Garrett Stephens is a financial advisor at Corient in Newport Beach, CA, holding a Series 65 designation. He has been with Corient since 2023 and has prior experience at Strategic Financial Partners, LLC, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, and Indian Bayou Golf Club. Corient provides investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base including individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, pension plans, charitable organizations, and corporate entities. The firm employs a goals-based, team investment approach that integrates in-house strategies with third-party managers and uses risk management tools and stress testing to align portfolios with client objectives.

Abigail Von Schlegell is a financial advisor at Corient with a Series 65 credential and one year of industry experience. Prior to joining Corient, she worked at Jordan Park for four years and held various roles at Brigham Young University and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Corient provides investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, pension plans, charitable organizations, and corporate entities. The firm uses a goals-based, team investment approach combining in-house strategies with third-party managers and incorporates risk management tools and alternative investments as appropriate.

Kenny Molina is a financial advisor with Hightower Advisors in Newport Beach, CA, holding a Series 65 designation and eight years of industry experience. He has been with Hightower since 2017 and has prior experience at Valensi Rose, PLC as well as UCLA. Hightower Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to a diverse range of individual and institutional clients, offering multi-manager solutions that include discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and access to a variety of investment vehicles. The firm employs both proprietary and third-party research to construct portfolios incorporating mutual funds, ETFs, alternative investments, and custom indexing.

Mark Flint is a CFA® charterholder with 22 years of industry experience. He has been with Beacon Pointe Advisors, LLC since 2016 and previously worked at Beacon Pointe Insurance Services, LLC for two years. Mark holds a Series 63 license and is based in Newport Beach, CA. Beacon Pointe Advisors, LLC provides wealth advisory, financial planning, retirement-plan services, and outsourced chief investment officer (OCIO) solutions to individual investors, corporations, and institutional clients. The firm combines asset-allocation modeling with third-party independent managers across active and passive strategies, and offers proprietary private fund management and interval fund advisement.

Christopher Copps is a financial advisor at Corient with 43 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has been with Corient and its related entities since 2015. Corient provides investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and corporate entities. The firm uses a goals-based, team investment approach combining proprietary and third-party strategies, with ongoing portfolio monitoring and risk management tools.

Richard Du Vernet is a financial advisor with Independent Financial Group, LLC and holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses. He has 36 years of industry experience with prior roles at NPB Financial Group, Associated Planners Investment Advisory Inc., and PRUCO Securities, LLC. In addition to his advisory work, he serves as an insurance agent representing Prudential Financial, focusing on term life, whole life, and variable universal life insurance products. Independent Financial Group, LLC provides investment advisory and brokerage services to a diverse client base, including individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, and corporate plans. The firm employs a combination of firm- and third-party models for portfolio management, utilizing both passive and active strategies across various risk profiles.

Troy Dueker is a financial advisor with PlanMember Securities Corporation in Carpinteria, CA, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 32 years of industry experience. He has been with PlanMember since 2000 and also serves on the board of Mary’s Shelter, a nonprofit supporting pregnant teens and their babies. Prior to and alongside his advisory role, he has been involved with Team Advisors since 2014. PlanMember provides retirement-plan advisory services to employers and plan participants, acting as an ERISA Section 3(38) fiduciary and offering participant-level investment options through its asset allocation portfolios. The firm’s investment process utilizes a top-down strategic asset allocation framework and manages risk-based mutual fund portfolios ranging from conservative to aggressive.

Kimberly Dwan Bernatz is a CFP® with 16 years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at CIBC Private Wealth Advisors, Inc. since 2018. Prior to joining CIBC, she worked for 17 years at First American Trust. CIBC Private Wealth Advisors provides comprehensive investment advisory and wealth management services to individuals, families, trusts, employee benefit plans, corporations, and investment companies. The firm combines internal investment teams with governance committees to create customized portfolios, including proprietary strategies and access to complex products such as options and structured notes.

Scott Mesa is a CFP® professional with 11 years of industry experience, currently serving as an advisor at Mariner Wealth Advisors since 2023. His prior work includes roles at Wells Fargo Clearing, IEQ Capital, BNY Mellon Securities Corporation, and Rim Securities. He is president of the newly established Latino Professionals chapter in Orange County and serves on the planning committee for the SER Summit for Latin@s in Financial Services. Mariner serves a diverse client base including individuals, pension plans, trusts, and charitable organizations, providing services such as investment management, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and coordinated tax services. The firm employs a discretionary, customized investment approach supported by in-house research and third-party managers, and offers unique tax integration and family office capabilities for its enterprise-scale clients.

Thomas Heuer is a financial advisor at Wealthspire Advisors with CFP®, CFA®, and Series 65 designations and seven years of industry experience. He previously worked at NFP Retirement, Inc. for six years and has experience with Frank, Rimmerman, LLP, Xponential Growth Solutions, and San Diego State University. Wealthspire Advisors is an SEC-registered firm managing approximately $34.3 billion in assets with around 220 advisors serving nearly 9,700 clients, including individuals, corporate and pension plans, nonprofits, and foundations. The firm employs an institutional-style asset allocation framework and offers a range of services such as wealth management, portfolio management, and retirement-plan consulting.

Darin Simonian is a CFP® with 28 years of industry experience, currently serving as an advisor at Beacon Pointe Advisors, LLC since 2022. His prior experience includes roles at Alpha Cubed Investments, LLC and Newport Wealth Strategies, Inc. Beacon Pointe Advisors provides investment advisory and consulting services to a diverse client base, including individuals, institutions, and charitable organizations. The firm uses a proprietary manager selection process and combines active and passive strategies to implement client portfolios.

Courtney Hutchinson is a CFP® with 15 years of industry experience, currently affiliated with Beacon Pointe Advisors, LLC. Prior to joining Beacon Pointe, she worked for Waypoint Wealth Partners for 13 years. Beacon Pointe Advisors, LLC provides wealth advisory, consulting, financial planning, retirement-plan services, and outsourced chief investment officer services to individual investors, corporations, pension plans, and other institutional clients. The firm uses a combination of asset-allocation modeling and third-party independent managers across active and passive strategies, with offerings that include proprietary private funds and a continuously offered interval fund.

Jason Lilly is a financial advisor at Citigroup Global Markets with 14 years of industry experience. He has held positions at Citigroup since 2011, with additional roles at LPL Financial and California Bank and Trust. Lilly holds Series 63 and Series 66 designations. Citigroup Global Markets serves individual and institutional clients across various segments, offering a broad range of investment advisory programs and execution services. The firm employs multi-asset, multi-manager strategies with significant institutional scale and operates in unique market roles, including as a swap dealer and futures commission merchant.

Manuel Ramirez is a financial advisor at Hightower Advisors with four years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has worked at Hightower since 2021. His prior experience includes roles at Costco Wholesale, Meyer Properties, the City of Fullerton, and Vincent Benjamin. Hightower Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to a broad range of individual and institutional clients, utilizing a multi-manager approach that includes affiliated and third-party managers. The firm’s offerings cover discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting, supported by proprietary research and a suite of investment options including mutual funds, ETFs, alternative investments, and custom indexing.

Annette Brinton is a CFP® professional with 17 years of industry experience. She has worked at Beacon Pointe Advisors, LLC since 2025, following 16 years at Waypoint Wealth Partners. Annette is based in Newport Beach, CA. Beacon Pointe Advisors, LLC provides wealth advisory, consulting, financial planning, retirement-plan platform services, and outsourced chief investment officer services to individuals, corporations, and institutional clients. The firm employs a combination of asset-allocation modeling and third-party independent managers across active and passive strategies in public and private assets.

Michael Drabkin is a financial advisor with PlanMember Securities Corporation in Carpinteria, CA, holding Series 63 and Series 66 registrations and bringing 26 years of industry experience. He has been associated with PlanMember Securities since 2003 and operates Highmark Group LLC, which provides financial advisory, consulting for school district retirement plans, and life insurance and annuity sales. PlanMember Securities Corporation provides retirement-plan advisory services primarily to employers and plan participants, serving as an ERISA Section 3(38) fiduciary for many plans. The firm employs a top-down strategic asset allocation approach with risk-based mutual fund portfolios and offers education and support services including seminars and personalized retirement planning.

Brendan Corbett is a CFP® professional with one year of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Mercer Global Advisors Inc. He previously worked at D.M. Brenner, Inc. and has held positions at San Diego State University and Saddleback College. Mercer Global Advisors serves individuals, families, small business owners, plan sponsors, foundations, non-profits, and endowments with discretionary and non-discretionary investment advisory services, alongside financial, tax, retirement, and estate planning. The firm’s investment approach is based on Modern Portfolio Theory, focusing on globally diversified, risk-appropriate portfolios utilizing a mix of low-cost ETFs, index funds, and other investment vehicles, complemented by educational content and integrated service lines.

Summer Ramos is a CFP® and holds a Series 65 license with six years of industry experience. She is currently with Beacon Pointe Advisors, LLC and previously worked at Private Capital Management, INC. Ramos spent 17 years in full-time education prior to her financial advisory career. Beacon Pointe Advisors, LLC provides wealth advisory, consulting, financial planning, and outsourced chief investment officer services to individual investors, corporations, pension plans, and institutional clients. The firm combines asset-allocation modeling with investment from a curated list of independent managers across public and private asset classes, employing both active and passive strategies.

John Miller is a financial advisor at Rockefeller Financial LLC with 20 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has worked at firms including Bank of America, Merrill, and Rockefeller Capital Management. Rockefeller Financial LLC serves high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth individuals, families, family offices, and institutional clients, offering portfolio management, financial planning, and consulting services. The firm operates as a registered broker-dealer and provides access to a broad investment platform through its Private Advisor model and Rockefeller Global Investment Management.

Melissa Ochoa is a financial advisor at Beacon Pointe Advisors, LLC with a Series 65 designation and six years of industry experience. She has worked at Beacon Pointe Advisors since 2021 and was previously with Wealth Design from 2015 to 2021. Beacon Pointe Advisors provides wealth advisory, consulting, financial planning, retirement-plan platform services, and outsourced chief investment officer services to individuals, corporations, pension and profit-sharing plans, and other institutional clients. The firm uses a combination of asset-allocation modeling and third-party independent managers, employing both active and passive strategies across public and private asset classes.