Karen Holmes is a CFP® professional with 28 years of experience in the financial services industry. She has worked at LPL Financial since 2018 and previously held roles at 1st Global Insurance Services, Inc. and 1st Global Advisors, Inc. Holmes is also the owner of Holmes and Associates Accounting Services, providing tax preparation and bookkeeping services. LPL Financial is an SEC-registered investment adviser and broker-dealer serving individuals, retirement plans, banks, corporations, and charitable organizations through a national network of investment adviser representatives. The firm offers a range of advisory programs and financial planning services supported by LPL Research and third-party subadvisors.

Nicholas Serenyi is a financial advisor with Morgan Stanley, holding Series 63, Series 65, and Series 66 licenses and bringing 30 years of industry experience. He has worked at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney since 2009 and at Morgan Stanley Private Bank, National Association since 2015. Morgan Stanley Wealth Management is an SEC-registered investment adviser and broker-dealer serving both individual and institutional clients. The firm offers a range of advisory programs, including tailored financial planning and employs a structured planning process that incorporates firm-approved tools and market outlook models.

John Rutherford is a financial advisor with Wells Fargo Clearing, holding a Series 66 designation and four years of industry experience. He has worked at Wells Fargo Clearing since 2021 and has been with Wells Fargo Bank, NA since 2015. Wells Fargo Clearing provides retirement plan consulting to qualified ERISA plans and non-qualified deferred compensation plans, offering services such as investment policy statement preparation, investment recommendations, performance reporting, participant education, and plan benchmarking. The firm’s advisory process is IPS-driven and grounded in modern portfolio theory, with a range of financial product options that include insurance-related vehicles and bank deposit sweep programs.

Jacob Scarbath is a financial advisor with LPL Enterprise, holding Series 63 and Series 65 designations and one year of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Equitable Advisors and involvement with the Howard County Arts Council. LPL Enterprise, LLC serves a diverse client base including individuals, retirement plans, charitable organizations, and institutional clients through advisory and brokerage channels. The firm provides financial planning, access to model portfolios, third-party asset management, and a range of brokerage and insurance products via an integrated platform.

Paula Heichel is a CFP® with 44 years of industry experience, currently serving at Wells Fargo Clearing since 2016. She previously worked at Wells Fargo Advisors LLC from 2009 to 2016. Outside of her advisory role, she has sole ownership of a rental property business in Washington, DC. Wells Fargo Clearing provides retirement plan consulting to qualified ERISA and non-qualified deferred compensation plans, offering both discretionary and non-discretionary services. The firm’s IPS-driven approach incorporates modern portfolio theory and includes a broader set of financial products than typical large institutional advisers.

Lisa Hunt is a financial advisor at Charles Schwab with 37 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and has worked at Charles Schwab since 1992, including a thirteen-year period at Charles Schwab Bank. Hunt serves on the Board of Directors at SIFMA and participates in financial literacy programs; she is also involved in educational initiatives with the Shanghai Advanced Institute of Finance and the University System of Maryland Foundation. Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. serves a broad client base, primarily high- and ultra-high-net-worth individuals, through its Schwab Wealth Advisory wrap fee program and affiliated managed-account and financial planning services. The firm combines non-discretionary advisory relationships with access to affiliated discretionary SMAs and employs multi-asset model portfolios supported by centralized supervisory and custody arrangements.

Kevin Buckley is a CFP® professional affiliated with Wells Fargo Clearing in Arlington, VA, with four years of industry experience. He previously worked at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC and Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC, and spent 14 years at Georgetown Preparatory School. Wells Fargo Advisors is a national securities firm serving individual, corporate, and institutional clients with investment advisory services, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting. The firm manages approximately $671 billion in assets and employs over 14,000 financial advisors, offering both brokerage and advisory solutions.

Keyan Abrishamkar is a financial advisor with LPL Financial, holding a Series 66 designation and 20 years of industry experience. He previously worked at Woodbury Financial Services and Capital One Advisors. He is also the owner of Keynow LLC, a non-investment related business entity. LPL Financial is an SEC-registered investment adviser and broker-dealer serving individuals, retirement plans, institutions, and charitable organizations through a national network of investment adviser representatives. The firm offers a range of financial planning and advisory programs, leveraging both proprietary and third-party research and technology.

Grant La Gasse is a financial advisor with Cetera, holding a Series 66 designation and eight years of industry experience. He has worked at Cetera and Cetera Wealth Services since 2023 and has been affiliated with Financial Advantage since 2018. Prior to his financial services career, he spent 13 years at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. In addition to his advisory work, La Gasse serves as an instructor on retirement planning at Montgomery College. Cetera Investment Advisers LLC is a large SEC-registered firm serving individuals, retirement plans, corporate, charitable, and institutional clients through a network of over 10,000 advisors. The firm offers portfolio management, financial planning, and access to third-party managers across various program structures and custodial relationships.

Andrew Krosnowski is a financial advisor with Cetera who holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 40 years of industry experience. His career includes extensive tenure at First Allied Advisory Services and First Allied Securities prior to joining Cetera. Outside of advisory work, he is a partner in a real estate firm and serves as a trustee and power of attorney for clients’ living trusts. Cetera Investment Advisers LLC serves a broad client base including individuals, retirement plans, corporate, charitable, and institutional clients. The firm offers various portfolio management and financial planning services and operates a multi-manager platform that allows advisors to implement a range of investment strategies across multiple program structures.

Talya Bock is a Senior Financial Advisor at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, specializing in aligning clients' financial lives with their values and long-term objectives. Her areas of expertise include family wealth management, legacy planning, socially responsible investing, philanthropic planning, special needs planning, and retirement income planning. Talya works with clients across various life stages, offering personalized strategies that reflect their unique goals and priorities. Previously, Talya held positions in private wealth management at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney and investment banking at BMO Capital Markets. She holds the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification and the Chartered Special Needs Consultant®, Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor™, and other professional designations that demonstrate her comprehensive knowledge in wealth management. She earned bachelor's degrees in Economic History and Talmud (Jewish Law) Magna Cum Laude from Barnard College and the Jewish Theological Seminary, along with a Master's degree in education from the Jewish Theological Seminary. Outside of her professional duties, Talya is an active community volunteer and serves as a trustee for the Jewish Theological Seminary and Hadar Institute. She resides in Mount Pleasant with her husband and three children and engages in activities such as camping, cooking, hiking, running marathons, scuba diving, and yoga.

Joseph Davis Jr. is a financial advisor at LPL Financial with 54 years of industry experience. He holds the CFP® and ChFC® designations and has previously worked at H. Beck, Inc. and his own firm, Davis Advisory Services, Inc. He is involved with The Living Capital Group in a non-variable insurance capacity. LPL Financial is an SEC-registered investment adviser and broker-dealer serving individuals, retirement plans, banks, corporations, and charitable organizations. The firm offers a range of advisory programs, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and brokerage services through a national network of investment adviser representatives.

Bertrand Ong is a financial advisor with Wells Fargo Clearing in Ashburn, VA, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 30 years of industry experience. He has been with Wells Fargo Clearing since 2016, following seven years at Wells Fargo Advisors LLC. Wells Fargo Clearing provides retirement plan consulting to qualified ERISA plans and non-qualified deferred compensation plans, offering services such as investment policy statement preparation, investment recommendations, performance reporting, and participant education. The firm’s advisory process is IPS-driven and incorporates modern portfolio theory, with a notable inclusion of insurance-related vehicles and bank deposit sweep options among its investment offerings.

Jacob Wood is a Series 66 licensed financial advisor with Edward Jones in Washington, DC, where he has worked since 2021. He has four years of industry experience, including prior roles at Splashtacular LLC and Water Technology Inc. Edward Jones is a full-service wealth management firm serving more than four million individual and institutional clients. The firm offers a range of advisory programs and investment solutions, supported by a large network of financial advisors and branch offices nationwide.

Erin Turner is a financial advisor at Morgan Stanley in Washington, DC, holding a Series 66 designation with 17 years of industry experience. She worked at Goldman, Sachs & Co. for 10 years before joining Morgan Stanley in 2017. Morgan Stanley Wealth Management serves both individual and institutional clients, offering a range of advisory programs including tailored financial planning and estate planning strategies. The firm manages approximately $2.74 trillion in client assets and utilizes structured planning tools and modeling techniques as part of its advisory process.

Thomas Lee is a financial advisor at Raymond James Financial with 29 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 designations and has been with Raymond James Financial since 2002. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as a trustee for EZ Federal Benefits and is a partner in GIVE LLC, a business where he has managerial and promotional responsibilities. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors, Inc. provides financial planning, investment consulting, and advisory services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, corporations, pension plans, and institutional clients. The firm offers tailored, non-discretionary planning and consulting using risk profiling and modeling tools, and it supports a large network of advisors and affiliated firms.

Edward Railey is a financial advisor with Wells Fargo Clearing, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 41 years of industry experience. He previously worked at UBS Financial Services Inc. for nine years before joining Wells Fargo Clearing in 2023. Wells Fargo Clearing provides retirement plan consulting services to qualified ERISA plans and non-qualified deferred compensation plans, offering investment policy statement preparation, investment recommendations, performance reporting, participant education, and plan benchmarking. The firm’s advisory approach is IPS-driven and grounded in modern portfolio theory, serving as an ERISA fiduciary and offering both non-discretionary and discretionary investment management options.

Kate Mbonu is currently an Investment Solutions Representative III at Fidelity Investments, a role she has held since 2022. She partners with clients to understand their financial goals and helps build customized plans to meet their unique needs, emphasizing strong client relationships based on trust and reliability. Prior to this, she served as an Investment Consultant at Fidelity Investments from 2021 to 2022 and was a Financial Advisor at Cetera Investment Services LLC from 2019 to 2021. From 1998 to 2016, she was Branch Manager at Chevy Chase Bank LLC. Kate holds insurance licenses in Arkansas and California. Outside of her professional work, she enjoys cooking and baking, family activities, fitness, social events with friends, music, and singing.

Ryan Troxell is a financial advisor with LPL Financial who holds the Series 66 designation and has five years of industry experience. His prior work includes roles at Bank of America, Merrill, T Rowe Price, and Fidelity Investments. LPL Financial is an SEC-registered investment adviser and broker-dealer serving individuals, retirement plans, banks, corporations, and charitable organizations through a national network of investment adviser representatives. The firm offers a range of advisory programs, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting, utilizing both discretionary and non-discretionary management supported by internal and third-party research.

Barry Shapiro is a Wealth Management Advisor and Retirement Benefits Consultant with Merrill Lynch Wealth Management. He began his career in financial services in 1996 and has been with Merrill Lynch since 2008. Barry co-founded the Sorkin Shapiro Unikel Group, leading a team of six professionals to provide services tailored to clients' diverse financial goals. Barry specializes in corporate retirement plans and wealth management for families. His expertise includes retirement income planning, wealth transfer, insurance services, gifting, and philanthropic strategies. As a Retirement Benefits Consultant, he assists corporations with plan enhancement, needs assessments, investment analysis, menu selection, and employee education to address modern retirement investing challenges. He holds a bachelor's degree in business from the University of Maryland College Park and maintains several professional designations including Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA), Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor (CPFA), Personal Investment Advisor (PIA), and Retirement Benefits Consultant (RBC). Outside of work, Barry enjoys biking, hiking, skiing, swimming, and yoga.