What led you to your position at your firm? I have been focused on FIRE (financial independence, retire early) goals since college. At age 36, I was able to quit a high-paying hedge fund job to pursue my dream of starting this business. This wasn’t an accident, but part of a long-term financial plan I crafted for myself. Now, I am able to share my passion and help others pursue and achieve their dreams. What makes you different from other advisors? I am different from other advisors in that I offer a white glove, high touch model. While other advisors may serve as many as 100 to 200 clients each, I intend to serve no more than 20 clients exceptionally well. What minimum assets do you require? For investment-only clients, we require minimum assets under management of $300,000. I charge a 1.0% investment management fee for the active strategy and a 0.7% investment management fee for the passive strategy. For clients with more than $1 million of assets under management, we offer financial planning services at no additional charge. Due to capacity limitations, we will only be able to accept a few more financial planning clients. Once we reach capacity, we will no longer be able to accept new financial planning clients. What makes your investment process unique? Inspired by Warren Buffett’s investing style, I believe I can add substantial value to our clients through active management and superior stock selection. Having two decades of investment experience working at multiple hedge funds with exposure to both equities and fixed income, I have learned from the best. With all of my own net worth invested alongside my clients in the same strategies, my interests are aligned with yours as this cook eats his own cooking.

Kevin Clariday is the principal of Kevin Clariday Investment Advisor, an independent sole proprietorship based in Dallas, TX. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 27 years of industry experience, including 20 years managing his own firm since 2006. The firm provides comprehensive portfolio management and investment consulting services to individuals, trusts, and business entities, with approximately $21 million in assets under management. It specializes in non-discretionary portfolio management combining fundamental and technical analysis, emphasizing long-term investments and allowing clients to retain transaction approval authority.

Michael Awosemusi is a financial advisor at Empowerment Financial Advisors LLC in Irving, TX, holding the ChFC® designation and Series 66 license with 10 years of industry experience. His prior experience includes roles at Edward Jones and Brandon K. Moore Financial, LLC. He serves on several nonprofit and civic boards in the Irving area, including the Irving-Las Colinas Chamber of Commerce and the Baylor Scott and White Irving Foundation. Empowerment Financial Advisors provides asset management, financial planning, and retirement plan advisory services to individual, high-net-worth clients, and business entities. The firm employs a combination of fundamental and technical analysis along with modern portfolio theory, offering tailored investment strategies and ongoing supervision, including discretionary trading when authorized.

Anthony Noto is a CFP® and CFA® with 13 years of experience in financial planning and investment management. He is the sole advisor at Noto Financial Planning, an independent Dallas-based firm he has led since 2013. Noto Financial Planning provides fee-only financial planning and investment management services to individuals, families, and high-net-worth clients. The firm employs a tailored, long-term buy-and-hold strategy focused on strategic asset allocation using ETFs and mutual funds, with a primarily non-discretionary implementation approach and specialized experience managing cross-border financial issues.

David Mathews is a financial advisor at QKM, L.L.C. in Dallas, TX, holding a Series 65 designation with 14 years of industry experience. He has operated his independent advisory firm since 2011. Outside of advisory activities, Mr. Mathews is a licensed real estate broker in Texas and owns a 49% interest in Bear Trap Partners, L.L.C., a real estate investment company. QKM, L.L.C. provides investment research and advisory reports to high-net-worth investors and pooled investment vehicles, focusing on fundamental, bottoms-up analysis of publicly available market data. The firm does not manage client portfolios or custody assets and uses a variety of fee arrangements, including performance-based fees with qualified clients.

Ronald Harrison is the principal of Planb Tax & Wealth Advisors LLC in Richardson, TX, with 21 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked in wealth advisory and tax preparation since 1994, including prior roles at Fox Wealth Advisors and his own CPA practice. He is also the sole proprietor of Ron E Harrison CPA, providing accounting and tax preparation services. Planb Tax & Wealth Advisors LLC offers tax-aware wealth planning and portfolio management for individuals, integrating tax planning into investment decisions. The firm serves a broad range of clients, including corporate and business clients, pension plans, charitable organizations, and other financial entities, and conducts educational seminars and workshops as part of its services.

Billy Briggs is a financial advisor with Clear and Simple Financial Group LLC in Allen, TX, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and 23 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at USAA Investment Management Company and related USAA entities, spanning from 2011 to 2020. Outside of his advisory work, Briggs is a self-employed musician since 1995. Clear and Simple Financial Group LLC provides portfolio management and financial planning primarily to individual and high-net-worth clients, using a range of analytical methods and focusing on long-term trading and cash-flow portfolio construction. The firm operates with a small client base and incorporates an active insurance practice, with Briggs licensed to recommend insurance and annuity products.

Hammad Moon is a CFA® charterholder based in Plano, TX, serving as the sole advisor at Ihsan Wealth. He has held roles at PepsiCo, Inc., Copart, Stack Sports, Texas A&M University Commerce, and Magnus Investments, and has been involved with 64bits LLC since 2022. Ihsan Wealth provides Shariah-compliant, automated discretionary investment management primarily for individual retail clients and retirement accounts. The firm uses rules-based software for portfolio selection and rebalancing, offers ETF-based model portfolios and an optional U.S. equity fund, and also markets securities-screening and budgeting software subscriptions separately.

Lawrence Deramus Jr. is the principal of DeRamus Wealth Management, LLC in Plano, TX, with 31 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 63 designation and has worked at firms including CETERA Advisor Networks LLC and Summit Financial Group. Outside of advising, he serves as an architectural committee member for the Preston Green Homeowners Association. DeRamus Wealth Management, LLC serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, pension and profit-sharing plans, and corporate entities by providing financial planning, estate-planning coordination, and pension consulting. The firm generally offers non-discretionary advice, directs assets to selected third-party managers, and employs a range of analytical methods and investment strategies.

Omar Mallick is a financial advisor at Holbrook Management, LLC in Dallas, TX, holding a Series 65 designation with 13 years of industry experience. He has been with Holbrook Management since 2009. Holbrook Management, LLC is an independent, Delaware-registered asset manager overseeing approximately $72.7 million for high-net-worth individuals, family offices, institutions, and a commingled private fund. The firm employs a value-oriented, event-driven multi-asset investment approach with concentrated portfolios and uses quantitative techniques for idea generation and risk monitoring.

Mengting Xia is the sole advisor at NorStar Financial of Plano, LLC, holding a Series 65 designation and possessing seven years of industry experience. Xia has been with NorStar Financial since 2018 and was self-employed in the financial sector from 2010 to 2018. NorStar Financial of Plano is a fee-only investment adviser serving individual households and families with customized financial planning and portfolio management. The firm employs a combination of modern portfolio theory, fundamental and top-down analysis, and strategic and tactical asset allocation, with regular portfolio reviews and client communications.

Gilles Hudelot is a CFP® with 26 years of industry experience, currently affiliated with Lafayette Financial Planning LLC since 2026. His prior roles include positions at Fruition Personal Finance, USI Consulting Group, USI Securities, and H.D. Vest Investment Services. Lafayette Financial Planning LLC offers wealth management, individual portfolio management, comprehensive financial planning, and retirement plan consulting for individuals, high-net-worth clients, and businesses. The firm employs a blend of passive and active investment strategies based on Modern Portfolio Theory and provides a range of engagement billing options along with retirement plan management services.

Beverly Johnson is a financial advisor at BDJ Wealth Management LLC in Plano, TX, holding a Series 65 license with 12 years of industry experience. She has worked at SOFOS Investments, Inc. and is a partner at PJS Services, LLC, where she is involved in business development, tax filing, and tax planning. Additionally, she owns Teach Them 2 Fish, a financial education and consulting business. BDJ Wealth Management LLC serves individual and high-net-worth clients, including business owners, by providing discretionary portfolio management and comprehensive financial planning. The firm emphasizes tailored, tax-aware investment strategies with a focus on value and smaller-cap equities, and it maintains co-advisory relationships to accommodate clients’ social or moral investment preferences.

Charles Manthey is a CFP® with 38 years of experience in financial services. He is the president and sole advisor of Bluechip Financial Planning, Inc., an independent firm based in Richardson, TX. Before founding Bluechip Financial Planning, he worked at Securities America, Inc. for 28 years. Manthey also serves as a voting board member of the Prairie Club. Bluechip Financial Planning serves individual clients, including high-net-worth individuals, offering financial planning and asset management through both discretionary and non-discretionary accounts. The firm uses a combination of fundamental, technical, and economic analyses along with outsourced platforms and model portfolios to manage client accounts.

Bob Knode is the President and Founder of Knode Wealth Management, bringing over two decades of comprehensive financial planning experience to clients throughout Texas and beyond. A 2004 graduate of Texas Tech University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Personal Financial Planning, Bob has built his practice on a foundation of technical expertise and Catholic values-based investing principles. As both a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®) practitioner and an Enrolled Agent (EA), Bob offers a unique combination of investment management and tax planning expertise. His dual credentials allow him to create highly customized financial strategies while also providing advanced tax preparation services and representing clients directly with the IRS on tax matters. Bob specializes in serving executives, small business owners, retirees, and Catholic families who seek financial guidance aligned with their faith and values. His areas of expertise include: -Executive benefits planning and optimization -Comprehensive tax planning and preparation -Catholic values-based investment strategies -Retirement planning and wealth management -Small business financial planning

Nathaniel Gardner is a financial advisor at Prime Personal Finance in Wylie, TX, holding a Series 65 designation with two years of industry experience. Prior to his advisory role, he worked at Wayfair for five years and NetScout for seven years, with a professional background in computer science and software engineering. Prime Personal Finance offers financial planning, ongoing review, and education tailored to individuals and households through monthly virtual meetings and regular communication. The firm emphasizes fixed-income securities and mutual funds with established track records, adjusts asset allocation based on client goals and risk tolerance, and operates on a fixed monthly fee without commission or performance-based compensation.

Vishnu Gupta is a financial advisor with NEK Financial Inc in Irving, TX, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 15 years of industry experience. He previously worked with Netrin Investments, LP for 11 years before founding NEK Financial Inc in 2015. NEK Financial Inc provides discretionary investment management services tailored to individuals, families, IRAs, corporate entities, and trusts, focusing on an options-based investment approach. The firm employs institutional-style options strategies with a performance-fee compensation model and discretionary trading authority on client accounts.

Douglas Jordan is a financial advisor with OPCREST Investment Management, LLC in Dallas, TX. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 14 years of industry experience. Since 2011, he has been with OPCREST Investment Management. Outside of his advisory role, Mr. Jordan occasionally provides real estate consulting services and serves as an executor of estates. OPCREST Investment Management offers discretionary portfolio management primarily to individual and high-net-worth clients, focusing on option contract strategies and exchange-listed securities and indexes. The firm’s investment approach emphasizes derivatives, including various option spreads and covered options, with daily monitoring and technical analysis tied to the S&P 500 200-day moving average.

Scott Lanigan is a CFA® charterholder based in Dallas, TX, serving as the sole advisor at EID Capital since 2021. He has four years of industry experience and has also been involved with Merit Partners since 2016, where he performs due diligence and produces investment reports for a single-family office. Prior to EID Capital, he worked in financial coaching in Dallas. EID Capital is an independent investment adviser serving individual and high-net-worth clients with discretionary portfolio management and financial planning services. The firm employs a combination of passive and active strategies across a broad range of asset classes, including traditional and alternative investments, with a focus on personalized investment policies and quarterly account monitoring.

Grafton Howland is the principal of Howland Advisory Corporation in Dallas, TX, with 23 years of industry experience. He holds the CFP® designation and Series 63 license and has been associated with G. Dulany Howland & Company since 1991. Howland is also licensed to sell insurance products. Howland Advisory Corporation is a privately owned investment adviser serving individuals, IRAs, trusts, estates, and business entities. The firm employs a blended active/passive, multi-manager investment approach and offers discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management along with financial planning and counseling services.