Carsten Lester is a CFP® with two years of industry experience, currently serving at Corient in San Diego, CA. His work history includes roles at Dowling & Yahnke, LLC and Axos Bank. Corient provides investment advisory and financial planning services to a broad client base, including individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and corporate entities. The firm uses a goals-based, team investment approach that incorporates in-house strategies along with third-party managers, employing risk management tools and alternative investment options where appropriate.

Peter Stratton is a financial advisor with Independent Financial Group, LLC, holding a Series 66 designation and 27 years of industry experience. He has worked at several firms including Union Capital Company and 1 St Global Insurance Services. Stratton is also the owner and officer of Stratton & Associates Accountancy Corporation, a CPA firm providing tax and accounting services in San Diego. Independent Financial Group is a large advisory and brokerage firm serving individuals, trusts, corporations, business owners, and plan sponsors. The firm offers investment advisory programs, financial planning, and retirement plan services through a combination of in-house models and third-party managers, and operates both as a registered investment adviser and an active broker-dealer.

Dionisio Meneses is a financial advisor at Mercer Global Advisors Inc. in San Diego, CA, holding Series 65 and Series 66 licenses with six years of industry experience. Prior to joining Mercer, he was involved with DNM Creative Properties Inc. for 28 years. Mercer Global Advisors serves individuals, families, small business owners, plan sponsors, non-profits, and endowments with investment advisory and comprehensive financial, tax, retirement, and estate planning services. The firm employs a Modern Portfolio Theory-based approach using diversified portfolios with low-cost ETFs, index funds, and specialized investment options, while also providing educational content and integrated service platforms.

Tyler Morris is a financial advisor at Stratos Wealth Partners, Ltd with 14 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and has been with Stratos since 2015. Prior to his current role, he worked at LPL Financial from 2015 to 2019. He is also the founder of BWM Financial, a separate financial planning and wealth management business based in San Diego. Stratos Wealth Partners provides advisory services to a diverse client base, including individuals, 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, emphasizing active monitoring and asset allocation across multiple custodians.

Keith Mckenzie is a financial advisor at Hightower Advisors with 20 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and has worked at Hightower Advisers, LLC since 2019, following a decade at Delphi Private Advisors. Hightower Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to a diverse range of individual and institutional clients, including pension plans, charitable organizations, corporations, and trusts. The firm’s approach emphasizes manager selection and multi-manager solutions, offering discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management along with financial planning and retirement plan consulting.

Harvey Atterbury is a financial advisor with PlanMember Securities Corporation, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 32 years of industry experience. He has worked with PlanMember since 2009 and also serves as president of Atterbury Investment Management, Inc., a firm offering financial services including securities and insurance. Outside of his advisory roles, he is the leader of a musical band. PlanMember provides retirement-plan advisory services to employers and participants, acting as an ERISA Section 3(38) fiduciary for many plans and offering participant-level investment options through risk-based mutual fund portfolios. The firm uses a top-down strategic asset allocation framework combined with ongoing portfolio monitoring and rebalancing to manage its investment approach.

Matthew Belardes is a financial advisor with Independent Financial Group, LLC, holding the CFP® and CFA® designations and possessing 20 years of industry experience. He has worked at Independent Financial Group since 2017 and previously held positions with Wells Fargo Clearing and Wells Fargo Advisors. Outside of his advisory role, he is the owner of Praesidio Estate Planning, providing estate planning advice and document drafting. Independent Financial Group is a large advisory and brokerage firm serving individuals, trusts, corporations, business owners, and plan sponsors. The firm offers a range of investment advisory programs and financial planning services, utilizing both in-house and third-party model portfolios across multiple investment platforms.

Stuart Kesselhaut is a financial advisor with United Planners' Financial Services of America and holds Series 63 and Series 66 credentials. He has 33 years of industry experience, including roles at Lombardi Group and Financial Resource Network. In addition to his advisory work, he serves as treasurer of the Kesselhaut Family Foundation. United Planners serves a diverse client base including individuals, corporations, charitable organizations, and institutional clients. The firm operates an open-architecture platform with multiple custodians and money managers, offering both fee-based and commission-based options through its network of 477 independent Investment Advisor Representatives.

Kelly Ginsberg is a financial advisor at D.A. Davidson & Co. with 19 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses. Her prior roles include positions at SA Stone Wealth Management Inc., Quest Capital Strategies, Inc., and various real estate-related companies. Outside of advising, she has experience in residential solutions through her ongoing involvement with San Diego Residential Solutions SRS Inc. D.A. Davidson & Co. provides investment advisory and brokerage services to a diverse client base, including retirement plans, individual investors, charitable organizations, and corporate clients. The firm offers a range of services under fiduciary standards, including retirement plan advisory, comprehensive financial planning, and private wealth management for clients with significant net worth.

Anne Mortera is a financial advisor with Private Advisor Group, LLC, holding a Series 66 designation and 13 years of industry experience. She previously worked at FIRST Allied Securities, Inc. for 21 years before joining LPL Financial and Private Advisor Group in 2021. Mortera provides investment advisory services through Private Advisor Group, an independent registered investment advisory firm. Private Advisor Group manages over $41 billion across more than 135,000 client relationships, serving individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and corporate and retirement plan clients. The firm offers discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and access to various third-party asset management programs and strategies.

Christopher Syktich is a financial advisor with Osaic Advisory Services, LLC, holding Series 65 and Series 63 credentials and offering 20 years of industry experience. He has worked with Arbor Point Advisors and Securities America, Inc. since 2018, and previously with Labrum Wealth Management. Outside of advisory work, he serves as a board member and secretary for Fig Tree Ministries, which provides Christian, faith-based online content, and is also a board member of the Warrior Foundation Freedom Station, a nonprofit supporting military veterans. Osaic Advisory Services, LLC is an SEC-registered investment adviser serving a diverse client base including individuals, pension plans, corporations, and charitable organizations. The firm provides investment management, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting through multiple program models, utilizing proprietary and third-party platforms and managers.

Abhimanyu Vinayek is a financial advisor at Transamerica Financial Advisors with a Series 66 designation and two years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at firms such as NYLIFE Securities LLC, Eagle Strategies LLC, and Heron Therapeutics Inc. Outside of advisory work, he provides seasonal tax filing assistance. Transamerica Financial Advisors serves a diverse client base including individual investors, pension plans, trusts, and corporations. The firm offers both advisory and broker-dealer services through proprietary and third-party model portfolios, supporting a range of discretionary and non-discretionary investment programs.

Jack Saviage is a financial advisor at Thrivent Investment Management with three years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and has previously worked with Landmark Wealth Management Group and Inland Empire Financial Consultants, among other roles. He has also held positions at the University of Oslo and California Baptist University. Thrivent Investment Management provides Dedicated Planning Services to individuals, families, businesses, and nonprofit clients through a network of Financial Advisors. The firm offers holistic, goal-based analyses on a broad range of planning topics, allowing clients to combine planning with managed-account programs under a consolidated billing option called “WealthPlan.”

Cody Jess is a financial advisor with LPL Financial in San Diego, CA, holding a Series 66 designation and six years of industry experience. Prior to joining LPL Financial, he worked at Purpose Point Wealth Management and Edward Jones. Outside of finance, he has been involved in automotive dealership ownership and works as a subcontractor connecting local businesses with merchant services and point-of-sale systems. LPL Financial is an SEC-registered investment adviser and broker-dealer serving a wide range of clients, including individuals, retirement plans, and institutions. The firm offers financial planning, various advisory programs, retirement plan consulting, and brokerage services supported by proprietary and third-party research.

Varinia Peridon is a financial advisor at Primerica Advisors with two years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has been with Primerica Financial Services since 2021. In addition to her advisory role, she is affiliated with Point Loma Nazarene University. Primerica Advisors provides discretionary asset management through its Lifetime Investment Program, offering model-delivery strategies and a limited number of separately managed account options primarily for individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm uses third-party asset managers and a tiered wrap fee structure, with operational oversight to manage potential conflicts of interest.

Andrew Hendershot is a financial advisor at Morgan Stanley in San Diego, CA, with 10 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 63 and Series 66 designations. Prior to joining Morgan Stanley in 2023, he worked at TD Ameritrade and Charles Schwab. Outside of his advisory role, he works as a Lyft driver. Morgan Stanley Wealth Management is an SEC-registered investment adviser and broker-dealer serving individuals and institutional clients. The firm offers tailored financial planning and manages approximately $2.74 trillion in client assets, using structured discovery processes and firm-approved planning tools to support client goals.

James Zorn is a financial advisor at Wells Fargo Clearing with 37 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and previously worked at Ameriprise and Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. Outside of his advisory role, he maintains a California real estate broker license. Wells Fargo Clearing provides retirement plan consulting to qualified ERISA and non-qualified deferred compensation plans, offering both discretionary and non-discretionary services. The firm’s advisory process is IPS-driven and incorporates a broad range of investment options, including insurance-related vehicles and bank deposit sweep programs.

Christopher Zuaro is a financial advisor with LPL Financial in San Diego, CA, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and 11 years of industry experience. Prior to joining LPL Financial, he worked at SCF Securities, Inc. and SCF Investment Advisors, Inc., as well as First Command Financial Planning, Inc. and Allstate Insurance Co. He is also involved with Kelly Financial Group, a non-variable insurance business. LPL Financial is an SEC-registered investment adviser and broker-dealer serving individuals, retirement plans, banks, credit unions, corporations, and charitable organizations through a national network of investment adviser representatives. The firm offers a range of advisory programs, financial planning, and brokerage services, utilizing model portfolios, third-party research, and technology-driven strategies.

David Harlow is a Series 66 licensed financial advisor with 15 years of industry experience, currently working at Cetera Investment Services LLC since 2025. His prior roles include positions at CUSO Financial Services, LP and SSN Advisory, Inc. Outside of his advising career, he has been involved with Smoky Mountain Guides. Cetera Investment Advisers LLC is an SEC-registered firm serving a diverse client base, including individuals, retirement plans, corporate and charitable clients, and institutional accounts. The firm offers a multi-manager platform with access to affiliated and third-party managers, providing a range of portfolio management and financial planning services through various program structures.

Alex Wanerman is the Vice President and Branch Leader at Fidelity Investments, where he leads the local Investor Center. In this role, he focuses on fostering a high-performance work culture by empowering associates to maximize their talents and assist clients in planning for long-term financial well-being. Prior to this position, he served as Vice President and Regional Planning Consultant at Fidelity Investments from 2018 to 2024. Before joining Fidelity, Alex worked at UBS Financial Services as a Financial Advisor from 2017 to 2018 and as a Wealth Planning Analyst from 2015 to 2017. He holds a California Insurance License. Outside of his professional duties, Alex enjoys golf, skiing, traveling, and volunteering. He is also engaged in parenthood.