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 23 years of industry experience. He is currently with Beacon Pointe Advisors, LLC, where he has worked since 2016. Prior to that, he spent 12 years at Brandes Investment Partners, LP. Beacon Pointe Advisors, LLC provides wealth advisory, consulting, financial planning, retirement-plan services, and outsourced chief investment officer solutions to individual, corporate, and institutional clients. The firm combines asset-allocation modeling with due diligence on third-party independent managers and offers both active and passive strategies across public and private asset classes.

Aria Vergopia is a financial advisor with TLG Advisors, Inc. in Lake Forest, CA. She holds Series 65 and Series 66 licenses and has six years of industry experience. Her prior roles include assignments at Simplicity Investments, GT Securities, Inc., and Xnergy Financial LLC. Vergopia is also involved with Reborn Future Inc., where she has been active for five years. TLG Advisors serves a wide range of clients, including individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, charitable organizations, corporations, and pension plans. The firm focuses on manager selection and portfolio monitoring using fundamental analysis and Modern Portfolio Theory, offering both personalized advisory services and a digital program called Starlight Portfolios.

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.

Dexter Varrelmann is a financial advisor at Rockefeller Financial LLC with a Series 66 designation and one year of industry experience. Prior to joining Rockefeller Financial, he worked at Marcus & Millichap for three years. Rockefeller Financial LLC serves 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 an integrated investment platform that includes discretionary and non-discretionary management, access to third-party managers, and alternative investment placement.

Richard Du Vernet is a financial advisor with Independent Financial Group, LLC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 37 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at NPB Financial Group, LLC, Associated Planners Investment Advisory Inc., and PRUCO Securities, LLC. He also serves as an insurance agent for Prudential Financial, focusing on term life, whole life, and variable universal life policies. Independent Financial Group, LLC provides investment advisory and brokerage services to a diverse client base, including individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, corporations, and charitable organizations. The firm employs a combination of strategic asset allocation and manager selection across passive and active portfolios, offering financial planning, portfolio management, and retirement plan services through multiple platforms.

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 17 years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at CIBC Private Wealth Advisors, Inc. in Newport Beach, CA. She has been with CIBC Private Wealth Advisors since 2018, following a 17-year tenure at First American Trust. CIBC Private Wealth Advisors provides investment and wealth advisory services to a diverse client base, including high net worth individuals, families, trusts, employee benefit plans, corporations, and investment companies. The firm employs a collaborative investment process involving internal teams and committees to create customized portfolios and offers a range of strategies including options hedges 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 CFP®, CFA®, and holds a Series 65 license with seven years of industry experience. He is currently with Wealthspire Advisors, having previously worked at NFP Retirement, Inc. and Frank, Rimmerman, LLP. Wealthspire Advisors LLC manages approximately $34.3 billion in assets and serves individuals, including high-net-worth clients, corporate and pension plans, as well as nonprofits and foundations. The firm employs an institutional-style asset allocation framework and offers a range of services including wealth management, financial planning, and retirement-plan consulting.

James Chiate is a financial advisor with Sanctuary Advisors, LLC, holding a Series 66 designation and 23 years of industry experience. He previously worked at UBS Financial Services for 12 years before joining Sanctuary Advisors in 2025. Chiate is also the founder and managing partner of Dial Square, an investment advisory entity. Sanctuary Advisors, LLC provides investment advisory and financial planning services to a broad range of clients, including individuals, corporations, pension plans, and charitable organizations. The firm supports more than 400 independent investment adviser representatives who develop customized investment strategies using various analytical approaches and offers both discretionary and non-discretionary account management.

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® professional with 15 years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Beacon Pointe Advisors, LLC. Prior to joining Beacon Pointe, she worked at Waypoint Wealth Partners for 13 years and spent one year with Barclays Capital Inc. Beacon Pointe Advisors, LLC provides wealth advisory, consulting, financial planning, and outsourced chief investment officer services to a diverse client base, including individual investors, corporations, and institutional clients. The firm integrates active and passive investment strategies and employs a rigorous due diligence process for third-party manager selection, supporting its clients with detailed performance reporting and plan-level analytics.

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.