Cynthia Pierce is a Senior Financial Advisor at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management with over thirty years of industry experience. She provides goals-based wealth management services to affluent families, accomplished professionals, successful business owners, and philanthropic organizations. Alongside a team of firm specialists, she focuses on delivering customized advice, exceptional service, and a disciplined approach to investing. Her areas of expertise include divorce transition planning, family wealth management strategies, legacy planning, personal retirement planning, philanthropic planning, portfolio management services, socially responsible and ESG investing, women and wealth, and retirement income. Cynthia holds several professional designations, including CERTIFIED PLAN FIDUCIARY ADVISOR (CPFA), Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor (CRPC), Personal Investment Advisor (PIA), and Retirement Benefits Consultant (RBC). She earned her bachelor's degree from Sweet Briar College. Cynthia follows the Merrill tradition of community participation, dedicating time to volunteer with local organizations. Her personal interests include boating, horseback riding, photography, and traveling. She was named to the Forbes "America's Top Women Wealth Advisors" list in 2024 and also recognized in the Forbes "Best in State Wealth Advisors" list the same year.

Schekeeb Sidiqi is a financial advisor with Wells Fargo Clearing, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and three years of industry experience. Prior to his current role, he worked in real estate with TTR Sotheby's International Realty and BNI Realty. He is also an instructor of German at the German International School Washington DC. Wells Fargo Advisors is a national securities firm serving individual, corporate, and institutional clients with investment advisory services, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting. The firm employs a large network of advisors and uses research and analytics to support its investment evaluations while offering both brokerage and advisory solutions.

Charles Rucker Jr. is a financial advisor at OSAIC with 30 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63, Series 65, and Series 66 licenses. His prior experience includes roles at Woodbury Financial Services, SunTrust Advisory Services, Capital One Financial Advisors, and Chevy Chase Financial Services. Outside of his advisory work, he is involved in insurance planning and operates a family real estate venture managing rental properties. OSAIC serves a diverse client base including individual investors, retirement plan sponsors, charities, and corporate clients. The firm offers a multi-advisor platform with both brokerage and advisory services, using model-based asset allocation and portfolio optimization to deliver a range of investment programs and financial planning solutions.

Angela Miller is a financial advisor at Edward Jones with one year of experience in the industry. She holds a Series 66 designation and has a background that includes various roles in education and hospitality. Edward Jones is a full-service wealth management firm serving more than four million individual and institutional clients. The firm offers a range of advisory programs and investment solutions, operating under a fiduciary standard with a large national network of advisors and offices.

Stella Alaba is a financial advisor at Wells Fargo Clearing with 12 years of industry experience. She holds a Series 66 designation and previously worked at Merrill for eight years before joining Wells Fargo Advisors in 2022. Wells Fargo Advisors is a national securities firm serving individual, corporate, and institutional clients, including pension and charitable organizations. The firm offers a range of investment advisory services, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting, utilizing research and analytics alongside a mix of brokerage and advisory solutions.

Jeffrey Hilwig is a financial advisor with Wells Fargo Clearing in Columbia, MD, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and bringing 30 years of industry experience. His prior work includes a position at Quick & Reilly, Inc. from 2002 to 2003. Wells Fargo Advisors is a national securities firm serving individual, corporate, and institutional clients with investment advisory services, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting. The firm manages approximately $671 billion in assets and employs over 14,000 financial advisors, offering a range of brokerage and advisory solutions supported by research and analytics.

Francis Hawkins IV is a financial advisor with Mass Mutual Investors Services. He holds a Series 66 designation and has been with Mass Mutual and its affiliates since 2025. Prior to entering the financial advisory field, he gained experience in various roles including at Earls Kitchen + Bar and Audio Visual Systems LLC. Mass Mutual Investors Services is a broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser that provides financial planning and asset management services to individuals, business owners, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations. The firm structures financial planning as collaborative, ongoing relationships and offers specialized programs such as divorce planning and employer-sponsored planning.

Jenny Lira is a financial advisor at Morgan Stanley with 18 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 66 designations and has worked at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC since 2015, with a brief period of unemployment in 2020-2021. Based in Washington, DC, she is part of a large firm network. Morgan Stanley Wealth Management provides advisory programs to individuals and institutional clients, offering tailored financial planning that includes structured discovery conversations and approved planning tools. The firm manages approximately $2.74 trillion in client assets and offers a broad range of retail and institutional investment services.

Thomas Howes is a financial advisor at Equitable Advisors with five years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 license and has worked at Vintage Financial Partners and Equitable Advisors. Prior to his finance career, he was employed at Potomac Pizza and taught at Winston Churchill High School. Equitable Advisors serves individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, corporations, charitable organizations, and institutional clients, offering financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and asset management programs. The firm uses a network of Investment Adviser Representatives and third-party managers to deliver a range of advisory models and fiduciary services.

Tyler Jones is a financial advisor at J.P. Morgan Securities with seven years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked with JPMorgan entities since 2019. Outside of finance, he has served as an independent basketball official for local high schools and the NCAA since 2014. J.P. Morgan Securities provides institutional consulting services to plan sponsors, corporations, and endowments, focusing on non-discretionary asset allocation advice, investment manager searches, and customized performance reporting. The firm’s advisory process integrates quantitative and qualitative research and includes a framework for ESG considerations.

Carlos Ruiz is a financial advisor at LPL Financial with 12 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at LPL Financial since 2021. Prior to this, he was with M&T Securities for eight years and has been affiliated with M&T Bank since 2000. Outside of his advisory work, he is involved in residential property ownership. LPL Financial is a national broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, retirement plan participants, banks, trust companies, and other institutions. The firm offers financial planning, model portfolio programs, third-party asset management, and institutional platforms, with advice and account management provided primarily by investment adviser representatives using a range of strategies.

Salvatore Prisco is a financial advisor at Wells Fargo Clearing with Series 65 and Series 63 credentials and one year of industry experience. His prior work includes roles at Stubbs LLC and Pompili DPM, and he also operated Trattoria del Mare da Salvatore, a restaurant, for six years. Wells Fargo Advisors is a national securities firm serving individual, corporate, and institutional clients with investment advisory services, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting. The firm manages approximately $671 billion in assets and offers both brokerage and advisory solutions.

Jeffrey Schweighoffer is a CFP® with 10 years of industry experience, currently serving at UBS Financial Services since 2015. He holds a Series 66 license and is based in Bethesda, MD. Outside of his advisory role, he works as an adjunct professor with the Financial Educators Network. UBS Financial Services serves individual, corporate, and institutional clients through a range of brokerage and advisory offerings, combining institutional trading capabilities with wealth management services to tailor investment plans based on proprietary research and model-based asset allocations.

Upinder Chandhok is a financial advisor with J.P. Morgan Securities, holding Series 63 and Series 65 designations and 15 years of industry experience. He has worked at J.P. Morgan Securities since 2020 and previously held roles at Suntrust Investment Services and PNC Investments. J.P. Morgan Securities provides institutional consulting services to plan sponsors, corporations, endowments, and other institutional clients through a program focused on written asset allocation advice, investment manager searches, and customized performance reporting, supported by centralized due diligence and a combination of quantitative and qualitative research.

John Hasenberg is a Senior Financial Advisor and Managing Director at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management with over 20 years of experience in the financial services industry. He leads an eight-person team serving a diverse clientele that includes dentists, business owners, and non-profit organizations. His areas of focus include college education planning, divorce transition planning, family wealth management strategies, services for endowments, foundations, and non-profits, legacy planning, managing new wealth, and personal retirement planning. John holds multiple professional designations, including Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor™, Accredited Asset Management Specialist™, Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor®, Personal Investment Advisor, and Retirement Benefits Consultant. He earned a bachelor's degree in journalism from Northwestern University. Prior to his career in financial services, John worked as a television reporter and producer specializing in business and political news. He is active in several business and civic organizations such as Leadership Greater Washington, where he was a member of the class of 2007, and the Avalon Foundation Board of Trustees. John has served on the boards of the Milton Jewish Day School (formerly JPDS) and the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship, where he was a past chair, as well as Jubilee Housing and Levine Music. A native Washingtonian and graduate of DC Public Schools, John resides with his wife Kimberly and two labradoodles in Bethesda and St. Michaels, Maryland. His personal interests include boating, cooking, pickleball, traveling, and spending time with his two children, Ellie and Benny.

Leo Mercer is a financial advisor at Equitable Advisors with nine years of industry experience. He holds the Series 63 and Series 65 designations. Prior to joining Equitable Advisors, Mercer worked at AXA Advisors LLC and Vectorworks, and he also has a background at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Equitable Advisors serves a broad range of clients including individuals, pension plans, corporations, and charitable organizations, offering financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and asset-management programs. The firm’s investment approach emphasizes personalized risk assessment and the use of third-party asset managers and advisory programs.

Tyler Jennings is a Financial Advisor with Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, focusing on providing personalized wealth management strategies that align with clients' unique financial goals. He specializes in family wealth management strategies, managing new wealth, personal retirement planning, and tax minimization. Tyler connects all aspects of his clients' financial lives to help prioritize and pursue the goals that matter most to them. Prior to becoming a financial advisor, Tyler's career spanned roles in industrial sales, home building estimation, and automotive mechanics. His interest in financial markets and money stewardship grew from personal experience and a family connection to the industry. Tyler holds the Personal Investment Advisor (PIA) professional designation and earned his high school diploma from Commonwealth Academy. Tyler is active in his community, participating in the Kiwanis organization. He lives in Bristow, VA with his wife and two children. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time camping, fishing, hiking, engaging with music and photography, and being with his family.

Joseph Hemsley is a CFP®-certified financial advisor with Ameriprise, based in Bethesda, MD, with 38 years of industry experience. He has been with Ameriprise and its affiliated entities since 1989. Outside of his advisory role, he oversees human resources and business expense management as president and treasurer of HH BMD Enterprises LLC. Ameriprise provides retirement-income planning services primarily for clients nearing or in retirement who meet specific asset thresholds. The firm uses a centralized consulting team to deliver non-discretionary, research-driven recommendations that integrate tax-efficient strategies and asset management, with a focus on Ameriprise-managed accounts.

Sean Kirby Smith is a financial advisor with Wells Fargo Advisors in Bethesda, MD, holding a Series 66 designation and 12 years of industry experience. He previously worked at Morgan Stanley and Morgan Stanley Private Bank, National Association. Outside of his advisory role, he is fully involved in an investment-related business, SKS72, LLC. Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network is a large broker-dealer and registered investment adviser affiliated with Wells Fargo that provides a broad range of investment and financial planning services to individuals, trusts, and institutional clients. The firm offers tailored recommendations supported by proprietary research and planning tools, serving clients with diverse planning needs, including specialized areas such as business-owner transition and special-needs analysis.

Andrew Sheridan is a Senior Financial Advisor at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management. He specializes in wealth management strategies tailored to individual clients, including areas such as college education planning, executive compensation, legacy planning, liquidity management, managing new wealth, personal retirement planning, portfolio management services, and tax minimization. Andrew began his career in financial services in 2007 and joined The Hasenberg Hartsock Group in 2014. He works with individuals, families, businesses, local government employees, non-profits, and multi-generational families to develop strategies that balance their financial objectives with their core values. His approach involves a disciplined process focused on understanding each client's unique needs, concerns, and priorities. He holds a BS in Business from Mount Saint Mary's University (2007) and has completed an Accredited Certificate Program from the College for Financial Planning. Andrew is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® (CFP®), a CERTIFIED PLAN FIDUCIARY ADVISOR® (CPFA®), a Personal Investment Advisor (PIA), and a Retirement Benefits Consultant (RBC). He serves on the steering committee for the Mount St. Mary's DC Alumni Association and volunteers with organizations including the Knights of Columbus and Cup of Joe meal packing events. Andrew lives in Vienna, Virginia, with his wife Katherine and their four children.