Gregory Bernhardt is a CFP® with 46 years of industry experience and is currently with Independent Financial Group, LLC. He has previously worked at NPB Financial Group, LLC, Kingswood Capital Partners, LLC, and Clayton Consulting Group. Independent Financial Group, LLC offers investment advisory and brokerage services to a wide range of clients, including individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, and corporate plans, utilizing various platforms and models that combine strategic asset allocation with both passive and active investment exposures.

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 26 years of industry experience. He holds the PFS™ designation and Series 65 license. Prior to joining Focus Partners Wealth, he worked at Media Wealth, LLC, Adero Partners, LLC, and Vista Wealth Management, LLC. Outside of advisory roles, he is a managing member of L-Five, LLC, which invests in private real estate and private companies. Focus Partners Wealth serves individuals, families, charitable organizations, corporations, and institutional retirement plans, offering a range of services including investment management, financial planning, tax and compliance support, family office and business management, and employee benefit retirement plan services. The firm employs a long-term investment approach with an enhanced open architecture, combining active and passive strategies tailored to clients’ needs.

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 at TIAA-CREF with 24 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has been with TIAA-CREF since 2017. 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, and small retirement plans, often working with clients who have existing relationships through TIAA-administered employer retirement plans. The firm offers both model-based and customized portfolio management within a vertically integrated structure that includes affiliated funds.

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 six years of experience in the financial services industry. He has been with Mercer Global Advisors Inc. since 2019 and previously worked at AssetMark Brokerage, LLC and AssetMark Financial, Inc. He is based in Walnut Creek, CA. Mercer Global Advisors serves individuals, families, small business owners, plan sponsors, foundations, non-profits, and endowments by offering 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, employing globally diversified, risk-appropriate portfolios through a blend of low-cost ETFs, index funds, separate account managers, direct indexing, and specialized fund options.

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.

Shabina Rafiq is a financial advisor at Mariner with 25 years of industry experience. She holds the ChFC® designation along with Series 63 and Series 65 licenses. Her prior experience includes roles at Commonwealth Financial Network and Msec, LLC. Additionally, she is a notary public. Mariner serves a diverse client base including high-net-worth individuals, pension plans, trusts, and charitable organizations, offering investment management, financial planning, retirement consulting, and coordinated tax and family office services. The firm employs customized discretionary portfolios supported by in-house research and third-party managers, with a notable integration of tax and accounting services uncommon among large enterprises.

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 in San Ramon, CA, holding a Series 66 designation and two years of industry experience. He has worked at Ameritas Investment Company, LLC and David White & Associates, where he is also involved in insurance-related activities. Additionally, he has seven years of experience with Elite Aesthetics Consulting Co and two years with Kid Lingual English School. Ameritas Advisory Services, LLC provides investment advisory and planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, high-net-worth investors, retirement plans, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm utilizes a range of investment products and program platforms while leveraging third-party technology and managing potential conflicts through its mutual holding company corporate structure.

Alexis Trauger is a CFP® professional with 11 years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Creative Planning since 2019. Prior to this, Alexis worked at Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. for five years. Outside of financial advising, Alexis is an artist involved with SwoonBox, a retail arts and crafts business. Creative Planning provides wealth management, financial planning, and retirement-plan advisory services to a diverse client base including individuals, pension plans, trusts, and corporations. The firm employs a financial-planning-led investment approach focused on low-cost indexing, buy-and-hold strategies, and selective private market exposure while offering fiduciary advisory services and a range of institutional and retirement plan solutions.

Jessica Mc Curdy is a financial advisor at Private Advisor Group, LLC with 22 years of industry experience. She holds the Series 66 designation and has worked previously at Mariner Independent Advisor Network, LPL Financial, and Ameriprise. Private Advisor Group serves individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, businesses, and retirement plans, offering portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting with a fiduciary-based advisory model that includes various investment strategies and technology platforms.

Kyle Ryan is a CFP® with 17 years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Mariner. His prior roles include positions at Personal Capital Advisors Corporation, GWFS Equities, Empower Advisory Group, and Fisher Investments. Mariner serves a diverse client base including individuals, pension plans, trusts, and charitable organizations through customized investment management, financial planning, and additional services such as tax coordination and employer financial-wellness tools. The firm combines internal research with third-party managers for discretionary portfolios and offers integrated tax and administrative family office capabilities.

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.

Stephanus Hermanto is a financial advisor with Transamerica Financial Advisors, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and bringing 10 years of industry experience. His career includes roles at IBM and ongoing involvement with firms such as inheritguard, LLC, where he provides education and support on estate planning issues. Additionally, he assists clients with insurance needs through the Covered California Health Insurance Marketplace. Transamerica Financial Advisors serves a broad client base including individuals, retirement plans, trusts, and businesses, delivering services through a large advisor network and multiple program platforms. The firm’s investment approach primarily utilizes model portfolios and third-party managers, combining proprietary and external strategies with an integrated retirement plan ecosystem.

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.

Jonathan Rudolfs is a financial advisor at SPC with the ChFC® designation and Series 66 license, and has six years of industry experience. He has been with SPC since 2020 and has worked at Parkland Securities since 2015. In addition to his advisory role, he is involved with Hanna Insurance and Financial Solutions, assisting clients with employer-sponsored SERPs, insurance, and financial product options. SPC provides investment management, financial planning, and retirement-plan advisory services to individual investors, employer-sponsored plans, charitable organizations, and corporate clients. The firm supports a large network of advisors serving over 30,000 clients and offers tailored, discretionary investment advice primarily through managed account programs and partnerships with third-party advisers.

Shilu Sheng is a CFP® at Creative Planning with one year of industry experience. Prior to joining Creative Planning, Sheng worked at Bank of New York Mellon for seven years and PricewaterhouseCoopers for four years. Creative Planning provides wealth management, financial planning, and retirement-plan advisory services to a diverse client base, including high-net-worth individuals, pension plans, and corporations. The firm employs a financial-planning-led investment approach incorporating low-cost indexing, buy-and-hold strategies, and selective private market exposure while offering a range of institutional and retirement plan services.