Richard Soennichsen is a CFP® professional with 40 years of industry experience. He is currently with Independent Financial Group, LLC and has held prior roles at Grove Point Advisors, LLC, Grove Point Investments, LLC, and H. Beck, Inc. He is also a licensed California insurance agent. Independent Financial Group, LLC is a dual-registered broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, charities, corporations, and plan sponsors. The firm offers a range of brokerage, portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement plan services through a national network of Investment Adviser Representatives.

Michael Mays is a financial advisor at Stratos Wealth Partners, Ltd. in San Diego, CA, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with 27 years of industry experience. He has been with Stratos Wealth Partners and affiliated with LPL Financial since 2013. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as Treasurer and 50% shareholder of JSMD Wealth Management, Inc. Stratos Wealth Partners provides advisory services to a diverse client base, including individuals, trusts, charitable organizations, corporations, and institutional clients. The firm offers portfolio management, financial planning, and access to third-party advisory solutions through its open-architecture Strategic Wealth Management platform, emphasizing active monitoring and asset allocation across multiple custodians and sub-advisors.

Ethan Kearns is a financial advisor at Fifth Third Securities, Inc. with two years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and has prior experience at Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC and Equitable Advisors, LLC. Outside of his advisory role, he has been involved in entrepreneurial activities including operating a custom upholstery business. Fifth Third Securities, Inc. serves a diverse client base including individual, high-net-worth, and institutional clients through both investment advisory and brokerage services. The firm offers multiple program types on the Passageway Managed Account platform, utilizing third-party portfolio managers and various investment strategies such as SMA models, tax-overlay services, and direct indexing.

Christopher Schwartz is a financial advisor with Commonwealth Financial Network, holding a Series 66 designation and 11 years of industry experience. He has worked at Commonwealth since 2016, with prior experience at Oneamerica Securities and American United Life from 2015 to 2016. He is based in San Diego, CA. Commonwealth Financial Network is a dual-registered broker/dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser serving a national network of approximately 2,900 affiliated advisors and their individual and institutional clients. The firm provides a broad adviser-support platform that includes discretionary and nondiscretionary managed account programs, third-party asset manager access, retirement consulting, and custody and clearing services.

Tim Pantaleon is a financial advisor with Commonwealth Financial Network in San Diego, CA, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 30 years of industry experience. He previously worked at CUSO Financial Services, LP for 13 years before joining Commonwealth in 2022. Commonwealth Financial Network is a registered investment adviser supporting a national network of approximately 2,950 advisors, providing advisory programs, wealth management, and retirement plan consulting. The firm offers various program structures and investment management solutions, supported by operations, trading, technology, compliance, and practice-management services.

Krista Weaver is a financial advisor with Commonwealth Financial Network in San Diego, CA, holding a Series 66 designation and 10 years of industry experience. She has been with Commonwealth since 2014. Commonwealth Financial Network is a registered investment adviser serving a national network of approximately 2,950 advisors and their retail and institutional clients, offering a variety of advisory programs and services, including wealth management and retirement plan consulting. The firm provides operations, trading, technology, investment management, compliance, and practice-management support to affiliated advisors.

Edward Vita is a financial advisor with Commonwealth Financial Network, holding a Series 66 designation and six years of industry experience. His career includes prior roles at UBS Financial Services and a consulting position with Vita Wine Consulting. He is based in San Diego, CA. Commonwealth Financial Network is a registered investment adviser supporting a national network of approximately 2,950 advisors and their clients through a variety of advisory programs and services. The firm provides operational, trading, technology, investment management, compliance, and practice-management support, while its Investment Management and Research team manages discretionary model portfolios using a structured due-diligence process.

Danny Recht is a Series 66-licensed financial advisor with 17 years of industry experience, currently affiliated with Guardian Life and Park Avenue Securities. He has worked in various roles at both firms since 2016. Recht serves on the board of the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) and is a member of the San Diego Council for AIPAC, engaging in community and international relations activities. Park Avenue Securities LLC, operating as Park Avenue® Wealth Management, is a broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, pension plans, charitable organizations, and corporate clients. The firm offers brokerage services, financial planning, and a range of advisory programs, utilizing both proprietary and third-party investment strategies.

Sue Badgley is a financial advisor at Rockefeller Financial LLC with 40 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 66 designations. Prior to joining Rockefeller Financial in 2020, she worked at Merrill for 39 years. Rockefeller Financial LLC serves high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth individuals, families, family offices, institutional clients, retirement plans, foundations, and corporations. The firm offers portfolio management, financial planning, and consulting through a consolidated investment platform and operates as a registered broker-dealer, providing a range of investment and insurance services.

Douglas Shepard is a financial advisor with Eagle Strategies (NY Life) based in San Diego, CA. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 designations and has 27 years of industry experience, including 12 years with New York Life Insurance Company. Eagle Strategies serves a diverse client base including individual investors, institutional clients, and retirement plan sponsors, offering financial planning, investment management, and retirement-plan advisory services. The firm emphasizes tailored recommendations and manages a majority of its regulatory assets on a non-discretionary basis within an integrated New York Life affiliate structure.

Ezekiel Cortez I is a financial advisor with Empower Advisory Group holding a Series 66 designation and has one year of industry experience. Prior to joining Empower, he worked at Vail Resorts and Whole Foods Market. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management primarily for employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors and their participants, delivering services through an integrated model tied to Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative platforms. The firm emphasizes long-term portfolio returns and manages a large participant base relative to its advisor headcount.

Troy Pearson is a financial advisor with Independent Financial Group, LLC, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 28 years of industry experience. He has been with Independent Financial Group since 2004. Independent Financial Group, LLC is a dual-registered broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, charities, corporations, and plan sponsors. The firm offers brokerage, portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement plan services, managing approximately $11.3 billion in regulatory assets through a national network of Investment Adviser Representatives.

Jessica Marchesini is a financial advisor with Commonwealth Financial Network, holding a Series 66 designation and 13 years of industry experience. She has been with Commonwealth Financial Network since 2009. Commonwealth Financial Network is a dual‑registered broker/dealer and SEC‑registered investment adviser serving a national network of approximately 2,900 advisors and hundreds of thousands of individual and institutional clients. The firm offers a comprehensive adviser-support platform including managed-account programs, access to third-party asset managers, retirement and plan consulting, and custody and clearing services.

David Cariani is a CFP® and CFA® with 18 years of experience in financial advisory. He is currently with Private Advisor Group, LLC, where he has worked since 2022. Prior to that, he held advisory roles at Centura Wealth Advisory and Reilly Financial Advisors. Outside of his advisory work, Mr. Cariani operates under the business name Advanced Wealth Advisory, LLC. Private Advisor Group, LLC is an SEC-registered firm managing 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 a range of portfolio management and financial planning services, utilizing various investment strategies and third-party platforms.

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.