Shilu Sheng is a CFP® at Creative Planning with one year of industry experience. Prior to joining Creative Planning, Sheng worked at Bank of New York Mellon for seven years and PricewaterhouseCoopers for four years. Creative Planning provides wealth management, financial planning, and retirement-plan advisory services to a diverse client base, including high-net-worth individuals, pension plans, and corporations. The firm employs a financial-planning-led investment approach incorporating low-cost indexing, buy-and-hold strategies, and selective private market exposure while offering a range of institutional and retirement plan services.

Darren Taggart is a financial advisor at Citigroup Global Markets with 13 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at Citigroup since 2017, with prior roles at JP Morgan Securities LLC and JP Morgan Chase Bank. 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 through both discretionary and non-discretionary programs and combines large institutional scale with specialized market roles and arrangements.

Angela Berry is a financial advisor at TIAA-CREF in Walnut Creek, CA, with 22 years of industry experience. She holds a Series 66 designation and has previously worked at firms including Fidelity, JPMorgan Securities, Merrill, and Bank of America. Outside of her advisory role, she is involved with a modeling agency. TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC’s Advice & Planning Services division provides financial planning and discretionary managed account programs to individuals, trusts, estates, and small retirement plans, often serving clients with existing TIAA retirement relationships. The firm offers a range of advisory services including model portfolio management and customized portfolio solutions within a fiduciary framework.

Teresa Beltran is a financial advisor at Rockefeller Financial LLC with a Series 66 designation and four years of industry experience. She has been with Rockefeller Financial since 2019 and previously worked in the mortgage industry and at Wells Fargo Bank. Rockefeller Financial LLC serves high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth individuals, families, family offices, institutional clients, retirement plans, foundations, and corporations. The firm provides discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, consulting, and operates as a registered broker-dealer offering securities transactions, variable insurance products, and investment banking services.

Silje Solstad Normann is a financial advisor with Empower Advisory Group in Concord, CA. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has three years of industry experience. Her prior work includes roles at Empower Financial Services, Symetra Investment Management, and several positions outside the financial sector, including at Pacific Lutheran University and Army & Air Force Exchange Services. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management primarily to employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors and their participants, as well as to Empower Premier IRA and certain retail brokerage clients. The firm’s services integrate with Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative platforms and focus on long-term portfolio returns and client savings rates.

Laurie Marks is a financial advisor at Hightower Advisors with nine years of industry experience. She holds Series 63, 65, and 66 licenses and has worked at firms including J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. and TrigoFi, Inc. She serves on the Finance Committee of the San Francisco Waldorf School, providing financial oversight and planning support. Hightower Advisors offers investment advisory and planning services to a diverse client base, including individual and institutional investors. The firm’s approach emphasizes manager selection and multi-manager solutions, utilizing both affiliated and third-party managers across a range of investment vehicles.

Evan Rothschild is a financial advisor at Focus Partners Wealth, LLC with 13 years of industry experience. He holds the CFP®, CFA®, and Series 66 designations. His previous roles include positions at Adero Partners, LLC, Morgan Stanley Private Bank, N.A., Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC, Morris Rothschild Capital, and Founders Asset Management LLC. Rothschild also serves on the investment committee of Jade PTC LLC, a private trust company. Focus Partners Wealth serves individuals, high-net-worth families, family offices, and institutional clients with a range of wealth management and advisory services. The firm employs a long-term, tax- and fee-sensitive investment approach using a blend of active and passive strategies, third-party managers, and private funds within an enhanced open architecture framework.

Jeff Giguere is a CFP® with nine years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Mercer Global Advisors Inc. in Walnut Creek, CA. His prior experience includes roles at Capital Advantage Inc. and Wells Fargo Advisors. 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 follows a Modern Portfolio Theory-based approach, emphasizing globally diversified, risk-appropriate portfolios with multi-factor tilts and tax management, offering a range of implementation options across ETFs, mutual funds, and separately managed accounts.

John Hall II is a financial advisor with Private Advisor Group, LLC, holding Series 63 and Series 66 credentials and bringing 32 years of industry experience. His career includes significant tenures at Waddell & Reed, Inc., LPL Financial, and Strategic Wealth Advisors Group. He is also a contributing author to the publication "Bloom Where You Are Planted and Shine." Private Advisor Group serves individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, businesses, and retirement plans by offering discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, retirement consulting, and access to various advisory programs. The firm employs a fiduciary-based model using technology platforms and a range of investment strategies, often implementing advice through third-party managers and TAMPs.

Herbert Pease is a CFP® with 14 years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Mariner Wealth Advisors since 2022. His previous roles include positions at Cavu Wealth Advisors, HSBC Securities, HSBC Bank, and Charles Schwab. Outside of his advisory work, he is involved in several community and youth organizations, including serving as president and board member of the West Coast Greco Regional Training Center and as an assistant wrestling coach at De La Salle High School. Mariner Wealth Advisors serves a diverse client base, offering investment management, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and access to pooled vehicles and third-party managers. The firm combines discretionary, customized portfolios overseen by an internal investment committee with integrated tax, accounting, and financial wellness services.

Rebekah Mull is a CFP® and holds a Series 65 license, currently with Focus Partners Wealth, LLC. She has nine years of industry experience, including prior roles at Adero Partners, LLC, Ebert Capital Management Inc., and Premier Financial Group. Focus Partners Wealth serves individuals, high-net-worth families, family offices, and institutional clients through a range of wealth management and advisory services. The firm employs a long-term, tax- and fee-sensitive investment approach that combines active and passive strategies, third-party managers, and private funds within an enhanced open architecture framework.

Jason Diaz is a financial advisor with Kestra Advisory Services, holding a Series 66 designation and 14 years of industry experience. He has been with Kestra Advisory and Kestra Investment Services since 2016. Outside of his advisory role, Diaz serves on the Board of Directors for the Selective Service System and participates in motorcycle racing activities, including serving as a treasurer for a racing organization. Kestra Advisory Services provides investment advisory and retirement-plan consulting to both institutional and individual clients, offering services such as fiduciary consulting, plan design, investment advice, and employee education. The firm serves large institutional investors and employs multiple management platforms and third-party solutions in its supervisory framework.

Joseph Carrano is a financial advisor at Citigroup Global Markets with 16 years of industry experience. He holds the ChFC® designation along with Series 63, 65, and 66 licenses. His work history includes roles at Farmers Insurance, Carrington College, and operating his own firms, Carrano Insurance Services, LLC and Carrano Financial Services, Inc. Citigroup Global Markets serves individual and institutional clients across various wealth segments, offering a range of investment advisory programs supported by internal oversight and multi-asset strategies. The firm combines institutional scale with unique market roles, including in-house research and security-pricing, and provides both discretionary and non-discretionary investment solutions.

Terrance Murray is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) with 25 years of industry experience, currently serving at Sanctuary Advisors, LLC since 2019. His prior roles include positions at Bank of America and Merrill Lynch. Outside of advisory work, he is involved as a shareholder and limited partner in multiple Supercut franchise businesses and is an approved FINRA arbitrator. Sanctuary Advisors, LLC provides investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, corporations, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations. The firm supports its network of over 400 independent investment adviser representatives with a variety of portfolio management options and specializes in both discretionary and non-discretionary account management using multiple investment approaches.

Robert Wright is a financial advisor at Principal Financial Services with 27 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has been with Principal Securities Inc since 1998. Principal Securities provides brokerage and registered investment advisory services to a diverse client base, including individual investors, retirement plans, trusts, and charitable organizations. The firm offers direct advisory programs, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and access to third-party money manager asset allocation and separately managed account solutions.

Melissa Yue is a Certified Financial Planner® with 19 years of industry experience. She is currently with Sanctuary Advisors, LLC, where she has worked since 2021. Her prior experience includes roles at Bank of America and Merrill. Sanctuary Advisors, LLC offers investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, corporations, pension plans, trusts, and charitable organizations. The firm supports its independent investment adviser representatives with a variety of portfolio management options and leverages a combination of analytical approaches, while maintaining fiduciary responsibility under written advisory agreements.

Tracy Tamura is a ChFC® credentialed financial advisor with six years of industry experience. She is currently affiliated with United Planners Financial Services of America as a Limited Partner. Her prior work includes roles at Liberty Wealth Management, Midland National Life, Hansen & Associates Financial Group, and McNeil Financial. United Planners Financial Services is a national wealth-management enterprise serving a diverse client base, including individual investors, retirement plans, corporations, trusts, estates, and institutional clients. The firm offers advisory and brokerage services through independent representatives and employs a range of custodians, money managers, and platform programs to execute client strategies.

David Ramirez is a financial advisor at Empower Advisory Group in Lafayette, CA, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with 24 years of industry experience. He has worked at GWFS Equities, Inc. and SII since 2015. 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 clients. The firm delivers services through an integrated model linked to Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative platforms, offering both point-in-time financial plans and optional managed account solutions.

Matthew Patane is a financial advisor with Valic Financial Advisors in Oakland, CA. He holds a Series 66 designation and has been with Valic Financial Advisors since 2025. His prior work experience includes roles at the University of Oregon, Caymus Vineyards, Patrick Erwin Industries Inc, and Chipotle. Valic Financial Advisors primarily serves U.S.-domiciled 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.

Mark Ericson is a financial advisor at Mercer Global Advisors Inc. with 16 years of industry experience. He holds the CFP®, ChFC®, and Series 66 designations. Prior to joining Mercer, he worked at Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC and held roles at Bank of America and Merrill. Mercer Global Advisors serves 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 investment approach featuring globally diversified, risk-appropriate portfolios with multi-factor tilts, and offers a range of portfolio management and planning services.