and Modern Portfolio Theory in its investment approach and offers a direct-to-consumer program called Starlight Portfolios alongside traditional advisory services.

Emile Abinader is a financial advisor at Citigroup Global Markets with 27 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has been with Citigroup since 2007. Abinader owns several rental properties in the greater Los Angeles area, managing these investments outside of his securities trading hours. Citigroup Global Markets serves individual and institutional clients across various wealth segments, offering a range of investment advisory programs and execution services. The firm employs multi-asset, multi-manager strategies and blends large institutional scale with unique market roles, including swap dealing and futures commission activities.

Ashley Ethridge is a financial advisor with Eagle Strategies (NY Life) based in Glendale, CA, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 11 years of industry experience. She has worked in various roles since 2014, including at New York Life and Capital Edge Insurance & Financial Services, and is currently involved in brokering non-registered insurance products through her ownership of Frontline Finance & Insurance Services LLC. Eagle Strategies serves a diverse client base including individual investors and institutional sponsors, offering financial planning, investment management, and retirement-plan advisory services primarily on a non-discretionary basis. The firm provides tailored advisory solutions and operates within an integrated New York Life affiliate structure.

Gerardo Camacho is a financial advisor with Transamerica Financial Advisors, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and bringing 23 years of industry experience. His career includes roles at World Financial Group, WealthWave, and Revolution Financial Management. Outside of advisory work, he operates an independent tax preparation service and is involved in real estate activities. Transamerica Financial Advisors serves a diverse client base, including individuals, pension plans, trusts, and corporations, offering both advisory and broker-dealer services through proprietary and third-party investment programs.

Mark Schindler is a CFP®-certified financial advisor with GWN Securities Inc., based in Northridge, CA. He has 43 years of industry experience and has been with GWN Securities since 2014. Prior to that, he worked in college planning from 2014 to 2016. Outside of advising, he serves as an agent presenting self-insured medical reimbursement plans to business owners and benefit managers. GWN Securities is an SEC-registered investment adviser and broker-dealer with approximately 423 advisors managing $3.65 billion across over 37,000 client accounts. The firm offers discretionary managed accounts, financial planning, and access to third-party sub-advisers, delivering advice through a range of managed-account programs and model portfolios, including both traditional asset-allocation and legacy market-timing strategies.

Afrin Ahmed is a financial advisor with Citigroup Global Markets, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 31 years of industry experience. He has been with Citigroup Global Markets since 2007. Citigroup Global Markets serves individual and institutional clients across various wealth segments, offering a broad range of investment advisory programs as well as execution and custody services. The firm implements multi-asset, multi-manager strategies through discretionary and non-discretionary programs and combines large institutional scale with unique market roles and commercial arrangements.

Gary Levenstein is a financial advisor with Hightower Advisors, holding a Series 63 designation and 34 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Lindbrook Capital, LLC and Jess S. Morgan & Co., Inc. Since 2022, he has served as a board observer for Endera Corp, a private company. Hightower Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to a diverse range of individual and institutional clients, utilizing a multi-manager approach that includes proprietary research and a combination of affiliated and third-party managers. The firm serves pension plans, charitable organizations, corporations, trusts, and other financial institutions through discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting.

John Usry is a financial advisor with Eagle Strategies (NY Life) based in Glendale, CA, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and three years of industry experience. He previously spent 19 years at Aflac before joining New York Life and its affiliated firms. Outside of finance, he is active as a jazz saxophonist. Eagle Strategies serves a broad range of individual and institutional clients, providing financial planning, investment management, and retirement-plan advisory services. The firm offers customized advice through various program types, emphasizing non-discretionary asset management and working within an integrated New York Life affiliate structure.

Ryan Wehr is a financial advisor with Valic Financial Advisors in Glendale, CA, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and with 24 years of industry experience. He has been with Valic Financial Advisors since 2003 and is also involved with Agia, providing non-securities insurance products. Wehr is the owner of Wehr-Living, LLC, a company that rents semi-portable homes in areas with housing needs. Valic Financial Advisors primarily serves U.S.-based 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-developed UMA models for portfolio construction.

Ricardo Ramirez is a financial advisor with Eagle Strategies (NY Life) based in Glendale, CA. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has six years of industry experience. Ramirez has worked with Monarch Grove Wealth Strategies & Insurance Solutions LLC and RMR Insurance Solutions & Wealth Strategies, which he owns, brokering non-registered insurance products alongside his advisory role. Eagle Strategies serves a diverse client base including individual investors, defined contribution and defined benefit plans, and charitable and corporate clients, offering financial planning, investment management, and retirement-plan advisory services. The firm provides tailored advice through multiple programs and primarily manages assets on a non-discretionary basis within an integrated New York Life affiliate structure.

Gregory Meyer is a CFP® with 26 years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Independent Financial Group, LLC since 2022. He previously worked for Pash & Benson International Ltd Inc for 19 years and NPB Financial Group, LLC for 16 years. Meyer also engages in insurance sales, offering life, health, disability, and long-term care insurance outside of his role at Independent Financial Group. Independent Financial Group is a large, integrated advisory and brokerage firm that provides investment advisory programs, financial planning, and retirement plan services to a diverse client base, including high-net-worth individuals, trusts, and business owners. The firm combines in-house and third-party investment models and operates both as a registered investment adviser and an active broker-dealer.

Aplavya Gupta is a financial advisor at Mercer Global Advisors Inc. with six years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and previously worked at SB Capital Management, Inc. for six years. Mercer Global Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, high-net-worth families, small business owners, corporate plan sponsors, foundations, and nonprofits. The firm employs a Modern Portfolio Theory-based approach with globally diversified, risk-appropriate portfolios and offers a range of investment solutions alongside financial, retirement, tax, and estate planning services.

Timothy Briody is a financial advisor with Transamerica Retirement Advisors, LLC, holding a Series 66 designation and four years of industry experience. His prior work includes roles at Bank of America, Merrill, New York Life, Edward Jones, Northwestern Mutual, and Quicken Loans, where he was employed for 14 years. Transamerica Retirement Advisors serves participants in employer-sponsored retirement plans and IRA owners through various advice programs that focus on asset allocation, contribution rates, and retirement age guidance. The firm’s investment approach incorporates proprietary software and model portfolios developed by Morningstar Investment Management and serves a large client base with a focus on non-discretionary assets.

Elarsen Flores is a financial advisor at Citigroup Global Markets with 9 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has been with Citibank N.A. since 2008. Citigroup Global Markets serves individual and institutional clients across various segments, including workplace, high-net-worth, and ultra-high-net-worth. The firm offers a broad range of investment advisory programs and execution services, implementing multi-asset, multi-manager strategies with both discretionary and non-discretionary options.

Carl Ermelbauer is a CFP® professional at NewEdge Advisors with nine years of industry experience. He has worked at various firms including WealthSource Partners, JP Morgan Securities, and American Financial Network Advisory Services. Outside of his advisory role, he is involved in insurance sales and serves as managing partner and owner of Financial North Partners. NewEdge Advisors is an enterprise‑scale registered investment adviser serving individuals, pension and profit‑sharing plans, corporations, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations through a network of independent adviser representatives. The firm offers comprehensive portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement consulting, combining in‑house and third‑party investment solutions with centralized due diligence and technology tools.

Yelena Kalashnikova is a financial advisor at TLG Advisors, Inc. with 15 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has previously worked at J.P. Morgan Securities, JPMorgan Chase Bank, and Wescom Financial Services. Outside of her advisory role, she serves as a certified swim official for USA Swimming. TLG Advisors, Inc. is an SEC-registered investment adviser managing approximately $2.0 billion in discretionary assets. The firm serves individuals, retirement plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, businesses, and institutional investors, offering services including portfolio management, financial and estate planning, and ERISA fiduciary services.

Elias Martinez is a financial advisor at Kestra Advisory with six years of industry experience. He holds Series 66 and Series 63 designations and has previously worked at Edward Jones, TekSystems, LPL Enterprise LLC, and Glendale Securities Inc. Kestra Advisory Services provides investment advisory and retirement-plan consulting to a range of institutional and individual clients, offering services including fiduciary consulting, plan design, and employee education. The firm serves large institutional investors and manages approximately $79.8 billion in assets.