John Bell is a CFP®-certified financial advisor with 21 years of industry experience. He is currently the sole advisor at Free State Financial Planning, LLC, having previously worked at Charles Schwab and Ameritrade, Inc. Beyond his advisory work, he serves as a FINRA arbitrator and acts as the financial secretary and council member of St. Paul's Lutheran Church, where he manages donation tracking and budgeting. Free State Financial Planning LLC provides fee-only financial planning services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, and businesses. The firm’s guidance is based on Modern Portfolio Theory, emphasizing passive investments through low-cost ETFs and no-load mutual funds, and focuses on delivering educational resources without discretionary investment management.

Michael Hoffman is a CFP® with 18 years of industry experience, currently serving as Co-Managing Director of Forty W Advisors. He previously worked at Verdence Capital Advisors and held roles at Hightower Securities and Hightower Advisors. Forty W Advisors delivers comprehensive wealth management across three critical areas: financial administration, proactive tax-aware planning, and investment management with institutional access. Together, these services help align your personal wealth, family priorities, and business strategy into one coordinated plan, with the goal of reducing complexity and maximizing post-tax wealth.

Ben Arie is a Series 66-licensed financial advisor with Independent Financial Group, LLC, based in North Bethesda, MD. He has two years of industry experience and previously worked at Plotkin Financial Advisors and APEX Home Loans. Outside of advising, he is involved in selling life and health insurance. Independent Financial Group, LLC is a dual-registered broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, charities, corporations, and plan sponsors. The firm offers a variety of advisory programs through its AccessPoint platform and third-party asset managers, providing both discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management.

Simeon’s role is to help clients create a coordinated financial strategy that aligns their investments, taxes, retirement income, and long-term goals into one cohesive plan. A big part of his approach is helping clients simplify complexity and make confident decisions during periods of uncertainty.

Kathleen McQuade is a Certified Financial Planner® with three years of industry experience, operating as the sole advisor at her independent firm in Laurel, MD. She has been managing her practice since 2010 and holds a Series 65 license. Her firm provides fee-only financial planning and consulting services to individual clients, focusing on investment, retirement, insurance, education, and estate planning. The practice employs a long-term, buy-and-hold investment approach, primarily recommending no-load, low-cost, tax-efficient mutual funds with asset allocation as the key factor in portfolio returns.

Hi, I’m Matt. My job as a financial planner is to make your life simpler. To help you efficiently and effectively narrow down your options, so you can make the right decisions. And be confident in those decisions for the long-term. Financial planning and investment management are often muddied by unnecessary complexity (usually in an effort to sell you something). It doesn’t need to be this way. I began my career in the financial services industry in 2003 as an analyst with the due diligence law firm Snyder Kearney, LLC (Columbia, MD). At Snyder Kearney, I reviewed public and private securities offerings and evaluated national securities sponsoring companies, focusing on real estate investments and non-traditional investment products. It was there that I realized that I wanted to know more about the practice of law and a lot more about the pretty co-worker in the cubicle next to me, Sylvie. I earned my law degree in 2007 from the University of Baltimore School of Law and married Sylvie in 2008; further proof that education and personal relationships are the investments that produce the best returns. After law school, I practiced law with the firm David Albert & Associates, LLC (Bethesda, MD), focusing in estate planning and administration, guardianship administration, taxation of estates and trusts, and business formations. There, I recognized that helping clients through complicated and often stressful issues was intellectually stimulating and emotionally fulfilling. In 2010, I opened Patuxent Financial Partners, LLC, registered as an Investment Adviser with the State of Maryland in 2017. Here, I leverage my legal background to provide clients with value-added insight in the overlapping areas of estate and financial planning. More importantly, as a personal financial planner and small business owner, I can build lasting relationships with clients and their families; these connections make my work fulfilling, because client success becomes intertwined with my own. I am a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ practitioner and hold the FINRA Series 65 securities registration. Raised in Columbia, Maryland, I graduated from McDaniel College with a bachelor's degree in English. Outside of the office, I enjoy running, reading, and hiking with my wife, son, and our mutt hound, Kodi.

Harold Hodges is a financial advisor with H. Elliot Associates holding a Series 65 designation. He has experience with the Maryland Lottery & Gaming Commission and the U.S. Department of State. H. Elliot Associates offers integrated asset management, financial planning, retirement and federal pension consulting, as well as tax preparation and representation services to individuals, federal employees, small business owners, and high-net-worth families. The firm specializes in federal retirement systems and provides IRS appellate advocacy and tax controversy representation alongside educational seminars on retirement, tax strategy, and estate planning.

Jeffery Holmes is a financial advisor at Investream with seven years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at firms including Morgan Stanley and Merrill Lynch. Holmes is also a licensed real estate agent. Investream is a single-advisor independent investment adviser serving individual and high-net-worth clients, providing portfolio management and customized Investment Policy Statements. The firm utilizes a multi-method investment approach, including fundamental and technical analysis, options strategies, and both discretionary and non-discretionary account management.

Jonathan Cohen is a financial advisor at CHC Financial Solutions, LLC with 17 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) credential. Prior to his current role, Cohen has held positions at firms including Avantax and Cetera. Outside of advising, he serves on the Board of Trustees of the Association of Practicing CPAs and participates on the Maryland Association of CPAs Investment Committee. CHC Financial Solutions, LLC provides comprehensive wealth management services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, and business owners. The firm emphasizes discretionary portfolio management and financial planning, focusing on customized asset allocation and the use of mutual funds, ETFs, and third-party managers.

John Lewis is a financial advisor with Regatta Financial LLC, holding Series 63, 65, and 66 designations and bringing 23 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Universal Medical, Private Client Services, Citigroup Global Markets, and H. Beck, Inc. Outside of finance, he co-owns TheraBleu, LLC, an e-commerce business supplying UVC lamps, and owns Campus Quick Fix, LLC, a franchise focused on device repairs for college students. Regatta Financial LLC provides discretionary asset management along with financial planning and consulting services to individuals and business entities. The firm emphasizes client goal documentation, risk tolerance alignment, and targeted consultation, utilizing technical analysis, charting, and Modern Portfolio Theory to construct and monitor portfolios.

John Peterson is a CFP® professional with 28 years of experience in financial advising. He has been the sole advisor at Cwm Financial Group, Inc. since founding the firm in 1998. Based in Rockville, MD, he holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses. Cwm Financial Group serves individuals, high net worth clients, trusts, and estates by providing wealth management and discretionary portfolio management, along with written financial planning on an hourly or fixed-fee basis. The firm emphasizes long-term investment strategies using diversified mutual funds and ETFs, incorporates multiple analytical methods, and manages approximately $94.7 million in discretionary assets for 57 clients.

Christopher Mamunes is a financial advisor at Railroad Street Wealth Management, LLC with 29 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has led his independent firm since 2014. Railroad Street Wealth Management provides customized investment management and periodic financial planning to individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm manages approximately $20.4 million across 55 client relationships, using a tactical, rules-based investment process that combines technical analysis with a relative-strength framework to guide portfolio construction and risk management.

Anvar Izbakiev is a CFP® professional with seven years of industry experience. He is the principal of Serenity Wealth Advisors LLC in Baltimore, MD, and has prior experience with National Accounting Services Inc. In addition to his advisory work, he owns and operates Ameritax Accounting and Finance, Inc., an accounting and tax preparation business. Serenity Wealth Advisors provides financial planning and employee benefit plan services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, corporations, and employer plan sponsors. The firm uses a primarily passive investment approach focused on low costs, limited turnover, and tax efficiency, and offers a range of planning services including ongoing subscription-style engagements, fixed-fee projects, and hourly consultations.

Mary Thomas Spruill is a financial advisor at Serene Financial Solutions in Gaithersburg, MD, holding the ChFC® designation and Series 65 license with six years of industry experience. Prior to founding Serene Financial Solutions in 2020, she worked at The McKelvey Group and held positions at Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Navy Marine Corps Relief Society NMCRS Sasebo, and NBHC Sasebo. Serene Financial Solutions advises individuals, families, and small-business owners, providing portfolio management, comprehensive financial planning, consulting, educational seminars, and tax preparation services. The firm combines passive and active management within a Modern Portfolio Theory framework and is notable for its tax preparation practice staffed by enrolled agents and its range of business support services.

Robert Sandler is the principal and sole advisor at Robert A. Sandler, LLC, an independent firm based in Clarksville, MD. He holds a Series 65 designation and has eight years of industry experience, including four years at Element Fleet Management prior to founding his current firm in 2017. Robert A. Sandler, LLC provides personalized financial planning and investment management primarily for individual clients, focusing on diversified, low-cost index mutual funds and ETFs with a buy-and-hold approach. The firm emphasizes customized risk profiles, periodic rebalancing, and operates on a fee-only basis without commission arrangements or custody of client assets.

Philippe Deumaga is a financial advisor at AGIOS Capital LLC with a Series 65 designation and experience spanning several firms since 2013, including AceCore Global and Imperial Investment Holdings. He has worked in the financial industry for over a decade, with roles at mortgage and investment firms prior to his current position. AGIOS Capital LLC is a newly registered Maryland investment adviser that plans to offer discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, comprehensive financial planning, and advisory services to retail individuals, high-net-worth clients, institutional clients, and international investors. The firm employs a multi-asset, research-driven approach tailored to each client, incorporating a range of investment vehicles including equities, fixed income, cryptocurrencies, and derivatives.

Liam Daly is the founder of Daly Capital Management and holds a Series 65 credential. He has been associated with Daly Capital Management since 2024. Prior to founding the firm, he worked in various educational roles at Quince Orchard High School, Ridgeview Middle School, and Diamond Elementary School. Daly Capital Management provides fee-based, discretionary portfolio management and investment advice tailored to individuals, charitable organizations, corporations, and other business entities. The firm employs a tactical allocation approach using fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis across a broad range of securities and offers direct portfolio management with client-imposed investment restrictions.

Stephen Lee is the principal of Lee Financial Group, Inc. in Columbia, MD, and holds the CFP® designation and Series 63 license. He has 45 years of industry experience and has been associated with Raymond James Financial in various capacities since 2004. Outside of financial advising, he is the owner of a law office focusing on wills, trusts, and powers of attorney, and serves on the advisory board for River Hill FBLA, providing student mentoring. Lee Financial Group offers individualized financial planning and wealth management advice to individuals and families, including high-net-worth clients, trusts, and charitable organizations. The firm provides written financial plans through a data-gathering process and offers follow-up consultations, with investment recommendations based on fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis.

Patrick Tuma is a CFP® professional with 23 years of experience in financial advising. He has worked at Financial Dimensions, Inc. from 1997 to 2024 and has been the principal of Tuma Financial, LLC since 2016. In addition to his advisory role, he also practices as an accountant, providing services outside the advisory business. Tuma Financial, LLC offers portfolio management and financial planning primarily to individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm uses fundamental analysis and modern portfolio theory for asset allocation and security selection, combining long-term strategies with options trading while maintaining documented risk tolerances and quarterly account reviews.

Kenneth Diehl is a CFP® professional with over 25 years at Cornerstone Financial Planning, Inc. in Gaithersburg, MD. He has four years of industry experience. Cornerstone Financial Planning, Inc. offers personalized, fee-only financial planning and advisory services to individuals, trusts, estates, and small businesses. The firm follows Modern Portfolio Theory and efficient-market principles, focusing on diversified, low-cost index funds and ETFs, and operates on a fixed-fee basis without accepting commissions or referral fees.