Alec Derrig is a CFP® and Series 65 license holder based in Akron, Ohio, with one year of experience at Sand Run Wealth Management. His prior work includes roles at Kauig Companies Limited and Apple Growth Partners, as well as four years at Kent State University. Outside of advising, he is involved with a family office through his other business activities. Sand Run Wealth Management is an Ohio-registered investment adviser serving individuals and families with investment management and financial planning services. The firm employs a long-term, goals-based investment approach tailored to client objectives and emphasizes tax-aware strategies through diversified portfolios.

Todd Pouliot is a financial advisor at Gateway Financial with 21 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 63 and Series 65 designations and previously worked at Sigma Financial Corporation for 12 years before joining Gateway Financial in 2019. Gateway Financial is an independent advisory firm serving individual clients, retirement plans, and corporate clients. The firm employs a largely passive, asset-class-driven investment approach based on Modern Portfolio Theory, supplemented by fundamental and technical analyses, and offers a range of services including continuous investment management, financial planning, employee benefit plan consulting, and held-away account monitoring.

Martin Jaras is the principal of Jaras Financial Services, Inc. in Brecksville, Ohio, with 39 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 designations and has worked in various capacities including investment advisory, insurance sales, and business consulting. Outside of financial services, he operates Dirt Wranglers, LLC, a small local equipment business. Jaras Financial Services primarily serves individual investors along with retirement plans, corporate entities, and charitable organizations. The firm offers asset management, financial planning, and retirement-plan administration, managing portfolios on both discretionary and non-discretionary bases using fundamental and technical analysis.

Peter Laakso is a financial advisor with Priority Investment Management LLC in Akron, OH. He holds a Series 65 designation and has 12 years of industry experience, including a decade at Meridian Capital Management Group, Inc. from 2014 to 2024 and prior self-employment from 2010 to 2016. Priority Investment Management LLC provides discretionary asset management services to individuals, including high-net-worth clients, and business entities. The firm offers customized investment programs using a mix of fundamental, technical, charting, and cyclical analysis, with an emphasis on managing accounts separately and allowing clients to vote their own proxies.

Larry Kline is a financial advisor at Gateway Wealth, Inc. in Stow, Ohio, with 38 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has worked previously at FSC Securities Corporation and Osaic Wealth, Inc. In addition to his advisory role, Kline is a CPA involved in tax return preparation and tax planning. Gateway Wealth, Inc. provides comprehensive financial planning and portfolio management services to individual clients, including high-net-worth individuals, as well as pension and profit-sharing plans. The firm employs a long-term investment approach with discretionary management, emphasizing mutual funds and utilizing both fundamental and technical analysis.

George Dagnino is the sole advisor at Peter Dag & Associates, Inc. in Akron, OH, with 26 years of industry experience. He has been with the firm since 1993. Peter Dag & Associates serves a small number of individual clients, primarily managing conservative and retirement accounts through discretionary portfolio management and investment advice. The firm also publishes a subscription-based investment report, The Peter Dag Portfolio, with an investment approach focused on economic trend analysis, sector-specific security selection, and a conservative bias to limit downside risk.

Patrick Sullivan is the principal of Sullivan Pinnacle Advisors, Ltd. in Akron, OH, with 23 years of experience in the financial industry. He has been the owner of Sullivan Company, a CPA firm, since 1984, where he devotes part of his time to investment advisory work. Sullivan holds a Series 63 designation. Sullivan Pinnacle Advisors operates through a co-advisory relationship with an SEC-registered investment adviser, offering wealth management, financial planning, trust wealth management, and retirement plan consulting services. The firm combines financial planning with investment advisory and fiduciary services, emphasizing retirement plan consulting and independent manager selection without taking custody of client assets.

Garrett Boone is a financial advisor at Fortifi Capital, LLC in Akron, Ohio, with 17 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has led Fortifi Capital since 2016. Outside of his advisory role, he owns and operates gbtechlab LLC, a full stack software engineering business, working primarily on contract and freelance projects. Fortifi Capital provides portfolio management and financial planning services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, charitable organizations, small businesses, and corporate clients. The firm uses a quantitative, ETF-based approach that includes tactical adjustments with derivatives and options, and it is notable for serving corporate accounts and developing proprietary software to support its investment process.

John Bair is a financial advisor at Ascend Wealth Advisors, LLC with 23 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has been with Ascend Wealth Advisors since 2013. Ascend Wealth Advisors provides discretionary portfolio management for individuals, high-net-worth clients, corporate pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable institutions, and endowments. The firm manages accounts through individually selected securities using fundamental analysis and a buy-and-hold approach, offering tailored account features uncommon among independent advisors.

Jonathan Torrens is a CFP® professional with 26 years of industry experience and has led TCM Wealth Advisors since 2004. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and also serves as president of Clear View Associates, LLC, an employee leasing business managing payroll and benefits for his firm. TCM Wealth Advisors offers fee-only investment advisory and wealth planning services to individuals and high-net-worth clients, including physicians, business owners, and executives. The firm employs a global, multi-asset investment approach that incorporates both traditional and alternative asset classes, actively manages portfolios, and emphasizes fiduciary responsibility without accepting commissions.

George Coyle is a financial advisor at Triangulated Capital Management, LLC with 4 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at John A. Levin & Co. since 2001. In addition to his advisory role, he is the owner and editor of Triangulated Research, LLC, a publisher of financial newsletters. Triangulated Capital Management primarily serves individual clients, offering discretionary portfolio management, retirement account planning, and consulting through bespoke research projects. The firm employs a blend of quantitative and qualitative analysis, combining modern portfolio theory, thematic equity research, and discretionary trading, with a focus on liquid public markets and futures strategies.

Andrew Tisler is a CFP® professional with 13 years of industry experience, currently serving as the sole advisor at Epic Financial, LLC in Hudson, Ohio. He has been with Epic Financial since its founding in 2013. Epic Financial provides portfolio management and comprehensive financial planning services to individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm follows an investment approach based on Modern Portfolio Theory and the Efficient Market Hypothesis, focusing on asset allocation, mutual funds, ETFs, and a long-term strategy with emphasis on smaller/value equities and high-quality fixed income.

Daniel Johnson is a CFP® and holds a Series 66 license with 19 years of industry experience. He has been the principal advisor at Forward Thinking Wealth Management since 2016. Forward Thinking Wealth Management provides individualized portfolio management and financial planning services primarily to individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm builds customized investment policies using fundamental analysis and offers ongoing planning support, while also facilitating access to third-party money managers when appropriate.

I’m a normal guy who branched out on my own to build a client-first firm focused on real relationships and holistic planning. My goal is simple: to be your trusted partner and number one resource for every financial decision. I started my firm because I wanted to practice financial planning with intention. I wanted the time to think deeply, ask better questions, and build thoughtful, comprehensive strategies—not just manage investments. To me, holistic planning means everything works together: investments, tax strategy, retirement planning, cash flow, risk management, estate considerations, and life transitions. Your financial life isn’t segmented, so your plan shouldn’t be either. I built this firm to prioritize depth over volume. That means fewer clients, more attention, and real accessibility when something important comes up. When you call, you’re not routed through layers of bureaucracy—you’re talking directly to me. I believe you can build a successful business without sacrificing your family or your values. I structured my firm so I can serve clients exceptionally well while still living the principles I encourage others to prioritize — balance, integrity, and intentionality. If you’re looking for an advisor who will think carefully, communicate clearly, and walk alongside you through major financial decisions, I’d be honored to serve in that role.

Daniel Jones is the sole advisor at Echo Financial Advisors, LLC, based in Akron, OH, with 12 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 63 designation and has worked previously at KingsCrowd and Avaring Capital Advisors. Jones is also a freelance contributor for Seeking Alpha, writing articles on investment topics. Echo Financial Advisors, LLC provides algorithm-driven robo-advisory portfolio management to individuals and high-net-worth clients through an online platform. The firm uses client inputs to construct portfolios focused on equities, ETFs, and international securities, and features a social “echoing” function that allows users to copy other investors’ trades.

Cheryl Lyon is a financial advisor at Lyon Capital Strategies with 19 years of industry experience. She holds a Series 66 designation and has been with Lyon Capital Strategies since 1995. Outside of her advisory role, she is involved in tax preparation and accounting as a partner in Lyon & Lyon, CPAs, and as the sole proprietor of a business consulting and tax services firm. Lyon Capital Strategies provides investment advice and financial planning to individuals, employer-sponsored retirement plan participants, corporations, and trusts. The firm uses a fundamental analysis approach that incorporates macro-economic factors, valuation metrics, and tactical allocation to build tailored portfolios, managing approximately $5 million in client assets as of January 2024.

Ernest D. Poulos is the sole advisor at POULOS, Ernest, D., an independent firm based in Akron, Ohio. He holds the Series 66 designation and has 25 years of industry experience, including six years at Ameriprise before founding his current practice in 2006. He is also the owner and managing member of a personal services company established in 2016. The firm provides personalized portfolio management services to individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, pension and profit-sharing plans, corporations, and other business entities. Investment decisions combine fundamental and technical analysis with customized asset allocation and ongoing supervision, including formal quarterly reviews.

Blase Restifo is the sole advisor at Great Lakes Financial Companies Inc. in Twinsburg, Ohio, holding a Series 66 designation with 40 years of industry experience. He has been with Westminster Financial Securities, Inc. since 1997. Outside of his advisory role, he owns and operates the Restifo Insurance Agency. Great Lakes Financial Companies, Inc. provides discretionary investment management primarily for individual clients, managing diversified portfolios of mutual funds and exchange-traded funds, with individualized portfolio management based on a consultative intake process.

Huaiyu Chen is a CFP® professional with 10 years of industry experience and has been the sole advisor at MEV Value LLC since 2015. He also has a long-standing role at Youngstown State University, where he has worked since 2003. MEV Value LLC is a small independent advisory firm serving primarily individual clients with discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management and financial planning. The firm uses an asset-allocation process that balances active and passive management and employs detailed compliance and trading policies uncommon for a single-advisor practice.

Frank Cihlar is the sole advisor at CCM Investment Counsel, an independent firm based in Stow, Ohio. He holds 26 years of industry experience and has been with CCM Investment Counsel, including its predecessor firm CCM Management & Research, Inc., since 1997. CCM Investment Counsel provides discretionary portfolio management and investment advice to individuals, families, trusts, pension or profit-sharing plans, and non-profit organizations. The firm uses fundamental analysis and a structured process to create written investment guidelines that align with clients’ objectives, focusing on value investing, diversification, asset allocation, and tax-efficient management.