Lisa Pendley is a CFP® professional with 17 years of industry experience, currently serving as an advisor at 8th Street Investments, LLC since 2008. She works out of Alexandria, VA, and is part of a two-advisor team at the firm. 8th Street Investments provides discretionary portfolio management and standalone financial planning to individuals, trusts, estates, corporations, and charitable organizations. The firm employs fundamental analysis and tailored asset-allocation strategies, combining long-term holdings with active trading and derivative instruments within discretionary mandates.

Charles Harris is a financial advisor with First Georgetown Securities, Inc. in Alexandria, VA, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and possessing 44 years of industry experience with the same firm since 1982. Outside of his advisory role, he produced and stars in a YouTube TV pilot titled "Becoming Van Vlack," a non-investment related project started in late 2022. First Georgetown Securities provides discretionary portfolio management primarily to individual clients, including high-net-worth households, using growth, growth-and-income, and income strategies. The firm employs a tactical allocation approach integrating fundamental and technical analysis and manages approximately $101.7 million in discretionary assets as of mid-2025.

Mikayla Rodarte is a financial advisor at Capitol Financial Consultants, Inc. with one year of industry experience. She holds a Series 65 designation and has prior work experience at George Mason University and Westfield High School. Outside of her advisory role, she is the lead instructor and general manager at Kore Defense Industries, where she teaches martial arts and manages youth and women’s programs. Capitol Financial Consultants provides financial planning and investment supervisory services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and small businesses. The firm employs a buy-and-hold investment approach with adjustments based on market conditions and offers ancillary services including tax preparation and business planning.

Matthew Buchanan is a financial advisor with Buchanan Wealth Management in Reston, VA, holding a Series 66 designation and 23 years of industry experience. He has worked at LPL Financial since 2002 and founded Buchanan Wealth Management in 2019. Buchanan Wealth Management provides wealth management and financial planning primarily to individual and high-net-worth clients, with a focus on retirement objectives. The firm uses an asset-allocation driven approach incorporating efficient-market strategies and manages accounts largely on a discretionary basis through various custodial platforms, also offering a wrap fee program and ERISA Section 3(38) fiduciary services for retirement plans.

Iram Amir is a CFP® and Series 65-registered advisor with SageVest Wealth Management in McLean, VA, bringing three years of industry experience. Prior to joining SageVest, Iram worked at Global Advisor Group and Pavlov Financial Planning. SageVest Wealth Management is an independent, fee-only advisory firm managing approximately $423 million in discretionary assets for individuals, families, trusts, charitable accounts, and small businesses. The firm constructs diversified, multi-asset portfolios using no-load mutual funds, ETFs, and individual bonds, combining fundamental and limited technical analysis with integrated financial planning.

Tomasz Cymer is a CFP® and CFA® with 19 years of experience in financial advising. He is the principal of Opulen Financial Group, LLC, an independent advisory firm he has led since 2014, and has operated as a sole proprietor since 2009. In addition to his advisory work, Cymer holds a licensed insurance agent role, spending part of his time on life, disability, and long-term care insurance sales. He is also involved in educational seminars and teaching through a separate corporate entity. Opulen Financial Group serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, and corporations with portfolio management, comprehensive financial planning, and retirement plan services. The firm emphasizes documented investment policies, fundamental analysis, and combines direct management with third-party platform oversight, while offering ERISA 3(21) fiduciary services and participant education.

Taro Taguchi is a financial advisor at MZ Capital, LLC with 9 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has been with MZ Capital Management since 2015. MZ Capital Management provides discretionary asset management and financial planning to individuals, trusts, estates, and business entities. The firm emphasizes a passive, asset-class allocation approach using institutional funds within a buy‑hold‑and‑rebalance framework, managing accounts primarily on a discretionary basis with individualized investment policy statements.

Joshua Stillman is a financial advisor at Capitol Financial Consultants, Inc. with 11 years of industry experience. He holds Series 65 and Series 63 licenses and has been with Capitol Financial Consultants since 2014. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as an adjunct professor at George Mason University, teaching a financial planning and wealth management capstone course. Capitol Financial Consultants provides financial planning, investment advice, and supervisory services to individuals, high net worth clients, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and small businesses. The firm employs in-house asset allocation models, fundamental analysis, and manager due diligence, following a primarily buy-and-hold strategy with tactical adjustments.

Farzana Sultana is a financial advisor at Crescent Meridian Capital LLC with over 23 years of industry experience. She holds a Series 66 credential and previously worked at Ameriprise Financial Services from 2010 to 2026. Outside of advisory work, she is involved in business ownership of JaMaxwell Logistics and serves on the boards of the Bangladeshi American Network for Democracy and the Holy Cross S&C Dhaka Alumni. Crescent Meridian Capital offers discretionary and non-discretionary investment management and financial planning services to individuals, families, and small businesses. The firm focuses on long-term growth, capital preservation, and risk management through diversified portfolios utilizing ETFs, mutual funds, equities, and fixed income, with an emphasis on direct management and tax-aware strategies.

Mehrdad Tafazoli is a financial advisor at Integrated Financial Solutions, Inc. with 37 years of industry experience. He holds the ChFC® designation and has worked previously with FSC Securities Corporation and PPG Pension Administrators, LLC. He is also a partner in a third-party retirement plan administration firm. Integrated Financial Solutions serves individuals, business entities, trusts, estates, pension and profit-sharing plans, and charitable organizations, offering discretionary portfolio management, retirement plan consulting, and financial planning. The firm uses a risk-tolerance questionnaire and portfolio-optimization tools to construct individualized portfolios and manages over $300 million in assets across more than 200 client accounts.

Michael Shea is a CFA® charterholder with 17 years of industry experience. He has been with 8th Street Investments, LLC since 2008, serving as one of two advisors at the firm in Alexandria, VA. 8th Street Investments provides discretionary portfolio management and standalone financial planning to individuals, trusts, estates, corporations, and charitable organizations. The firm manages approximately $171.7 million for about 55 clients, employing a fundamental analysis-based investment process with tailored asset-allocation strategies and incorporating active trading tools and derivatives within discretionary mandates.

Scott Kaplan is a Certified Financial Planner® with 27 years of industry experience. He is the principal of Kaplan Wealth Management, Inc. in Reston, VA, where he has worked since 1998, and has also been affiliated with LPL Financial since 2013. Kaplan Wealth Management serves individuals, trusts, estates, and business entities with comprehensive financial planning and discretionary wealth management. The firm manages approximately $83.4 million for about 214 clients, tailoring portfolios based on risk tolerance and time horizon using a combination of mutual funds, ETFs, independent managers, and algorithmic model portfolios.

Brian Scanlon is a financial advisor at Capstone, LLC with 10 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at Archstone Capital, LLC and Height Analytics, LLC, among others. In addition to his advisory role, Scanlon serves as Director of Institutional Sales at Capstone, focusing on policy research and access to related events. Capstone serves institutional investors such as mutual funds, hedge funds, private equity firms, and long-only managers by providing policy analysis, regulatory due diligence, and written research products. The firm emphasizes vetted, impersonal research and advisory services without managing client assets, delivering comprehensive reports and deep-dive due diligence for clients globally.

Daniel Irvine is a financial advisor at 3Summit Investment Management, LLC with nine years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has worked at Wells Capital Management, Inc. and both entities of 3Summit since 2010. He serves as Chairman of the Board of Trustees for PHILLIPS Programs and is a board member of SpringForward, both nonprofit organizations in Washington, DC. 3Summit Investment Management is a team-based registered investment adviser serving individuals, charitable organizations, companies, and other advisers. The firm manages approximately $25 million in client assets using customized portfolios developed through proprietary software, combining multiple investment approaches and offering both discretionary and non-discretionary management.

Patrick Knowles is a Series 65-licensed advisor at The Knowles Company, LLC with over 26 years of prior experience at CGI before joining his current firm in 2026. He is based in Oakton, VA and has one year of experience with The Knowles Company. The Knowles Company is a fee-only, state-registered investment adviser serving individuals, families, trusts, estates, small businesses, and retirement plans. The firm focuses on comprehensive financial planning and primarily manages portfolios on a non-discretionary basis using low-cost mutual funds and ETFs, while providing detailed monitoring, tax-loss harvesting, and client reporting.

David Morgante is a CFP® and Series 66 licensed financial advisor with 23 years of experience. He has worked at Variant Private Wealth LLC since 2017 and previously spent 13 years at Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. Outside of his advisory role, Morgante owns and operates an income tax preparation business. Variant Private Wealth provides fee-based financial planning and individualized investment management to a range of clients, including individuals, families, trusts, and organizations. The firm combines fundamental and technical analysis to tailor investment strategies based on client-specific financial plans.

Christopher Lane is a financial advisor at McGinn Penninger Investment Management Inc. with two years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and previously worked at the University of Maryland and Bullis School. McGinn Penninger Investment Management provides discretionary portfolio management primarily for high-net-worth individuals and institutional clients, focusing on a long-term, large-cap value equity strategy with fundamental analysis and contrarian purchases. The firm also serves as sub-adviser to the Union Street Partners Value Fund and offers tailored portfolio management across individual accounts and the fund.

Ed Leads a team revolutionizing financial planning for federal employees. Valor Wealth Partners is a veteran-owned business with an office in Washington, D.C. and serving clients virtually in 19 states. With over 25 years of experience providing financial planning guidance, Ed has helped hundreds of families navigate complex and emotional dilemmas. He combines decades of experience with personalized strategies to help clients meet their needs. By simplifying his comprehensive analysis into down-to-earth terms, he is able to help clients understand their situation and take positive actions. Helping people with their financial goals is a deeply personal mission for Ed. Early struggles with money led him to pursue a meaningful career guiding people through the financial planning process. As a Certified Financial Planner, Ed follows the CFP Board’s Code of Ethics and Standards of Conduct. The complex knowledge required to obtain and maintain this professional designation helps Ed develop extensive financial plans that hardworking people deserve. Ed’s devotion to the community is evident in the numerous charitable associations where he volunteers his time. He’s currently a captain for a team of cyclists in the annual Pan-Mass Challenge and is a two-time marathoner for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. He attributes his core values of integrity and attention to detail to his service with the U.S. Marines. We invite you to see our passion and knowledge on how your federal benefits can be maximized at our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/FinancialPlanning4Feds

Scott James is a CFP® with 39 years of industry experience and is the president of The Scott S. James Company, where he has worked since 1996. He previously worked at Scott James Group, Inc. starting in 2001. Outside of his advisory role, he manages an office building through Scott James, LLC. The Scott S. James Company provides financial planning, portfolio management, and trustee services to individuals, small businesses, charities, trusts, and estates. The firm customizes investment programs using a combination of fundamental, technical, quantitative, and modern portfolio theory techniques, and offers both discretionary and non-discretionary management.

Davis Gardner is a CFP® professional at Omega Wealth Management LLC with six years of industry experience. He has worked at Omega Wealth Management since 2018, following prior roles at Northwestern Mutual and Virginia Tech Services. Omega Wealth Management serves individual and high-net-worth clients, as well as trusts, estates, and business entities, managing approximately $310 million for around 121 clients through a team of four advisors. The firm offers goals-based, tax-aware investment management combined with life and wealth planning, using both discretionary and non-discretionary account arrangements, and emphasizes client education through seminars and webinars.