Having always loved math and problem‑solving, I looked for a world where puzzles were real, human, and meaningful. That curiosity grew into a career built on helping people feel confident about their money and their future. I founded Traction Wealth Management in 2018 with one clear goal: turn financial complexity into clarity. My clients often tell me I make things feel simple and easy to understand. I think that’s because I lead with education, not jargon. I want clients to know the why behind each recommendation, but never to feel buried in details. It’s about finding that balance between understanding the plan and trusting the process. Much of my practice centers on two groups I care deeply about. I grew up around court reporters. My mom owned a court‑reporting agency, and I saw how underserved their profession can be. Helping them build stability and independence has become a personal mission. Here in San Diego, I also work closely with retirees navigating what’s often the most financially significant chapter of their lives. My role is to relieve the anxiety that can come with big decisions and give them peace of mind that they’re on solid footing. When I’m not advising, you’ll probably find me outdoors surfing, riding motocross, walking our long‑haired dachshund, or relaxing with my wife on the beach. Ultimately, what drives me is helping people feel that first deep exhale. That moment they realize they no longer have to carry the stress alone. Financial planning can be clear, steady, and even freeing when you have the right guide beside you.

David Banks is a financial advisor at Phase Two Capital, LLC with 10 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has been with Phase Two Capital since 2015. Phase Two Capital, LLC provides discretionary portfolio management to individual and high-net-worth clients, offering tailored investment programs supported by written Investment Policy Statements. The firm employs fundamental analysis and modern portfolio theory with a long-term trading orientation, managing approximately $25.5 million in assets across nine client accounts.

Christopher Lavine is a CFA® charterholder based in Solana Beach, CA, and has been with Marstone LLC since 2013. He holds a Series 63 license and has 13 years of industry experience. Marstone LLC provides online financial advisory and discretionary portfolio management services to individual investors, institutions, and other advisers through sub-advisory agreements. The firm uses an algorithmic process to assess client risk and manage diversified ETF portfolios, employing a buy-and-hold approach with periodic rebalancing and customized adjustments.

Darin Delozier is a financial advisor at Frassati Wealth with one year of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and previously worked at Foundation Wealth Planning LLC for two years. Outside of advising, he has worked at Catholic Answers since 2005. Frassati Wealth LLC is a fee-only registered investment adviser serving individuals and high-net-worth clients with asset-allocation driven portfolios combining passive and active strategies. The firm integrates Catholic social-teaching screens in its investment approach and offers tailored financial planning and discretionary portfolio management.

Hal Schweiger is a CFP® with 23 years of industry experience based in San Diego, CA. He founded BlueWater Wealth Management, LLC in 2021 and previously worked at Blue Water Capital Management, LLC from 2008 to 2021. BlueWater Wealth Management, LLC provides tailored investment management and project-based financial planning services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, and employer plan sponsors, including pension and profit-sharing plans. The firm’s investment approach emphasizes Modern Portfolio Theory and primarily uses passive index mutual funds and ETFs to build diversified portfolios, integrating fundamental analysis and individualized investment policies. The firm combines pension consulting and employee benefit plan services with individual wealth management, drawing on Schweiger’s prior experience in pension plan oversight.

Jane Edmondson is the founder and managing member of JLE Wealth Management, LLC, an independent advisory firm based in San Diego, CA. She holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has 24 years of industry experience. Prior to her current role, Ms. Edmondson worked at TMX VettaFi and founded EQM Indexes, LLC, where she remains majority owner and partners in licensing indices used as benchmarks for exchange-traded products. JLE Wealth Management is a woman-owned firm that provides discretionary investment management and bundled financial planning to individuals, high-net-worth, and institutional clients. The firm employs a quantitative, model-driven stock selection process that integrates fundamental and market-sentiment data, with ongoing portfolio rebalancing and risk controls.

Brian Basinger is a CFP® professional with 19 years of industry experience. He has been the sole advisor at Sapient Road Wealth Management, LLC since 2013. The firm is a state-registered independent investment adviser based in San Diego, CA. Sapient Road Wealth Management serves individuals, including high-net-worth clients, and pension/profit-sharing plans by providing discretionary portfolio management alongside financial planning and consulting. The firm focuses on customized, long-term portfolios primarily invested in low-cost passive index mutual funds, with active rebalancing and trading used as needed to manage risk and meet client objectives.

Mark Huffman is the sole advisor at Mark C. Huffman, CPA/RIA in San Diego, CA, with 29 years of experience as an RIA and CPA. He also provides tax preparation services alongside his advisory work. The firm offers retirement and investment planning for individuals, corporations, trusts, and nonprofit organizations, managing $95.1 million on a discretionary basis. Portfolios are constructed using individual securities, ETFs, and mutual funds selected through multi-year performance screening, with allocations tailored to client risk tolerances and reviewed regularly.

Kurt Swanson is the principal advisor at The Swanson Financial Group in San Diego, CA, with 30 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 designations and has led his independent firm since 2012. Outside of his advisory work, Swanson is a licensed independent life and health insurance agent and serves as vice president of a local homeowners association. The Swanson Financial Group provides financial planning and investment management services to individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm uses a non-discretionary approach to portfolio management, constructing individualized portfolios based on asset allocation and modern portfolio theory while conducting regular client reviews and monitoring.

Shane Fernandez is a financial advisor at Abundance Pathways LLC with one year of industry experience and holds a Series 66 designation. Prior to his current role, he worked with Equitable Advisors and has experience in other fields including hospitality and fitness, serving as a bartender and yoga instructor. Abundance Pathways LLC is a fee-only, state-registered investment adviser serving individuals, employer plan sponsors, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm offers a blend of fundamental and technical investment analysis alongside Modern Portfolio Theory, and provides retirement plan consulting with an ERISA fiduciary role, utilizing both in-house and third-party model portfolios.

Adam Bileckyj is the principal advisor at Brightway Wealth Planning in Poway, CA, holding Series 65 and Series 63 licenses with nine years of industry experience. He has worked in various roles including at Principal Life Insurance Company and Principal Securities INC before founding his independent advisory firm. In addition to financial advising, Bileckyj operates as an independent insurance agent. Brightway Wealth Planning serves individuals, including high-net-worth clients, as well as small businesses and corporations, providing customized financial planning, investment consultation, and nondiscretionary portfolio management. The firm employs a globally diversified investment approach combining Modern Portfolio Theory with a Core + Satellite framework, managing portfolios on a long-term buy-and-hold basis with client-specific guidelines.

Donald Dalesandro is a financial advisor at Liberty Solutions Advisors with 28 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 63 and Series 65 designations. Prior to joining Liberty Solutions Advisors in 2019, he worked at Tate Asset Management and DCO Wealth Management from 2015 to 2019. Liberty Solutions Advisors provides portfolio management and investment advice to individual clients, pension and profit-sharing plans, and business entities. The firm uses a combination of charting, fundamental and technical analysis, and employs a range of strategies from long-term investing to short-term trading, including options, margin, short sales, and access to private placements and alternative investments. Unlike many peers, Liberty Solutions manages accounts directly and offers performance-based compensation alongside traditional fee models.

Francisco Watkins is a financial advisor with Asesoria Financiera Independiente, Inc. in San Diego, CA, holding a Series 66 designation and bringing 16 years of industry experience. His prior experience includes a role at UBS International Inc. from 2008 to 2009. Asesoria Financiera Independiente provides fee-only investment advice primarily to individuals, families, and small businesses, focusing on a strategic asset allocation approach with a core-and-satellite design. The firm serves a client base composed entirely of citizens and residents of Mexico and emphasizes nondiscretionary advisory services with periodic portfolio reviews.

Matthew Garrett is the principal of The Garrett Group, an independent investment advisory firm based in San Diego, CA. He holds Series 63 and 65 licenses and has 19 years of industry experience. Prior to founding The Garrett Group in 1997, he also has been involved with TGG Management Company, Inc. since 2008. Outside of advisory services, Garrett is a managing member of San Elijo Partners, LLC, which invests in small businesses, and he serves on the board of Strategic Information Group, International, a software sales and consulting firm. The Garrett Group provides investment management, financial planning, and consulting services to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and small businesses. The firm operates a multi-family office model focused on tailored advice based on fundamental analysis and investment cycle monitoring, managing accounts on a discretionary basis without imposing formal account minimums.

Richard Faust is the sole advisor at Faust Capital Management, LLC, an independent firm based in San Diego, CA. He holds the CFA® designation and Series 63 license, with 16 years of industry experience. Faust has managed his boutique advisory firm since 2009 and has a background that includes institutional and trust portfolio management as well as recognition as a Wall Street Journal All-Star research analyst. Faust Capital Management provides discretionary portfolio management and investment advice primarily to individual clients. The firm employs a model-driven tactical asset allocation approach combined with direct security selection, focusing notably on technology stocks, and emphasizes a hands-on, practitioner-led portfolio management style.

Amanda Austin is the sole advisor at Austin Consulting, holding a Series 65 designation with three years of industry experience. She previously spent 20 years at Engel Consulting. Austin Consulting provides portfolio management and investment services to individuals, trusts, estates, and charitable institutions. The firm employs a conservative, fundamental analysis approach using mutual funds and ETFs, operates on a non-discretionary basis, and customizes advice according to each client’s financial situation.

Zachary Rodriguez is a Series 65-registered financial advisor with Outlive Financial Planning LLC in San Diego, CA, bringing one year of industry experience. He previously served in the U.S. Navy for 12 years and currently holds a role as Assistant Operations Officer at Tactical Control Squadron 11, where he manages operational tasks and mission planning. Outlive Financial Planning LLC is an independent firm offering fee-only investment management and comprehensive financial planning to individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm employs both passive and active investment strategies, provides various engagement formats including project-based and subscription options, and coordinates estate-planning services through third-party providers.

Kathleen Covey is a CFP® professional with 45 years of experience in financial advising. She is the principal of Covey & Covey, an independent firm she has operated since 1983. Her prior experience includes roles at Independent Financial Group, LLC and WestPark Capital Inc. Covey serves as secretary for North County Women In Networking, a nonprofit organization supporting charitable causes. Covey & Covey primarily serves individual clients and small entities, offering comprehensive financial planning through fixed-fee plans and hourly consultations. The firm does not custody client assets or provide discretionary portfolio management, instead focusing on detailed written plans and assisting clients with implementation via third-party managers or brokerage transactions.

John Marchand is a financial advisor with Best Options Financial Planning in San Diego, CA. He holds the ChFC® designation and securities licenses Series 65 and Series 63. Prior to his current role, he spent over a decade in renewable energy firms, including EDF Renewable Energy and several other energy-related companies. Best Options Financial Planning provides wealth management and financial planning services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, and businesses. The firm integrates financial planning with investment management, utilizing a combination of passive and active asset allocation strategies, and offers both ongoing and project-based planning.

Glenda Moehlenpah is a CFP® and Series 65-licensed financial advisor with 24 years of experience at Financial Bridges, a sole-proprietor firm based in Poway, CA. She also provides tax preparation services as a CPA, dedicating part of her year to preparing individual tax returns. Financial Bridges offers financial planning, investment consultation, and tax preparation services primarily to individual investors and families, focusing on project-based or as-needed engagements without managing client assets directly. The firm emphasizes globally diversified asset allocation and provides implementation education without discretionary portfolio management or custody.