Tessa Elrod is a CFP® and Series 66-licensed advisor with 15 years of industry experience. She is currently with Next Step Financial Transitions, where she has worked since 2020, following six years at Strategic Financial Advisors and Proequities Inc. Elrod also owns a divorce financial analysis firm, Next Step Divorce Solutions, which provides financial expertise to couples during divorce proceedings, and designs products sold through Amazon under her sole proprietorship. Next Step Financial Transitions serves individual and high-net-worth clients with tailored investment management and financial planning services, utilizing a combination of fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis within a Modern Portfolio Theory framework. The firm also operates a specialized divorce financial services business and employs third-party manager programs along with client-specific investment policy statements.

Marie Navarre is a CFP® professional with 27 years of experience in financial advising. She has been with Neal Financial Group, L.P. since 2002 and also maintains an affiliation with LPL Financial, LLC over the same period. Outside of her advisory work, she assists in her spouse’s medical office with secretarial duties. Neal Financial Group, L.P. provides financial planning and pension-consulting services to various entities including employee benefit plans, trusts, and corporations, as well as individual clients. The firm focuses on advisory and consulting engagements supported by formal pension-consulting expertise and employs analytic techniques such as Modern Portfolio Theory and discounted cash flow models.

Joe Allen is a financial advisor at Life Balance Financial in Houston, TX, with 28 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and previously worked at Park Avenue Securities and Guardian Life Insurance Company. In addition to his advisory role, he operates as an independent insurance agent. Life Balance Financial provides financial planning by recommending and monitoring third-party investment advisers rather than managing client assets directly. The firm emphasizes asset allocation, portfolio construction, and tax-aware strategies, delivering a written financial plan known as the "Portfolio MRI" as its primary client service.

I am Lance Elrod – co-owner of Next Step Financial Transitions. I believe that most financial planning concepts have become overcomplicated; my goal is to declassify these concepts into conversational terms and educate you enough so that you understand and feel comfortable with any decision you make. We founded our firm with a focus on helping families navigate financial transitions, no matter the stage of life. Most traditional advisors like to focus solely on your investments, we do things a little differently by taking a holistic approach to financial planning. This means the first thing we do is get to know you – your values, your goals, and your personality. It is not until we fully know you as an individual or family that we can begin to build out your financial plan to serve as a roadmap for your future, because you can’t take your next step until you know where you are going. I hold a BS in Personal Financial Planning from Texas Tech University and am a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ practitioner. Like many new graduates, I began the early part of my career trying to discover my place and passion within my industry. During that time, I worked short stints with United Capital Private Wealth Counseling, which now comes under Goldman Sachs Personal Financial Management Umbrella, and May and Barnhard, P.C., which recently changed their name to Councilor, Buchanan & Mitchell, P.C… Although I enjoyed financial planning, I felt compelled to take a brief detour as a Mud Engineer because Oil & Gas is what you do when you move to Houston, right? In 2015 I rejoined the industry, where I dug into my career and recognized my desire to serve individuals and families in the under-served, early stage of life. Read Lance's blog here: https://nsfinancialtransitions.com/blog/

Stephen Scott is a financial advisor at The Menard Financial Group, LLC with 32 years of industry experience. He has held positions at Eagle Strategies (NY Life) for 19 years before joining his current firm in 2021. Scott holds Series 63 and Series 65 designations and is also a licensed insurance agent in Texas. The Menard Financial Group provides investment advisory, financial planning, and retirement-plan consulting services to individual, high-net-worth clients, and institutional plan sponsors. The firm manages portfolios using a combination of fundamental, technical, and quantitative analysis, employing various strategies including separately managed accounts and derivative instruments where appropriate.

John Barry is a financial advisor at Core Capital Management and Research Inc. in Houston, TX, holding a Series 65 designation with 13 years of industry experience. He has been with Core Capital since 2016 and also serves as Vice President of Marketing at BMC Software, Inc., a non-investment role he has held since 1999. Additionally, Barry is President of JB3 Marketing Group, a marketing and insurance sales business he founded in 2008. Core Capital Management and Research Inc. provides discretionary and non-discretionary investment advisory services to individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and business entities. The firm employs a combination of fundamental, technical, charting, and cyclical analysis in its investment strategies, which include long- and short-term purchases, trading, short sales, option writing, and futures.

Michael Gault is a financial advisor at Redfish Capital with 23 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and previously worked at Kempner Capital Management, Inc. for 24 years. Redfish Capital provides discretionary asset management, financial planning, and ERISA 3(21) retirement plan advisory services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, and business entities. The firm employs a mix of fundamental, technical, charting, and cyclical analysis in portfolio management and offers integrated services including insurance and accounting through affiliated businesses.

Wesley Kubesch is a CFA® charterholder with 20 years of industry experience. He is currently with Durable Dividend Growth Strategies, L.P. and has held prior roles at Corient Services LLC, Galapagos Wealth Management, and Regatta Research & Money Management L.L.C. among others. Durable Dividend Growth Strategies, L.P. provides discretionary portfolio management and sub-advisory services primarily to high-net-worth individuals, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm employs a model-driven investment approach focused on dividend stability and growth, free cash flow, leverage, and profitability, with portfolios designed for tax efficiency and a mix of technical and fundamental analysis.

Callen Campbell is a financial advisor at Advocates Wealth Planning in Houston, TX, holding a Series 65 designation with two years of industry experience. He previously worked at Sanctuary Advisors LLC and Concenture Wealth, and spent several years in education roles before entering the financial advisory field. Advocates Wealth Planning advises individual and high-net-worth clients by providing comprehensive financial planning alongside discretionary investment management. The firm uses an integrated asset-allocation approach with customized model portfolios and emphasizes tax-conscious implementation.

Cory Mizell is a financial advisor with Cove Wealth Management in Houston, TX, holding a Series 65 designation and 10 years of industry experience. He has worked at Valued Retirements, Inc. since 2016 and has a background with Solvay Chemicals dating back to 2014. Cove Wealth Management provides discretionary, fee-only investment management supported by financial planning and wealth coordination services to individuals, families, trusts, estates, and select institutional clients. The firm serves both high-net-worth and non-HNW clients, focusing on customized investment strategies that incorporate low-cost ETFs, mutual funds, individual securities, and independent managers.

Jon Vaughan is a CFA® charterholder and holds a Series 63 license, with 32 years of industry experience. He currently serves as a partner at Tri-Star Advisors, Inc. in Houston, Texas, a role he has held since 2009. Vaughan’s prior work includes time at Calton & Associates, Inc. since 2014. Tri-Star Advisors is a registered investment adviser managing discretionary portfolios for individuals, high-net-worth clients, corporations, charitable organizations, and insurance companies. The firm employs diversified investment strategies across multiple asset classes and analysis methods, offering managed account services that include security selection, rebalancing, tax-loss harvesting, and utilization of sub-advisors.

Matthew Dockall is a CFP® professional with nine years of industry experience, currently serving at Presidio Financial, LLC in Houston, TX. He has prior experience with Park Avenue Securities and operates Dockall Financial Stewardship, LLC. Outside of his advisory role, he coordinates a church event for students as part of his pastoral support activities. Presidio Financial serves individuals, business entities, and retirement plans through discretionary asset management, comprehensive financial planning, and fiduciary services. The firm’s investment approach is based on Modern Portfolio Theory, passive and factor-based strategies, asset allocation, and periodic rebalancing, with portfolio management tailored to client risk profiles.

Jayanth Kabad is a CFP® professional with 40 years of industry experience, affiliated with JayKay Wealth Advisors, Inc. in Houston, TX. He has worked at LPL Financial since 2008 and has been with JayKay Wealth Advisors since 2003. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as a board member for the Jayanth and Kanchan Kabad Private Foundation and is writing a memoir. JayKay Wealth Advisors serves individual and high-net-worth clients, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations, offering portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting. The firm typically manages client accounts on a discretionary, long-term basis using modern portfolio theory and model portfolios, with access to third-party money managers and unified managed account wrap programs.

Craig Narum is a CFP® professional with 23 years of industry experience. He has been with Trisperity Advisors, LLC since 2007 and also serves as an adjunct consultant at Qittitut Consulting LLC, focusing on growth strategy facilitation, business process redesign, and financial modeling. Trisperity Advisors provides fee-only financial planning and investment management services to individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and small businesses. The firm emphasizes strategic asset allocation and global diversification, managing approximately $283.7 million across about 266 clients, primarily on a discretionary basis.

Amber Koenig is a financial advisor at Innova Wealth, LLC with two years of industry experience. She holds a Series 65 credential and has worked at Accurate Wealth Management and Keller Williams Southwest prior to her current role. Innova Wealth, LLC provides ongoing portfolio management and financial planning primarily to individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm combines fundamental analysis and modern portfolio theory with a long-term trading orientation and a time-segmented approach to retirement income, offering discretionary portfolio management as well as hourly financial planning services.

Brad Sanders is a financial advisor with Firethorn Partners, LLC in Houston, TX, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and five years of industry experience. Prior to joining Firethorn Partners in 2017, he was involved with S[cubed] Gastronomic Group LLC from 2013 to 2017. Firethorn Partners serves individual and high-net-worth clients, as well as pooled investment vehicles, trusts, and businesses, offering discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, tax-aware services, and retirement-account rollover advice. The firm employs a tactical index-weighting approach to asset allocation and manages portfolios with global exposure through individual equities and ETFs.

Jared Tobin is a CFP® with four years of industry experience, currently serving as an advisor at Olive Wealth Management in Houston, TX. He has been with Olive Wealth Management since 2021 and previously attended Texas Tech University. Olive Wealth Management is a small, supported registered investment adviser managing approximately $83.9 million across 54 clients. The firm serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, small businesses, trusts, and retirement plans, providing discretionary portfolio management and integrated financial planning with a focus on tax efficiency, cost minimization, and diversified global asset-class portfolios.

Kathryn Prestwood is a CFP® professional with five years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Penney Financial in Houston, TX. Her prior experience includes roles at RMB Capital and Heart and Soul Tea Room, reflecting a diverse background. Penney Financial provides comprehensive financial planning and advisory services to individuals, families, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and small businesses. The firm emphasizes a planning-first process supported by academic research, using low-cost mutual funds and ETFs within investment strategies that combine goal-based planning and discretionary portfolio management.

William Payne is a financial advisor at Tri-Star Advisors, Inc. in Houston, TX, with 33 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 designations and has worked at Calton & Associates, Inc. and Media 59. Outside of his advisory work, he is a limited partner in an airplane rental business. Tri-Star Advisors manages approximately $56.7 million across about 69 client accounts, providing discretionary portfolio management for individuals, corporations, charitable organizations, and insurance company clients. The firm employs diversified asset-allocation strategies and conducts quarterly portfolio reviews, utilizing multiple analysis methods and outside resources for fixed-income analysis and trade execution.

Douglas Murrill is a financial advisor at Redfish Capital with 32 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 designations and has worked at Redfish Capital Management LLC since 2010. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as an officer of the Joe Murrill Family Foundation. Redfish Capital provides discretionary asset management, financial planning, and ERISA 3(21) retirement plan advisory services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, and business entities. The firm employs a variety of investment strategies tailored to client goals and coordinates with other professional advisors, while also offering affiliated insurance and accounting services.