John Schweitzer is a financial advisor with Transamerica Financial Advisors in Concord, CA, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 17 years of industry experience. His background includes roles at Transamerica Employee Benefits and LSPN Pro, LLC, as well as involvement with the Heartland Institute of Financial Education and the HIFE College Planning Program. Outside of finance, he works part-time in the beverage industry with Delicatio Family Wines. Transamerica Financial Advisors, LLC provides investment advisory, brokerage, and retirement-plan services to a diverse client base, including individuals, employer-sponsored plans, and charitable organizations. The firm utilizes model portfolios and third-party managers to implement its advisory services across multiple platforms, with regulatory assets under management around $1.7 billion.

Thomas Graber is a financial advisor at Transamerica Financial Advisors with 28 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has previously worked at firms including RBC Capital Markets and Cadaret Grant & Co., Inc. He is also involved in the sale of insurance and non-insurance products affiliated with Transamerica Financial Advisors. Transamerica Financial Advisors serves a broad client base including individual investors, retirement plans, trusts, and businesses, delivering services through a large advisor network and multiple program platforms that emphasize model portfolios and third-party managers.

Mark Burns is a financial advisor with Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services, LLC, holding Series 63, 65, and 66 licenses and over 22 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at LPL Financial, U.S. Bancorp Investments, Wells Fargo Clearing, and Wells Fargo Advisors. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services, LLC is an SEC-registered enterprise advisory firm serving a diverse client base including individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, corporations, and retirement plans. The firm’s investment approach combines strategic allocation across risk classes with both passive and active management, supported by an internal Investment Committee and research that incorporates quantitative and fundamental analysis.

Fanny Guo is a CFP® with 18 years of industry experience, currently with Mercer Global Advisors Inc. She has been with Mercer since 2015. Outside of her advisory role, she is involved as a health insurance broker with Covered California, focusing on private health insurance coverage for individuals and small businesses. Mercer Global Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, high-net-worth families, small business owners, corporate plan sponsors, and nonprofit organizations. The firm employs a globally diversified investment approach grounded in Modern Portfolio Theory and offers a range of portfolio management and planning services.

Gregory Bernhardt is a CFP® professional with 45 years of industry experience. He is currently with Independent Financial Group, LLC and has held roles at NPB Financial Group, LLC and Kingswood Capital Partners, LLC. Bernhardt has also been associated with Clayton Consulting Group since 1994. Independent Financial Group, LLC is a dual-registered broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, charities, corporations, and plan sponsors. The firm manages approximately $11.3 billion in assets and offers advisory programs through its AccessPoint platform and third-party asset managers, accommodating a range of investment profiles and account management options.

James Adgar is a financial advisor with PlanMember Securities Corporation, holding Series 63 and 65 licenses and bringing 22 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at LPL Financial, Valley Wealth Strategies, and National Planning Corporation. Outside of his advisory work, he serves as a sports official with the Bay Island Officials Association. PlanMember Securities Corporation provides retirement-plan advisory services to employers and participants, acting as an ERISA Section 3(38) fiduciary for many plans. The firm employs a strategic asset allocation approach across risk-based mutual fund portfolios and offers education and support services including seminars and personalized retirement planning.

Michael Spector is a financial advisor at Focus Partners Wealth, LLC with 25 years of industry experience. He holds the PFS™ designation and Series 65 license. His prior experience includes roles at Media Wealth, LLC, Adero Partners, LLC, and Vista Wealth Management, LLC. Outside of advisory work, he serves as managing member and CEO of investment-related entities involved in private real estate and private company investments. Focus Partners Wealth, LLC provides wealth advisory and investment management services to individuals, families, retirement plans, institutions, and businesses. The firm employs a long-term, tax- and fee-sensitive investment approach that integrates active and passive strategies, separate account managers, and private funds within an enhanced open architecture framework.

Phillip Gomez is a financial advisor at Sanctuary Advisors, LLC with 9 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and has previously worked at Bank of America and Merrill Lynch. He also spent a year at Lyft before joining his current firm. Sanctuary Advisors, LLC serves a broad mix of clients including individuals, corporations, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations. The firm offers portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting through more than 400 independent investment adviser representatives using a variety of investment strategies and platforms.

Kevin Higgins is a financial advisor with TIAA-CREF in Walnut Creek, CA, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 23 years of industry experience. He has been with TIAA-CREF since 2017. Outside of his advisory role, Higgins serves as a board member for Lamorinda Lacrosse, a local youth sports organization. TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC provides financial planning and discretionary managed account programs to individuals, trusts, estates, partnerships, and small retirement plans, often serving clients connected to TIAA-administered employer retirement plans. The firm operates a vertically integrated advisory model that includes customized portfolio management and donor-advised fund services.

Michaela Courtemanche is a financial advisor at Sanctuary Advisors, LLC with two years of industry experience. She holds a Series 66 designation and has previously worked in various roles within collegiate and professional football departments, including at Arizona State University and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Sanctuary Advisors, LLC provides investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, corporations, pension plans, trusts, and charitable organizations, through a network of over 400 independent investment adviser representatives. The firm offers portfolio management, retirement plan consulting, and other advisory services using a range of analytical approaches and maintains affiliations with several affiliate firms on its platform.

Jacob Gee is a CFP® professional with five years of industry experience. He is currently with Mercer Global Advisors Inc., where he has held various roles since 2019. Prior to joining Mercer, Gee worked at AssetMark Brokerage, LLC and AssetMark Financial, Inc. Mercer Global Advisors serves individuals, families, small business owners, plan sponsors, foundations, non-profits, and endowments by providing discretionary and non-discretionary investment advisory services along with financial, tax, retirement, and estate planning. The firm’s investment approach is based on Modern Portfolio Theory, emphasizing globally diversified, risk-appropriate portfolios implemented through a combination of low-cost ETFs, index funds, separate account managers, and private funds.

Kelly Milligan is a Series 66-licensed financial advisor with 26 years of experience, currently with Sanctuary Advisors, LLC since 2021. She previously worked at Bank of America, N.A. for 10 years and Merrill Lynch for 21 years. Milligan serves as a committee member on the finance committee of the Lazarex Cancer Foundation, a nonprofit that supports end-stage cancer patients through assistance with clinical trial participation and community outreach. Sanctuary Advisors, LLC provides investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base including individuals, corporations, pension plans, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations through a network of over 400 independent advisers. The firm offers multiple portfolio management options and employs a range of analytical approaches while acting as a fiduciary under written agreements.

Richard Perry is a financial advisor at Empower Advisory Group with 24 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has previously worked at GWFS Equities, Wells Fargo Clearing, and JP Morgan Securities. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management primarily to employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors and their participants, offering integrated services tied to Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative platforms. The firm’s approach emphasizes long-term portfolio returns and annual rebalancing within plan lineups selected by plan sponsors.

Pardis Nikzad is a financial advisor with Mariner Wealth Advisors, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and five years of industry experience. Prior to joining Mariner in 2025, she worked at Lion Street Financial, Ernst & Young, Bank of America, Merrill, and J.P. Morgan. Mariner serves a diverse client base including individuals, high-net-worth households, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, corporations, and private funds. The firm offers investment management, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, tax services, Core Family Office services, and employer financial wellness tools, utilizing a mix of discretionary, customized portfolios supported by in-house research and third-party managers.

Christopher Benz is a financial advisor with Ameritas Advisory Services, LLC, holding a Series 66 designation and two years of industry experience. He has worked at Ameritas Advisory Services and Ameritas Investment Company since 2023 and is also associated with David White & Associates. Outside of his advisory roles, Benz has experience in consulting and education, including a seven-year tenure at Elite Aesthetics Consulting Co. Ameritas Advisory Services, LLC provides investment advisory and financial planning to individuals, charitable and corporate entities, and retirement plans. The firm offers fee-based asset management, fiduciary retirement plan services, and employs model portfolios and third-party sub-advisers, with an emphasis on both discretionary and non-discretionary advice.

Alexis Trauger is a CFP® and Series 66-licensed financial advisor with 10 years of industry experience. She has worked at Creative Planning since 2019 and previously spent five years at Ameriprise Financial Services. Outside of her advisory role, Alexis is an artist involved with SwoonBox, a retail arts and crafts business. Creative Planning is an enterprise advisory firm managing approximately $217 billion in assets, serving a diverse client base including individuals, corporations, and retirement plans. The firm employs a financial planning-led investment process emphasizing low-cost indexing and offers integrated legal, trust, and retirement plan services through affiliated businesses.

Jessica Mc Curdy is a financial advisor with Private Advisor Group, LLC, holding a Series 66 designation and 22 years of industry experience. She previously worked at Mariner Independent Advisor Network, LLC for 10 years and has been associated with LPL Financial, LLC for 12 years. Mc Curdy maintains an independent advisory business through Mariner Independent Advisor Network LLC. Private Advisor Group serves a diverse client base including individuals, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations, offering discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement-plan consulting. The firm provides access to third-party asset managers and turnkey platforms, supporting a range of investment strategies through its network of investment adviser representatives.

Kyle Ryan is a CFP® and Series 65-registered financial advisor with 16 years of industry experience. He currently works at Mariner Wealth Advisors and has previously been with firms including Personal Capital Advisors Corporation and GWFS Equities, Inc. Mariner serves a diverse client base including individuals, high-net-worth households, pension plans, trusts, and charitable organizations, offering investment management, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and coordinated tax and family office services. The firm employs discretionary, customized portfolios supported by an Investment Committee and an internal management team, with a notable integration of tax and accounting capabilities uncommon in large advisory enterprises.

Kristin Bartlow is a CFP® with 16 years of industry experience, currently affiliated with Hightower Advisors. Her prior experience includes roles at Journey Strategic Wealth LLC and Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company. She is the owner of Kristin Bartlow, LLC, a legal business entity. Hightower Advisors offers investment advisory and planning services to a diverse client base, including individual and institutional investors. The firm’s approach emphasizes multi-manager solutions and manager selection, utilizing both affiliated and third-party managers across various investment vehicles.

Michael Turley is a financial advisor at Mercer Global Advisors Inc. with 21 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and previously worked at First Command Financial Planning, Inc. for 19 years before joining Mercer in 2023. Mercer Global Advisors provides investment advisory and related planning services to individuals, high-net-worth families, small business owners, corporate plan sponsors, foundations, and nonprofits. The firm’s investment approach is based on Modern Portfolio Theory, focusing on globally diversified, risk-appropriate portfolios with multi-factor tilts and uses a range of implementation options including ETFs, mutual funds, separate accounts, and direct indexing.