Stephen Sikes is a financial advisor at AlphaCore Capital LLC in Bethesda, MD, holding Series 65 and Series 63 licenses with four years of industry experience. His prior work includes positions at SPC Financial, Raymond James Financial Services, and ATEL Securities Corporation. AlphaCore Capital is an independent wealth advisory firm with about 70 advisors managing around $13 billion for individuals, entities, and institutional investors. The firm focuses on multi-asset portfolios that combine traditional and alternative investments, employing fundamental and macro analysis alongside manager due diligence.

Scott Wilson is a CFA® charterholder with 10 years of industry experience. He has worked at Heritage Investors Management Corp since 2023 and was previously with Harbour Capital Advisors, LLC for seven years. Heritage Investors Management Corporation provides investment management and financial planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, institutional accounts, and charitable organizations. The firm focuses on tailored portfolios with diversified holdings and typically employs long-term investment strategies while acting as a fiduciary on retirement rollovers.

Allison Gormier is a Certified Financial Planner® with 21 years of industry experience. She has been with Mason Investment Advisory Services, Inc. since 2008. Mason Investment Advisory Services, Inc. is an SEC-registered firm managing approximately $15.67 billion for over 1,000 clients with a team of 31 advisors. The firm focuses on fee-based financial planning, separately managed accounts, and institutional services, emphasizing long-term strategic asset allocation and portfolio oversight.

Johnny Lynum is a financial advisor with IP Financial Advisory Services LLC and holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses. He has one year of industry experience and previously served 20 years in the US Air Force. His prior firms include Innovation Partners LLC and Wright Time Financial. IP Financial Advisory Services LLC primarily serves individual retail clients, focusing on portfolio management, financial planning, and consulting. The firm employs a range of analytical approaches and offers specialized advisory services, emphasizing personalized portfolio construction and discretionary management options.

Timothy Strait is a CFP® with 40 years of industry experience, currently serving at Capitol Securities Management, Inc. since 1988. He operates a separate business consulting and tax planning practice focused on federal and state income tax preparation. Capitol Securities Management serves individual investors, institutions, and small businesses with portfolio management, financial planning, and advisory programs, operating as both a broker-dealer and registered investment adviser.

Stefan Patchan is a CFA® charterholder with four years of experience at Mason Investment Advisory Services, Inc. Prior to joining Mason, he worked at TFC Consulting, Inc. and held positions at Virginia Tech. Mason Investment Advisory Services, Inc. manages approximately $15.67 billion for about 1,063 clients through a team of 31 advisors. The firm serves individuals, including high-net-worth clients, as well as institutions, offering fee-based financial planning, separately managed accounts, and outsourced chief investment officer services with a focus on strategic, long-term asset allocation and manager selection.

Anthony Spano is a CFP® professional with 20 years of industry experience, currently serving at Choreo, LLC since 2022. Prior to this, he spent 19 years at Mcgladrey Wealth Management LLC. Choreo serves a diverse client base including individual and high-net-worth investors, family offices, corporate and retirement plan sponsors, endowments, and institutional clients. The firm employs a strategic asset allocation process combined with quantitative screening and Investment Committee approval to manage portfolios through various methods such as separately managed accounts, direct indexing, and options overlays.

Sai Ying Chu is a Series 66-credentialed financial advisor with seven years of industry experience. She currently works at Capital Analysts and Lincoln Investment, having previously served at Agia, Valic Financial Advisors, The National Leadership Academies, and the Torpedo Factory Art Center. Outside of her advisory roles, she works as a contractor for Instacart, providing grocery delivery services. Capital Analysts serves a diverse client base that includes retail and institutional investors, trusts, foundations, businesses, and charitable organizations. The firm offers portfolio management, custom and model portfolios, access to third-party managers, and retirement-plan advice through a nationwide network of independent advisors and firm-managed programs.

Philip Mantua Jr. is a CFP® with 10 years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at AlphaCore Capital LLC. He previously worked at Raymond James Financial Services, Inc. and SPC Financial, Inc. Mantua also acts as a producing agent for an insurance affiliate of AlphaCore Capital. AlphaCore Capital LLC is an independent wealth advisory firm with approximately 70 advisors managing around $13 billion. The firm serves individuals, entities, and institutional investors, utilizing a multi-asset investment approach that includes alternative investments alongside traditional equities and fixed income.

Noah Valdez is a financial advisor at Summit Financial, LLC with three years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has previously worked at Cambridge Investment Research Inc., Agm Institute, and United Bank. Summit Financial, LLC is an SEC-registered multi-team advisory firm managing approximately $26.35 billion in assets for about 17,800 clients. The firm offers a range of investment advisory and portfolio management programs, combining discretionary and consultative services tailored to client needs.

Ashley Helm is a CFP® professional based in Rockville, MD, with 10 years of industry experience. She currently works at Merit Financial Advisors and has previously held roles at firms including Purshe Kaplan Sterling Investments, Northwestern Mutual, and Triad Advisors. Merit Financial Group is a multi-team SEC-registered advisory firm serving individual investors, employer-sponsored retirement plans, ESOPs, and other institutional clients. The firm emphasizes long-term, diversified asset allocation, offering both discretionary and non-discretionary account management, supported by an internal investment management team and third-party sub-advisers.

Curtis Harris IV is a financial advisor with Navy Federal Investment Services, LLC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 designations and bringing 13 years of industry experience. He has worked at Navy Federal since 2017 and previously spent four years with Pruco Securities LLC and The Prudential Insurance Company of America. Navy Federal Investment Services serves members of Navy Federal Credit Union along with individual, trust, and institutional clients, offering portfolio management, financial planning, retirement-plan fiduciary services, and automated investment options. The firm’s investment approach involves selecting and monitoring third-party portfolio managers on the Envestnet platform and providing layered solutions including unified managed accounts and tax or impact overlays.

Frederick Baerenz is a financial advisor at F L Putnam Investment Management Company with 31 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has previously worked at Kalos Capital, Inc. and Alpha Omega Group, Inc. He serves on the advisory board of Real Asset Advisor, a publisher of investment-related newsletters focused on real estate, infrastructure, and real assets investment industries, without receiving compensation for this role. F L Putnam serves a diverse client base including individuals, families, and institutions, offering customized, team-based investment management and financial planning. The firm combines internally managed and third-party strategies across multiple asset classes, incorporating sustainable investing and tax-aware rebalancing, and supports these with a research process that integrates macroeconomic and security-level analysis.

Jason Perlman is a financial advisor at AlphaCore Capital LLC with 10 years of industry experience. He holds the CFP® designation and Series 66 license. Prior to joining AlphaCore in 2025, he worked at Raymond James Financial Services for eight years and SPC Financial for eleven years. He also serves as a producing agent for an affiliate insurance agency related to the firm. AlphaCore Capital LLC is an independent wealth advisory firm with approximately 70 advisors managing around $13 billion. The firm serves individuals, entities, and institutional investors, offering a range of services including financial planning, investment management, and retirement plan advisory, with an emphasis on multi-asset portfolios that incorporate alternative investments alongside traditional assets.

Robert Kantor is a financial advisor with XML Financial Group in Bethesda, MD, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 35 years of industry experience. He has worked with XML Financial, LLC since 2004 and XML Securities, LLC since 2019, and was previously with Purshe Kaplan Sterling Investments. Kantor serves as managing partner of BR Financial Associates Management Company, LLC, and volunteers as treasurer for two homeowners associations. XML Financial Group is a multi-advisor wealth management firm overseeing approximately $3.3 billion in client assets. The firm serves nearly 2,900 clients with discretionary and non-discretionary investment management, financial planning, retirement plan advisory, and access to alternative investments.

Patrick Moriarty is a financial advisor at Foundations Investment Advisors LLC with 38 years of industry experience. He has held positions at Foundations since 2019 and previously worked at CETERA Advisor Networks LLC from 2016 to 2019. Outside of his advisory role, Moriarty is also an insurance agent, selling life, annuities, and long-term care insurance. Foundations Investment Advisors, LLC provides financial planning and portfolio management services to a diverse client base, including individuals, high-net-worth clients, retirement plans, and registered investment companies. The firm employs a variety of investment strategies and uses model portfolios combined with discretionary or non-discretionary authority assigned to its representatives.

Winter Troxel is a financial advisor at Apollon Wealth Management, LLC with 15 years of industry experience. He holds Series 66 and Series 65 licenses and previously worked for Monumental Financial Group, Inc. dba Bridgemark Wealth Management for 13 years. In addition to his advisory role, he is an independent insurance agent involved in selling insurance products as needed to meet client needs. Apollon Wealth Management is a multi-team SEC-registered investment adviser overseeing approximately $11.56 billion in client assets and serving individuals, high-net-worth families, family offices, trusts, estates, businesses, retirement plans, pooled investment vehicles, and insurance company clients. The firm combines centrally managed strategy mandates with locally managed portfolios and employs a range of investment techniques including fundamental analysis, tactical allocations, ESG risk-based models, and technology tools such as generative AI.

Ivan Nalibotsky is a ChFC® credentialed financial advisor with 17 years of industry experience, currently with Regal Investment Advisors LLC since 2019. He also has a long tenure at Capital Solutions Group dating back to 1993. Outside of investment advising, he is a licensed health insurance agent working with Health Markets, assisting Maryland residents with individual and small group health insurance. Regal Investment Advisors LLC, operating as LionShare, provides discretionary investment management services to independent advisers and their clients, including individuals, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm offers proprietary and third-party model portfolios across various asset classes and grants discretionary authority to implement and manage these strategies.

Keith Brennan is a financial advisor at F.L. Putnam Investment Management Co. with nine years of industry experience. He has previously worked at Sei Private Wealth Management, Brighton Jones, SVB Wealth, and Wellesley Asset Management. F.L. Putnam serves a diverse client base including individuals, families, institutions, and registered investment companies. The firm offers a team-based, customized investment approach that combines internally managed strategies and third-party managers across multiple asset classes, incorporating tax-aware rebalancing and options for sustainable investing.

Todd Feldman is a CFP® professional with 28 years of industry experience. He is currently with Merit Financial Advisors and has previously worked at firms including Purshe Kaplan Sterling Investments, Triad Advisors, and Morgan Stanley. Feldman serves on the Board of Directors for the Exit Planning Exchange DC-Metro Chapter. Merit Financial Group is a multi-team SEC-registered advisory firm serving individual investors, retirement plans, ESOPs, and institutional clients. The firm employs a long-term, diversified asset allocation approach managed through standardized and customizable portfolios, supported by an internal investment team and third-party managers.