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.

Matthew Digiacomo is a CFP® professional with 23 years of industry experience. He is currently affiliated with Commonwealth Financial Network and Core Financial Group since 2023, and previously worked at Woodbury Financial Services, Inc. from 2011 to 2023. Commonwealth Financial Network is a registered investment adviser serving a national network of approximately 2,950 advisors and their clients, providing a range of advisory programs, investment management, and practice-management support. The firm offers discretionary model portfolios and customized program options, backed by substantial clearing and custody relationships.

Michael Lucia is a ChFC® credentialed financial advisor with 33 years of industry experience. He has worked at Integrity Alliance, LLC since 2018 and previously spent nine years at H. Beck, Inc. Outside of advisory work, he manages a business related to his daughter's dance career through Sophia Lucia, LLC. Integrity Alliance serves a diverse client base including individuals, charitable organizations, corporations, and retirement plans. The firm provides continuous asset management, financial planning, and retirement consulting through a network of 164 independent advisers, employing a range of portfolio management strategies and offering access to multiple custodial platforms and third-party programs.

Tedd Meyer is a Series 66-licensed financial advisor with seven years of industry experience. He currently works at TLG Advisors, Inc. and has previously held roles at J Alden Associates, Inc., Hornor Townsend & Kent Inc., Penn Mutual Life Insurance Co., and Northrop Grumman. Meyer is also a director at Newcleus LLC, where he provides life insurance solutions to credit unions, and he maintains an independent insurance agent role focused on life insurance sales. TLG Advisors, Inc. is an SEC-registered investment adviser managing approximately $2.0 billion in discretionary assets, serving a diverse client base including individuals, retirement plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, businesses, and institutional investors. The firm offers investment supervisory services, comprehensive financial and estate planning, and ERISA fiduciary services, employing a research approach based on fundamental analysis and Modern Portfolio Theory.

Stephan Sandoval is a financial advisor with Principal Financial Services in San Diego, CA, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 21 years of industry experience. He has been with Principal Securities and Principal Life Insurance since 2010. Sandoval also serves as a bank officer with Principal Bank and Principal Trust Company, supporting retirement plan account relationships across multiple offerings. Principal Securities provides brokerage and registered investment advisory services to a diverse client base, including individual investors, retirement plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, corporations, and active-duty U.S. military personnel abroad. The firm offers financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and access to third-party money manager programs under various advisory and promoter arrangements.

Carmen Benedetti is a financial advisor at Hightower Advisors with one year of industry experience. She holds a Series 66 designation and has prior work experience with Frozen Ropes and the Houston Astros. Hightower Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to a diverse range of individual and institutional clients. The firm’s approach includes discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting, utilizing a combination of affiliated and third-party managers as well as proprietary research and multi-manager solutions.

Alan Pamintuan is a financial advisor at VALIC Financial Advisors with 25 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked previously at Forthright Capital Partners, Forthright Capital Advisory, Pruco Securities, and The Prudential Insurance Company of America. He is also appointed as an agent to sell non-securities insurance products. VALIC Financial Advisors, Inc. serves primarily U.S. individuals, including high net worth and ultra-high net worth clients, as well as employer-sponsored retirement participants. The firm offers wrap programs, portfolio management, and financial planning through a large network of advisors, utilizing discretionary unified managed accounts on Envestnet’s platform combined with tax-aware and impact overlays.

Jeremy Runnels is a CFP® with 12 years of industry experience, currently serving as an advisor at Cerity Partners LLC. Prior to joining Cerity Partners in 2025, he spent eight years at West Coast Financial, LLC. He is involved with several nonprofit organizations, including the Rady Children's Hospital Foundation and the Lawrence Family JCC, where he serves on investment-related committees, and also advises a local business incubator focused on sports innovation. Cerity Partners is an SEC-registered investment adviser serving a broad client base that includes individuals, families, trusts, estates, corporations, charitable institutions, and other institutional investors. The firm offers customized portfolios with diversified asset allocation and provides a range of services including investment management, financial planning, tax and insurance support, retirement plan services, and access to alternative and private-market investments.

Gary Hirschfeld is a financial advisor at Hightower Advisors with eight years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 credential and has worked at Hightower Advisers, LLC since 2019 and at Delphi Private Advisors since 2015. Based in San Diego, CA, his background spans multiple advisory roles. Hightower Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to a broad range of individual and institutional clients, delivering solutions that include discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting. The firm's approach emphasizes manager selection and multi-manager solutions, utilizing affiliated and third-party managers alongside proprietary research and a variety of investment vehicles.

Dauna Bohlken is a financial advisor with Voya Financial Advisors, Inc. in San Diego, CA. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and has 28 years of industry experience. Bohlken has worked at Voya Financial Advisors and its affiliated entities since 2014. Voya Financial Advisors, Inc. serves individual and institutional clients, including retirement plan sponsors, charitable organizations, corporations, and high-net-worth individuals. The firm provides financial planning, portfolio management, and consulting services through multiple program structures, with a focus on non-discretionary, recommendation-based advice.

Michael Simon is a financial advisor with RBC Rochdale, LLC in La Jolla, CA. He holds a Series 66 designation and has five years of industry experience. His prior work history includes roles at Merrill and City National Rochdale, as well as positions outside the financial sector, including at Cinemark and Sal's Pizza and Baglery. RBC Rochdale serves a diverse client base, including high net worth individuals, corporations, charitable organizations, and government entities. The firm employs an active, multi-strategy investment process that integrates quantitative screening, fundamental analysis, and proprietary tools to tailor portfolios across various asset classes.

Ashkan Ghahremani is a financial advisor with Primerica Advisors based in San Diego, CA, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 18 years of industry experience. He has worked at Park Avenue Securities and Guardian Life Insurance Company since 2015. Outside of his advisory role, he is involved with Disaster Pro, LLC, a public adjusting business assisting clients with insurance claims. Park Avenue Securities serves a diverse retail client base, offering both brokerage and advisory services along with financial and business consulting. The firm employs a combination of proprietary and third-party investment strategies and supports various account-level services including lending and donor-advised funds.

Gregory Ochinero is a financial advisor with Kestra Advisory in La Jolla, CA, holding a Series 66 credential and seven years of industry experience. His prior work includes roles at Sanmina Corporation and On Semiconductor. He is also involved as a registered field assistant, supporting client outreach and backup functions. Kestra Advisory Services provides investment advisory and retirement-plan consulting to institutional and individual clients, offering services such as fiduciary consulting, plan design, and employee education. The firm serves a diverse client base that includes large institutional investors and sovereign wealth funds.

Elaine Rodriguez is a financial advisor at Empower Advisory Group with three years of industry experience. She holds Series 65 and Series 63 licenses and previously worked at JPMorgan Chase Bank and J.P. Morgan Securities. 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 retail brokerage account holders. The firm’s integrated service model is linked with Empower’s administrative platforms and emphasizes long-term portfolio returns, annual rebalancing, and clients’ savings rates.

Walter Hansch is a financial advisor with Independent Financial Group, LLC, based in Solana Beach, CA. He holds a Series 63 designation and has 40 years of industry experience. Prior to joining Independent Financial Group in 2017, he worked at Cetera Advisor Networks LLC and has operated Hansch Financial Group since 2014. Outside of his advisory role, he is a licensed California real estate agent and insurance agent, and provides tax planning consulting services. Independent Financial Group is a large, integrated advisory and brokerage firm serving individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, corporations, business owners, and plan sponsors. The firm offers a range of investment advisory programs, financial planning, and retirement plan services, utilizing both in-house and third-party asset management solutions.

Mark Berdan is a financial advisor with Principal Financial Services in San Diego, CA, holding the ChFC® and Series 63 credentials and possessing 39 years of industry experience. He has held roles at Principal Life Insurance Company since 1998 and operates Mark Berdan Insurance Services, Inc. in addition to his advisory work. Berdan also sells health insurance and ancillary group benefits through various carriers. Principal Securities provides brokerage and registered investment advisory services to a diverse client base, including individual investors, retirement plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, corporations, and active-duty U.S. military personnel stationed internationally. The firm offers financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and access to third-party money manager programs, with investment implementation typically managed on a discretionary basis.