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 in San Diego, CA, holding a Series 66 license. He began his advisory career in 2025 and has prior experience working at Equitable Advisors and Axos. Outside of finance, Fernandez works as a bartender and yoga instructor in local San Diego establishments. Abundance Pathways LLC is a fee-only, state-registered investment adviser established in 2025 that provides investment management, financial planning, wealth management, and retirement plan consulting to individuals, plan sponsors, nonprofits, and businesses. The firm combines traditional and modern portfolio construction techniques, uses both passive and active investment vehicles, and emphasizes retirement plan consulting and fiduciary services for plan sponsors.

Edward Devine III is a CFP® and holds a Series 66 license with 11 years of industry experience. He is the sole advisor at Roth Builder Investments, where he has worked since 2020. Prior to that, he held positions at Epstein & White LLC, Zeiders, and Creative Planning. Devine is also the Founder and CEO of Rothbuilder Holdings Inc., a role that occupies roughly half of his time. Roth Builder Investments is a state-registered advisory firm that provides an automated, discretionary online investment service for individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm integrates fundamental and technical analysis with Modern Portfolio Theory and uses passive index funds or ETFs to pursue long-term, risk-adjusted, after-tax returns.

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 the sole advisor at Asesoria Financiera Independiente, Inc. in San Diego, CA, holding a Series 66 designation with 16 years of industry experience. He has worked at the firm since 2011, focusing on independent financial advisory services. Asesoria Financiera Independiente, Inc. provides fee-only, nondiscretionary investment advice primarily to families and family-held trusts. The firm employs a strategic asset-allocation, core-and-satellite approach with globally diversified portfolios, serving a concentrated client base in Mexico and emphasizing currency-aware, internationally diversified investments without the use of margin, short sales, derivatives, private equity, or hedge funds.

Matthew Garrett is the sole advisor at The Garrett Group in San Diego, CA, with 29 years of experience in the financial industry. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has been involved with TGG Management Company, Inc. since 2008. Outside of his advisory work, he is a managing member of San Elijo Partners, LLC, which invests in small businesses, and serves as a board member for Strategic Information Group, International, a software sales and consulting firm. The Garrett Group provides investment advisory and financial planning services to individuals, small businesses, trusts, estates, and retirement plans. The firm offers portfolio management, multi-family office wealth management, and financial consulting, with an emphasis on fundamental and cyclical investment analysis and primarily non-discretionary client relationships.

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 the sole advisor at Best Options Financial Planning, an independent registered investment adviser based in San Diego, CA. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has a background primarily in the renewable energy sector, with over a decade of experience at EDF Renewable Energy and several related firms prior to founding his advisory practice in 2026. Best Options Financial Planning provides wealth management and financial planning services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, and corporations. The firm employs a blend of passive and active strategies grounded in modern portfolio theory and asset-allocation principles, offering both discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management across a broad range of securities.

Kenneth Kneale Jr. is a CFP® professional with three years of industry experience, currently operating as the sole advisor at his independent firm, Arcadian Financial Services. His background includes roles at the Boston Institute of Finance and Coretex Limited, Inc., as well as prior self-employment. Arcadian Financial Services is a fee-only, state-registered advisory firm providing written financial planning to individuals, high-net-worth clients, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm specializes in tiered planning engagements and hourly consulting, typically recommending passive, index-based investment allocations supplemented by fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis, without offering discretionary portfolio management or custody of assets.

Anatoly Zuban is the principal of A. TO Z. Financial Consulting and Wealth Management in San Diego, CA, with 22 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has been involved with A to Z Financial Consulting and Wealth Management since 1994 and ATZ Consulting since 2014. A to Z Financial Consulting and Wealth Management provides individualized portfolio management and retirement plan consulting to individual clients, including high-net-worth individuals, as well as state and municipal retirement plans. The firm combines fundamental and technical analysis with an investment approach focused on value, safety, quality, and risk control, offering strategies such as option-based techniques and client-imposed portfolio restrictions.

James Sias is a CFP® professional and principal of Count Your Beans Financial Planning LLC in Bonita, CA. He has worked in the Pipeline Training & Servicing Department since 2014 and is also an independent insurance agent specializing in property and casualty insurance. His insurance activities have been ongoing since 2014, with additional experience in life and health insurance since 2018. Count Your Beans Financial Planning is a fee-based Registered Investment Adviser that serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, and businesses. The firm focuses on passive, low-cost asset allocation and portfolio construction, providing financial planning, investment analysis, and insurance services without discretionary management or asset custody.

Vincent Lucas is a financial advisor at Pacific Equity Advisors LLC in La Jolla, CA, with two years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has worked since 2008 at Pacific Equity Management in an operations and administrative role for hedge funds, though he does not provide advisory services for that entity. Pacific Equity Advisors LLC is a single-advisor registered investment adviser serving individuals, high-net-worth clients, and charitable organizations with discretionary portfolio management. The firm employs cyclical and fundamental analysis and utilizes a range of investment strategies including long-term and short-term trading, short sales, and private placements.

Gifford Tompkins Jr. is a financial advisor with The Tides Group, holding Series 63 and Series 65 designations and five years of industry experience. He has been with The Tides Group since 2018 and previously worked at World Vision International. The Tides Group is an investment manager that advises pooled investment vehicles, institutional accounts, and high net worth individuals. The firm uses active investment techniques, including derivatives in separately managed accounts, and provides discretionary portfolio management services.

Barret Frost is a financial advisor at Breakaway Independent Advisors, LLC in San Diego, CA, holding Series 65 and Series 66 licenses with 23 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Purshe Kaplan Sterling Investments, Fusion Financial Partners LLC, Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC, and Linsco Private Ledger. Breakaway Independent Advisors is a state-registered independent firm that offers discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and access to third-party money managers. The firm manages portfolios across various asset classes using a combination of fundamental, technical, quantitative, and asset-allocation strategies, and also assists clients with legacy annuity and insurance contracts through Broker of Record transitions and related services.

Carr Cavender is the sole advisor at Cavender Financial Planning, LLC in San Diego, CA. He holds the CFP® and ChFC® designations and has 12 years of experience with Aravaipa Productions LLC. Cavender Financial Planning provides investment management and integrated financial planning services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, and qualified retirement plans. The firm employs a long-term, asset-allocation approach with internally managed portfolios emphasizing diversification and cost-efficient investment vehicles.

Money is not complicated - our relationship with money is. As an industry, financial services has traditionally put the spotlight on money, failing to center the human in the story. Money is a human construct - it is an extension, a reflection, and a record of us and how we live. Money is important, but not as important as you. As a financial planner, my role is to support, guide, inform, and empower my clients to integrate money and finance into their lives in a way that is deeply personal and affirming. If you want to connect to money and finance in a new and positive way, we should talk! My journey in finance began in 1992, and since then I have worked with thousands of professionals and clients in the industry. Working with companies large and small and people from all walks of life, I have amassed deep expertise and empathy available to anyone who wants to create better outcomes and a healthier relationship with money. Family, curiosity, and trust are my highest values. There is nothing I love more than hiking the Northern California mountains with my husband Martin and son Sebastian or laughing wildly with my sisters and mom over something silly. I am a proud graduate of Mount Holyoke College, receiving a Bachelors of Arts in International Relations. I have held the Certified Financial Planner designation since 2003 and in 2018 I received a Juris Doctor from St. Francis School of Law.

Tan Khoa Ngo is the sole advisor at Mentor Financial Advisory Group, Ltd. in San Diego, CA, holding a Series 63 designation with 28 years of industry experience. He has been with Mentor Financial Advisory Group since 1992. Mentor Financial Advisory Group, Ltd. is a fee-only financial planning and investment advisory firm serving primarily high-net-worth individuals and occasionally corporations. The firm employs a fundamental analysis investment approach within a broad asset-allocation framework, combining passive, low-expense index strategies for long-term allocations with shorter-term trading as appropriate, and manages portfolios on a non-discretionary basis requiring client authorization for trades.