Valerie Gospodarek is a CFA® charterholder with 18 years of experience in financial advising. She is the principal of VG Financial Consulting, LLC, an independent firm she has led since 2017. Her prior roles include positions at Schmerling Financial Group, Garrison Murphy Wealth Management, and VR Advisors. VG Financial Consulting serves individuals, families, and financial professionals, particularly executives with stock-based compensation who may not meet traditional wealth management asset thresholds. The firm focuses on financial organizing, comprehensive planning, and implementation coaching without managing client assets, offering specialized services such as stock option modeling and cost-basis research.

Alvaro Illan Fernandez is a CFP® professional with five years of industry experience. He is the sole advisor at TrigoFi, an independent firm based in Emeryville, CA. Prior to founding TrigoFi, he worked at A&M Investment Management LLC for five years and took a two-year career break. He also provides non-investment-related consulting services to FTI Consulting, focusing on financial fraud expert reports and supply chain risk mitigation. Trigofi offers integrated wealth management to a very small client base, combining investment management and financial planning into a single service. The firm emphasizes strategic asset allocation and passive, index-based portfolios tailored through bespoke Investment Policies, primarily using low-cost ETFs with a long-term, low-turnover approach.

Keo Chao is a CFP® and Series 66-registered financial advisor with 17 years of industry experience. He is the sole advisor at Point4ward Financial Planning, where he has worked since 2020. His prior experience includes roles at Prudential and Cathleen Petersen EA. Point4ward Financial Planning offers tailored investment management and financial planning services to individual clients, focusing on both project-based advice and comprehensive one-year planning engagements. The firm employs a primarily passive, asset-class based investment approach supplemented by fundamental security analysis and utilizes model portfolios from a sub-advisor as part of its strategy.

Dana Nelson is a CFP® professional with 21 years of experience in the financial services industry. He is the principal at Truetide Wealth, LLC, an independent advisory firm he has led since 2018. Prior to founding Truetide Wealth, he was associated with Bell Investment Advisors, Inc. for over two decades, where he currently provides consulting to other investment adviser representatives. Truetide Wealth offers tailored investment management and comprehensive financial planning services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, pension plans, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm combines passive and active strategies based on client goals and risk tolerance, managing accounts primarily on a discretionary basis with regular portfolio reviews.

Michael Mccoy is a financial advisor at Arden Wealth Management with 22 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and worked previously at Lincoln Financial Securities Corporation for seven years. He is also a licensed insurance agent offering disability insurance, fixed/indexed annuities, and life insurance products. Arden Wealth Management provides portfolio management and financial planning services primarily to individual clients. The firm employs a long-term trading approach using various analysis methods and typically implements portfolios with mutual funds, ETFs, fixed income, and annuity products.

Gillette Edmunds is the sole advisor and principal at Rockridge Money Management LLC, an independent firm based in Oakland, CA. He holds a Series 65 credential and has 16 years of industry experience, having led Rockridge Money Management since its founding in 2010. Outside of his advisory work, Edmunds is an author of fiction novels, which he writes and publishes independently. Rockridge Money Management provides discretionary asset management and individualized portfolio supervision primarily for a small number of individual clients. The firm emphasizes fundamental analysis, focusing on dividend-paying stocks and constructing diversified portfolios that may include mutual funds, equities, and special situations, with trades executed on an individual account basis.

We work with people who want a long-term partnership where together we create a plan that uses your money and resources to live a fulfilling life that aligns with your deepest values while creating positive change in the world. We focus on who you are and what it is you want for yourself and loved ones. My passion is making financial planning an approachable and enjoyable experience. I became a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ to help people find solutions for their financial needs but soon realized that traditional financial planning was designed for a male head of household with a certain amount of wealth. Since I am most passionate about equality for women and the LGBTQ community, I realized that I needed additional skills to make financial planning meet our specific needs. So, I became a certified coach which allows me and my clients to go deeper to explore and clarify their individual values and goals. Once we’ve figured out what their ideal life looks like and what is really important to them, we can create a financial plan designed for them. Anyone who knows me knows of my deep love of pastries. I started my career as a pastry chef, fully embracing my creativity, a love of science and math, and delight in creating delicious concoctions. I loved this career, until one day I had an epiphany: My love of numbers and baking science acumen could be used in better ways to help the world. Turns out I like baking more as a hobby than as a career. No more petit fours! I returned to college as a women studies major determined to help women realize their potential and gain equality. Upon self-reflection I realized that I had a lot of passion but lacked any real skills to make the change in the world that I sought to make. Around this time my grandfather died, and I started helping my grandmother with her finances. We sought out information and together we came up with a financial plan for her new life alone. Helping my grandmother become financially independent was exactly the type of impact I wanted to have on other women’s lives. My career path was born.

Alexander Page is the sole advisor at Page Capital Private Wealth Management, LLC in Walnut Creek, CA. He holds a Series 66 designation and has nine years of industry experience, including five years with Morgan Stanley and one year at Tesla. Page serves on the finance board committee at Saint Mary’s Elementary School, where he is involved in budgeting, financial review, and programs to support school maintenance and teacher retention. Page Capital Private Wealth Management is an independent, single-advisor registered investment adviser serving individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and small- to midsize companies. The firm employs a variety of analytical and asset allocation methods and offers both discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management alongside standalone financial planning and consulting services.

Jack Chang is a CFP® with 21 years of experience in financial services. He is the principal of TaiBay Wealth Management LLC, an independent firm he has led since 2021. His prior roles include positions at Woodbury Financial Services and Questar Capital Corporation. Chang is also the owner of JLC Financial Services, where he assists clients with life, long-term care, and disability insurance. TaiBay Wealth Management LLC provides discretionary portfolio management and financial planning primarily to individual and high-net-worth clients, utilizing a mix of fundamental analysis and modern portfolio theory. The firm emphasizes a global investment approach, incorporating non-U.S. securities and various asset classes under discretionary authority.

Justin Ward is a CFP® and holds a Series 66 license with two years of industry experience. He is the sole advisor at Compass Wealth Planning LLC in Pleasant Hill, CA. Prior to founding Compass Wealth Planning, he worked at Raymond James Financial Services Advisors, Inc. and served in a support role at Summit Financial Group, where he assisted with client engagement and investment research. Compass Wealth Planning LLC serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, and qualified retirement plans, providing discretionary asset management, comprehensive financial planning, and ERISA plan support. The firm’s investment approach incorporates fundamental analysis and Modern Portfolio Theory to tailor portfolios according to client objectives and risk tolerance.

David Carroll is a financial advisor at Palisade Financial in Orinda, CA, with 14 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 designations and has been with Palisade Financial since 2011. Palisade Financial is an independent registered investment adviser that provides discretionary portfolio management and advisory services to individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm uses a combination of fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis to construct portfolios and typically seeks discretionary trading authority, employing a range of instruments and higher-risk trading techniques.

Robert Dawson is a financial advisor with Dawson Investment Management in Walnut Creek, CA, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and 24 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at LPL Financial and Ameriprise Financial Services. Dawson Investment Management provides investment advisory and wealth management services to individual and high-net-worth clients, focusing on customized, primarily long-term strategies implemented on a discretionary basis. The firm offers a range of portfolio options including mutual funds, ETFs, individual securities, and unit investment trusts, and features a wrap fee program that combines transaction, custody, and administrative costs into its asset-based advisory fee.

Martin Johnson is the principal of 361 Financial Planning, Inc. in Walnut Creek, CA, with 31 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked in estate planning and legal services, including as president and managing attorney of 360 Estate Planning, Inc. Johnson also serves as an associate director and finance coach for MBA students at the University of Notre Dame. 361 Financial Planning, Inc. provides wealth management and portfolio management services to individuals, high-net-worth individuals, trusts, and estates. The firm employs a primarily long-term investment approach based on fundamental analysis and manages approximately $5.2 million in client assets on a non-discretionary basis.

Frank Pare is a CFP® professional with over 32 years of industry experience. He is president of PF Wealth Management Group, LLC, where he has worked since 2006, and he also provides consulting services related to insurance needs through Ohio National Life Insurance Company. PF Wealth Management Group serves individuals, non-profit organizations, group retirement plans, and business owners seeking exit planning. The firm offers investment management, comprehensive financial planning, estate-planning support via digital platforms, and life and long-term-care insurance brokerage services.

I specialize in growing families that work in the medical and technology industries. My wife has worked as a physician since 2013, so I'm familiar with the challenges that those in the industry face. Geographically, we are located in the Bay Area, so my practice has naturally become split between medical professionals as well as those working at tech companies, with a significant portion coming from Google.

Jun Zhu is a CFA® charterholder and the sole advisor at Crystal Investment Management, where he has worked since 2010, accumulating 16 years of industry experience. He operates a separate business selling proprietary asset allocation signals to other advisors, generated through an automated computer program. Crystal Investment Management is an independent registered investment adviser that provides financial planning and discretionary investment management to individuals, high-net-worth clients, and institutions. The firm combines fundamental and quantitative methods, employing global macro and tactical asset allocation strategies alongside a long/short statistical-arbitrage approach.

Patrick O'Brien is the sole advisor at Jackson Peak Capital LLC in Lafayette, CA, with 10 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and previously worked at Serent Capital and JP Morgan Securities LLC. Jackson Peak Capital LLC provides discretionary portfolio management to individuals, high-net-worth clients, and select institutional clients. The firm employs a comprehensive investment process that includes fundamental, cyclical, quantitative, and technical analysis, managing accounts on a discretionary basis in accordance with client-specific Investment Policy Statements.

Sylphiel Yip is a financial advisor at Uplift Investing, Inc with 10 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at Uplift Investing since 2017, following seven years at G.X.Clarke/INTL FCStone. Uplift Investing, Inc provides discretionary portfolio management and advisory services primarily to individual clients and also serves as a subadviser to other investment advisers. The firm uses a long-term trading approach with a variety of analytical methods and offers a wrap fee program that consolidates custodial, brokerage, and transaction costs into a single fee.

Ty Rollins is the sole advisor at Ty Rollins, Inc. in Walnut Creek, CA, holding a Series 65 designation with three years of industry experience. Prior to founding his firm, he worked for 25 years at AT&T Services, Inc. and also operates One Source Lighting, Inc. since 2019. Ty Rollins, Inc. provides fee-only financial planning services to individuals and high-net-worth clients, focusing on comprehensive written or electronic plans and ongoing support. The firm does not offer investment management or custody of client funds and emphasizes passive portfolios with low-cost index funds and ETFs, along with tax-sensitive retirement planning topics. Services are billed as fixed or subscription fees, with compensation accepted only directly from clients.

Timothy Oshima is a CFP® with 13 years of experience in financial advising. He is the principal advisor at Acclaro Wealth Management, LLC, where he has worked since 2015, and he is also a co-owner of Simplera Benefits & Insurance Solutions. Outside of advising, he provides input on user interface and other aspects for a financial software development project. Acclaro Wealth Management offers investment management and financial planning to individuals, qualified retirement plans, trusts, and small businesses. The firm uses a disciplined approach that includes written Investment Policy Statements, ongoing monitoring, and a combination of fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis, with implementation methods that may involve model portfolios, independent money managers, and wrap-fee arrangements.