Saul Ruiz is a financial advisor at TIAA-CREF with seven years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and has previously worked at Fisher Investments, Kaplan, Vanguard Advisers, Charles Schwab, Best Buy, and Wal-Mart. He is based in Frisco, TX. TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC provides financial planning and discretionary managed account programs to individuals, trusts, estates, partnerships, corporate entities, and small retirement plans, often serving clients connected through TIAA-administered employer retirement plans. The firm offers both point-in-time planning services and ongoing discretionary management under a fiduciary standard through various managed account programs.

Elysa Flores is a financial advisor at Mariner in Plano, TX, holding a Series 65 credential. She has been with Mariner since 2023 and has prior work experience outside the industry at Baskin Robbins. Elysa’s background includes several years as a full-time student before entering the advisory field. Mariner serves a broad range of clients including individuals, trusts, and institutional investors by offering investment management, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and coordinated tax services. The firm combines in-house research with third-party managers and provides integrated tax and accounting services alongside traditional portfolio management.

Tyler Teter is a CFP® and CFA® with nine years of industry experience. He is currently with Mercer Global Advisors Inc. and previously worked at Lifeway Financial Corporation, Charles Schwab, Hilltop Securities, and Fusion Capital Management. He maintains a Texas insurance license to renew policies and provide advice, though he is not appointed. Mercer Global Advisors serves individuals, families, small business owners, plan sponsors, foundations, nonprofits, and endowments with investment advisory, financial, tax, retirement, and estate planning services. The firm employs a globally diversified, risk-appropriate investment approach using low-cost ETFs, index funds, separate account managers, and private funds, and offers specialized programs alongside educational content and integrated service platforms.

Harris Pugh is a financial advisor at TIAA-CREF with Series 65 and Series 63 credentials. He joined the firm in 2026 after a year at Fisher Investments and has prior experience outside the financial industry. 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 TIAA-administered employer retirement plans. The firm offers model-based and customized portfolio management within a vertically integrated advisory structure.

William Ferguson is a CFP® with five years of industry experience, currently serving at Focus Partners Wealth, LLC since 2025. He previously worked at Raymond James Financial Service Advisors, Inc. and Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC. Ferguson is a member of the Career Development Committee for the Financial Planning Association’s Dallas/Ft. Worth Chapter, where he contributes to organizing professional events. Focus Partners Wealth serves a diverse clientele including individuals, high-net-worth families, corporate and institutional clients, offering investment management, financial counseling, family office services, and more. The firm employs a long-term, tax- and fee-sensitive investment approach using enhanced open architecture that incorporates fundamental and quantitative analysis alongside alternative investments and overlay strategies.

Robert Gecker is a financial advisor at Allworth Financial, L.P. with 29 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 63 and Series 65 designations and previously worked for Retirement Advisors of America from 2008 to 2020. Gecker has been with Allworth Financial since 2020. Allworth Financial is a fee-based SEC-registered adviser serving individuals, qualified retirement plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and corporate clients. The firm offers customized portfolio management using various strategies, employs third-party sub-advisers, and manages both discretionary and non-discretionary engagements, with specialized services including an Airline division and management of privately offered funds.

Brigette Parnell is a financial advisor at Corient with 17 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has previously worked at Quasar Distributors, LLC, Minshall & Company, Inc., and Capital Advisors, Inc. Corient provides investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base that includes 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 integrates in-house strategies with third-party manager solutions and employs risk management tools and stress testing to align portfolios with client objectives.

Kevin Motley is a financial advisor at Valic Financial Advisors with 14 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has previously worked at Ameriprise, Comerica Securities, Bank of America, and Merrill. In addition to his advisory role, he is appointed as an agent to sell non-securities insurance products for Agia. Valic Financial Advisors primarily serves U.S.-domiciled individual investors, including high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth clients, as well as corporate and retirement-plan participants. The firm offers discretionary managed-account programs, financial planning, and brokerage services, utilizing Envestnet-developed UMA models to construct client portfolios.

Grantham Akerly is a CFP® with six years of industry experience currently advising at Allworth Financial, L.P. He previously worked at Ausdal Financial Partners and CFO4Life, and has held roles at EY and Baylor University. Allworth Financial is a fee-based SEC-registered adviser serving individuals, qualified retirement plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and corporate clients. The firm offers customized portfolios using a mix of model strategies and employs technology to manage held-away employer retirement accounts without client login information.

Jeffrey Shadd is a financial advisor with TIAA-CREF in Frisco, TX, holding Series 66 and Series 63 licenses and four years of industry experience. Prior to joining TIAA-CREF in 2026, he worked at Fidelity Investments and related entities from 2021 to 2025. 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 connected through TIAA-administered employer retirement plans. The firm offers model and customized portfolio management under a fiduciary standard and acts as adviser to a donor-advised fund sponsored by Charityvest.

James Maher is a financial advisor at Hightower Advisors in Dallas, TX, holding a Series 66 designation with 11 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Calamos Wealth Management, Mai Capital Management, Fisher Investments, Ameriprise Financial Services, and Edward Jones. He also served in the United States Air Force Reserve for 21 years. Hightower Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to a diverse range of individual and institutional clients, offering multi-manager solutions and a combination of discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management. The firm’s approach includes the use of proprietary research and a variety of investment vehicles, serving both domestic and international clients with an emphasis on manager selection and customized portfolio construction.

Jarrod Brock is a financial advisor at Mercer Global Advisors Inc. in Frisco, TX, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with four years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Peak American Investment Advisors, Fisher Investments, and New York Life. Outside of finance, he has experience working with fitness centers and wellness organizations. Mercer Global Advisors serves individuals, families, small business owners, and non-profits, offering investment advisory services along with financial, tax, retirement, and estate planning. The firm focuses on globally diversified, risk-appropriate portfolios using a mix of ETFs, index funds, and separate account managers, and provides specialized services such as retirement plan consulting and charitable advisory.

Adara Johnson is a financial advisor at TIAA-CREF with four years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has worked at Edward Jones, PFS Investments Inc, and Primerica Financial Services. Outside of advising, she has been involved in property management as a landlord. TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC’s Advice & Planning Services division offers financial planning and discretionary managed account programs to individuals, trusts, estates, and small retirement plans. The firm serves clients often linked to TIAA-administered employer retirement plans and provides specialized advisory services including donor-advised funds and customized portfolio management.

Michael Bowser is a financial advisor with TIAA-CREF in Frisco, TX, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and having 11 years of industry experience. He has worked at TIAA and TIAA-CREF since 2014. Prior to his financial services career, he spent 15 years at Texas Roadhouse. TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC’s Advice & Planning Services division offers financial planning and discretionary managed account programs to individuals, trusts, estates, partnerships, and small retirement plans, often serving clients with existing TIAA-administered employer retirement plan relationships. The firm provides both point-in-time financial planning and ongoing discretionary portfolio management through model and customized portfolios.

Jennifer Winters is a Series 66-licensed financial advisor with 23 years of industry experience. She has worked at D.A. Davidson & Co. since 2021 and was previously with Southwest Securities Inc. for nine years. 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 such as ERISA retirement plan advisory, equity research, comprehensive financial planning, and a Private Wealth program for high-net-worth clients, operating under fiduciary standards and employing both qualitative and quantitative investment analysis.

Cameron Brockhoff is a financial advisor with TIAA-CREF holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and four years of industry experience. He has worked at JPMorgan Chase Bank and Goldman Sachs and Co LLC prior to joining TIAA-CREF. 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 connected to TIAA-administered employer retirement plans. The firm offers customized portfolio management and advisory services within a vertically integrated group that includes affiliated funds.

Kendall Dungan is a financial advisor with Principal Financial Services in Addison, TX, holding Series 63 and Series 66 credentials and five years of industry experience. His prior work includes roles at Fidelity Brokerage Services and Northwestern Mutual. Outside of finance, he owns an internet-based cookie company called Kendall's Kookies. Principal Securities provides brokerage and registered investment advisory services to a diverse client base, including individual investors, retirement plans, trusts, and corporations. The firm offers financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and access to third-party money managers through both advisory and promoter arrangements.

Chase Petter is a financial advisor with Equity Services, Inc. in Addison, TX, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials. He has one year of industry experience and previously worked with National Life Group and Cetera Advisor Networks. In addition to his advisory role, he is active as an insurance agent with multiple firms. Equity Services, Inc., operating as ESI Financial Advisors, provides financial planning, consulting, and asset management services to a diverse client base including individuals, corporations, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and employer retirement plans. The firm offers multiple advisory platforms, often utilizing third-party asset managers and model portfolios, with a combination of long-term strategies and options for shorter-term trading.

Asha Shetty is a financial advisor with Bankers Life Advisory Services, Inc. in McKinney, TX, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and with six years of industry experience. She has been associated with Bankers Life Advisory Services since 2020 and also serves as an Agency Director at Bankers Life & Casualty, Inc., where she manages a team of agents specializing in Medicare Supplement, annuity, life, health, and long-term care insurance products. Additionally, she participates in a local professional networking group focused on business development and education. Bankers Life Advisory Services, Inc. serves mass-affluent and high-net-worth individuals through discretionary portfolio management, investment consulting, and retirement plan consulting. The firm employs a combination of fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis to tailor asset allocations and portfolio management based on clients’ goals and risk tolerances.

Bryan Sechrist is a financial advisor with TIAA-CREF in Frisco, TX, holding Series 63 and 66 licenses and bringing 19 years of industry experience. He has been with TIAA-CREF since 2012. Outside of his advisory role, he has worked in event concessions at Dickies Arena and in warehouse fulfillment at Amazon. TIAA‑CREF Individual & Institutional Services provides financial planning and discretionary managed account programs primarily to individuals with prior employer retirement plan relationships, as well as to trusts, estates, partnerships, and small retirement plans. The firm operates a vertically integrated advisory model that separates planning from ongoing management and serves as adviser to a donor-advised fund.