Skyler Stokes is a financial advisor with Aloha Wealth Partners in Encinitas, CA, holding a Series 66 designation and 11 years of industry experience. He has worked at several firms, including Retirement Wealth Advisors and Independent Financial Group. Outside of financial advising, he is the CEO of Pair It!, a food and wine pairing app for restaurants. Aloha Wealth Partners provides financial planning, consulting, and retirement plan services to high-net-worth individuals, businesses, and pension/profit-sharing plans. The firm typically recommends third-party advisers to manage client portfolios while overseeing goals, risk tolerance, and adviser selection.

Kevin Meyer is a financial advisor at Stirlingshire Investments with 15 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at firms including Equitable Advisors, Morgan Stanley, and Ameriprise Financial Services. Outside of his advisory role, he occasionally sells annuities as a sole proprietor. Stirlingshire Investments provides discretionary portfolio management to individuals, trusts, and other entities, serving both non‑high-net-worth and high-net-worth clients. The firm employs a range of investment strategies combining quantitative, fundamental, technical, and modern portfolio theory, offering access to diverse investment types and model strategies through its Advyzon marketplace.

WHY JERRY CHOSE TO BE A FINANCIAL PLANNER: His lack of financial literacy was not by choice. It was because personal finance was not taught in school or in his community. As a first-generation wealth builder, Jerry's money journey has been shaped by a profound understanding of both cultural and financial expectations. His experiences have uniquely positioned him to empathize with the challenges faced by first-generation families, inspiring a distinctive approach to financial guidance. His moment of profound solitude occurred during his transition from the Marine Corps back to civilian life. In uniform, Jerry felt in control, with camaraderie, financial stability, and a consistent salary. However, the day he left, all that stability vanished giving way to a cascade of emotions - depression, anxiety, and fear. Jerry, who had grown up facing financial hardships, relying on food stamps, and public aid, knew it was time to stop merely talking about wanting to build wealth and start acting. The realization struck deep: He needed to make a difference not just for himself, but for others facing similar issues. Motivated by a desire to help his family and friends, Jerry decided to be the guide he wished he'd had. He obtained his license, college degree, and joined a firm not only to enhance his life but the lives of other 1st-time wealth builders. After a few years of helping high net worth individuals grow their assets, Jerry felt the firm wasn't built to help families like his. In 2024, Jerry took the leap and launched Confianza Wealth Management as a guide for aspiring wealth builders. Jerry is on a mission to empower 1st-time wealth building families. Jerry wants to bridge the financial planning accessibility gap by helping these millennial families take control of their financial futures.

Terrence Gustafson is a CFP® with over 22 years at Gustafson Financial Solutions and five years of industry experience. He holds the Series 63 designation and operates his independent firm in Oceanside, CA. Gustafson also prepares client tax returns as an Enrolled Agent. Gustafson Financial Solutions provides fee-only financial planning and tax services to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations. The firm emphasizes quantitative screening of mutual funds and ETFs, asset allocation, diversification, and low-expense investments while focusing significantly on tax preparation and broader financial planning.

John O'Reilly is the sole advisor at O'Reilly Wealth Advisors in Carlsbad, CA, holding a Series 65 designation with 19 years of industry experience. He has been the principal of O'Reilly Financial Services, LLC since 2006. In addition to his advisory role, Mr. O'Reilly is a licensed insurance agent affiliated with various companies. O'Reilly Wealth Advisors serves individuals, corporations, and pension/profit-sharing plans, offering investment management, financial planning, retirement advisory, and insurance services. The firm employs a risk-tolerance questionnaire to construct diversified model portfolios primarily using low-expense mutual funds and reviews accounts quarterly.

Clair Leedom is the principal of Leedom Asset Management, Inc., an independent firm based in Rancho Santa Fe, CA. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 20 years of industry experience. Prior to founding Leedom Asset Management in 2007, he has been involved with California Equity Research since 2003, where he also serves as chairman of the board. Leedom Asset Management provides discretionary portfolio management for individual investors, charitable organizations, and pension/profit-sharing plans. The firm manages equity and fixed-income portfolios, operates a private pooled investment vehicle, and employs a growth-oriented strategy focused on small- to mid-cap emerging-growth stocks using a proprietary strength indicator and a combination of fundamental and technical analysis.

Brad Reinard is the sole advisor at QTR Capital Management LLC, an independent firm based in Oceanside, CA. He holds a Series 65 designation and has six years of industry experience. Brad is also an adjunct professor of Management Science at Chapman University and serves as Chief Publisher of an investment newsletter through MCTO Capital Management LLC DBA Upside Options. QTR Capital Management provides discretionary portfolio management primarily for high-net-worth individuals, offering a range of single-strategy portfolios that include equity, sector rotation, options-based income, and dividend-focused strategies. The firm employs a research-intensive process combining technical, fundamental, and quantitative analysis, utilizing both traditional and options-based positions within client guidelines.

Gabriel Katzner is a CFP® professional with five years of experience at Frame Wealth Management and over 17 years as a solo attorney at Katzner Law Group, P.C., specializing in estate planning, asset protection, and estate administration. He operates out of Carlsbad, CA, combining financial advisory with legal expertise in his practice. Frame Wealth Management offers a “Personal Chief Financial Officer” style wealth management program focused on discretionary investment management, advanced planning, and financial planning for individuals, trusts, and charitable organizations. The firm’s approach is based on Modern Portfolio Theory and a long-term, buy-and-hold strategy utilizing diversified asset-class exposure primarily through no-load mutual funds and ETFs, and includes affiliated legal services for estate and asset protection planning.

Curt Di Giacomo is a CFP® professional with 24 years of experience in the financial advisory industry. He is the principal and sole advisor at Goal Line Wealth Management, Inc., an independent firm based in Solana Beach, CA. Prior to founding Goal Line Wealth Management, he worked at Sowell Management and Wells Fargo Advisors. Outside of advisory work, he is a licensed insurance agent and a notary public. Goal Line Wealth Management serves individual and high-net-worth clients with investment advisory and financial planning services, providing tailored portfolio management through discretionary and non-discretionary accounts. The firm uses a combination of asset allocation, dollar-cost averaging, and technical analysis, focusing on managing market risk and limiting uncompensated risks.

Francis Edsall III is a financial advisor at 10/28 Wealth Management LLC with 25 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63, Series 65, and Series 66 licenses. His prior experience includes roles at Presidio Capital Management, Virtus Investment Advisers, VP Distributors, and Virtus Fund Advisers. 10/28 Wealth Management is a fee-only registered investment adviser serving individuals and high-net-worth clients with investment management and financial planning services. The firm uses asset-allocation frameworks grounded in modern portfolio theory, combining passive and active strategies, and offers both ongoing and project-based financial planning through a secure portal.

Amy Sharp is the principal advisor at Amy T. Sharp, CFP, LLC, an independent firm based in Valley Center, California. She holds the CFP® designation and Series 63 license and has 31 years of experience in the financial industry. Outside of advising, she is co-owner of a family chocolate business, Amy's Best Sugar-Free Confections. Her firm provides financial planning and portfolio management services to individuals, businesses, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations. It serves approximately 121 clients with about $62.4 million in assets under management, offering actively managed, broadly diversified portfolios tailored to client risk tolerance and goals.

Ahmet Turken is a financial advisor at Turken Investments LLC with six years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has held roles at Thermo Fisher Scientific and Becton Dickinson, where he currently serves as Senior Finance Manager responsible for financial planning and budgeting in the Biosciences division. Turken Investments provides investment management and financial planning to individuals, including executives and retirees, as well as to legal entities such as trusts and business entities. The firm serves U.S.-based clients with domestic and international interests, offering diversified portfolios constructed around written investment policies and risk questionnaires, and operates on a non-discretionary basis with client approval required for trades.

John Goodrich is a CFP® and ChFC® with 25 years of experience in financial advising. He has been the principal of Goodrich Financial Group, LLC in Escondido, CA since 2006. Outside of advising, he owns a single-family townhouse rental property in San Diego. Goodrich Financial Group provides discretionary investment supervisory services to individuals, high-net-worth individuals, and select corporate clients. The firm employs a blend of asset allocation and multiple analytical methods, using both long- and short-term strategies and active instruments such as options and margin transactions.

Chano Arellano is a financial advisor at Building Equities, LLC with 35 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has worked independently since 1995, with prior roles at Calton & Associates, Inc. and Whitney Kuhn, LLC. Outside of advisory work, he operates as a licensed insurance agent and serves as an independent contractor for Redfin, assisting with home showings. Building Equities LLC provides portfolio management and investment advisory services primarily to individual clients, utilizing standard instruments such as mutual funds, equities, fixed income, and ETFs. The firm employs both charting and fundamental analysis, engaging in various trading strategies including long- and short-term trading, margin transactions, and options.

Jake Pezzi is a financial advisor at Pezzi Wealth Management LLC in San Marcos, CA, holding a Series 66 designation with two years of industry experience. He previously worked at LPL Enterprise, Prudential Financial Planning Services, and Pruco Securities, LLC. Outside of advisory services, he is a licensed insurance agent. Pezzi Wealth Management LLC provides discretionary investment management and comprehensive financial planning to individual and high-net-worth clients, focusing on portfolios built with exchange-traded funds and low-cost mutual funds. The firm employs a fundamental analysis-based investment process with a long-term orientation, incorporates independent managers without receiving direct compensation, and offers retirement and other planning services.

Christopher Ward is the sole advisor at Ward Capital Management LLC in Escondido, CA, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with 26 years of industry experience. He has led Ward Capital Management since 2014. Ward Capital Management provides discretionary and non-discretionary asset management and financial planning to individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, retirement plans, and institutional clients such as pension plans, charities, and small businesses. The firm employs a concentrated stock model combined with corporate and municipal bonds, and offers specialized retirement plan services including ERISA Section 3(21) fiduciary advice and benchmarking through third-party administrators.

Christopher Lavine is a CFA® charterholder based in Solana Beach, CA, and has been with Marstone LLC since 2013. He holds a Series 63 license and has 13 years of industry experience. Marstone LLC provides online financial advisory and discretionary portfolio management services to individual investors, institutions, and other advisers through sub-advisory agreements. The firm uses an algorithmic process to assess client risk and manage diversified ETF portfolios, employing a buy-and-hold approach with periodic rebalancing and customized adjustments.

Francisco Maldonado is a CFP® and holds a Series 66 license with 20 years of industry experience. He is the sole advisor at Global Vantage Wealth Management in Encinitas, CA, where he has worked since 2010. Global Vantage Wealth Management provides investment management and comprehensive financial planning to individual and high-net-worth clients, including cross-border families and international professionals. The firm uses a primarily passive investment approach supplemented by fundamental analysis, focusing on individualized portfolios and maintaining mostly non-discretionary assets under management.

Nicholas Di Paolo is a CFP® professional with two years of industry experience, currently serving as the sole advisor at Forum Private Wealth, LLC. His prior roles include positions at Evoke Wealth, Crescent Bay Advisors, and BNY Mellon Wealth Management. Forum Private Wealth, LLC is a state-registered advisory firm that provides comprehensive financial planning, consulting, and family office services to ultra-high-net-worth clients. The firm focuses on tailored financial summaries and recommendations, coordinating with unaffiliated third-party managers and other specialists rather than managing assets directly.

Merrit Strunk is a financial advisor at Momentum Financial and Insurance Services LLC with seven years of industry experience. She holds a Series 65 designation and has worked at Momentum Financial and Insurance Services since 2017, including prior roles at Foundations Investment Advisors and Asset Marketing Systems. In addition to advisory services, she is active as an insurance agent, focusing on insurance sales and tax mitigation strategies. Momentum Financial and Insurance Services LLC provides discretionary asset management, financial planning, and consulting to individuals, high-net-worth clients, foundations, and business entities, and also offers insurance products. The firm uses an open-architecture platform with third-party model strategies and conducts seminars and webinars for client education.