Samuel Shikiar is a CFA® charterholder with 11 years of industry experience. He has worked at Shikiar Asset Management Inc since 2018 and previously spent 11 years at Goldman, Sachs & Co. Shikiar Asset Management provides discretionary portfolio management primarily to high-net-worth individuals and families, as well as corporations, trusts, foundations, and tax-advantaged retirement accounts. The firm employs a research-intensive investment process focused on individual equities and fixed income, offering equity, fixed-income, balanced, and covered call-writing strategies.

Samuel Eilbaum is a financial advisor at Chemistry Wealth Management LLC in New York, NY, holding a Series 66 designation with three years of industry experience. Prior to joining Chemistry Wealth Management in 2025, he worked for seven years at Park Avenue Securities LLC dba Strategies for Wealth. Chemistry Wealth Management is a team-based SEC-registered advisory firm managing approximately $1.03 billion for over 500 clients. The firm offers discretionary investment management and financial planning services to individuals, families, trusts, estates, and businesses, utilizing customized portfolios primarily composed of ETFs, mutual funds, individual stocks, and bonds with a generally long-term investment approach.

Kenneth Lafreniere is an advisor at Empirical Research Partners LLC with 15 years of industry experience. He holds Series 65 and Series 63 licenses and has been with Empirical Research Partners since 2012. Empirical Research Partners provides data-driven research and investment advice exclusively to institutional investors, including money managers, hedge funds, insurance companies, and broker-dealers. The firm uses quantitative models that combine macroeconomic and industry data with statistical analysis to support professional investors’ decision-making, focusing primarily on equities and portfolio strategy.

Alan Merker is a financial advisor with Access Wealth in Totowa, NJ, holding a Series 66 designation and 12 years of industry experience. He has been associated with Access Wealth Planning, LLC since 2013 and has longstanding roles at Tuthill & Merker, LLC and Morris Merker & Co, LLC, the latter being a non-investment related business. Access Wealth serves individual and high-net-worth clients, as well as institutional entities, offering discretionary portfolio management and comprehensive financial planning. The firm applies Modern Portfolio Theory through an investment committee that constructs diversified models and evaluates third-party managers based on performance, risk, and fees.

Thomas Watts IV is a CFA charterholder with 29 years of experience in the financial industry. He is a principal at Watts Capital Partners LLC and previously worked at Watts Capital, LLC and Karbone Capital Markets, LLC for nine years. He also serves as Chief Investment Officer of WealthEdge Investment Advisors, LLC and manages private broadband investments through Radius Management, LLC. Watts Capital Partners LLC provides comprehensive financial planning, wealth management, and investment services to individuals, families, business owners, and enterprises, including specialized tax planning for non-U.S. investors. The firm employs a combination of core, tactical, and alternative investment strategies, utilizing proprietary quantitative models and derivatives, with options for discretionary and non-discretionary management.

Tracy Byrnes is a financial advisor at Lebenthal Global Advisors, LLC with seven years of industry experience. Prior to joining Lebenthal in 2025, she worked at UBS Financial Services Inc. for seven years and has experience in financial media as a correspondent for Newsmax Media. Byrnes also operated her own consulting service and worked at TheStreet.com. Lebenthal Global Advisors provides investment advisory services to individuals, trusts, retirement accounts, small businesses, and employee benefit plans. The firm offers customized and model portfolio management, financial planning, and pension consulting, managing approximately $820 million in assets across a multi-advisor team.

Longying Zhao is a CFA® charterholder with 18 years of industry experience. He has been with Empirical Research Partners LLC since 2007, where he serves as part of a four-advisor team. Empirical Research Partners provides data-driven subscription research and customized investment advice exclusively to institutional clients such as investment managers, hedge funds, broker-dealers, and insurance companies. The firm’s approach integrates proprietary quantitative models with macroeconomic and factor analysis to support institutional decision-making without managing client assets or serving retail clients.

Linda Ray is a financial advisor at The Northstar Group, Inc. in New York, NY, with 45 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 66 designations and has been affiliated with The Northstar Group since 1986 and Osaic Wealth, Inc. since 1989. The Northstar Group, Inc. provides discretionary portfolio management and comprehensive financial planning for individuals, trusts, pension plans, and business entities. The firm manages over $870 million in discretionary assets for approximately 244 clients through a team of five advisors, emphasizing individualized portfolio recommendations and detailed client risk assessments.

James Colby is a financial advisor with Gagnon Securities, LLC in New York, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and possessing 11 years of industry experience. He has worked at Gagnon Securities since 2020, previously with Btig LLC and Ladenburg Thalmann & Co. Gagnon Securities manages discretionary equity-focused accounts for individual and institutional clients, employing a research-intensive, stock-by-stock approach aimed at aggressive capital appreciation. The firm operates as both an SEC-registered investment adviser and a FINRA-member broker-dealer, providing services through its broker-dealer platform and affiliated pooled vehicles.

Kumi Ichikawa is a financial advisor at Golden Eagle Capital Advisors, Inc. with 15 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 designations and has worked at Golden Eagle Capital Advisors since 2019. Additionally, Ichikawa has been associated with the Prudential Insurance Company of America and PRUCO Securities, LLC since 2012. Outside of her advisory role, she serves as a health insurance agent for Kure Grinding Wheel America, assisting with the company’s medical and dental insurance reviews. Golden Eagle Capital Advisors is an SEC-registered investment adviser providing portfolio management, retirement plan consulting, and fiduciary services to individuals, trusts, estates, qualified plans, and business entities. The firm employs fundamental and technical analysis, manager due diligence, and periodic rebalancing, offering both discretionary and non-discretionary advisory programs.

Lonniece Mc Donald is a CFP® professional with experience at multiple firms including Corient, Pathstone, and Hall Capital Partners. She has been with HIGHLAND Financial Advisors, LLC since 2026. HIGHLAND Financial Advisors provides comprehensive financial planning and investment advisory services to individuals, families, high-net-worth clients, and institutional accounts. The firm employs strategic asset allocation grounded in Modern Portfolio Theory and integrates tax-aware strategies, supported by a team that includes a licensed CPA offering part-time tax services.

Samuel Magid is a financial advisor at Capital Counsel LLC in New York, NY, with five years of industry experience. He has been with Capital Counsel since 2009. Capital Counsel provides discretionary asset management and occasional financial planning for individuals, families, foundations, endowments, pension and profit-sharing plans, and corporations. The firm employs a valuation-based fundamental strategy focused on profitable, free-cash-flow-generating businesses and manages both separately managed accounts and private partnerships, serving a diverse client base including institutional-style clients.

David Muller is a financial advisor at NerdWallet Wealth Partners, LLC with six years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and previously worked at Sanford C. Bernstein & Co., LLC, Equitable Advisors, and Bank of America Merrill Lynch, among others. NerdWallet Wealth Partners serves individual and high-net-worth clients as well as certain charitable organizations, providing discretionary investment management and integrated financial planning. The firm uses a primarily passive, asset-class-weighted investment approach supported by fundamental analysis and offers access to alternative investments and specialized third-party sub-advisers.

Harrison Schaefer is a financial advisor at Retirable with four years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has worked at several firms including Spring, Heartland Alliance, K9 Code, and Johnson Becker PLLC. Retirable serves individuals who are retired or nearing retirement, providing financial planning and discretionary investment management focused on retirement income and distribution planning. The firm combines online planning tools with advisor consultations to develop personalized retirement plans and implements portfolios primarily using exchange-traded funds via the Altruist platform.

Gregory Lesko is a CFA® charterholder based in New York, NY, with four years of industry experience. He is affiliated with Deltec Asset Management LLC, where he has worked since 2001. Deltec Asset Management LLC provides discretionary investment management for pooled investment vehicles and separately managed accounts, serving clients including individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, and charitable organizations. The firm employs an actively managed, fundamental security-level research approach focused on positive absolute returns by targeting out-of-favor sectors and underfollowed opportunities, with an emphasis on special situations and tailored investment solutions.

Courtney Garcia is a Certified Financial Planner™ with 10 years of industry experience. She has worked at Payne Capital Management, LLC since 2014. In addition to her advisory role, Garcia appears periodically as a financial market commentator on CNBC programming. Payne Capital Management provides financial planning, consulting, and portfolio management services to individuals, including high-net-worth clients, as well as pension plans, trusts, corporations, and charitable organizations. The firm applies investment methodologies based on Modern Portfolio Theory and offers tailored portfolios utilizing mutual funds, ETFs, individual securities, options, and independent managers.

Henry Asher is a financial advisor with The Northstar Group, Inc. in New York, NY, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with 45 years of industry experience. He has been with The Northstar Group since 1986 and is also affiliated with Osaic Wealth Inc. since 1989. In addition to his advisory role, he serves as President and Chief Compliance Officer of The Northstar Group and is a licensed insurance agent. The Northstar Group, Inc. is a team of five advisors managing discretionary portfolios and providing comprehensive financial planning for individuals, trusts, pension plans, and business entities. The firm emphasizes detailed client information gathering and risk tolerance assessment to tailor investment strategies, supported by extensive research and regular reporting.

Matthew Flood is a financial advisor at Abner, Herrman & Brock, LLC with 16 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has been with the firm since 2011. Abner, Herrman & Brock provides discretionary and non-discretionary investment management and advisory services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, retirement plans, charitable organizations, and corporations. The firm manages approximately $2.43 billion in client assets, employing a top-down investment approach that integrates fundamental, technical, cyclical, and quantitative analysis.

Wenjie Weng is a financial advisor with Acrylic Financial, Inc. in New York, NY, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and 17 years of industry experience. Prior to joining Acrylic, Weng worked at MML Investors Services, LLC, Mass Mutual Life Insurance Company, Transamerica Financial Advisors, Inc., and World Financial Group. Outside of advisory work, Weng has ownership in Aimdar Advisory Group Inc., which offers various insurance products. Acrylic Financial, Inc. provides portfolio management and financial planning services to individuals, other advisers, corporations, and pooled investment vehicles, managing approximately $58.4 million in discretionary assets. The firm employs asset allocation frameworks combined with active momentum and moving-average models, offering both discretionary and non-discretionary management and access to third-party managers and alternative investments.

Thomas Sokira is a financial advisor at Cornerstone Planning Group with 29 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has previously worked at LPL Financial and National Planning Corporation. Outside of his advisory role, Sokira serves as Managing Partner of Anthem Financial Services, conducting 401(k) consulting. Cornerstone Planning Group serves individuals, businesses, retirement plans, foundations, trusts, and estates with discretionary portfolio management and comprehensive financial planning. The firm emphasizes low-cost, passive investment options and offers fiduciary consulting and retirement-plan services while operating as a fee-only, independent SEC-registered adviser.