Todd Burnaford is a financial advisor at Empower Advisory Group with 16 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 designations and has previously worked at Personal Capital Advisors Corporation and Prudential Investment Management Services LLC. Outside of his advisory work, he is co-owner of a bagel shop with his spouse, assisting with administrative duties. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management primarily to employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors, their participants, and certain retail clients. The firm offers integrated services linked to its recordkeeping and administrative platforms, focusing on long-term portfolio returns and client savings rates through both point-in-time plans and optional managed accounts.

Aaron Leffingwell is a financial advisor at Empower Advisory Group with 26 years of industry experience. He holds Series 66, Series 63, and Series 65 licenses. His prior work includes positions at GWFS Equities, Inc. and Icon Advisers, Inc. 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 retail brokerage clients. The firm offers integrated services aligned with Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative platforms, focusing on long-term portfolio returns and annual rebalancing.

Jared Barkmeier is a CFP® with eight years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Mariner. He previously worked at HK Financial Services, Inc. for four years before joining Mariner in 2020. Mariner serves a diverse client base including individuals, pension plans, trusts, and corporations by offering investment management, financial planning, retirement consulting, and access to third-party managers. The firm combines discretionary, customized portfolios with in-house research and third-party allocations, and provides integrated tax, accounting, and family office services alongside portfolio management.

Zachary Bloemen is a financial advisor at Hornor, Townsend & Kent, LLC with eight years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and has previously worked at Northwestern Mutual in various capacities, including wealth management and investment services. He is also affiliated with Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company. Hornor, Townsend & Kent serves individuals, trusts, businesses, charitable organizations, and retirement plans through advisory programs, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting. The firm offers both advisory and broker-dealer services, managing approximately $8.37 billion in discretionary assets under management as of December 2025.

Alexander Boyd is a financial advisor at VALIC Financial Advisors with nine years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has previously worked at the University of Missouri Curators Office. In addition to his advisory role, he is involved as an agent with Agia, offering non-securities insurance products. VALIC Financial Advisors primarily serves U.S. individuals, including high net worth and ultra-high net worth clients, as well as employer-sponsored retirement participants. The firm provides portfolio management, financial planning, and discretionary unified managed accounts using Envestnet’s platform, managing roughly $29.2 billion and serving close to 300,000 clients through over 1,200 advisors.

Melvin Ventura is a financial advisor at Empower Advisory Group with one year of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and previously worked at JP Morgan Chase & Company for five years. Ventura’s work history also includes roles at Uber LLC. 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 account holders. The firm integrates its services with Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative platforms and emphasizes long-term portfolio returns and annual rebalancing in its financial planning approach.

Seth Jefferies is a financial advisor at TIAA-CREF with 16 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 63 and Series 66 designations and has been with TIAA-CREF since 2011. Jefferies serves as a member of the RMA Commission for the Investments and Wealth Institute, which provides strategic guidance on retirement industry trends and education initiatives. TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC offers financial planning and discretionary managed account programs primarily to individuals with existing retirement plan relationships, as well as trusts, estates, and corporate entities. The firm separates one-time planning services from ongoing portfolio management and acts as adviser to a donor-advised fund, operating within a vertically integrated group that discloses potential conflicts related to affiliated funds.

Richard Acres is a CFP®-certified financial advisor at Hightower Advisors with 10 years of industry experience. He previously worked for Investment Security Group, Inc. before joining Hightower Advisors in 2021. Acres is based in Denver, CO and holds a Series 65 license. Hightower Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to individual and institutional clients, including pension plans, charitable organizations, corporations, and trusts. The firm emphasizes manager selection and multi-manager solutions, utilizing both affiliated and third-party managers, and offers discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management along with financial planning and retirement consulting.

Leonard Sanford is a financial advisor at Farther with 24 years of industry experience. He holds the CFP® and ChFC® designations, as well as Series 63 and Series 66 licenses. Sanford is also the managing member of HPCA Services Group LLC and conducts business as Harmony Private Client Advisers. He holds an insurance license and spends a small portion of his time providing limited insurance products. Farther serves individual investors, trusts, and estates through a technology-driven advisory platform and direct client meetings. The firm’s investment approach is based on Modern Portfolio Theory and uses bespoke allocations or proprietary algorithmic model portfolios with automatic rebalancing.

Tuong Vy Tran is a Series 66-credentialed financial advisor with 17 years of industry experience. She is currently with Empower Advisory Group, where she has worked since 2023 following a decade at JPMorgan Securities LLC. Outside of her advisory role, she is a signer of bank accounts for Cooler By The Sea, LLC, a company that distributes seafood to restaurants, grocery stores, and individual consumers. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management primarily to employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors and their participants, incorporating an integrated service model linked to Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative platforms. The firm emphasizes long-term portfolio returns and offers both point-in-time financial plans and managed account solutions.

Kelly Paiz is a financial advisor at Empower Advisory Group with 24 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has previously worked at TD Ameritrade from 2015 to 2021. Since 2021, she has been with Empower Retirement. 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 account holders. The firm’s integrated approach ties financial planning and managed account solutions to Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative platforms.

Charlie Murphy is a financial advisor at Empower Advisory Group with 13 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and previously worked at Personal Capital Advisors Corporation. 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 clients. The firm delivers integrated services connected to Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative platforms, focusing on long-term portfolio returns and clients’ savings rates.

Madison O Rourke is a financial advisor at Schwab Wealth Advisory with four years of industry experience. She holds a Series 66 designation and has worked in various roles at Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. and Charles Schwab Bank, SSB. Outside of her advisory career, she was involved with SDS Lacrosse LLC, supporting season ticket holder services and game day operations. Schwab Wealth Advisory, Inc. provides non-discretionary fiduciary investment advice to clients in the Schwab Wealth Advisory program, offering annual financial reviews and investment recommendations across a range of asset classes. The firm operates within the Schwab ecosystem and delivers advice through standardized asset allocation models and research tools, with clients retaining final trading decisions.

Joshua Wilson is a financial advisor at Empower Advisory Group with one year of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and previously worked at the University of Northern Colorado and the Granby School System. 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 account holders. The firm delivers an integrated service model that includes point-in-time financial plans and optional managed account solutions, with a focus on long-term portfolio returns and annual rebalancing.

Sarah Burney is a financial advisor at Cresset Asset Management, LLC with 18 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and previously worked at J.P. Morgan for 11 years before joining Cresset in 2021. Burney serves as a foundation board member for the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. Cresset Asset Management, LLC is an SEC-registered investment adviser managing approximately $71.9 billion in client assets. The firm serves a diverse client base including individuals, families, trusts, retirement plans, and charitable organizations, and employs a diversified, asset-allocation-driven investment approach that combines active and passive strategies along with third-party manager allocations.

Eloy Leal is a CFP® professional with 26 years of industry experience, currently serving as an advisor at Schwab Wealth Advisory. He previously worked at TIAA and TIAA-CREF for 17 years and has held various roles within the Charles Schwab organization since 2023. Schwab Wealth Advisory provides non-discretionary fiduciary investment advice through the Schwab Wealth Advisory program, offering annual financial reviews, retirement planning, and investment recommendations. The firm uses Schwab’s asset allocation models and research tools, with advisors recommending investments while clients make final trading decisions.

Paula Degener is a CFP® professional with eight years of industry experience. She has worked at Mariner Wealth Advisors, LLC since 2018 and previously spent four years at Kummer Financial Strategies, Inc. Mariner serves a diverse client base including individuals, pension plans, trusts, and charitable organizations, offering investment management, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and coordinated tax and family office services. The firm combines in-house research with third-party managers to implement customized portfolios and provides integrated tax, accounting, and financial wellness solutions.

Jonathan Swofford is a CFP®-certified financial advisor with 11 years of industry experience. He is currently with Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services, LLC and has previously worked at Personal Capital Advisors Corporation and Empower Financial Services, Inc. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services provides financial planning and asset management services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, corporations, and retirement plans. The firm manages over $122 billion in regulatory assets under management and employs a diversified investment approach combining passive and active management overseen by an internal Investment Committee.

Gregory Harris is a CFP®, ChFC®, and holds a Series 66 license, with 18 years of industry experience. He has been with Guardian Life and its affiliated entities since 2008 and currently works at Park Avenue Securities. Outside of his advisory role, he also acts as an independent contractor selling insurance products other than those offered by Guardian. Park Avenue Securities LLC, doing business as Park Avenue® Wealth Management, is a dually registered broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and corporate clients. The firm offers brokerage services, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and a variety of proprietary and third-party investment advisory programs.

Alexander Hock is a CFA® charterholder with 10 years of industry experience. He currently works at Focus Partners Wealth, LLC and previously held roles at The Colony Group, LLC and Jones Barclay Boston. Focus Partners serves individuals, high-net-worth families, family offices, corporate and institutional clients with comprehensive wealth management and advisory services. The firm employs an enhanced open architecture approach that combines active and passive strategies, third-party managers, and private funds, focusing on long-term, tax- and fee-sensitive portfolio construction.