Laura Lawther is a CFP® professional with 18 years of industry experience, currently serving at Empower Advisory Group. Her prior roles include positions at Raymond James Financial Services Advisors, Auro Wealth Management, and Pickett Financial Partners. Outside of her advisory work, she serves as Treasurer for The Pet Adoption Center of Orange County, a non-profit animal rescue organization. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management primarily to employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors and their participants, as well as to IRA and retail brokerage clients. The firm integrates its services with Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative platforms, offering point-in-time financial plans and optional managed account solutions.

Ryan Cravitz is a CFP® with 13 years of industry experience, currently serving at Brookstone Capital Management LLC since 2016. He has also owned Cravitz Financial & Insurance Solutions, previously Milestone, since 2011, where he promotes and teaches financial literacy to adults and children as a Certified Financial Education Instructor with the National Financial Educator's Council. Brookstone Capital Management provides fee-based asset management and financial planning to individuals, retirement plans, corporations, trusts, and other entities. The firm offers discretionary portfolio management through a turnkey asset management platform and employs a range of investment strategies including strategic and dynamic asset allocation models, ETFs, mutual funds, and options-enhanced strategies.

Scott Smith is a financial advisor at J.W. Cole Advisors, Inc. with 22 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 credentials and previously worked at Edward Jones for 18 years. Smith also manages Smith Wealth Partners, a client-facing business offering advisory practice information and client portals, and serves as a life and health insurance agent. J.W. Cole Advisors is an SEC-registered firm serving individuals, charities, corporations, and retirement plans nationwide through over 400 independent advisors. The firm provides portfolio management, fee-based financial planning, access to third-party managers, and various managed account solutions.

Giesella Earley is a financial advisor with Citigroup Global Markets and holds Series 63 and Series 66 designations. She has 14 years of industry experience and has been with Citigroup since 2010. Citigroup Global Markets serves individual and institutional clients across various wealth segments, offering a range of investment advisory programs alongside broker-dealer execution and custody services. The firm employs multi-asset, multi-manager strategies and maintains significant institutional capabilities including in-house research and specialized market roles.

Carly Gold is a financial advisor at Stratos Wealth Partners, Ltd with four years of industry experience. She holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at LPL Financial, Holmes Associates, and Stratos Wealth Partners. Outside of advising, Carly has experience as a notary and has provided administrative support within her firm. Stratos Wealth Partners, Ltd is an SEC-registered enterprise wealth management firm serving more than 24,000 clients with approximately $18.6 billion in assets under management. The firm offers individualized investment strategies through advisor-managed and model portfolios, utilizing an open-architecture approach that incorporates external platforms and third-party managers.

Tsanshiau Lin is a financial advisor with Independent Financial Group, LLC, holding a Series 66 designation and 27 years of industry experience. She has been with Independent Financial Group since 2015. In addition to her advisory role, she is licensed as a California insurance agent offering various insurance products. Independent Financial Group, LLC is a dual-registered broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, charities, corporations, and plan sponsors. The firm offers brokerage, portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement plan services, utilizing multiple advisory programs and third-party asset managers to tailor investment solutions.

Gregory Johnstone is a financial advisor with Centaurus Financial, Inc. in Irvine, CA, holding the CFP® designation and Series 63 and 65 licenses. He has 28 years of industry experience, including 24 years at Centaurus Financial and over 30 years running Johnstone & Associates. Outside of advising, he serves as president of KSWM Inc., an accounting and administrative entity. Centaurus Financial provides advisory and brokerage services to a diverse client base, including individuals, families, businesses, and institutions. The firm’s investment approach combines fundamental and technical analysis with discretionary and non-discretionary management, offering specialized services such as retirement-plan consulting and advisory management of annuity and variable life sub-accounts.

Heather Blake is a Series 66-licensed financial advisor with seven years of industry experience. She has worked at Infinex Investments, Inc. since 2022 and previously at LPL Financial and Financial Partners Wealth Management starting in 2016. Blake serves as a trustee and executor for a trust and estate unrelated to her investment activities. She is affiliated with Osaic Institutions, Inc., an SEC-registered investment adviser that provides customized advisory services, financial planning, ERISA plan services, and access to alternative investments for individuals, retirement plans, trusts, estates, and corporate clients. Osaic operates a hybrid adviser/broker-dealer model, combining investment adviser registration with broker-dealer licensing and a mix of discretionary and non-discretionary account management.

Milos Vrzic is a financial advisor with Commonwealth Financial Network, holding a Series 66 designation and three years of industry experience. He previously worked at Signature Resources Capital Management for six years. Vrzic is a co-owner of Tranquility Wealth Management, LLC, a private entity focused on securities, advisory, and insurance business. Commonwealth Financial Network is a dual-registered broker/dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser that serves a national network of approximately 2,900 affiliated advisors and manages roughly $212.7 billion in client assets. The firm offers a broad adviser-support platform, including managed-account programs and access to third-party asset managers, supporting a wide range of investment options and consulting services.

Joel Gritten is a financial advisor with Planmember Securities Corporation based in Yorba Linda, CA. He holds the CFP® designation and has 38 years of industry experience. In addition to his advisory work, he has been involved with Trader Joe’s since 2003 in a non-investment capacity. Planmember Securities Corporation provides retirement-plan advisory services to employers and plan participants, acting as an ERISA Section 3(38) fiduciary for many plans. The firm employs a top-down strategic asset allocation approach and manages unitized, risk-based mutual fund portfolios, offering education and support services including seminars and personalized retirement planning.

Robert Shier Jr. is a CFP®-certified financial advisor with 30 years of industry experience. He is associated with Cerity Partners LLC and has been working with HPM Partners Advisor Alliance LLC and HPM Partners LLC since 2012. Cerity Partners is an SEC-registered investment adviser serving a diverse client base including individuals, families, trusts, estates, corporations, charitable institutions, and other institutional investors. The firm offers a range of services such as investment management, financial planning, tax and insurance support, and access to alternative and private-market investments, with a focus on customized, diversified portfolios and private market programs for qualified clients.

Hannah Sullivan is a CFP® professional with seven years of experience in financial planning and advisory roles. She is currently with J.W. Cole Advisors, Inc., where she has worked since 2022, following prior experience at Lincoln Financial Advisors. Outside of her advisory work, Sullivan serves as Secretary for Orange Blossoms, an auxiliary group that raises funds for women and children in need, and is a board member of the Community Foundation of Orange, a nonprofit focused on local charitable initiatives. J.W. Cole Advisors operates a large network of independent advisors offering fee-based portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement plan services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, and institutions. The firm employs a range of discretionary and non-discretionary management strategies and provides access to multiple investment platforms and third-party managers.

Chih Tao Ma is a financial advisor with Independent Financial Group, LLC, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 25 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Cetera and Cathay Bank. He is also a licensed insurance agent offering insurance sales and services outside of his work at Independent Financial Group. Independent Financial Group, LLC is a dual-registered broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, charities, corporations, and plan sponsors. The firm offers a range of brokerage, portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement plan services, delivering advisory programs through multiple platforms and a national network of Investment Adviser Representatives.

Kamron Nahavandi is a financial advisor with Money Concepts Capital Corp in Placentia, CA, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and possessing 19 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at MassMutual, The Prudential Insurance Company of America, and Fit Strategic Advisors LLC. He is also involved with FIT Planning Group, offering fixed and indexed insurance products. Money Concepts Advisory Service provides investment advisory, financial planning, and consulting services to a diverse client base including individuals, pension plans, trusts, and corporations. The firm employs model-driven and asset-allocation approaches and operates alongside its broker-dealer and insurance businesses, offering clients access to a wide range of proprietary and third-party investment programs.

Gina Seid is a CFP® with seven years of experience in the financial industry. She currently works at Creative Planning and has previously held roles at Morgan Stanley, Wells Fargo Clearing, First Republic, and Edward Jones. Creative Planning provides wealth management, financial planning, and retirement-plan advisory services to a diverse client base, including individuals, pension plans, trusts, foundations, and corporations. The firm employs a financial-planning-led investment approach emphasizing low-cost indexing, buy-and-hold strategies, and selective private market exposure.

Kathleen Zwickl is a financial advisor at Centaurus Financial, Inc. in Anaheim, CA, with 14 years of industry experience. She holds a Series 66 credential and has been with Centaurus since 2015. In addition to her advisory role, Kathleen provides life and legacy coaching focused on helping individuals and families uncover their gifts and preserve wealth across generations. Centaurus Financial, Inc. delivers advisory and brokerage services to a diverse client base including individuals, families, small businesses, and institutions. The firm offers financial planning, portfolio management through the CLASSIC Plus platform, retirement-plan consulting, and specialized advisory services, utilizing both discretionary and non-discretionary arrangements.

Douglas Beaver is a financial advisor at Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC with two years of industry experience. He is also a partner at Windes Inc., a CPA firm. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, families, trusts, estates, businesses, and retirement plans through independent financial advisors. The firm offers discretionary investment management, financial planning, and family office services, using customized portfolios with a primarily long-term approach and a variety of investment vehicles.

Osvaldo Cisneros is a financial advisor at Centaurus Financial, Inc. with five years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and has worked at Centaurus Financial since 2020, with prior roles at Pruco Securities LLC and the University of California, Irvine. Outside of his advisory work, he owns an online blog called Socratic Speech and a related podcast named I Think, Therefore I Pod. Centaurus Financial, Inc. serves a diverse client base including individuals, families, small businesses, corporations, trusts, and foundations. The firm provides financial planning and portfolio management services through its CLASSIC Plus platform, employing both discretionary and non-discretionary investment arrangements with varied analytical approaches.

Brandi Palermo is a financial advisor at Kestra Advisory with 25 years of industry experience. She holds a Series 66 designation and has been with Kestra since 2008 in various capacities. Outside of her advisory role, she serves as a contractor providing a property and casualty license for pet insurance sales with Pawsome Pet Company and is a director at Financial Architects Partners. Kestra Advisory Services provides investment advisory and retirement-plan consulting to plan sponsors and a wide range of institutional and individual clients. The firm offers services including fiduciary consulting, plan design, compliance testing, and investment advice, serving clients such as large institutional investors and sovereign wealth funds.

Marc Hsu is a financial advisor at Empower Advisory Group with 11 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at firms including JP Morgan Securities LLC and Fidelity Investments. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management primarily to employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors and their participants, as well as Empower Premier IRA and certain retail brokerage account holders. The firm offers point-in-time financial plans and managed account solutions integrated with Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative platforms.