Hua Zhang is a financial advisor with Transamerica Financial Advisors in Houston, TX, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and 17 years of industry experience. Hua has worked at Transamerica Financial Advisors since 2012 and is also associated with the Copeland Group and World Financial Group. Outside of advising, Hua is involved in health insurance sales and enrollment assistance with firms including Copeland Insurance Group, Community Health Choice, and Ambetter. Transamerica Financial Advisors serves a diverse client base including individual investors, pension plans, trusts, charitable organizations, and corporations. The firm offers a range of advisory and broker-dealer services, featuring proprietary and third-party model portfolios with discretionary and non-discretionary options.

Leah Bennett is a CFA® charterholder with 29 years of industry experience. She is currently Chief Investment Strategist at Concurrent Asset Management and an advisor with Concurrent Investment Advisors, LLC. Her prior experience includes roles at Westwood Advisors, Westwood Trust/Westwood Advisers, South Texas Money Management, and Rek Advisors. She serves on the boards of the Elevation Family Partner Foundation, Christus Foundation (as chair of the investment committee), Artpace (finance committee), Menil (Acquisitions Committee), and Performing Arts Houston. Concurrent Investment Advisors, LLC is a multi-team SEC-registered advisory firm serving individuals, high-net-worth clients, families, trusts, estates, businesses, and retirement plans. The firm emphasizes customized, primarily long-term portfolios utilizing ETFs, mutual funds, individual securities, bonds, alternative investments, and independent sub-advisers, supported by a network of roughly 286 advisors.

Cole Vanassche is a financial advisor with Guardian Life in Houston, TX, holding Series 63 and Series 65 designations and bringing 18 years of industry experience. He worked at New York Life Insurance Company for 10 years prior to joining Guardian Life in 2024. Vanassche also teaches and helps individuals prepare for the CLTC designation exam as a Certified Long-Term Care instructor. Guardian Life’s subsidiary, Park Avenue® Wealth Management, provides brokerage, financial planning, retirement consulting, and investment advisory services to individuals, pension plans, charitable organizations, and corporate clients, offering both discretionary and non-discretionary investment solutions including proprietary and third-party model portfolios.

William Schorp is a financial advisor with Private Advisor Group, LLC in Houston, TX, holding a Series 66 designation and 18 years of industry experience. He has worked at Private Advisor Group and LPL Financial since 2012 and previously at Concourse Financial Group Securities, Inc. from 2008 to 2012. Private Advisor Group serves individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, businesses, and retirement plans with portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting. The firm employs a fiduciary-based advisory model and uses a range of investment strategies implemented through proprietary and third-party platforms.

Laura Rowley is a CFP® with 19 years of experience in financial advisory. She has been with Mercer Global Advisors, Inc. since 2017 and previously worked at Kanaly Trust from 2005 to 2017. Based in Houston, TX, she holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses. Mercer Global Advisors serves a diverse client base including individuals, high-net-worth families, small business owners, corporate plan sponsors, foundations, and nonprofits. The firm employs a Modern Portfolio Theory-based investment approach focused on globally diversified, risk-appropriate portfolios and offers a range of services from portfolio management to estate-planning coordination.

Gary Wurl is a CFP® professional with 34 years of experience in the financial services industry. He is currently with Concurrent Investment Advisors, LLC and previously worked at Centric Advisors, Kovack Advisors, and Kovack Securities. In addition to his advisory role, he is the CEO of Financial Destiny, Inc., a separate business he has led since 1994. Concurrent Investment Advisors, LLC is a multi-team SEC-registered firm serving individuals, high-net-worth clients, families, trusts, estates, businesses, and retirement plans. The firm offers wealth management, financial planning, and retirement advisory services through customized, primarily long-term portfolios that utilize ETFs, mutual funds, and other investment vehicles.

Mark Connely is a CFP® with 29 years of industry experience, currently affiliated with Primerica Advisors and Park Avenue Securities. He has worked at Guardian Life Insurance Company since 1998 and has been with Primerica Advisors since 1999. Outside of his advisory work, he is involved in a music business venture and operates several business entities related to insurance and investment activities. Park Avenue Securities serves a broad retail client base, including individual and high-net-worth investors, offering both brokerage and advisory services. The firm utilizes a range of proprietary and third-party investment strategies and provides various account-level solutions such as lending and donor-advised funds.

Keyton Rizzo is a financial advisor at Oppenheimer with one year of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and previously worked in the restaurant and winery industries, including roles at Saltgrass Steakhouse and Kuhllman Cellars. Oppenheimer is a registered investment adviser and broker-dealer serving individuals, corporations, pension and profit-sharing plans, and charitable organizations. The firm offers a broad range of programs and advisory services across equity, balanced, and fixed-income portfolios, with both discretionary and non-discretionary management options.

Emily Hopkins is a financial advisor at Prime Capital Financial with six years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and has worked at Prime Capital Investment Advisors, EPIC Insurance Brokers and Consultants, and VALIC Financial Advisors. Hopkins is based in Houston, TX. Prime Capital Financial is an SEC-registered enterprise advisory firm serving individuals, trusts, corporations, and retirement plans with services including asset management, financial planning, and third-party manager selection. The firm employs a diverse investment approach featuring core/satellite, thematic, and tactical strategies, and offers family office services along with integrated tax planning and financial administration through its affiliated accounting subsidiary.

Kell Grady is an advisor with Valic Financial Advisors, holding Series 65 and Series 63 licenses and based in Houston, TX. Grady has less than one year of industry experience, having previously worked at Texas Financial Advisors, Target, and Fort Worth Country Day, among other roles. Valic Financial Advisors, Inc. serves 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 multiple wrap programs through a large network of advisors, utilizing technology-driven unified managed accounts and third-party model managers.

Caleb Robinson is a financial advisor with Principal Financial Services in Houston, TX, holding a Series 66 designation and seven years of industry experience. He has held roles at Union Financial, Principal Securities Inc., Principal Life Insurance Company, Park Avenue Securities, and Guardian Life Insurance Company. Outside of finance, he teaches part-time neuroscience and human anatomy courses at UTHealth Houston McGovern Medical School. Principal Securities provides brokerage and registered investment advisory services to a diverse client base including individuals, retirement plans, trusts, estates, and active-duty military personnel. The firm offers direct advisory programs, financial planning, retirement consulting, and access to third-party money manager solutions under various advisory and promoter arrangements.

Kartik Jambulapati is a financial advisor with Prime Capital Financial in Houston, TX, holding a Series 65 designation and eight years of industry experience. He has worked at Prime Capital Investment Advisors, LLC since 2018 and previously spent four years with Ascende Wealth Advisers, Inc. 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 and trustee services, and family office offerings, utilizing both discretionary and non-discretionary management strategies.

Gary Sagarnaga is a financial advisor with Kestra Advisory Services, LLC, holding a Series 63 designation and bringing 40 years of industry experience. His prior work includes 13 years at Girard Securities, Inc. He also operates as a sole proprietor managing insurance and investment recommendations. Kestra Advisory Services provides investment advisory and retirement-plan consulting to a diverse client base, including institutional and individual investors. The firm offers services such as fiduciary consulting, plan design, and employee education, and supports complex investment solutions through multiple management platforms.

Nahif Chowdhury is a financial advisor at Cerity Partners LLC with a Series 65 credential and three years of industry experience. Prior to joining Cerity Partners in 2026, he worked for six years at Fisher Investments and has professional experience outside the financial industry at Walmart. Cerity Partners is an SEC-registered investment adviser serving a diverse client base including individuals, families, trusts, corporations, charitable institutions, and institutional investors. The firm offers a range of services such as investment management, financial planning, tax and insurance support, and access to alternative and private-market investments, emphasizing diversified asset allocation and customized portfolios.

La Tika Tillis is a financial advisor at Hightower Advisors with 18 years of industry experience. She holds a Series 66 designation and previously spent 10 years at Streettalk Advisors, LLC before joining Hightower in 2023. Hightower Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to individual and institutional clients, including pension plans, charitable organizations, corporations, and trusts. The firm’s advisory approach emphasizes manager selection and multi-manager solutions, utilizing both affiliated and third-party managers across a range of investment strategies.

Andrew Cashiola is a financial advisor at Independent Financial Group, LLC with 34 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has previously worked at firms including Morgan Stanley, Raymond James Financial Services, Ameriprise Financial Services, Hilltop Securities, Morgan Keegan & Company, and UBS Financial Services. Independent Financial Group, LLC serves a broad client base including individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, corporate and pension plans, and charitable organizations. The firm offers financial planning and portfolio management through various platforms and programs, employing model-based strategies that combine active and passive investments across standard risk profiles.

Benjamin Almeda is a CFP® with 17 years of experience in the financial industry. He is currently with Hightower Advisors and has prior experience at TD Ameritrade Investment Management, Charles Schwab, and Td Ameritrade. Hightower Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to a broad range of individual and institutional clients. The firm’s approach emphasizes manager selection and multi-manager solutions, utilizing both affiliated and third-party managers across various investment vehicles.

Hadi Kusumo is a financial advisor with Transamerica Financial Advisors, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and 22 years of industry experience. He has been with Transamerica Financial Advisors since 2012 and is involved in several business activities including estate planning services through LSPN Pro, LLC, and managing office property as president of Dreambuilders Star LLC. Kusumo is also engaged with Inheritguard LLC, providing education and client communications related to estate planning. Transamerica Financial Advisors serves a broad client base including individuals, retirement plans, trusts, and businesses, delivering services through a large advisor network and multiple program platforms. The firm’s advisory approach primarily utilizes model portfolios and third-party managers, with a focus on integrated retirement plan solutions and affiliated mutual funds and insurance products.

Douglas Carroll is a CFP®-certified financial advisor with eight years of industry experience, currently with Mariner Wealth Advisors in Houston, TX. He previously worked at SMS Capital Management and MPR Associates. Carroll serves as treasurer for the Woodland Heights Community Association. Mariner Wealth Advisors serves a diverse client base including individuals, pension plans, trusts, and charitable organizations, offering investment management, financial planning, retirement consulting, and tax services. The firm employs customized discretionary portfolios supported by an internal team and third-party managers, with a notable integration of tax and accounting services.

Maynard Miller Jr. is a CFP® and ChFC® with 31 years of industry experience. He is currently with Primerica Advisors and has held roles at Park Avenue Securities and Guardian Life Insurance Company since 2020. His prior experience includes positions at Horace Mann Investors, Inc. and MassMutual Life Insurance Company. Primerica Advisors serves a diverse retail client base, offering brokerage and advisory services along with financial planning and retirement-plan consulting. The firm utilizes a range of investment strategies, including proprietary model portfolios and third-party managers, and supports various account-level services such as lending solutions and donor-advised funds.