John Himmel is a financial advisor at Empower Advisory Group with two years of industry experience. He holds the Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and is based in Carlsbad, CA. 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 account holders. The firm’s integrated model combines proprietary financial planning with managed account solutions and is closely tied to Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative platforms.

David Delarosa is a financial advisor at Ameritas Advisory Services, LLC with 18 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked with Ameritas and its affiliated companies since 2008. In addition to his advisory role, he operates a sole proprietorship focused on assisting clients with the preparation of informational returns for retirement plans. Ameritas Advisory Services provides fee-based investment management, financial planning, and retirement-plan advisory services to individuals, corporations, and institutional clients. The firm offers a variety of discretionary and non-discretionary programs utilizing both in-house and third-party investment managers.

Troy Pearson is a financial advisor with Independent Financial Group, LLC, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 28 years of industry experience. He has been with Independent Financial Group since 2004. Independent Financial Group, LLC is a dual-registered broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, charities, corporations, and plan sponsors. The firm offers brokerage, portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement plan services, managing approximately $11.3 billion in regulatory assets through a national network of Investment Adviser Representatives.

David Cariani is a CFP® and CFA® with 18 years of experience in financial advisory. He is currently with Private Advisor Group, LLC, where he has worked since 2022. Prior to that, he held advisory roles at Centura Wealth Advisory and Reilly Financial Advisors. Outside of his advisory work, Mr. Cariani operates under the business name Advanced Wealth Advisory, LLC. Private Advisor Group, LLC is an SEC-registered firm managing over $41 billion across more than 135,000 client relationships, serving individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and corporate and retirement plan clients. The firm offers a range of portfolio management and financial planning services, utilizing various investment strategies and third-party platforms.

Brian Solomon is a financial advisor with Kestra Advisory, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 38 years of industry experience. Prior to joining Kestra in 2025, he spent 20 years with Independent Financial Group, Inc. and Independent Financial Group, LLC. Outside of his advisory role, he is the owner of Solomon Wealth Management, a tax and accounting firm, and serves on the board of the Boys and Girls Club of Northwest San Diego. Kestra Advisory Services provides investment advisory and retirement-plan consulting to a diverse client base, including plan sponsors, institutional, and individual clients. The firm offers a range of services from fiduciary consulting and plan-level investment advice to employee education and pooled plan solutions, supporting complex products within a supervisory framework and serving large institutional investors.

Jennifer Hart is a financial advisor with Stratos Wealth Partners, Ltd, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 27 years of industry experience. She has been with Stratos Wealth Partners since 2010 and has also worked at LPL Financial, LLC since 2017. Stratos Wealth Partners provides advisory services to a diverse client base, including individual investors, trusts, charitable organizations, corporations, and retirement plans. The firm offers an open-architecture Strategic Wealth Management platform that supports both advisor-managed and model-based portfolios, utilizing multiple custodians and a variety of affiliated and third-party sub-advisors.

Cara Witt Landefeld is a financial advisor at Citigroup Global Markets with nine years of industry experience. She holds the Series 66 designation and has worked at firms including Merrill Lynch, Bank of America, and EquityBee prior to her current role. 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 and combines large institutional scale with specialized market roles, including derivatives and futures services.

Constance Cook is a financial advisor with Commonwealth Financial Network, holding Series 63 and Series 66 credentials and 38 years of industry experience. She previously worked at Legacy Retirement Advisors and the Independent Financial Group. Cook is president of Cook Wealth Advisors, a private entity facilitating securities, advisory, and insurance business. Commonwealth Financial Network is a dual-registered broker/dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser serving a national network of approximately 2,900 affiliated advisors and managing roughly $212.7 billion in client assets. The firm provides a broad adviser-support platform including managed-account programs, access to third-party asset managers, retirement consulting, and custody services.

Taylor Hindle is a CFP® professional with 10 years of industry experience. He is currently with Mariner Wealth Advisors, where he has worked since 2023. Prior to that, he held roles at Aldrich Wealth LP, Tate Asset Management, and Fidelity. He serves on the Board of Directors for Lifeline Community Services in Vista, CA. Mariner Wealth Advisors serves a diverse client base including individuals, high-net-worth households, pension plans, trusts, and charitable organizations, providing investment management, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting. The firm combines in-house research with third-party manager allocations and offers extensive tax, accounting, and family office services alongside traditional portfolio management.

Brian Buehring is a financial advisor with D.A. Davidson & Co. in Carlsbad, CA, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and 27 years of industry experience. He has been with D.A. Davidson since 2017 and previously worked at Nuveen Securities, LLC. D.A. Davidson & Co. provides investment advisory and brokerage services to a diverse client base, including employer-sponsored retirement plans, individuals, charitable organizations, and corporations. The firm offers a range of services such as ERISA retirement plan advisory, wrap fee programs, comprehensive financial planning, and a private wealth program for high-net-worth clients, operating under fiduciary standards with both qualitative and quantitative investment analysis.

Mark Welsh is a financial advisor at Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC with 24 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at Laurel Wealth Advisors, Inc. since 2011 before joining Integrated Wealth Concepts in 2023. Integrated Wealth Concepts serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, families, trusts, estates, businesses, and retirement plans through a large network of independent financial advisors. The firm offers discretionary investment management, financial planning, family office, and retirement plan advisory services, using customized portfolios that combine mutual funds, ETFs, equities, and fixed income with both internally managed and third-party strategies.

Trevor Lattin is a financial advisor at Integrity Alliance, LLC with 20 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has worked with firms including Lion Street, Inc. and Executive Benefit Solutions, where he is also an owner involved in health and life insurance sales. He serves as a board member for Last Race Ranch, a nonprofit organization providing new homes for retired racehorses. Integrity Alliance serves a diverse client base including individuals, charitable organizations, corporations, and retirement plans through a network of 164 independent advisers. The firm offers a range of investment management, financial planning, and retirement consulting services, utilizing multiple platforms and investment approaches tailored to client needs.

Anthony Pavia is a financial advisor at PlanMember Securities Corporation with 35 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 63 designation and has previously worked at Gwn Securities Inc. and operated his own firms, including Pavia Financial Services, Inc. and RetireWell Capital Management. Outside of his advisory roles, he is involved in residential loan brokerage through Pavia Financial Services. PlanMember Securities Corporation provides retirement-plan advisory services to employers and plan participants, acting as an ERISA Section 3(38) fiduciary for many plans. The firm uses a top-down strategic asset allocation approach to manage risk-based mutual fund portfolios and offers education and support services to plan sponsors and participants.

Emily Stevens is a financial advisor at Stratos Wealth Partners, Ltd. with two years of industry experience. She holds a Series 66 designation and previously worked at Charles Schwab & Co, Inc and Charles Schwab Bank, SSB. Stratos Wealth Partners is an SEC-registered enterprise wealth management firm serving more than 24,000 clients with approximately $18.6 billion in assets under management. The firm offers a range of advisor-managed and model-based investment strategies, financial planning services, and retirement plan consulting through an open-architecture platform integrating multiple external providers.

Erick Conway is a financial advisor at Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC with 15 years of industry experience. He holds the CFP® designation and Series 66 license. Prior to joining Integrated Wealth Concepts in 2024, he worked at Von Berge Wealth Management Group, Laurel Wealth Advisors, and Wells Fargo Advisors. He is also an independent insurance agent licensed to sell life, accident, and health insurance products. Integrated Wealth Concepts serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, families, trusts, estates, businesses, and retirement plans through a network of independent advisors. The firm offers discretionary investment management, financial planning, family office, and retirement plan advisory services, utilizing customized portfolios with a long-term investment approach alongside shorter-term trades for rebalancing or cash needs.

Branden Frazier is a Certified Financial Planner® at Creative Planning with 18 years of industry experience. He has been with Creative Planning since 2012. Based in San Diego, CA, he is part of a large advisory team serving a diverse client base. Creative Planning provides investment advisory and financial planning services to individuals, corporations, foundations, trusts, and retirement plans. The firm manages approximately $217 billion in client assets and emphasizes a financial planning-led investment process that includes low-cost indexing, buy-and-hold strategies, and supplemental approaches such as direct indexing and tax-loss harvesting.

Mike Batista is a CFP® with 24 years of experience in the financial services industry. He has been with Creative Planning since 2015. Based in San Diego, CA, he holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses. 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 emphasizes a financial planning-led investment process that incorporates low-cost indexing, buy-and-hold strategies, and supplemental portfolio management techniques.

Michael Lucia is a ChFC® credentialed financial advisor with 33 years of industry experience. He has worked at Integrity Alliance, LLC since 2018 and previously spent nine years at H. Beck, Inc. Outside of advisory work, he manages a business related to his daughter's dance career through Sophia Lucia, LLC. Integrity Alliance serves a diverse client base including individuals, charitable organizations, corporations, and retirement plans. The firm provides continuous asset management, financial planning, and retirement consulting through a network of 164 independent advisers, employing a range of portfolio management strategies and offering access to multiple custodial platforms and third-party programs.

Carmen Benedetti is a financial advisor at Hightower Advisors with one year of industry experience. She holds a Series 66 designation and has prior work experience with Frozen Ropes and the Houston Astros. Hightower Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to a diverse range of individual and institutional clients. The firm’s approach includes discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting, utilizing a combination of affiliated and third-party managers as well as proprietary research and multi-manager solutions.

Gary Hirschfeld is a financial advisor at Hightower Advisors with eight years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 credential and has worked at Hightower Advisers, LLC since 2019 and at Delphi Private Advisors since 2015. Based in San Diego, CA, his background spans multiple advisory roles. Hightower Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to a broad range of individual and institutional clients, delivering solutions that include discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting. The firm's approach emphasizes manager selection and multi-manager solutions, utilizing affiliated and third-party managers alongside proprietary research and a variety of investment vehicles.