Ashley Aguayo is a financial advisor at Hightower Advisors with seven years of industry experience. She holds a Series 66 designation and has previously worked at firms including Triad Advisors, Strategic Wealth Advisors, and Flor & Associates Insurance Agency. Hightower Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to a diverse range of individual and institutional clients. The firm’s approach features manager selection and multi-manager solutions, utilizing both affiliated and third-party managers, and offers a variety of portfolio construction strategies including mutual funds, ETFs, alternative investments, and custom indexing.

James Papas is a financial advisor at Mariner with 25 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and previously worked at Charles Schwab and U.S. Bancorp Investments. Mariner serves a diverse client base including individuals, pension plans, trusts, and charitable organizations, offering investment management, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and coordinated tax services. The firm utilizes customized discretionary portfolios supported by in-house research and third-party managers, with additional capabilities in tax integration and employer financial wellness solutions.

Gregg Whelan is a financial advisor at Oppenheimer with 42 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has previously worked at D.A. Davidson & Co. and Raymond James & Associates. He is based in Carlsbad, CA. Oppenheimer serves a broad client base including individuals, corporations, pension and profit-sharing plans, and charitable organizations, offering advisory and brokerage services such as investment management, consulting, retirement services, and financial planning. The firm uses strategic and tactical asset allocation along with manager selection and various investment strategies to construct client solutions, maintaining roles as both advisor and qualified custodian.

Lauren Mc Gowan is a CFP® and holds a Series 66 license with five years of industry experience. She currently serves at Corient and has prior experience with firms including Dowling & Yahnke, LLC and Charles Schwab. Mc Gowan is based in San Diego, CA. Corient provides investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, pension plans, charitable organizations, and corporate entities. The firm uses a goals-based, team investment approach combining in-house strategies with third-party managers and incorporates risk management tools and alternative investments where appropriate.

Luke Schork is a financial advisor with Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC in Carlsbad, CA, holding a Series 66 designation and eight years of industry experience. He has worked with Integrated Wealth Concepts since 2019 and previously with Independent Financial Partners and LPL Financial. Outside of his advisory role, he is also a licensed notary public. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC serves individuals, families, trusts, estates, businesses, and retirement plans through a network of independent advisors. The firm offers discretionary investment management, financial planning, and family office services, employing a long-term investment approach with customized portfolios constructed from mutual funds, ETFs, equities, and fixed income.

Todd Beckmann is a CFP® professional with 15 years of experience in the financial services industry. He has worked at Kestra Advisory since 2018 and previously held roles at Foresters Advisory Services and Foresters Financial Services. Beckmann serves as Treasurer on the board of a homeowners association and manages an entrepreneurial venture, Beckmann Enterprises LLC. Kestra Advisory Services provides investment advisory and retirement-plan consulting to institutional and individual clients. The firm offers a range of services including fiduciary consulting, plan-level investment advice, and pooled plan solutions, serving clients such as plan sponsors and large institutional investors.

Nicole Trakimas is a CFP® professional with one year of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Principal Financial Services. Her prior work includes a one-year tenure at Edward Jones and over a decade at the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. Outside of finance, she has been involved with Carruth Cellars Winery, where she occasionally assists with grape crushing, bottling, and tasting room activities as a hobby. Principal Financial Services offers brokerage and registered investment advisory services to a diverse client base, including individual investors, retirement plans, trusts, and charitable organizations. The firm’s advisory approach features direct advisory programs, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and access to third-party money manager solutions through both adviser and promoter arrangements.

Tracy Yang is a financial advisor with Transamerica Financial Advisors who holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 10 years of industry experience. She has worked at Transamerica Financial Advisors since 2015 and Fastrack Financial Corporation since 2022, where she is an owner. Yang is also affiliated with World Financial Group, Inc. Transamerica Financial Advisors provides investment advisory, brokerage, and retirement-plan services to individual investors, employer-sponsored plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm utilizes a model portfolio approach implemented through third-party managers and platform providers, supported by a large network of advisors and multiple program platforms.

David Hobbs is a CFP® and CFA® affiliated with Corient, with five years of industry experience. He previously worked at Bordeaux Wealth Advisors and Ernst & Young. Corient provides investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, trusts, pension plans, charitable organizations, and corporations. The firm employs a goals-based, team investment approach that combines in-house strategies with third-party manager solutions and utilizes risk management tools and stress testing to align portfolio exposures with client objectives.

Jason Shapiro is a financial advisor with Primerica Advisors who holds a Series 63 designation and has 16 years of industry experience. His prior work includes roles at Northwestern Mutual and Guardian Life Insurance Company. He serves as a board member for the Foundations Board at El Cab and owns JShap Financial, Inc. Primerica Advisors serves a diverse retail client base, offering brokerage and advisory services, financial planning, and retirement-plan consulting. The firm utilizes a mix of proprietary and third-party investment strategies and supports various account-level services, including securities-based lending and donor-advised funds.

Efren Ortiz Espinoza Jr. is a financial advisor with Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services, LLC, holding a Series 66 license and one year of industry experience. Prior to joining Wealth Enhancement, he worked at LPL Enterprise LLC and held outside employment with Athleisure Inc. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, corporations, and retirement plans by providing financial planning, asset management, and retirement-plan consulting. The firm manages over $122 billion in assets, employing a diversified investment approach that blends passive and active managers guided by an internal Investment Committee.

Garrett Gates is a CFP®-certified financial advisor with seven years of industry experience. He is currently with Guardian Life and Park Avenue Securities, with prior experience at Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company. Park Avenue Securities LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, provides brokerage services, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting to individuals, pension plans, charitable organizations, and corporate clients. The firm offers a range of advisory programs through discretionary and non-discretionary relationships.

Erick Montiel is a financial advisor with Independent Financial Group, LLC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and bringing 24 years of industry experience. He previously worked at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC for nine years before joining his current firm in 2022. Outside of his advisory role, Montiel is involved in a family business where he provides weekly consultative support, and he holds a 50% obligation in a commercial real estate investment property. 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 advisory programs through its AccessPoint platform and third-party asset managers, with a client base that includes high-net-worth and institutional clients.

Duane Knopke is a financial advisor with Independent Financial Group, LLC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 50 years of industry experience. He has been with Independent Financial Group since 2009. Outside of his advisory role, he also sells life, health, and disability insurance as an independent contractor. 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, managing approximately $11.3 billion in assets through a national network of Investment Adviser Representatives.

Evan Cohen is a financial advisor with Stratos Wealth Partners, Ltd., holding a Series 66 credential and 15 years of industry experience. He previously worked at Edward Jones for 12 years before joining LPL Financial and Stratos Wealth Partners in 2023. Stratos Wealth Partners serves a diverse client base, including individual investors, trusts, charitable organizations, corporations, and retirement plans, offering portfolio management, financial planning, and access to third-party advisory solutions through an open-architecture platform that supports both advisor-managed and model-based portfolios.

Nathan Sorkin is a CFP® with two years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Stratos Wealth Partners, Ltd. Prior to joining Stratos Wealth Partners in 2022, he worked at San Diego State University, the City of Del Mar, and Torrey Pines High School. Stratos Wealth Partners serves a diverse client base including individual investors, trusts, charitable organizations, corporations, retirement plans, and institutional clients. The firm offers a Strategic Wealth Management platform with an open-architecture approach that integrates multiple investments into a single account and employs both advisor-managed and model-based portfolios.

Halle Hewitt is a financial advisor at Stratos Wealth Partners, Ltd with a Series 65 credential and one year of industry experience. Prior to joining Stratos, she worked at WCG Wealth Advisors, LLC and Fides Wealth Strategies Group. Outside of finance, she has experience in education and the hospitality industry, including roles at San Diego State University, the YMCA San Diego, and Ketch Grill & Taps. Stratos Wealth Partners serves a diverse client base including individuals, trusts, charitable organizations, corporations, retirement plans, and institutional clients. The firm offers an open-architecture Strategic Wealth Management platform that supports both advisor-managed and model-based portfolios through active monitoring and multi-custodian asset allocation.

Nicholas Clark is a financial advisor at Primerica Advisors with 14 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses. His prior work includes roles at Park Avenue Securities, Guardian Life Insurance Company, and MML Investors Services. Primerica Advisors serves a broad retail client base, including individual and high-net-worth investors, charitable organizations, and corporate clients. The firm offers both brokerage and advisory services, with a range of proprietary and third-party investment programs and integrated financial planning and consulting solutions.

John Foster is a CFP® with 34 years of industry experience. He is currently with Independent Financial Group, LLC and previously worked at Park Avenue Securities and Guardian Life. Foster teaches financial professionals as a Living Balance Sheet Trainer and is planning to author several books. Independent Financial Group, LLC is a large advisory and brokerage firm serving individuals, trusts, corporations, and plan sponsors. The firm offers a variety of investment advisory programs and financial planning services, implementing strategies through a combination of in-house and third-party managed portfolios.

Chau Lai is a CFP® and ChFC® with 28 years of experience in the financial services industry, currently affiliated with Guardian Life and Park Avenue Securities. His career includes long-term roles at both firms since 1999 and 2002, respectively. He serves as Vice Chair of the Philanthropy Committee on the UC San Diego Alumni Board. Park Avenue Securities, doing business as Park Avenue® Wealth Management, is a dually registered broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser owned by The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America. The firm provides financial planning, retirement consulting, and investment advisory services to individuals, charitable organizations, and corporate clients.