Nicolas Ryder is a financial advisor at Empower Advisory Group with a Series 65 designation and one year of experience. His prior roles include positions at Holborn Assets and California Lutheran University. He is based in San Diego, CA. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management primarily to employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors and their participants, along with Empower Premier IRA and certain retail brokerage account clients. The firm offers integrated services tied to Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative platforms, delivering point-in-time financial plans and optional managed account solutions.

Eric Davis is a CFP® with six years of industry experience, currently serving at Focus Partners Wealth, LLC. His prior roles include positions at The Colony Group, LLC, HoyleCohen, LLC, Davis & Seiley Wealth Management, Inc., and Capital One Financial Corp. He holds a Series 65 registration and is based in San Diego, CA. Focus Partners Wealth serves individuals, families, charitable organizations, corporations, and institutional retirement plans, providing investment management, financial planning, tax and compliance support, family office and business management, and employee benefit retirement plan services. The firm employs a long-term investment approach with an enhanced open architecture that includes active and passive strategies, third-party managers, private funds, and tactical overlays, customizing portfolios to clients’ specific risk tolerance, liquidity, and tax circumstances.

Timothy Garcia is a financial advisor at Guardian Life with five years of industry experience and holds a Series 66 designation. His career includes roles at CUSO Financial Services, MML Investors Services, and MassMutual Life Insurance Company. Guardian Life’s subsidiary, Park Avenue® Wealth Management, provides brokerage and investment advisory services to individuals, corporate and retirement plan sponsors, charitable organizations, and businesses, combining advisor-led discretionary management with model-based strategies and a range of proprietary and third-party programs.

James Amerman is a CFP® professional with 10 years of experience in financial advisory services. He currently works at First Command Advisory Services and has held positions at firms including Fortress Wealth Management and Pure Financial Advisors. Amerman serves as an instructor for the California Society of CPAs, creating and delivering educational content on Roth strategies. First Command Advisory Services, Inc. is an SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, corporate, and charitable clients, with a focus on active-duty service members and their families. The firm offers financial planning and multiple wrap-fee asset management programs, using a centralized Investment Management Team and Wealth Portfolio Managers to design and manage model portfolios.

Janet Kohrmann is a CFP® with 18 years of experience in financial advising, currently practicing at Farther since 2023. Her prior roles include positions at Goldman Sachs PFM and United Capital Financial Advisers, LLC. Farther provides discretionary investment management and advisory services mainly to individual investors, trusts, and estates through a combination of digital platforms and in-person meetings. The firm implements investment strategies based on Modern Portfolio Theory using proprietary model portfolios and algorithmic rebalancing, incorporating exchange-traded funds, mutual funds, individual equities, fixed income, and AI-supported advisor judgment.

Michelle Hall is a financial advisor at Creative Planning with a Series 65 designation and two years of industry experience. She has held positions at Creative Planning since 2023, previously working at The Retirement Advantage, OneAmerica Retirement Services, and Alpha & Omega Financial Management Consultants Inc. Creative Planning provides investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, corporations, foundations, trusts, and retirement plans. The firm manages approximately $217 billion in assets and employs a financial planning–led investment process that emphasizes low-cost indexing and buy-and-hold strategies, supplemented by direct indexing, tax-loss harvesting, and other tactical approaches.

William Floros is a financial advisor at Empower Advisory Group with nine years of industry experience and holds the Series 66 designation. His prior roles include positions at Personal Capital Advisors Corporation, LPL Financial, and Morgan Stanley. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management primarily to employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors and their participants, as well as Empower Premier IRA and certain retail brokerage clients. The firm emphasizes long-term portfolio returns and integrated services aligned with Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative platforms.

Mark Nguyen is a financial advisor at First Command Advisory Services with one year of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as the Chief Financial Officer for Legendary Lion Dance, a community nonprofit organization managing payments, expenses, and tax filings. First Command Advisory Services is an SEC-registered firm serving individuals, corporate, and charitable clients, with a focus on active-duty service members and their families. The firm offers financial planning and wrap-fee asset management programs using model portfolios managed by a centralized Investment Management Team and Wealth Portfolio Managers.

Sibi Joseph is a financial advisor with Transamerica Financial Advisors in San Diego, CA, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and 11 years of industry experience. He has been with Transamerica Financial Advisors since 2015 and is also involved with Legacy Shield, providing wills and trusts services to assist clients with estate planning. Additionally, he serves as a college consultant with the Heartland Institute of Financial Education, referring clients to college planning services when relevant. Transamerica Financial Advisors serves a diverse client base that includes individual investors, pension plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and corporations. The firm offers a mix of advisory and broker-dealer services, utilizing proprietary and third-party model portfolios with both discretionary and non-discretionary program options.

Daniel Umansky is a financial advisor with Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services, LLC, holding a Series 63 designation and 34 years of industry experience. His prior experience includes roles at Cetera and First Allied firms from 2014 through 2025. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services, LLC is an SEC-registered enterprise advisory firm serving a diverse client base, including individuals, trusts, charitable organizations, corporations, and retirement plans. The firm offers financial planning, asset management, and specialized retirement consulting, utilizing a strategic investment process that combines passive and active management with quantitative and fundamental research.

Thomas Faley is a financial advisor at &PARTNERS with 24 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked previously at Wells Fargo Clearing and Ameriprise. He has been with &PARTNERS since 2026. &PARTNERS serves a diverse client base including individuals, institutions, and private businesses, providing investment management and a range of financial planning and brokerage services. The firm employs a combination of fundamental, technical, and quantitative analysis and offers both discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management through a mix of in-house and third-party strategies.

Kurt Eakin is a CFP® with 26 years of industry experience, currently serving as an advisor at Kestra Advisory. He previously spent 13 years at Commonwealth Financial Network. Outside of his advisory work, he is the owner and president of Coastal Life Ventures Inc., a firm involved in investment management and financial planning. Kestra Advisory provides investment advisory and retirement-plan consulting services to plan sponsors and a broad mix of institutional and individual clients, offering fiduciary consulting, plan design, employee education, and access to multiple management platforms and third-party solutions. The firm manages approximately $79.8 billion in assets and serves a diverse client base, including large institutional investors such as sovereign wealth funds.

Mark Ruffo is a financial advisor with Transamerica Retirement Advisors, LLC based in San Diego, CA. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has 28 years of industry experience. His career includes roles at Lincoln Financial and TD Ameritrade. Transamerica Retirement Advisors serves participants in employer-sponsored retirement plans and IRA owners through programs focused on asset allocation and retirement guidance, utilizing Morningstar Investment Management for portfolio construction and oversight.

Jeremy Gonzalez is a financial advisor at TLG Advisors, Inc. with 21 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked with firms including Forthright Capital Partners, Alpha Global Investments, and TD Ameritrade. Outside of advisory work, he is also involved as an independent insurance agent, focusing on life insurance and fixed annuity products. TLG Advisors serves a diverse client base ranging from individuals and high-net-worth clients to institutional investors, providing investment supervisory services, portfolio management, and fiduciary services for ERISA-qualified retirement plans. The firm emphasizes manager selection and monitoring through fundamental analysis and Modern Portfolio Theory, and offers digital portfolio solutions tailored to risk preferences.

Wang Liao is a CFA® charterholder and holds a Series 66 license with eight years of industry experience. He has been with HSBC Securities (USA) Inc. and HSBC Private Banking since 2017, and previously worked at Abroad Intellect, Inc. and DLD Asset Management, Lp. He also spent two years at Columbia University earlier in his career. HSBC Securities (USA) Inc. offers managed account programs to individuals, retirement accounts, charitable organizations, and corporations through various client-directed and discretionary program types. The firm uses a structured investment process with multiple risk profiles and collaborates with affiliated and third-party providers for advisory and fund management services.

Robert Mccauley is a financial advisor at Citigroup Global Markets with Series 63 and Series 66 credentials and four years of industry experience. His prior experience includes roles at Fidelity Investments and various positions connected to Colorado State University. Citigroup Global Markets serves individual and institutional clients across multiple wealth segments, offering a wide range of investment advisory programs and brokerage services. The firm employs multi-asset, multi-manager strategies through discretionary and non-discretionary programs, managing large-scale institutional and high-net-worth client relationships.

Jenny Cao is a financial advisor at Transamerica Financial Advisors with eight years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked in various roles, including positions at WFG Direct, F3 Insurance Services LLC, and St. Joseph Hospital, where she has also served as a registered nurse. Cao is involved in the sales of insurance and non-insurance products affiliated with Transamerica Financial Advisors. Transamerica Financial Advisors serves a wide range of clients, including individual investors, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and corporations. The firm offers both advisory and broker-dealer services, delivering advice through proprietary model suites and third-party managers with options for discretionary and non-discretionary management.

Gabriel Adams is a CFP® and holds a Series 66 license with 11 years of industry experience. He has worked at several firms including Creative Planning, LLC since 2021, as well as Reilly Financial Advisors, WCG Wealth Advisors, Beta Wealth Group, Epstein and White Financial, and LPL Financial. He is based in San Diego, CA. Creative Planning provides wealth management, financial planning, and retirement-plan advisory services to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, foundations, and corporations. The firm employs a financial-planning-led investment approach focused on low-cost indexing, buy-and-hold strategies, and selective private market exposure, managing approximately $295.6 billion in assets across more than 1,100 advisors.

Nicole Ross is a CFP® professional with 19 years of industry experience. She has been with Valic Financial Advisors since 2008 and has held a position at Agia since 2022. At Agia, she is involved with non-securities insurance products. Valic Financial Advisors serves primarily U.S. individuals, including high net worth clients and employer-sponsored retirement participants, offering portfolio management and financial planning through a large network of advisors. The firm manages discretionary unified managed accounts via Envestnet’s platform and provides tax-aware and impact/ESG overlay services.

Robert Sandrew is a financial advisor at Mariner with 28 years of industry experience. He holds Series 65 and Series 63 licenses and previously worked at Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC and LPL Financial for nine years. Mariner serves a diverse client base including individuals, pension plans, trusts, and corporations by offering investment management, financial planning, retirement consulting, and coordinated tax and family office services. The firm uses customized, discretionary portfolios supported by internal research and third-party managers, and provides comprehensive tax and administrative solutions uncommon among large advisory enterprises.