Mark Ledson is a CFP® with 40 years of industry experience, currently serving at Empower Advisory Group. His prior roles include positions at Wealth Enhancement Group, GWFS Equities, and JCN Financial & Tax Advisory Group. He is also a self-published author of a book on practice management. 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 certain retail brokerage account holders. The firm integrates its services with Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative platforms, offering point-in-time financial plans and optional managed account solutions.

Matthew Wukitsch is a financial advisor with Oppenheimer in Houston, TX, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and 13 years of industry experience. He has worked at Oppenheimer in two periods, from 2013 to 2024 and again starting in 2025, with prior roles at U.S. Coins & Jewelry and UBER Technologies in 2024–2025. Oppenheimer is a registered investment adviser and broker-dealer serving individuals, corporations, pension plans, charitable organizations, and other entities. The firm offers a range of investment and consulting services across various asset classes, with both discretionary and non-discretionary account management.

Amanda Sadler is a financial advisor with Valic Financial Advisors in Houston, TX, holding Series 65 and Series 63 licenses and bringing 11 years of industry experience. She has been with Valic Financial Advisors since 2015 and also serves as an agent for Agia, a non-securities insurance business. Valic Financial Advisors serves primarily U.S. individuals, including high net worth clients and employer-sponsored retirement participants, offering wrap programs, portfolio management, and financial planning services through a large network of advisors. The firm employs a technology-driven approach with discretionary unified managed accounts and overlays for tax and impact considerations.

Caitlin Reynolds is a financial advisor with J. W. Cole Advisors, Inc. in Houston, TX. She holds Series 63 and Series 66 credentials and has nine years of industry experience. Reynolds has been with J.W. Cole Advisors since 2020 and involved with J.W. Cole Financial, Inc. since 2017. Outside her advisory roles, she is a CPA as of 2024. J.W. Cole Advisors operates through a large network of independent Investment Adviser Representatives and offers fee-based portfolio management, financial planning, retirement plan services, and access to various third-party investment platforms for individual, high-net-worth, and institutional clients.

Alberto Francis is a financial advisor at Corient with nine years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has previously worked at LPL Financial, Bank of America, Lone Star National Bank, and Cypress Street Capital. Based in Houston, TX, he has been with Corient since 2026. Corient provides investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, pension plans, and corporate entities. The firm employs a goals-based, team investment approach that integrates in-house strategies with third-party managers and utilizes risk management tools to align portfolios with client objectives.

Robert Latin is a financial advisor with Eagle Strategies (NY Life) based in Houston, TX. He holds Series 65 and Series 63 licenses and has three years of industry experience. Prior to joining Eagle Strategies in 2026, he held positions at NYLIFE Securities LLC, New York Life Insurance Company, Macquarie Group, Mizuho Securities, Deutsche Bank, and TIAA. Eagle Strategies serves a diverse range of individual and institutional clients, providing financial planning, investment management, and retirement-plan advisory services. The firm offers multiple program types tailored to client objectives, with a significant portion of its assets managed on a non-discretionary basis.

Lauren Smith is a CFP® professional with 11 years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Concurrent Investment Advisors, LLC. She previously worked at Raymond James Financial Services for over a decade. Outside of her advisory role, Lauren owns and operates The Accessory Scout, a retail business focused on inventory management and online sales. Concurrent Investment Advisors, LLC is an SEC-registered multi-team firm serving individuals, high-net-worth clients, families, trusts, estates, businesses, and retirement plans. The firm offers comprehensive wealth and investment management, financial planning, and retirement plan services, employing a primarily long-term, customized investment approach that incorporates ETFs, mutual funds, individual securities, bonds, and alternative investments.

Carine Smith is a financial advisor at TIAA-CREF with 21 years of industry experience. She holds a Series 66 designation and has been with TIAA-CREF since 2006. TIAA‑CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC provides financial planning, discretionary managed account programs, and broker-dealer services primarily to individuals with existing employer retirement plan relationships, as well as trusts, estates, and corporate entities. The firm distinguishes between point-in-time planning services and ongoing discretionary portfolio management, with an advisory model that includes both model-based and customized portfolios.

Nicholas Eoff is a financial advisor with Valic Financial Advisors in Houston, TX, holding Series 65 and Series 63 licenses and with 12 years of industry experience. He has been with Valic Financial Advisors since 2014. Valic Financial Advisors, Inc. is an SEC-registered investment adviser and FINRA-member broker-dealer serving 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 services through a large network of advisors and utilizes discretionary unified managed accounts supported by centralized technology and model solutions.

Brent Strawn is a Series 66 licensed financial advisor with Oppenheimer in Houston, TX, where he has worked since 2007. He has 23 years of industry experience, including longstanding involvement with Bayou City Tax Service since 2001. Oppenheimer is a registered investment adviser and broker-dealer serving individuals, corporations, pension plans, and charitable organizations with a range of discretionary and non-discretionary investment and consulting services. The firm offers diverse programs such as Fahnestock Asset Management and financial planning, and it maintains custody of client assets while managing a significant portion of advisory assets on a non-discretionary basis.

David Searls III is a financial advisor at Fayez Sarofim & Co. with 16 years of industry experience. He has held his current position at Fayez Sarofim & Co. since 2012 and holds a Series 66 designation. Fayez Sarofim & Co. provides discretionary investment management to institutional and individual clients, including pension plans, endowments, foundations, and registered investment companies. The firm employs a predominantly bottom-up research process focused on large-cap, high-quality companies with multi-year investment horizons and offers a range of equity and fixed-income strategies while generally avoiding derivatives, leverage, short selling, and market timing.

Francisco Cordova is a financial advisor with Empower Advisory Group in Houston, TX, holding Series 66 and Series 63 designations and four years of industry experience. He has worked at Empower Advisory Group since 2026 and previously held roles at Empower Financial Service, Inc., Human Interest Inc., ADP Broker Dealer Inc., and Adp LLC. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management primarily to employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors and their participants, delivering services through an integrated model tied to Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative platforms. The firm’s approach emphasizes long-term portfolio returns, annual rebalancing, and client savings rates, offering both point-in-time financial plans and optional managed account solutions.

Andreina Franceschi Neff is a financial advisor with Oppenheimer, holding a Series 66 designation and eight years of industry experience. She has worked at Oppenheimer since 2021 and previously held roles at Wells Fargo Clearing and Banco Santander International. Oppenheimer is a registered investment adviser and broker-dealer serving a variety of clients including individuals, corporations, pension plans, and charitable organizations. The firm offers a wide range of programs and advisory services across equity, balanced, and fixed-income portfolios, with both discretionary and non-discretionary management.

Jeffrey Green is a financial advisor with Concurrent Investment Advisors, LLC, based in Houston, TX, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 29 years of industry experience. His prior firms include Raymond James Financial, Banc of America Investment Services, and Morgan Stanley. He is also the founder and president of Green Financial Group, a non-investment-related support company. Concurrent Investment Advisors, LLC is a multi-team advisory firm serving individuals, high-net-worth clients, families, trusts, estates, businesses, and retirement plans. The firm focuses on customized, primarily long-term portfolios using ETFs, mutual funds, and other investment vehicles, supported by a network of approximately 286 advisors.

Teddy Awuah is a financial advisor at Prime Capital Financial with 17 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 designations and has worked at several firms, including Sphere Wealth Management, Wealth Development Strategies Investment Advisory, Hornor Townsend & Kent Inc, Penn Mutual Life Insurance, and Comerica Securities. He has been with Prime Capital Investment Advisors since 2021. Prime Capital Financial is an SEC-registered enterprise advisory firm serving individuals, trusts, corporations, and retirement plans. The firm offers a range of services including asset management, financial planning, qualified retirement plan sponsor services, and family office offerings, employing both discretionary and non-discretionary strategies with a mix of core/satellite, thematic, and tactical approaches.

Jun Gu is a CFA® charterholder with 15 years of experience in the financial industry, currently serving at Corient. His prior roles include positions at Purshe Kaplan Sterling Investments, CIPW Service Company, Stavis & Cohen Private Wealth, and FSC Securities Corporation. He serves as a Board Director for the CFA Society of Houston and is an advisory board member of the Rice Wright Fund at Rice University. Corient provides investment advisory and financial planning services to individual and high-net-worth clients, trusts, pension plans, charitable organizations, and corporate entities. The firm employs a goals-based, team investment approach that integrates in-house strategies with third-party managers and utilizes risk management tools and alternative investments where appropriate.

Catina Risper is a financial advisor with Hornor, Townsend & Kent, LLC in Houston, TX, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with 29 years of industry experience. She has been associated with Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company and Hornor, Townsend & Kent since 2007. In addition to her advisory role, she is involved in the sales and service of multi-line insurance products through 1847FINANCIAL. Hornor, Townsend & Kent serves individuals, trusts, businesses, charitable organizations, and retirement plans, offering advisory programs, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting. The firm operates both advisory and broker-dealer services, providing custody, execution, and brokerage capabilities alongside investment advice.

John Dawson III is a financial advisor with Hightower Advisors in Houston, TX, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 36 years of industry experience. He has worked at Hightower since 2018 and previously spent ten years at Merrill and several years with Salient-affiliated firms and Telemus Investment Management. Outside of advisory work, he manages multiple single-tenant office buildings as an LLC manager. Hightower Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to a diverse range of individual and institutional clients, offering discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement consulting. The firm emphasizes manager selection and multi-manager solutions, utilizing both affiliated and third-party managers alongside proprietary research and portfolio construction strategies.

Ryan Gloff is a financial advisor with Valic Financial Advisors in Houston, TX, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and six years of industry experience. His prior work includes roles at AIG Capital Services, America General Life Insurance, and Agia, where he also serves as an agent for non-securities insurance products. Valic Financial Advisors is an SEC-registered investment adviser and FINRA-member broker-dealer serving primarily U.S. individuals, including high net worth and ultra-high net worth clients, as well as employer-sponsored retirement participants. The firm offers portfolio management, financial planning, and unified managed accounts, operating at scale with a technology-driven approach and a broad network of advisors.

Todd Stephens is a CFP® professional with 24 years of industry experience. He has worked at Hightower Advisors since 2020 and previously spent nine years at Frontier Investment Management Co. He is based in Houston, TX. Hightower Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to a diverse range of individual and institutional clients. The firm’s approach focuses on manager selection and multi-manager solutions, employing both affiliated and third-party managers, and offers services including portfolio management, financial planning, and access to various investment vehicles.