Sonya O'Connor is a financial advisor with Carson Wealth, holding a Series 66 credential and bringing 19 years of industry experience. She has worked with firms including LPL Financial and Cetera Wealth Services and has been involved with Applied Financial Planning since 2002. In addition to her advisory roles, she is an enrolled agent providing tax preparation, representation, and planning services. Carson Wealth is an SEC-registered investment adviser managing approximately $50.6 billion through a network of over 650 advisors. The firm offers discretionary asset management, financial planning, and retirement plan services, utilizing model portfolios overseen by an Investment Committee and providing tailored solutions such as custom indexing and alternative investments.

David Patton is a financial advisor with TLG Advisors, Inc. and holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses. He has 23 years of industry experience, having worked at firms including Merrill, Wells Fargo, Cambridge Investment Research, and The Leaders Group Inc. Outside of advisory work, he is involved as an independent insurance agent and serves as a sales vice president at an insurance business. TLG Advisors, Inc. serves a diverse client base including individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, charitable organizations, corporations, and institutional investors. The firm focuses on manager selection and portfolio monitoring using fundamental analysis and Modern Portfolio Theory, offering both sub-advisor managed accounts and a direct-to-consumer digital program called Starlight Portfolios.

Guy Tzour is a Series 65-licensed financial advisor with three years of industry experience, currently with Cetera Planning Partners. Prior to joining Cetera, he worked five years at Avantax Planning Partners, Inc. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as Director at Premier Accounting & Tax Services Inc., a full-service accounting firm where he manages client meetings, tax bookkeeping, and staff oversight. Cetera Planning Partners serves individual and high-net-worth clients, focusing on pre-retirees and retirees. The firm offers investment management, comprehensive financial planning, and specialized services such as Social Security optimization, tax planning, and an estate-planning program called Legacy Wealth Strategies.

Rafael Nieves Rios is a financial advisor with Empower Advisory Group in Encino, CA. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has four years of industry experience. Prior to joining Empower Financial Services, he worked at The Vanguard Group and has held various roles including freelance consulting and tutoring K-12 and college students. 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 integrates its services with Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative platforms and emphasizes long-term portfolio returns and annual rebalancing in its proprietary and third-party planning methodologies.

Steven Hong is a financial advisor with Eagle Strategies (NY Life) based in Simi Valley, CA. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 27 years of industry experience, including longstanding roles at New York Life Insurance Company since 1999 and NYLIFE Distributors LLC since 2005. Eagle Strategies serves a diverse range of individual and institutional clients, providing financial planning, investment management, and retirement-plan advisory services through a large network of affiliated advisers. The firm emphasizes tailored recommendations and offers multiple program types, including fee-based advice and co-advisory relationships, with a substantial portion of assets managed on a non-discretionary basis.

Paul Devore is a CFP® with over 54 years of experience in the financial services industry. He is currently with Kestra Advisory and has held various roles within affiliated firms since 1981. Devore serves on several nonprofit and community boards, including educational and charitable organizations, as well as maritime-related groups. Kestra Advisory Services provides investment advisory and retirement-plan consulting to institutional and individual clients. The firm offers a range of services including fiduciary consulting, plan-level investment advice, and pooled plan solutions, supporting large institutional investors along with a diverse client base.

Pierre Bitar is a financial advisor at Citigroup Global Markets with 10 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses. Prior to joining Citigroup in 2021, he worked at HSBC Bank USA, N.A., HSBC Securities (USA) Inc., and Wells Fargo Clearing. Citigroup Global Markets serves individual and institutional clients across various wealth segments, offering a broad range of investment advisory programs, broker-dealer execution, and custody services. The firm employs multi-asset, multi-manager strategies and provides bespoke discretionary solutions for large relationships, supported by in-house research and specialized market roles.

Ezequiel Rodriguez is a financial advisor with LPL Financial, holding a Series 66 designation and four years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at J.P. Morgan Securities, Bank of America, Merrill, US Bank, and Wells Fargo. He is also involved with Partners Federal Credit Union. LPL Financial is a national broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, retirement plan participants, banks, trust companies, and other institutions. The firm offers a range of advisory and brokerage services, including financial planning, model portfolios, third-party asset management, and institutional platforms.

Scott Jory is a financial advisor with J.P. Morgan Securities in Westlake Village, CA, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses with 14 years of industry experience. He has been with J.P. Morgan Securities since 2012 and also works with JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. since 2011. J.P. Morgan Securities provides institutional consulting services to plan sponsors, corporations, endowments, and other institutional clients through a non-discretionary program focused on asset allocation advice, investment manager and fund searches, and customized performance reporting. Their advisory process combines quantitative and qualitative research and includes derivatives and commodities capabilities that differentiate the firm within institutional advisory programs.

Pritipal Bhinder is a financial advisor at Edward Jones in Thousand Oaks, CA, holding a Series 66 designation with 12 years of industry experience. He has been with Edward Jones since 2013. Edward Jones is a full-service wealth management firm serving more than four million individual and institutional clients, offering a range of discretionary and non-discretionary investment strategies and affiliated mutual funds, supported by a large nationwide network of financial advisors and branch offices.

Joanne Crowley is a Series 66-licensed financial advisor with Equitable Advisors, where she has worked for 15 years. Her industry experience also includes nine years at Axa Advisors, LLC. She serves as a trustee for an immediate family member’s trust and holds conditional approval as a task force member with the Simi Valley YMCA. Equitable Advisors provides financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and asset-management services to individuals, pension plans, corporations, and charitable organizations. The firm uses a client-focused approach that matches investment models or discretionary managers to clients’ risk profiles and offers a range of third-party and proprietary advisory programs.

Kathryn Dubois is a financial advisor at Morgan Stanley with eight years of industry experience. She holds the Series 66 designation and has been with Morgan Stanley Private Bank, N.A. and Morgan Stanley since 2018. Her prior work includes roles at Insight Global and Campus Reform. Morgan Stanley Wealth Management is an SEC-registered investment adviser and broker-dealer serving individuals and institutional clients with a wide range of advisory programs and financial planning services that utilize firm-approved tools and models to support tailored planning strategies.

John Hagy is a Series 66-registered financial advisor with nine years of industry experience. He has worked at UBS Financial Services since 2023 and previously spent six years with Morgan Stanley and its Private Bank division. Prior to his career in finance, he spent ten years in education. UBS Financial Services Inc. serves individual, corporate, and institutional clients through brokerage and investment advisory offerings, including financial planning and portfolio management. The firm integrates institutional trading capabilities with wealth management services and uses proprietary research and model-based asset allocations to tailor client strategies.

Stephanie Krueger is a Series 66 licensed financial advisor at Morgan Stanley in Westlake Village, CA, with nine years at the firm and a total of seven years in the industry. Prior to joining Morgan Stanley in 2017, she was not employed in the financial sector for ten years. Morgan Stanley Wealth Management provides a range of advisory programs to individual and institutional clients, including tailored financial planning supported by structured discovery processes and firm-approved tools. The firm manages approximately $2.74 trillion in client assets and offers services through both direct and corporate financial planning agreements.

Hrag Kortoshian is a financial advisor at Merrill with eight years of industry experience. He holds the Series 63 and Series 66 designations. His career includes roles at Bank of America, HSBC Securities, and Wells Fargo. Merrill, together with its affiliate Managed Account Advisors LLC, provides managed account services to Bank of America fiduciary clients through the Select Portfolio Solutions Program. The firm offers model-based and discretionary investment strategies developed by internal and third-party managers for individuals, high-net-worth clients, and institutional accounts.

Zepyur Vardanyan is a financial advisor at J.P. Morgan Securities with seven years of industry experience and holds a Series 66 designation. Prior to joining J.P. Morgan, he worked at Bank of America for three years. Outside of his advisory role, he provides notary services through his own business and works as a caregiver for In Home Supportive Services. J.P. Morgan Securities offers institutional consulting services to plan sponsors, corporations, and endowments, focusing on written asset allocation advice and investment manager searches. The firm combines quantitative and qualitative research to build model asset allocations and incorporates an ESG eligibility framework in its recommendations.

Timothy Brown is a financial advisor at UBS Financial Services with 20 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 designations and has been with UBS since 2006. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as treasurer and board member of the Carmel Music Society, which presents classical music performances on the Monterey Peninsula. UBS Financial Services serves individual, corporate, and institutional clients through brokerage and investment advisory services, including portfolio management and financial planning. The firm combines institutional trading capabilities with wealth management services and uses proprietary research and model-based asset allocations to tailor client plans.

Fariba Hekmat is a Series 66 licensed financial advisor with 18 years of industry experience, currently practicing at Wells Fargo Advisors in Westlake Village, CA. She joined Wells Fargo Advisors in 2016 after working at Merrill from 2009 to 2016 and UBS Financial Services from 2008 to 2009. Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network is a broker-dealer and registered investment adviser affiliated with Wells Fargo, providing investment and financial planning services to individuals, trusts, and institutional clients. The firm offers a broad range of planning services and uses Wells Fargo research and tools to develop tailored recommendations, with clients choosing whether and how to implement them.

David Mandel is a financial advisor with UBS Financial Services in Sherman Oaks, CA, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and having 44 years of industry experience. He has been with UBS Financial Services since 2013. UBS Financial Services serves individual, corporate, and institutional clients through brokerage and investment advisory offerings, combining proprietary research and model-based asset allocations to tailor plans to client goals. The firm integrates institutional trading capabilities with wealth management services and provides a broad range of capital markets and advisory solutions.

Jonathan Melara is a financial advisor at J.P. Morgan Securities with four years of industry experience. He holds the Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has worked previously at Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Chase Bank, Bank of America, Fidelity Investments, and other firms. J.P. Morgan Securities provides institutional consulting services to plan sponsors, corporations, endowments, and other institutional clients, focusing on asset allocation advice, investment manager and fund searches, and customized performance reporting. The firm’s advisory process combines quantitative and qualitative research and supports a range of eligible strategies with an ESG eligibility framework.