Mark Pauwels Jr. is a financial advisor at Bay Pointe Financial with 15 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and previously worked at Sigma Financial Corporation and Waddell & Reed Inc. Outside of advising, he is a licensed insurance agent appointed with various companies. Bay Pointe Financial provides discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and pension consulting to individuals, high-net-worth clients, and employer-sponsored plans. The firm combines fundamental analysis and modern portfolio theory to create individualized investment strategies and offers insurance-based retirement products aligned with clients’ objectives.

John Salomon Jr. is a CFP® professional with 22 years of experience in the financial industry. He is a principal and part-owner of J2 Capital Management, Inc., where he has worked since 2010, and he also operates Salomon and Associates PLLC, a CPA firm specializing in tax preparation. His prior roles include a position at Alpha Cubed Investments LLC and involvement with Node AI, Inc. Outside of financial advising, he manages tax services through his CPA firm. J2 Capital Management provides discretionary portfolio management and financial planning primarily for individual and high-net-worth clients, as well as corporations and other investment advisers. The firm employs a range of analytical methods and incorporates artificial intelligence tools to support compliance and operations, while also offering subadvisory strategies and managing digital-asset accounts.

Miles Jamieson is a financial advisor at Daniel Investment Group Inc. with one year of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has prior experience at Commonwealth Financial Network as well as roles in academic institutions including Wayne State University and Davidson College. Daniel Investment Group provides discretionary asset management and financial planning services to individuals, qualified retirement plans, and charitable organizations. The firm manages approximately $210 million in assets with a small advisory team and employs a fee-oriented, fiduciary approach that emphasizes cost sensitivity and individualized planning.

Julie Lobaza is a financial advisor at Rochester Wealth Strategies, LLC with six years of industry experience. She holds a Series 65 designation and has worked at Rochester Wealth Strategies since 2018. In addition to her advisory role, she owns a technology consulting firm serving small and mid-sized businesses. Rochester Wealth Strategies provides wealth management and comprehensive financial planning to individuals, trusts, and institutional sponsors. The firm employs a planning-centric investment process focused on strategic, primarily ETF-based portfolios tailored to client risk tolerance and reviewed regularly.

Angela Zangarola is a financial advisor at Quantum Wealth Strategies, LLC with eight years of industry experience. She holds the Series 66 designation and has worked at firms including Sigma Planning Corporation and Raymond James & Associates. Angela is also a licensed insurance agent appointed with various insurance companies. Quantum Wealth Strategies advises individual and high-net-worth clients through discretionary portfolio management and financial planning. The firm employs a range of investment analysis techniques and offers services including Certified Divorce Financial Analyst support, with client accounts custodied at Schwab Institutional.

Gregory Carrico is a financial advisor at Legacy Wealth Advisors, LLC with 12 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has been with Legacy Wealth Advisors since 2016. In addition to his advisory role, Carrico is president of Contour Insurance Solutions LLC, where he is involved in the sale of insurance products and services. Legacy Wealth Advisors serves individual and high-net-worth clients with discretionary asset management, financial planning, and management of variable annuity and life products. The firm tailors portfolios based on client goals, time horizons, and risk tolerances, and offers additional services such as estate-document work and personal tax planning for clients with $500,000 or more invested.

Austin Cavanaugh is a financial advisor at Paragon Investing, LLC with one year of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation. Prior to joining Paragon Investing, he worked for Prospect Capital Restaurants and Little Caesars Enterprises. Paragon Investing provides discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and advisory services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, businesses, and other investment advisers. The firm’s investment approach includes customized asset allocation using fundamental and technical analysis, ETF and mutual fund selection, and both long- and short-term strategies, with a primary goal of preserving purchasing power over the long term.

Mark Miller is a CFA® charterholder and Series 63 licensee with 15 years of industry experience. He has been with Miller Capital since 1999 and serves as co-trustee for several trusts in a personal fiduciary capacity. Miller Capital provides discretionary investment management, portfolio analysis, and wealth-management advice to individuals and institutional clients. The firm emphasizes fundamental analysis and tailored portfolio construction, managing approximately $239.7 million across 74 clients as of early 2025.

Theresa Collins is a financial advisor at Paragon Retirement Planning, Inc. in Troy, MI, holding a Series 65 designation with two years of industry experience. She has worked at Paragon Retirement Planning since 2022 and has prior experience at Financial Services of America from 2006 to 2017. Outside of her advisory role, Collins acts as an independent insurance agent. Paragon Retirement Planning serves individual and high-net-worth clients, offering comprehensive and single-issue financial planning and consulting with a typical account minimum of $100,000. The firm’s investment approach utilizes model portfolios managed by unaffiliated sub-advisors, focusing on asset allocation while retaining responsibility for client relationships and periodic reviews.

Stephen Richardson is a financial advisor at Quantum Wealth Strategies, LLC with nine years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and has worked at Raymond James Financial Services and Southworth & Wilson Inc. prior to joining his current firm. Quantum Wealth Strategies provides discretionary portfolio management and financial planning to individual and high-net-worth clients, managing approximately $32.2 million across about 67 client relationships. The firm uses a combination of investment approaches, including technical and fundamental methods, and offers a subscription newsletter with specific buy and sell recommendations to its clients.

Brett Busuttil is a CFP® and ChFC® with 13 years of industry experience. He currently works at Bay Pointe Financial and previously spent nine years at Sigma Financial Corporation/Spc. He is a licensed insurance agent and co-owner of a commercial property holding company in St. Clair, Michigan. Bay Pointe Financial provides discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and pension consulting to individuals, high-net-worth clients, and employer-sponsored plans. The firm combines fundamental analysis and modern portfolio theory with tailored client profiles to guide investment decisions and incorporates insurance products when aligned with client goals.

Scott Salaske is a financial advisor at FirstMetric, LLC with eight years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 credential and has been with FirstMetric since 2017. Prior to this, he took a planned break from the industry between 2015 and 2017. FirstMetric serves individuals, trusts, foundations, estates, business entities, qualified retirement plans, and charitable organizations by providing discretionary investment advisory and portfolio management alongside financial planning and legacy securities transition guidance. The firm employs a passive, asset-class investment approach using low-cost index mutual funds and ETFs, emphasizing long-term, buy-and-hold strategies with integrated tax-aware practices.

Peter Labrash is a financial advisor at Paragon Retirement Planning, Inc. in Troy, MI, holding a Series 66 designation with two years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at MML Investors Services, MassMutual Life Insurance, Prudential Financial Planning Services, and other firms. Paragon Retirement Planning serves individual and high-net-worth clients with comprehensive and single-issue financial planning, generally requiring a $100,000 account minimum. The firm emphasizes suitable asset allocation through model portfolio strategies managed by unaffiliated sub-advisors and third-party investment advisers while retaining responsibility for client relationships and reviews.

Justin Hathaway is a financial advisor with EPI Financial Group in Troy, MI, holding a Series 65 credential and five years of industry experience. Prior to joining EPI Financial Group, he worked at Bill Marsh and AT&T. Outside of his advisory role, he owns and operates Not Another TCG LLC, a business involved in buying and selling antiques and collectibles. EPI Financial Group provides investment advisory and financial planning services primarily to non-high-net-worth individual households, charitable organizations, and business entities. The firm employs a sub-adviser platform for discretionary portfolio management and offers financial planning without a separate planning fee.

Jack Findley is a Series 65-licensed advisor at Trustee Empowerment & Protection, Inc. He has experience in related fields spanning over a decade, including roles as CEO/CRO of Decision Technologies Corp. and CEO of Sterling Signal, LLC, a commercial signage producer. His work at Decision Technologies involves licensing proprietary software to Trustee Empowerment & Protection, Inc. Trustee Empowerment & Protection, Inc. serves retirement plan sponsors, trustees, and individual investors through an internet-based platform that refers clients to a network of registered investment advisers. The firm provides a decision-assistance service using a patented application to evaluate and compare mutual funds and ETFs within defined contribution plans, focusing on non-discretionary, process-driven reviews.

ABOUT THRIVE RETIREMENT SPECIALISTS Standing out in our industry's “sea of sameness” and b#llsh!t, we introduce a new business model that applies the latest retirement research to deliver “reality-based” retirement planning, representing an evolutionary step forward in how people prepare for and thrive during retirement. We arm you with a framework to make better decisions based on your unique circumstances, enabling you to avoid unnecessary sacrifices symptomatic of following conventional “rules of thumb” intended for the masses. The result is living a more rewarding life optimized for contentment. ThriveRetire is an all-in-one, flat-fee service that includes: • Retirement Planning • Tax Planning • Investment Management • And more! ABOUT ANTHONY WATSON, CFA, CFP®, RICP® Prior to founding Thrive Retirement Specialists, Tony served as a Chief Investment Officer, providing advice and investment management services to over 600 individuals representing over $1.5 billion of investments. Before this, Tony served as Vice President at J.P. Morgan Private Bank, where he advised high- and ultra-high net worth individuals on all matters of wealth, including investments, portfolio construction, portfolio management, and retirement planning. EDUCATION: • BBA of Finance, Walsh College • MBA, University of Michigan, Ross School of Business CREDENTIALS: • Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) • CERTIFIED FINANICAL PLANNERTM (CFP®) • Retirement Income Certified Professional (RICP®)

Kelly L'esperance is a financial advisor at Barking Sands Capital with 21 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has led The L'esperance Group, LLC since 2011. L'esperance is also licensed as an insurance agent in Michigan and Minnesota, dedicating part of her time to this activity. Barking Sands Capital provides personalized, fee-based investment management and financial planning services to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and small businesses. The firm manages primarily discretionary assets using a core-equity strategy supplemented by dividend-paying equities, bonds, ETFs, and third-party managers when appropriate.

James L'esperance is a financial advisor at Barking Sands Capital in Troy, MI, holding the ChFC® designation and Series 63 license, with 19 years of industry experience. He has operated The L'esperance Group, LLC since 2004. Outside of his advisory role, he is involved in a licensed insurance agency selling and servicing fixed insurance products such as life insurance and annuities. Barking Sands Capital provides personalized, fee-based investment management and financial planning services to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and small businesses. The firm employs a core-equity strategy combined with diversified options and uses third-party managers when appropriate, managing approximately $45 million in primarily discretionary assets for about 85 clients.

Kenneth Wittenberg is a financial advisor at Wittenberg Investments Inc. with 11 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 designations and has worked at Wittenberg Investments since 2018, previously working at Secure Asset Management. Wittenberg Investments Inc. provides discretionary portfolio management and financial planning services to individuals, including high-net-worth clients, as well as pension and profit-sharing plans. The firm uses fundamental analysis to construct portfolios and offers services such as Investment Policy Statement creation, ongoing monitoring, and pension consulting, managing approximately $89 million in discretionary assets with a small advisory team.

Albert Lalonde is a Series 65-licensed financial advisor with Kaizen Wealth Management, LLC, where he has worked for 10 years. He has a total of 9 years of industry experience and previously worked with Kaizen Financial Group, LLC. Lalonde also manages an insurance services business as a managing member and insurance agent. Kaizen Wealth Management provides financial planning and consulting primarily to individual and high-net-worth clients, serving as an introducer and liaison to third-party money managers rather than directly managing client assets. The firm prepares tailored financial plans and coordinates with other professionals while relying on referrals and fee-sharing arrangements with external investment managers.