I was 13 years old when I started investing. My grandfather taught me. Instead of fishing or watching baseball during summers together, he walked me through options trading (not the safest way to invest lol). Buying and selling puts, running iron condors and writing covered calls. Most kids my age were at camps or on the swim team. I was learning about risk, free cash flow, and what it means to actually own a piece of a business. I was obsessed. I kept investing through college, eventually realizing there was a whole world beyond picking stocks. Tax planning. Estate planning. Cash flow. The full picture of what it takes to build wealth and protect a family. I joined a firm out of school. Then another. I learned a lot, but kept running into the same wall: I didn't have the freedom to invest the way I believed clients deserved. In 2021, I started Baskets Capital, my own independent RIA. I wanted full control over how we serve clients. Not 10 mutual funds and calling it a day. Not telling an 85 year old "let's just see what the market does." I wanted custom portfolios of individual stocks, actively managed, tailored to each client. Then in early 2024, life hit me hard. I was diagnosed with a fatal brain tumor. Three months of scans and specialists led to brain surgery in May 2024. A week in the hospital, time in the Neural ICU, and a long recovery that stretched through the year. I could not have made it through without God protecting me the whole way, without Courtney by my side, and without having built my own firm years prior. Full control over my schedule is what let me focus on healing. In 2025, the best thing that has ever happened. We welcomed our daughter, Parker, into the world. She reshaped how I think about my work and why it matters. At Baskets Capital, we help families and business owners navigate tax planning, estate planning, charitable giving, and investments so they can focus on what matters most - family time. We coordinate every piece: proactive tax planning, smart giving strategies like donating appreciated stock and using donor-advised funds, and custom portfolios of individual stocks. Every dollar gets put to work with intention. If you think you're safe because nothing has gone wrong yet, and you haven't built a plan for what happens when life throws something unexpected at you, we should probably talk. Life has a thousand things it can throw. One of the best things you can do is prepare, build a plan, and walk through it with experts beside you.

Christopher Hehman is a Series 66-licensed financial advisor at FMP Wealth Advisers with one year of industry experience. Prior to joining FMP Wealth Advisers, he worked at Dimensional Fund Advisors and has academic experience at Texas Tech University and Vandegrift High School. FMP Wealth Advisers provides fee-only financial planning and investment management services to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and small businesses. The firm manages approximately $1.34 billion in client assets using model portfolio management, separately managed accounts, and retirement-plan fiduciary services, distinguishing itself by acting as an investment manager and sponsor to private pooled investment vehicles.

Kai Lamb is a financial advisor at Solaris Private Wealth Management in Austin, TX, with 22 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and has led Solaris since 2006. Outside of advising, he is a member and manager of Genesis Web Solutions, a web hosting business. Solaris Private Wealth Management serves individuals, small business owners, and nonprofit foundations, providing investment advisory, financial planning, and educational workshops. The firm uses Modern Portfolio Theory and a mix of no-load mutual funds, low-cost ETFs, individual equities, and fixed income to tailor portfolios according to each client’s risk profile.

Mark Scott is a CFA® charterholder and Series 63 licensee with 10 years of industry experience. He is the sole advisor at Trinvest Advisors, LLC, an independent firm he has worked with since 2015. In addition to his advisory role, Scott serves as a business development consultant for a Caribbean-based financial services firm. Trinvest Advisors provides portfolio management and financial planning services to individuals, including high-net-worth clients, as well as corporations and business entities. The firm serves both U.S. and non-U.S. clients, employing a range of investment strategies that include fundamental and technical analysis, long- and short-term trading, and allocations to various asset classes such as mutual funds, ETFs, hedge funds, and private equity.

Kirti Bhanushali is the sole advisor at Dversify Advisors LLC, holding a Series 65 credential with one year of industry experience. Prior to founding Dversify Advisors, Kirti was employed at Oracle Corp for 18 years. Kirti is also involved with Dversify AI LLC, a technology affiliate related to the advisory platform. Dversify Advisors provides automated, non-discretionary investment advice and financial planning services to individual clients through an interactive digital platform. The firm focuses on delivering analyses such as retirement-income planning, Social Security strategy, and tax-related modeling without managing client assets or executing trades.

Romy Pickron is a CFP® with 12 years of industry experience, currently serving as the sole advisor at Asset Achievers in Austin, TX. Prior to founding Asset Achievers in 2022, Romy worked at Wells Fargo Advisors and Wells Fargo Clearing from 2014 to 2021. Romy is also co-owner and co-founder of Reducify LLC, an organization focused on personal finance education and helping borrowers accelerate student loan repayment. Asset Achievers provides comprehensive financial planning combined with discretionary investment management services, tailored to individual client circumstances. The firm serves individuals, small businesses, and educational institutions, employing a long-term, buy-and-hold investment approach based on Modern Portfolio Theory and incorporating educational courses and coaching.

Brandon Perry is a CFP® and ChFC® with 22 years of industry experience. He is the principal of Perry Investment Management, LLC, an independent firm he has led since 2009 in Round Rock, TX. Perry Investment Management is a fee-only registered investment adviser managing approximately $27 million in discretionary assets. The firm serves individuals, nonprofits, corporate pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable institutions, foundations, and endowments, using an IPS-driven approach focused on risk control and loss limitation through diversified portfolios comprising stocks, mutual funds, ETFs, and bonds.

Scott Jacobsmeyer is a CFP® with 20 years of industry experience and has been with Argent Wealth Management, Inc. since 2005. He is based in Round Rock, TX, and holds a Series 65 license. Argent Wealth Management provides personalized financial planning and investment management to individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and small businesses on a fee-only basis. The firm employs a strategic asset allocation approach using primarily passive mutual funds and ETFs, with an emphasis on non-discretionary management and periodic rebalancing.

Theodore Barac is the principal and sole advisor at Barac Capital Management, LLC in Austin, TX, with 13 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has led his independent firm since 2012. Outside of advisory work, Mr. Barac contributes articles to the financial research platform Seeking Alpha and teaches classes for Moody’s Analytics on a contract basis. Barac Capital Management provides discretionary portfolio management through separately managed accounts, serving accredited investors, family offices, trusts, and institutional clients. The firm employs a research-driven, long-term value investing approach that integrates fundamental and technical analysis to identify securities trading below intrinsic value and selectively targets options with event-driven upside.

Mustafa Ismail is the principal of Ismail, Mustafa, an investment management firm based in Cedar Park, TX. He holds a Series 65 designation and has industry experience beginning in 2024. Prior to founding his firm, he worked for nine years at Intel Corporation in technology roles including cloud architect and software engineer. Ismail, Mustafa provides fee-only financial planning services to individuals and high-net-worth clients, focusing on tailored recommendations in investing, asset allocation, retirement rollovers, insurance, and taxes. The firm emphasizes long-term diversified strategies and detailed risk disclosures, operating on an hourly billing basis without accepting custody or discretionary authority over client accounts.

Devang Patel is a financial advisor at Rewbix with a Series 65 credential and two years of industry experience. He has been associated with DJP MD PLLC since 2013. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as a director at Rewbix Real Estate Investments LLC, where he oversees property management issues. Rewbix AI Investments LLC is an independent, internet-based advisory firm that provides AI-driven portfolio management and related services to individual, retail, qualified, and accredited investors. The firm uses machine-learning algorithms to generate buy and sell recommendations and operates on a non-discretionary basis, with plans to introduce discretionary trade execution and token-based fees.

Brandon Hinneberg is a CFP® and ChFC® with six years of industry experience. He currently operates as the sole advisor at Off-Trail Works LLC, an independent firm based in Austin, TX. Prior to founding Off-Trail Works, he spent several years with Northwestern Mutual in various investment and wealth management roles. Outside of financial advising, he was involved with Your Vision Video Productions LLC from 2018 to 2021. Off-Trail Works LLC provides comprehensive financial planning and discretionary portfolio management to individuals, families, small business owners, trusts, and related entities. The firm emphasizes a planning-first approach, integrating detailed financial projections and tax-efficient investment strategies, and manages approximately $9 million in assets across about 21 households.

Donald Rudy III is a financial advisor with Lakeline Financial in Cedar Park, TX, holding a Series 65 designation and two years of industry experience. Prior to founding Lakeline Financial, he spent over a decade at Blizzard Entertainment and two years at Momentum Private Wealth Management. Lakeline Financial provides investment management and comprehensive financial planning for individual and high-net-worth clients, offering a range of services including ongoing planning and limited-scope hourly engagements. The firm employs both passive and active strategies grounded in modern portfolio theory and focuses on traditional asset classes while excluding Alternative Investments and Cryptocurrency.

Gary May is a ChFC® and Series 65 credentialed financial advisor with nine years at May Tree Financial Planning LLC and eight years of industry experience. He also manages Nora's Book Niche LLC, a non-financial retail business. May previously worked for Collective Goods (formerly Books Are Fun) for 23 years. May Tree Financial Planning LLC is an independent advisory firm managing approximately $5.3 million for individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and small businesses. The firm provides tailored investment management and financial planning services, emphasizing client-specific investment policies and primarily using a passive approach with index funds and ETFs. It also offers educational seminars and serves institutional-type clients alongside individuals.

Brock Erwin is a financial advisor at CleverInvesting LLC with nine years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has been with CleverInvesting since 2016. In addition to his advisory role, he works as a Software Development Engineer for Amazon. CleverInvesting LLC provides discretionary portfolio management for individual and high-net-worth clients, employing a concentrated, fundamentals-based value investing approach. The firm focuses on tailored investment policies and occasionally uses derivatives such as cash-secured put options.

Abhay Srivastava is a CFA charterholder with seven years of industry experience. He is the principal of AS Investment Partners LLC, an independent advisory firm he founded in 2024. His prior experience includes roles at Hutchinson Capital Management, Finchwood Capital Partners, University of California Berkeley, and Ewing Morris & Co. Investment Partners. AS Investment Partners LLC provides discretionary and non-discretionary asset management and financial planning to individuals and institutional clients, employing a business-oriented investment approach that emphasizes fundamental analysis and intrinsic value. The firm offers customized portfolio management across various securities and uses performance-based fee arrangements for qualified clients.

Max Mueller is a Series 65-licensed financial advisor with four years of industry experience. He is the sole advisor at Mueller Wealth Advisors in Austin, TX, and previously worked at JP Morgan Chase & Co. Outside of his advisory role, he manages two business ventures focused on consulting and business technology software. Mueller Wealth Advisors provides asset management and financial planning services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, and closely held businesses, with a focus on strategic asset allocation and coordinated business succession planning.

Thomas Fortenberry is a Series 65-licensed financial advisor with Sovereign Asset Advisors LLC, where he has worked since 2020. He has five years of experience in financial advising and also maintains a law practice as an attorney since 2009. Additionally, he is a licensed real estate agent and serves as a trustee for private trusts. Sovereign Asset Advisors LLC is a small independent firm managing approximately $2.5 million for individual investors, small businesses, charitable organizations, and retirement plans. The firm uses an active, value-oriented investment approach combining fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis to create diversified portfolios and offers comprehensive financial planning, discretionary portfolio management, and retirement-plan advisory services.

Jeffrey Kikel is the principal of Freedom Day Wealth Management LLC in Cedar Park, TX, with 30 years of industry experience. He holds the ChFC® designation along with Series 63, 65, and 66 licenses. Prior to founding Freedom Day Wealth Management in 2022, he worked at BKA Wealth Consulting, Inc. and American United Life, among other firms. Outside of his advisory work, he owns several businesses including a coworking facility, a renewable energy company selling solar systems, and a media and marketing consulting firm. Freedom Day Wealth Management provides discretionary asset management, financial planning, and retirement-plan advisory services to individuals and corporate plan sponsors. The firm employs a long-term investment strategy tailored to each client's financial situation and risk tolerance, and offers retirement-plan consulting with fiduciary roles for plan sponsors.

Manuel Ramirez Jr. is a financial advisor with Versai Wealth Management LLC in Cedar Park, TX, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and having 22 years of industry experience. Prior to founding Versai Wealth Management in 2018, he worked at B.B. Graham & Co. and Per Stirling Capital Management, LLC. He is also an independent licensed insurance agent. Versai Wealth Management LLC is an independent advisory firm serving individual and high-net-worth clients with portfolio management and financial planning. The firm employs a variety of analytical approaches and offers discretionary account management that can include the use of derivatives and options strategies tailored to client goals and risk tolerance.