Maria Valencia is a Series 65 licensed financial advisor with three years of industry experience, currently serving at Shum Financial Group, Inc. in Alameda, CA. Her prior work includes roles at Brown Sugar Kitchen, Tulane University, and Los Andes University. Shum Financial Group provides fee-based investment management, financial planning, and retirement-plan services to individuals, businesses, and charitable organizations. The firm employs fundamental analysis and documented investment policies to guide portfolio management, offering discretionary and non-discretionary services that include strategies such as option-writing and use of derivatives.

Ivan Gvardin is a financial advisor at Vega Capital Group LLC with one year of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has prior work experience at Keller Williams and as a self-employed professional. Outside of finance, Gvardin works as a personal trainer and social media manager. Vega Capital Group provides discretionary investment management primarily to individual clients, including high net worth individuals, as well as corporations, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations. The firm employs a combination of fundamental and technical analysis with dynamic allocation strategies across equities and fixed income to manage market risk.

William Binder is a financial advisor with BKB Financial Advisors, LLC in Menlo Park, CA, holding a Series 65 designation and 20 years of industry experience. He has operated as a self-employed advisor since 2001. Outside of financial advising, he owns a consulting engineering sole proprietorship that provides product development, business development, engineering, and project management services, though he is currently not active in this business. BKB Financial Advisors provides customized financial planning and consulting to individuals and families across life stages, focusing on retirement planning, seniors, and clients facing major life events such as loss or divorce. The firm emphasizes client education and participation, offers hourly fee-based advice without managing or custodying assets, and provides specialized services including divorce financial planning and estate-document support.

Mark Torres is a CFP® with nine years of industry experience, currently serving as an advisor at Mayfield Advisors, Inc. He previously worked at Morgan Stanley and The Vanguard Group, bringing experience from both private banking and investment management. Mayfield Advisors provides discretionary investment management, financial planning, and retirement-plan advisory services to individuals, trusts, estates, and small businesses. The firm employs a Modern Portfolio Theory-based approach focused on diversified, passive investments and integrates advisory services with accounting support through its affiliation with a CPA firm.

James Licosati is a financial advisor at Alder Capital with one year of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and previously worked at LPL Financial LLC. Alder Capital is an independent SEC-registered investment adviser serving high-net-worth individuals, family offices, trusts, estates, and institutions. The firm offers discretionary wealth management, comprehensive financial planning, and investment management with an emphasis on broadly diversified, long-term portfolios using various asset types, including ETFs, stocks, bonds, mutual funds, options, and alternatives.

Shidi Xu is a financial advisor at Shepherd Investment Management in Palo Alto, CA, holding a Series 65 designation with one year of industry experience. Prior to joining Shepherd, Xu worked at BlackRock Investment Management, LLC for eight years. Xu is also the founder and managing partner of Shepherd Capital LLC, a non-operating entity. Shepherd Investment Management is a state-registered investment manager providing fee-based discretionary portfolio management to individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, corporations, and other business entities. The firm employs a long-term, fundamental, growth-at-a-reasonable-price equity approach focused on durable technology trends and adjacent sectors, with flexible account minimums and a high-conviction, unconstrained portfolio construction.

Samuel Hong is a financial advisor at Asia Global Asset Management, Inc. with 12 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 credential and has worked at firms including Liontree Advisors LLC and Molten, Inc., where he currently serves as Head of Growth Strategy. In addition to his advisory role, he operates a part-time independent life and health insurance business outside of securities trading hours. Asia Global Asset Management serves individuals and various institutional clients by providing financial planning and facilitating relationships with third-party investment advisers. The firm does not manage assets directly but focuses on selecting and monitoring independent managers through a structured discovery and review process.

Guangming Dai is a financial advisor at Dai Advisors with seven years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has a professional background in medical research, currently serving as a Senior Principal Research Scientist at Johnson & Johnson Vision, where he develops surgical treatment algorithms. Dai Advisors provides asset and portfolio management services focused on alternative investments, serving high-net-worth individuals, families, trusts, estates, and certain retirement plans. The firm emphasizes disciplined exposure to semi-liquid and private market structures and combines substantial assets under management with a large client base for a compact advisory organization.

Mark Flowers is a CFP® with 15 years of industry experience, currently serving as an advisor at Private Portfolios, Inc. in San Mateo, CA. He has worked with Private Portfolios, Inc. since 2012 and previously with Securities America, Inc. He participates in a collaborative networking group focused on financial issues related to divorce and leads regional divorce workshops offering general financial planning guidance. He also operates a sole proprietorship providing financial analyses and consulting services for clients undergoing divorce. Private Portfolios, Inc. provides fee-based investment advisory and financial planning services to individuals, trusts, pension plans, and corporate entities, with a focus on diversified portfolio management using tailored asset allocation strategies. The firm offers discretionary account management through a sponsored wrap-fee Wealth Management Platform and operates educational workshops, including a structured divorce workshop integrating financial, legal, and therapeutic modules.

Ramon Marquez is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) with 16 years of industry experience. He has been with Galileo Planning Group, Inc. since 2007. Galileo Planning Group, Inc. is an independent, fee-only advisory firm that provides comprehensive financial planning and investment counseling primarily to wealthy individuals, senior corporate executives, and high-income professionals. The firm focuses on non-discretionary, customized services including asset allocation, retirement, estate and tax planning, and evaluations of private and venture investments.

Jeffrey Wu is a CFP® and holds a Series 66 designation with 21 years of industry experience. He has been with Red Crane Wealth Management, LLC since 2016. Red Crane Wealth Management provides discretionary asset management, investment consulting, and standalone financial planning to individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations. The firm employs a mix of asset allocation, sector allocation, long- and short-term trading techniques, and derivative strategies, and sponsors both a wrap fee program and a private pooled investment fund.

Elyse Sanchez is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) with 10 years of industry experience. She has worked at Shum Financial Group, Inc. since 2016 and previously spent a year at Girard Securities, Inc. She holds a Series 66 license and is based in Alameda, CA. Shum Financial Group serves individuals, businesses, and charitable organizations with fee-based investment management, financial planning, and retirement-plan services. The firm employs fundamental analysis and documented investment policy statements in its investment decisions and offers both discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, including managed variable annuity and variable life accounts.

Melissa Eugenio is a financial advisor at Alexander Beard (USA) Inc. with 25 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at Alexander Beard since 2018, following prior roles including five years at ABD Retirement Services, Inc. Outside of her advisory work, she is a Bikram yoga instructor, teaching weekly classes at Being Yoga. Alexander Beard (USA) Inc. provides advisory services primarily to individuals and retirement plans, focusing on UK citizens or former UK residents living in the U.S. with UK-based pension accounts. The firm offers pension consulting, portfolio management, and financial planning, tailoring advice to client goals and working with pension trustees to facilitate pension transfers and flexible arrangements.

Matthew King is a CFA charterholder with 20 years of experience in the financial advisory industry. He has worked at Bell Investment Advisors, Inc. from 2000 to 2018 and has been with King Wealth Advisors, LLC since 2015. King Wealth Advisors is a small independent firm serving individuals, families, high-net-worth clients, retirement plans, trusts, charitable organizations, and business entities. The firm focuses on discretionary investment management using mutual funds and ETFs, applying a selection process based on momentum, value factors, and economic conditions, with an analytic approach that includes fundamental, technical, cyclical, and charting methods.

Brian Roberts is a CFA® charterholder and principal at Roberts Wealth Advisors, LLC with 12 years of industry experience. He previously worked at Nelson Roberts Investment Advisors, LLC for 16 years before joining his current firm in 2020. Roberts Wealth Advisors provides portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting to individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, pension plans, and other investment advisers. The firm employs fundamental analysis and long-term strategies across a range of public and private investments and offers services to both individual and institutional clients, including other advisory firms.

Harrison Lazarus, Jr. is a financial advisor with Harrison Lazarus Advisors, Inc. in San Francisco, CA, holding a Series 65 designation and 18 years of industry experience. He has been with his current firm since 2007. The firm provides investment advisory and financial planning services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, and business entities, managing most client assets on a non-discretionary basis with a focus on mutual fund–based asset-class allocations and periodic rebalancing. It is affiliated with a separate CPA/accounting practice operated by the principal, offering tax and accounting services under a separate agreement.

Robert Sawyer is a financial advisor at 3 Factor Indexing, LLC with 13 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 license and has worked at Synthium Capital since 2012. In addition to his advisory role, Sawyer operates as a self-employed consultant providing product marketing advice to companies. 3 Factor Indexing is a registered investment adviser serving high-net-worth individuals, families, trusts, and closely held businesses. The firm focuses on portfolio construction and management aligned with clients’ financial plans, using a diversified investment approach based on modern portfolio theory.

Frank Branson is a financial advisor with Branson Frank A Inc in Burlingame, CA, holding 28 years of industry experience. He has been associated with Duncan & Branson since 1992 and has operated Frank A. Branson Inc. since 1986. Branson Frank A Inc provides investment advisory services to individuals, trusts and estates, pension and profit-sharing plans, and foundations, focusing primarily on portfolio management for individual accounts. The firm emphasizes fundamental security analysis and a buy-and-hold strategy, managing a diversified portfolio of equity securities, ETFs, U.S. government securities, and money market funds.

Josh Schein is a financial advisor at Global Key Advisors with 29 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 designations and has been involved with Global Key Management LLC since 2014. Outside of advisory work, he serves on the advisory board of Lifeboat Ventures, a venture studio focused on disaster mitigation, and holds a general partner stake in Global Key Energy Equipment Fund I, LP, which trades used natural gas compression equipment. Global Key Management provides integrated financial planning and investment management to individuals, families, trusts, and other entities through separately managed account portfolios. The firm employs a statistically driven investment process using proprietary data screening and back-testing, focusing on concentrated long-only models without attempting to time market trends.

Wanwan Hong is a financial advisor at Asia Global Asset Management, Inc. with 11 years of industry experience. She holds a Series 65 designation and has been with Asia Global Asset Management since 2014. In addition to her advisory role, she operates as a sole proprietor in fixed insurance and indexed annuities sales. Asia Global Asset Management serves a diverse client base including individuals, pension plans, trusts, and charitable organizations by providing financial planning and facilitating relationships with independent third-party investment managers. The firm emphasizes a data-driven discovery process and relies primarily on outside managers for portfolio management and custody.