Melanie Francis is a financial advisor with Principal Financial Services based in Denver, CO, holding Series 63 and Series 66 credentials and 30 years of industry experience. She has been with Princor Financial Services since 2004 and Principal Life Insurance Company since 2003. Outside of her advisory role, Melanie serves as a bank trust officer, providing accounting services and supporting the management of Principal retirement account relationships. Principal Securities offers brokerage and registered investment advisory services to a diverse client base, including individual investors, retirement plans, trusts, and business entities. The firm provides direct advisory programs, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and access to third-party money manager solutions under various advisory and promoter arrangements.

Dawne Waltz is a financial advisor at Empower Advisory Group with 11 years of industry experience. She holds a Series 66 designation and has previously worked at T. Rowe Price. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management primarily to employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors and their participants, as well as to certain retail brokerage account holders. The firm delivers integrated services tied to Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative platforms, emphasizing long-term portfolio returns and annual rebalancing.

Leslie Sandusky III is a financial advisor at Empower Advisory Group with two years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has worked previously at Empower Financial Services and Xel Exchange. Outside of his advisory role, he is a partner in a cryptocurrency mining operation. 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 clients. The firm emphasizes long-term portfolio returns and integrates its services with Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative platforms.

Gregory Bjork is a financial advisor at Oppenheimer with 27 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has worked at Oppenheimer since 2018, following a 14-year tenure at Jefferies & Company. Based in Denver, CO, he focuses on investment advisory services within a large enterprise firm. Oppenheimer is a registered investment adviser and broker-dealer serving individuals, corporations, retirement plans, and charitable organizations. The firm offers a variety of investment programs and provides both discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, maintaining custody of client assets while delivering a broad range of consulting and financial planning services.

Evan Schumacher is a CFP® with seven years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Creative Planning since 2022. He previously worked at Wipfli Financial Advisors and Hewins Financial Advisors. 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 employs a financial planning–led investment approach focused on low-cost indexing and buy-and-hold strategies, supplemented by specialized tactics such as direct indexing and tax-loss harvesting.

Thomas Bevington is a CFP® with 10 years of experience in the financial services industry. He is currently with Creative Planning, where he has worked since 2024. His prior experience includes roles at Matter Family Office, Charles Schwab, and Fidelity Brokerage Services. Creative Planning provides wealth management and financial planning services to a wide range of clients, including high-net-worth individuals, pension plans, and corporations. The firm employs a financial-planning-led investment approach that emphasizes low-cost indexing, buy-and-hold strategies, and selective private market exposure.

Mark Whaley is a financial advisor with GWN Securities Inc. in Greenwood Village, CO, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with three years of industry experience. He is also co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Everest Microbial Defense, LLC, a company that develops and distributes antimicrobial technology products. Additionally, he serves as a trustee board member at Bergen Park Church and consults independently in the carpet and flooring maintenance industry. GWN Securities provides investment advisory services to individual and corporate clients through various managed account programs and financial planning options. The firm employs both discretionary portfolio management and model portfolios, incorporating tactical market-timing and momentum-based strategies alongside technology-driven solutions.

Matthew Heim is a financial advisor at Cresset Asset Management, LLC with a Series 65 credential and four years of industry experience. Prior to joining Cresset in 2022, he held positions at the University of Colorado at Boulder, The Walsh Group, The Roaring Fork Club, and Berkshire School. Cresset Asset Management, LLC is an SEC-registered investment adviser managing approximately $71.9 billion in client assets across a diverse client base, including individuals, families, trusts, retirement plans, and charitable organizations. The firm focuses on diversified, asset-allocation-driven portfolio construction using both active and passive strategies, supported by a structured due-diligence process and a range of advisory and family office services.

Nathanael Southard is a financial advisor at TIAA-CREF with 13 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has been with TIAA-CREF since 2014. Outside of his advisory role, he owns and manages a rental investment property. TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC provides financial planning and discretionary managed account programs to individuals, trusts, estates, and small retirement plans, often serving clients with existing relationships through employer retirement plans. The firm offers model and customized portfolios under a fiduciary standard and acts as adviser to a donor-advised fund within a vertically integrated structure.

Joshua Vanderschuere is a financial advisor at Empower Advisory Group with Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and four years of industry experience. Prior to joining Empower Advisory Group in 2025, he worked at GWFS Equities and held positions with Denver Public Schools and the University of Denver. Outside of his advisory role, he owns and manages a single home rental. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management services primarily to employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors and their participants, as well as to certain retail brokerage clients. The firm’s approach integrates proprietary and third-party methodologies focused on long-term portfolio returns and savings rates, and operates within a large-scale platform closely tied to Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative services.

Robert Jones is a financial advisor at Cerity Partners LLC with 10 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at firms including Ayco/Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC and United Capital Financial Advisers, LLC. Cerity Partners is an SEC-registered investment adviser serving a diverse client base that includes individuals, families, trusts, corporations, and institutional investors. The firm provides a range of services including investment management, financial planning, tax and insurance support, and access to alternative and private-market investments, with a focus on customized, diversified asset allocation and private market programs for qualified clients.

Steven Hagedon is a financial advisor at Empower Advisory Group with 12 years of industry experience. He has held roles at Empower Financial Services, Fidelity Brokerage Services, and Wells Fargo, among others. Hagedon holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management primarily to employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors and their participants, as well as certain IRA and retail brokerage clients. The firm’s approach integrates proprietary and third-party methodologies focused on long-term portfolio returns and client savings rates, delivered through a platform tied closely to Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative services.

Jennifer Pena is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) with 11 years of industry experience. She is currently affiliated with Kestra Advisory and serves as Co-President of Pursuit Wealth Planning. Her prior experience includes roles at Sagepoint Financial and Comprehensive Financial Services. Pena is involved in firm management activities through Pursuit, LLC. Kestra Advisory Services provides investment advisory and retirement-plan consulting to a broad range of institutional and individual clients, including plan sponsors. The firm offers services such as fiduciary consulting, plan design, benchmarking, and employee education, and manages approximately $79.8 billion in assets with a focus on institutional investors.

Andrew Albers is a financial advisor at Principal Financial Services with 11 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 designations and has worked at Principal Bank and Principal Trust Company, Principal Securities, Inc., and Principal Life Insurance Company since 2023, following prior roles at Cambridge Investment Research Advisors, Inc. and Valenta Capital Management. Principal Securities offers brokerage and registered investment advisory services to a diverse client base, including individual investors, retirement plans, trusts, and charitable organizations. The firm’s advisory services emphasize direct advisory programs, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and access to third-party money manager asset allocation and separately managed account solutions.

Ryan Hill is a CFA® charterholder with four years of industry experience. He has worked at Wells Fargo Investment Institute, Inc. since 2021 and was previously employed at Wells Fargo from 2008 to 2021. He is based in Denver, CO. Wells Fargo Investment Institute provides institutional research, manager due diligence, model portfolio construction, and asset-allocation guidance to Wells Fargo wealth and fiduciary businesses as well as select external clients. The firm’s work is organized across specialized divisions that produce research and model guidance without exercising investment discretion or holding custody of client assets.

David Evans is a CFP® professional with 17 years of experience in the financial services industry. He currently works at Empower Advisory Group and has previously held roles at Personal Capital Advisors Corporation, E*TRADE Securities LLC, and Scottrade Inc. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management primarily to employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors and their participants, along with Empower Premier IRA and certain retail brokerage clients. The firm’s services feature a “point-in-time” planning approach focused on long-term portfolio returns and annual rebalancing, delivered through a model integrated with Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative platforms.

Shane Dunican is a CFP® at Moneta Group Investment Advisors, LLC with six years of industry experience. He has held positions at RKFin and Team Hewins prior to joining Moneta. Outside of finance, he was involved with Take Charge Cats and spent time at the University of Arizona. Moneta Group Investment Advisors serves high-net-worth individuals, families, family offices, and institutional clients, providing a range of portfolio management, financial planning, and family office services. The firm utilizes a partner-led team structure and an open-architecture investment process that emphasizes asset allocation and manager due diligence.

Michael Holliger is a financial advisor with Independent Financial Partners in Denver, CO, holding Series 63 and Series 66 credentials and 27 years of industry experience. His career includes roles at Fidelity Investments, LPL Financial, Western Wealth Management, and IFP Securities. He also operates Holliger Financial Consultants, providing financial planning and investment management services. Independent Financial Partners is a nationwide firm serving individual, charitable, corporate, and high-net-worth clients through a decentralized advisory model that allows advisors to set their own investment strategies while offering centralized asset management options. The firm is noted for its retirement-plan advisory and pension consulting capabilities, including compliance with DOL rollover guidance.

Duncan Macdougall is a CFP® and Series 65 credentialed advisor at Mercer Global Advisors Inc. in Denver, CO, with five years of industry experience. His prior work includes roles at First National Bank of Omaha, the University of Colorado Bookstore, Zepheira, and the University of Colorado. Mercer Global Advisors serves individuals, families, small business owners, plan sponsors, foundations, non-profits, and endowments, providing a broad range of investment advisory, financial, tax, retirement, estate planning, and family office services. The firm employs a Modern Portfolio Theory-based investment approach with globally diversified portfolios using low-cost ETFs, index funds, separate account managers, and other specialized strategies.

Jack Chase is a financial advisor at Empower Advisory Group with Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and one year of industry experience. He has worked at Empower Financial Services and held prior roles at EXDO Properties, SciLogis, Cushman and Wakefield, Pepperdine University, and Oak Park High School. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management primarily to employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors and their participants, as well as to certain IRA and retail brokerage account holders. The firm’s services are integrated with Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative platforms and focus on long-term portfolio returns, annual rebalancing, and savings rates rather than short-term forecasts.