My name is James, founder of HiFi Planning. I’ve spent my entire career as a financial planner and feel quite passionately about the work we do. I’ve seen good financial advice make meaningful differences in peoples’ lives many times over. I’ve also seen the financial advice industry fail to adapt to the needs of today’s working professionals. HiFi Planning is an attempt to change that. I’ve built my career at the intersection of financial planning and equity compensation, and am now sharing that expertise in an Advice-Only, DIY-friendly format. If you’ve been looking for a financial planner but aren’t interested in investment management or ongoing fees, I’d love to have a chat. When I’m not at my computer, you can usually find me around Long Beach throwing the frisbee with my dog, playing guitar at venues around town, or trying to get a laugh out of my sweet and patient wife, Lillian.

Jennifer Mulder is a financial advisor at Pathway Financial Services, LLC with 16 years of industry experience. She holds the Series 66 designation and has worked at Pathway since 2014, following a prior role at Jancyn Evaluation Shops. Pathway Financial Services serves individuals as well as a diverse range of non-retail clients, including trusts, estates, charitable organizations, pension plans, and corporations. The firm offers both discretionary and non-discretionary asset management along with fee-for-service financial planning and consulting, focusing on portfolios tailored to client goals and employing a long-term buy-and-hold investment strategy.

Jeffrey Bunch is the sole advisor at Pacific Haven Financial, LLC, an independent registered investment adviser based in Torrance, CA. He holds a Series 63 designation and has 28 years of industry experience. Prior to founding Pacific Haven Financial in 2015, he provided tax preparation services to clients. Pacific Haven Financial serves individual and high-net-worth clients through discretionary asset management and standalone financial planning. The firm employs a fundamental analysis approach with both long- and short-term trading strategies, including the use of short sales and option writing, and manages approximately $45 million across about 78 client relationships.

Kenneth Woo is the sole advisor at Woo, Kenneth Wing Kwok, an independent firm based in Santa Monica, CA. He holds Series 66 and Series 63 licenses and has seven years of industry experience. Prior to his current role, Woo worked at Merrill and Bank of America and has been a California real estate broker since 1994, as well as a licensed life, health, and variable annuity insurance agent since 2018. The firm advises private equity funds and corporations on buy- and sell-side mergers and acquisitions of middle-market, privately held companies, and provides financial planning and business valuations to individuals and corporations. Its engagement model is consultant-style, with M&A fees earned on completed transactions and financial planning billed hourly, typically recommending diversified ETFs with a long-term buy-and-hold strategy.

Mark Nedlin is a financial advisor at MGN and Co LLC with five years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and previously worked at Citigroup and as a self-employed advisor before joining MGN and Co in 2019. MGN and Co, LLC provides customized investment advice, financial planning, consulting, and portfolio monitoring to a diverse client base including individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts and estates, small businesses, pension and profit-sharing plans, and charitable organizations. The firm emphasizes macroeconomic and fundamental analysis with tailored asset allocation and security selection, offering both asset-based monitoring and consulting on an hourly or project basis, along with educational seminars and published periodicals.

Soleyman Forouzan is a CFA® charterholder and the sole advisor at Cogent Capital Group, with 22 years of industry experience. He has been involved with Mind Span, Inc., a commercial property management business, for over two decades. In addition to his advisory work, he manages non-investment-related commercial real estate activities through Forouzan Brothers LP. Cogent Capital Group serves a select group of high net worth individuals, providing discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management along with expanded family office services for ultra-high net worth clients. The firm employs a fundamental, diversified investment approach emphasizing income-generating assets and integrates the principal’s background in energy trading and risk management into client portfolios.

Bryan Good is the sole advisor at Aktive Capital Management, LLC, holding Series 65 and Series 63 licenses with 11 years of industry experience. He has been with Aktive Capital Management since 2015. Aktive Capital Management serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, charitable organizations, and business entities with portfolio management and mutual fund guidance services. The firm combines various analytical methods with modern portfolio theory and employs active strategies, including options and short sales, within discretionary accounts.

Yves Marc Courtines is a CFP® and CFA® charterholder with 10 years of industry experience. He is the principal advisor at Boundless Advice LLC, an independent firm he has led since 2016. Courtines serves as Chair of the Advisory Council for the CFA Society Los Angeles' Wealth Management Excellence Summits, a continuing education program for local wealth management professionals. Boundless Advice works with a select group of individual clients and corporate and employee benefit plan sponsors, providing comprehensive financial planning, investment management, and consulting services. The firm employs a passive, asset-class based investment strategy emphasizing tax efficiency and low turnover, combined with the use of derivatives and sophisticated trading tools tailored to both individuals and institutional clients.

Vincent Williams is a financial advisor at Retirement Planners with over eight years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at Shareholders Service Group and Ria. Outside of financial advising, he is active as a licensed insurance agent and serves as a notary at Legacy Legal Services. Retirement Planners provides financial planning and advisory services focused on retirement planning, insurance, annuities, and portfolio recommendations for individuals and small businesses. The firm operates on a non-discretionary basis, delivering written analyses and leaving implementation to clients.

Stephanie Hancock is a CFP® with 32 years of experience in the financial services industry. She is the principal of Hancock Wealth Advisory, an independent firm she has led since 2002. Hancock has a longstanding affiliation with LPL Financial dating back to 1999. In addition to her advisory work, she operates a college financial-aid consulting business and provides life coaching services. Hancock Wealth Advisory offers financial planning and consulting services primarily to individuals, high-net-worth clients, and business entities. The firm employs both fundamental and technical analysis in constructing recommendations and uses an hourly or fixed-fee billing model rather than charging based on assets under management.

Maxwell Gallagher is a CFP® with eight years of industry experience, currently serving as the sole advisor at 24Acres Wealth, LLC. His prior roles include positions at Brighton Jones LLC and Dimensional Fund Advisors. Outside of his advisory work, he manages private residential real estate on a limited basis. 24Acres Wealth is an independent advisory firm that provides discretionary investment management and financial planning to individuals and high-net-worth clients. The firm incorporates a Modern Portfolio Theory approach to diversified portfolios and integrates real estate advisory services, including specialized 1031 exchange analysis, into its offerings.

My perspective is shaped not only by my work as a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional, but also by my life as a poet, including performing at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Both disciplines have taught me the same truth. Wealth is not only about numbers. It is about possibility. I help women professionals, entrepreneurs, creatives, and expats create financial strategies to help build a life they love. One where they feel more confident about their future, and that they're on track to meet their goals. I am also Nigerian-American and one of ~450 Black women financial planners in the US, an experience that has shapes my passion for working with BIPOC and globally-minded women who otherwise may not comfortable with "traditional" advisors.

Pamela Chen is a CFA® charterholder with seven years of industry experience. She has worked at Refresh Investments since 2018 and previously was employed at Northern Trust from 2014 to 2017. Refresh Investments serves individuals, family trusts, foundations, estates, charities, and business entities, managing approximately $41.9 million across about 20 client relationships. The firm offers financial planning, discretionary investment management, advisory services for held-away accounts, and employee benefit plan consulting, utilizing personalized asset allocation and fundamental analysis in its investment approach.

John Polk is a CFA® charterholder and Series 65 licensee with six years of industry experience. He has worked at Portage Capital Management LLC since 2018 and previously spent 14 years at KWK Management, LLC. Portage Capital Management provides discretionary portfolio management for a small number of high-net-worth clients, including individually managed accounts and a private pooled investment vehicle. The firm employs fundamental and statistical analysis, asset allocation, and both long- and short-term trading strategies, distinguishing itself through active management of a private hedge fund and the use of performance-based compensation.

Jeremy Murphy is the sole advisor at Munifi, LLC, an independent firm, and holds Series 65 and Series 66 licenses with two years of industry experience. He is also the CEO of Civic Innovations, a technology holding company that owns Munifi, and serves as president of travel technology company Clicktripz LLC. Additionally, Murphy is a board member of Research Solutions, a document management and analytics company. Munifi, LLC offers automated, algorithm-driven portfolio management primarily through an online platform, serving individuals, high-net-worth clients, charitable organizations, and business entities. The firm emphasizes municipal bond investments and employs model-based strategies such as modern portfolio theory and quantitative analysis, with a noteworthy technology-focused ownership structure.

Gregory Meyer is a CFP® and holds a Series 63 license with 11 years of experience in financial advisory. He has been the principal of New Wave Financial Services since 2014. In addition to his advisory role, he provides accounting and tax services as a CPA and consults for Retire Sound, Inc., a financial technology firm where he contributes to product development and educational content. New Wave Financial Services is an independent advisory firm serving individuals, high-net-worth clients, and small businesses with financial planning, portfolio management, ongoing tax planning, and tax preparation. The firm combines fundamental and technical analysis within a Core + Satellite and Modern Portfolio Theory framework, emphasizing tax-efficient strategies and low-turnover investments.

Jason Tani is a financial advisor at Pure Wealth Management with 28 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at Innovation Partners LLC and PURSHE KAPLAN STERLING INVESTMENTS, Inc. prior to his current role. Outside of investment advising, he is also an independent agent for health, medical, dental, and vision insurance through Pure Health Management. Pure Wealth Management provides financial planning and investment management services to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and small businesses. The firm uses a tactical asset-allocation approach focused on non-correlation, concentrated holdings, and global diversification, primarily implementing portfolios with no-load and low-load mutual funds and ETFs.

Stephen Price Hughes is a CFP® with 23 years of experience in financial advising and has been with Excelsus Capital Management since 2004. He holds the Series 63 designation and operates his independent firm in Manhattan Beach, CA. Excelsus Capital Management provides portfolio management and financial planning services to individual and corporate clients, managing approximately $49.6 million across about 72 accounts. The firm employs a multi-faceted investment approach combining fundamental, technical, quantitative, and qualitative analysis, and utilizes a variety of investment instruments tailored to client needs.

Rene Rigard is a financial advisor at R. L. Rigard & Associates Ltd. in Los Angeles, CA, holding a Series 65 designation with nine years of industry experience. He has managed his firm since 2015 and also serves as CFO of Nikkimomo, LLC, a catering company where he oversees financial management and marketing. R. L. Rigard & Associates Ltd. offers portfolio management, financial planning, pension consulting, and related advisory services to a diverse client base including investment vehicles, pension plans, corporations, charitable organizations, and individual clients. The firm employs a fundamental, long-term value-oriented investment approach and provides services such as a subscription newsletter, investor events, educational seminars, and private fund management.

Aaron Wilhelm is the sole advisor at Reigate Investors LLC in Santa Monica, CA, holding a Series 65 credential with nine years of industry experience. He has led Reigate Investors since 2017. Reigate Investors provides discretionary investment management primarily to high-net-worth individuals, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations. The firm employs a value-oriented, bottom-up, concentrated strategy with an explicit use of leverage and derivatives, offering performance-based fee arrangements uncommon among independent advisers.