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.

Frederick Pearson is a Series 65-licensed financial advisor with 15 years of industry experience. He operates as a self-employed advisor through his independent firm, Pearson, Frederick, Norman Jr., based in Poway, CA. His firm provides discretionary portfolio management primarily for individual investors, focusing on IRA accounts. The investment strategy centers on income through dividend-paying stocks and ETFs, with a smaller allocation to growth equities managed under a strict money-management framework.

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.

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.

John Malaney is a financial advisor at Engineering Financial Independence, Inc. with four years of industry experience. He holds the Series 65 designation and has a background as a Program Manager at General Atomics, where he worked for fourteen years. Engineering Financial Independence, Inc. provides portfolio management and financial planning services to individual and high-net-worth clients, managing approximately $5.0 million across a small number of relationships. The firm offers a free subscription service featuring general investor commentary, and employs an investment approach that includes fundamental analysis, modern portfolio theory, quantitative methods, long-term equity strategies, options trading, mutual funds, ETFs, and fixed income.

Earl Wong is a financial advisor at Spirit Global Investment Advisors, LLC with 14 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has been with Spirit Global since 2013. Outside of his advisory role, he manages One Road Media Ventures, focusing on developing and distributing global media projects with an emphasis on partnerships in Asia. Spirit Global Investment Advisors serves family offices, ultra-high-net-worth individuals, and institutional investors with integrated wealth management, combining public-market portfolio management, alternative fund access, and institutional-grade digital asset services. The firm employs a manager-of-managers approach with significant allocations to alternatives and digital assets, primarily targeting sophisticated and institutional mandates.

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.

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.

Andrew Arroyo is the principal of Andrew Arroyo Investments, LLC and holds a Series 65 designation with 15 years of industry experience. He has operated Andrew Arroyo Real Estate Inc. since 1999, focusing on residential real estate sales and investment. Arroyo is also involved in managing real estate and securities investment funds through related entities. Andrew Arroyo Investments, LLC provides investment supervisory services to pooled investment vehicles and a variety of individual, corporate, and retirement clients. The firm employs a combination of fundamental, technical, and cyclical analyses across equity, options, and real estate-related investments, offering both discretionary and consultative advisory services.

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.

Robert Shopes is a CFP® with 15 years of industry experience and operates as the sole advisor at Favrile Financial in Del Mar, CA. His prior experience includes seven years at Waddell & Reed, Inc. and over two decades with Exotica Biologics. Outside of his advisory work, he owns and manages an eBay store, TeraBio, which buys and resells used goods online. Favrile Financial offers discretionary wealth management and financial planning services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, and corporate entities. The firm’s investment approach emphasizes fundamental analysis and long-term orientation, utilizing low-cost mutual funds and ETFs alongside other securities, while employing fixed and hourly fee arrangements rather than asset-based fees.

Cady North is a CFP®-certified financial advisor with 10 years of industry experience, operating North Financial Advisors in San Diego, CA. She has been with the firm since 2015 and also engages in teaching, speaking, and coaching activities, in addition to authoring books. North Financial Advisors is an independent firm managing approximately $41.7 million for about 30 clients, including individuals, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm employs a primarily passive investment approach with diversified, low-cost index portfolios and offers comprehensive, ongoing financial and business planning services alongside public education through seminars and workshops.

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.

David Banks is a financial advisor at Phase Two Capital, LLC with 10 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has been with Phase Two Capital since 2015. Phase Two Capital, LLC provides discretionary portfolio management to individual and high-net-worth clients, offering tailored investment programs supported by written Investment Policy Statements. The firm employs fundamental analysis and modern portfolio theory with a long-term trading orientation, managing approximately $25.5 million in assets across nine client accounts.

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.

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.

Born and raised in Saigon, I moved to the U.S. alone at 16. Shortly after, my family’s business collapsed, and I became financially independent when I was still a teenager. That experience lit a fire in me—a desire to understand how money works, and how to use it to protect and empower the people we love. As I went deeper into the world of finance, spent over a decade working with leading private wealth management firms in California, I realized wealth isn't just about income or investments. It's about peace. It's about having choices. And it's about living a life that reflects who you are—not just what you’ve earned. Too often, we’re taught to chase someone else’s version of success. I’ve seen people climb hard, high, and fast—only to realize they were on the wrong mountain. That’s why I started Anora Wealth: to help people like you pause, get clear on your “why,” and build a financial life rooted in intention, not pressure. Today, I work with first-generation wealth builders, content creators, and women in transition to align their money with what matters most—so they can stop surviving, and start designing a life of clarity, calm, and confidence. Outside of work, I love learning new things, listening to podcasts, crafting, and spending time in nature. I stay active through boxing, cycling, hiking, tennis, and yoga. I’m fluent in Vietnamese, currently learning Mandarin, and know a bit of French.