John Nielander is a financial advisor with Cerity Partners LLC in San Diego, CA. He holds a Series 65 credential and has less than one year of industry experience. Prior to joining Cerity Partners, he spent several years in full-time education and held positions at the University of San Diego. Cerity Partners provides customized wealth management and related services to a diverse national client base, including high-net-worth individuals, families, trusts, business entities, and institutional investors. The firm employs tailored asset allocation and manager selection processes, incorporating proprietary quantitative screens and third-party managers, and offers access to alternative and private-market investments.

Kevin Yang is a financial advisor with Empower Advisory Group in San Diego, CA, holding Series 63 and Series 66 credentials and two years of industry experience. He has been with Empower Advisory Group since 2025 and was previously affiliated with Empower Financial Services, Inc. from 2023. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management primarily to employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors and their participants, as well as to Empower Premier IRA and certain retail brokerage account holders. The firm’s services are integrated with Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative platforms and emphasize long-term portfolio returns and annual rebalancing.

Michael Cheng is a financial advisor at First Command Advisory Services with a Series 66 designation and one year of industry experience. His background includes over two decades of service in the United States Navy, followed by roles at Amazon.com, Sony Interactive Entertainment, and military-related positions, including Navy Region Southwest and First Command's various entities. He is also affiliated with St. Michael's School. First Command Advisory Services, Inc. is an SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, corporate, and charitable clients, with a particular focus on active-duty service members and their families. The firm offers financial planning and multiple wrap-fee asset management programs, employing a centralized Investment Management Team to design and manage model portfolios using mutual funds, ETFs, and approved third-party managers.

Jennifer Hart is a financial advisor with Stratos Wealth Partners, Ltd, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 27 years of industry experience. She has been with Stratos Wealth Partners since 2010 and has also worked at LPL Financial, LLC since 2017. Stratos Wealth Partners provides advisory services to a diverse client base, including individual investors, trusts, charitable organizations, corporations, and retirement plans. The firm offers an open-architecture Strategic Wealth Management platform that supports both advisor-managed and model-based portfolios, utilizing multiple custodians and a variety of affiliated and third-party sub-advisors.

Elisabeth Cullington is a CFP® with 24 years of industry experience currently affiliated with Focus Partners Wealth, LLC. She has worked at The Colony Group, LLC and HoyleCohen, LLC, and has a longstanding association with CT. General Life Ins. Co. since 1984. Focus Partners Wealth, LLC provides wealth advisory and investment management services to individuals, families, retirement plans, institutions, and businesses. The firm employs a long-term, tax- and fee-sensitive investment approach within an enhanced open architecture framework that combines active and passive strategies, separate account managers, private funds, mutual funds, and ETFs.

Cara Witt Landefeld is a financial advisor at Citigroup Global Markets with nine years of industry experience. She holds the Series 66 designation and has worked at firms including Merrill Lynch, Bank of America, and EquityBee prior to her current role. Citigroup Global Markets serves individual and institutional clients across various wealth segments, offering a range of investment advisory programs and execution services. The firm employs multi-asset, multi-manager strategies and combines large institutional scale with specialized market roles, including derivatives and futures services.

Stephen Kelly is a CFP® with 10 years of industry experience, currently affiliated with Guardian Life in San Diego, CA. He has worked at Guardian Life and Park Avenue Securities since 2016. Outside of his advisory role, he is involved with Liberty ID, a business focused on identity restoration. Park Avenue Securities LLC, doing business as Park Avenue® Wealth Management, is a broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and corporate clients. The firm offers financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and a range of investment advisory programs through proprietary and third-party models.

Jonas Noack is a CFA® charterholder with two years of industry experience. He is currently an advisor at Mercer Global Advisors Inc., where he has worked since 2023. Prior to joining Mercer, he held roles at Northrop Grumman, Meketa Investment Group, and Berkshire Hathaway Homestate Companies. Mercer Global Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, high-net-worth families, small business owners, corporate plan sponsors, foundations, and nonprofits. The firm’s investment approach is based on Modern Portfolio Theory and emphasizes globally diversified, risk-appropriate portfolios using low-cost index vehicles and multi-factor tilts.

Ian Carr is a financial advisor with Commonwealth Financial Network in San Diego, CA, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 20 years of industry experience. Prior to joining Commonwealth in 2022, he worked at JPMorgan Chase Bank and JP Morgan Securities LLC from 2015 to 2021 and spent a year as a homemaker and at-home dad. Commonwealth Financial Network is a registered investment adviser serving a national network of approximately 2,950 advisors and their retail and institutional clients. The firm offers a range of advisory programs and services, including discretionary model portfolios and personalized investment solutions, while providing operational, trading, technology, and compliance support to affiliated advisors.

Mark Welsh is a financial advisor at Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC with 24 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at Laurel Wealth Advisors, Inc. since 2011 before joining Integrated Wealth Concepts in 2023. Integrated Wealth Concepts serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, families, trusts, estates, businesses, and retirement plans through a large network of independent financial advisors. The firm offers discretionary investment management, financial planning, family office, and retirement plan advisory services, using customized portfolios that combine mutual funds, ETFs, equities, and fixed income with both internally managed and third-party strategies.

Katherine Fries is a Certified Financial Planner® with 21 years of industry experience. She is currently with Beacon Pointe Advisors, LLC and previously spent over 17 years at The Family Firm. Beacon Pointe Advisors provides investment advisory and consulting services to a diverse range of individual and institutional clients. The firm employs a disciplined approach that includes allocating across third-party independent managers selected through a proprietary due-diligence process and offers a variety of services including discretionary wealth management, retirement plan consulting, and outsourced CIO solutions.

Matthew Streeter is a financial advisor at Guardian Life with a Series 66 credential. He has experience working at several firms, including Park Avenue Securities and PBO Advisory Group. Streeter is based in San Diego, CA, and has been with Guardian Life since 2026. Park Avenue Securities LLC, operating as Park Avenue® Wealth Management and a subsidiary of The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, provides brokerage services, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and investment advisory programs to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and corporate clients.

Emily Stevens is a financial advisor at Stratos Wealth Partners, Ltd. with two years of industry experience. She holds a Series 66 designation and previously worked at Charles Schwab & Co, Inc and Charles Schwab Bank, SSB. Stratos Wealth Partners 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 a range of advisor-managed and model-based investment strategies, financial planning services, and retirement plan consulting through an open-architecture platform integrating multiple external providers.

Erick Conway is a financial advisor at Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC with 15 years of industry experience. He holds the CFP® designation and Series 66 license. Prior to joining Integrated Wealth Concepts in 2024, he worked at Von Berge Wealth Management Group, Laurel Wealth Advisors, and Wells Fargo Advisors. He is also an independent insurance agent licensed to sell life, accident, and health insurance products. Integrated Wealth Concepts serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, families, trusts, estates, businesses, and retirement plans through a network of independent advisors. The firm offers discretionary investment management, financial planning, family office, and retirement plan advisory services, utilizing customized portfolios with a long-term investment approach alongside shorter-term trades for rebalancing or cash needs.

Brandon Borcic is a financial advisor at Empower Advisory Group with five years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked previously at GWFS Equities, INC, Core Staff, Jeppesen Sanderson, and Staff Pro. 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 clients. The firm uses an integrated model tied to Empower’s administrative platforms, offering both point-in-time financial plans and optional managed account solutions.

Branden Frazier is a Certified Financial Planner® at Creative Planning with 18 years of industry experience. He has been with Creative Planning since 2012. Based in San Diego, CA, he is part of a large advisory team serving a diverse client base. Creative Planning provides investment advisory and financial planning services to individuals, corporations, foundations, trusts, and retirement plans. The firm manages approximately $217 billion in client assets and emphasizes a financial planning-led investment process that includes low-cost indexing, buy-and-hold strategies, and supplemental approaches such as direct indexing and tax-loss harvesting.

Arturo Mendez Vega is a financial advisor with Voya Financial Advisors, Inc. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has nine years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Empower Financial Services, TIAA-CREF, and Vanguard Marketing Corporation. Voya Financial Advisors, Inc. serves a diverse range of clients, including retirement plan sponsors, charitable organizations, corporations, and high-net-worth individuals. The firm provides financial planning, portfolio management, and plan-sponsor consulting through various programs, emphasizing recommendation-based advice delivered primarily in non-discretionary arrangements.

Sheila Braun is a financial advisor with Commonwealth Financial Network, holding a Series 66 designation and four years of industry experience. Prior to joining Commonwealth in 2021, she worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP for ten years. She is currently associated with Plan to Prosper alongside her role at Commonwealth. Commonwealth Financial Network is a registered investment adviser serving a national network of approximately 2,950 advisors and their clients. The firm provides a range of advisory programs and back-office support, including portfolio management, trading, compliance, and technology services.

Daniel Parent is a financial advisor with TIAA-CREF in San Diego, CA, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 19 years of industry experience. He has been with TIAA-CREF since 2015. TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC’s Advice & Planning Services division offers financial planning and discretionary managed account programs to individuals—often those connected to TIAA-administered employer retirement plans—as well as to trusts, estates, partnerships, corporate entities, and small retirement plans. The firm’s advisory model separates one-time planning services from ongoing discretionary management through managed accounts that utilize model portfolios or customized portfolios managed under client-approved investment policies.

Mike Batista is a CFP® with 24 years of experience in the financial services industry. He has been with Creative Planning since 2015. Based in San Diego, CA, he holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses. Creative Planning provides investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, corporations, foundations, trusts, and retirement plans. The firm manages approximately $217 billion in assets and emphasizes a financial planning-led investment process that incorporates low-cost indexing, buy-and-hold strategies, and supplemental portfolio management techniques.