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.

Hi, I'm Gerardo but most people call me Jerry. I am a Marine Corps veteran, a first-generation Latino, a CFP® Professional, and the co-founder of Confianza Wealth Management. Everything I've built to this point started from a moment I will never forget. The day I left the Marines, everything changed. In uniform I had structure, purpose, camaraderie, and a consistent paycheck. The day I left, all of it vanished. What followed was a cascade of emotions I was not prepared for: depression, anxiety, and fear. I had grown up facing financial hardships, relying on food stamps and public aid, and suddenly I was on my own with no roadmap and no one who understood what that transition actually costs. That moment changed the direction of my life. I decided to become the guide I wished I had. I obtained my licenses, earned my CFP® certification and my MBA, and joined a firm to learn how to help people build real wealth. For years I helped high-net-worth clients grow their assets but kept seeing the same gap. First-gen families who earn well, save consistently, own property but have no one looking at the full picture. No one building the plan around their actual life. No one who understands that their financial reality includes family obligations that never show up on a spreadsheet and cultural expectations that no textbook ever taught. Growing up in a Latino household, the elders have the final say. I watched financial decisions get made around me that I knew were not right. But questioning them meant disrespecting the people who sacrificed everything for me. So I absorbed it. And I carried that weight into my own financial life without realizing it. I felt the firm I worked at was never built for families like mine. So in 2024, my wife Bianca and I launched Confianza - a name that means trust and confidence built specifically for the first-gen professional who has figured out how to earn well and needs a roadmap for what comes next. We work with first-gen professionals and entrepreneurs, 33 and older, who are already saving and investing but have never had a coordinated financial plan built around their real life: income, assets, family, and the future they are working toward. When I am not working with clients, you will find me outside hiking or camping with Bianca and our German Shepherd, Obi. If you are a first-gen professional or entrepreneur who earns well but has never had a plan built around your actual life, we built this for you.

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.

Amy Sharp is a CFP® professional with over 30 years of experience in financial advising. She is the founder of Amy T. Sharp, CFP, LLC, an independent firm based in Valley Center, CA. Her prior roles include positions at CS Planning Corp, Investacorp Advisory Services Inc, PRUCO Securities, USAA Financial Planning Services, and MSI Financial Services. Outside of advising, she co-owns a family chocolate business producing 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. The firm constructs diversified, actively managed portfolios with a systematic approach and offers educational resources including a monthly newsletter and online articles.

Ahmet Turken is a financial advisor with Turken Investments LLC in San Marcos, CA. He holds a Series 65 designation and has six years of industry experience. Prior to founding Turken Investments, he worked at Thermo Fisher Scientific and is currently a Senior Finance Manager at Becton Dickinson, focusing on financial planning and budgeting for their Biosciences division. Turken Investments provides investment management and financial planning services to individuals and legal entities, including executives, retirees, and business owners. The firm emphasizes diversified portfolios based on written Investment Policies and client risk questionnaires, operating on a non-discretionary basis with client approval for trades.

Scott Melbrod is the sole advisor at Taxable Wealth in San Diego, CA, holding Series 63 and 65 licenses with 23 years of industry experience. Prior to founding Taxable Wealth in 2019, he worked at NATIONAL PLANNING CORPORATION from 2002 to 2017 and has been associated with M Wealth Management since 2015. He is also managing partner of Accumulation Wealth Partners and SH Partners, LLC, the latter involving real estate management. Taxable Wealth provides investment advisory and financial planning services mainly to individual and high-net-worth clients, as well as corporate clients. The firm emphasizes passive portfolio construction using low-cost index funds combined with fundamental analysis and periodic reviews, and it sponsors affiliated private real estate investment vehicles.

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.

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 a financial advisor with Ward Capital Management LLC in Escondido, CA. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 designations and has 27 years of industry experience. Prior to founding Ward Capital Management in 2014, he worked at Chronos Corporation, FFEC Wealth Partners LLC, Banc Of America Investment Services, Inc., Quick & Reilly, Inc., and A. G. Edwards & Sons, Inc. Ward Capital Management provides investment advisory and retirement plan services to individual investors, including high-net-worth clients, trusts and estates, institutional retirement plans, nonprofits, foundations, corporations, small businesses, and churches. The firm manages portfolios using a single stock model supplemented by bonds and employs both fundamental and technical analysis, while also offering fiduciary consulting and participant education for plan clients.

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.

Adam Bileckyj is the principal advisor at Brightway Wealth Planning in Poway, CA, holding Series 65 and Series 63 licenses with nine years of industry experience. He has worked in various roles including at Principal Life Insurance Company and Principal Securities INC before founding his independent advisory firm. In addition to financial advising, Bileckyj operates as an independent insurance agent. Brightway Wealth Planning serves individuals, including high-net-worth clients, as well as small businesses and corporations, providing customized financial planning, investment consultation, and nondiscretionary portfolio management. The firm employs a globally diversified investment approach combining Modern Portfolio Theory with a Core + Satellite framework, managing portfolios on a long-term buy-and-hold basis with client-specific guidelines.

Shane Kochon is a financial advisor at Harvestwise Wealth Planning with 18 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and has previously worked at Ameriprise Financial Services and Merrill. He serves as Treasurer on the board of directors for a local organization and holds a real estate license. Harvestwise Wealth Planning is an independent advisory firm that serves individuals, small businesses, trusts, estates, high-net-worth clients, charitable organizations, and other institutional clients. The firm provides comprehensive portfolio management and financial planning services, including estate-document facilitation and donor-advised fund oversight, while coordinating with clients’ tax, legal, and other professionals.

Robert Shabkie is a financial advisor at Pathlight Wealth Management with 15 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has previously worked at Cetera Investment Advisers LLC, Cetera Advisor Networks, and VOYA Financial Advisors. In addition to his advisory role, he maintains a legal practice focused on estate planning and serves as a licensed independent insurance agent. Pathlight Wealth Management is a single-advisor independent firm managing approximately $20.7 million for around 61 clients, including individuals and institutional pension plans. The firm provides discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and consulting services, employing various analytical methods to tailor investment strategies that may include mutual funds, ETFs, equities, and more active trading approaches.

James Reyes is a financial advisor with Allen James Financial LLC in San Marcos, CA, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and 18 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at First Advisors National, LLC and JCG Investments, LLC. He is also an insurance agent specializing in fixed indexed insurance contracts, a business he has been involved with since 1985. Allen James Financial LLC provides portfolio management and investment advisory services to individual and high-net-worth clients, focusing on tailored strategies based on technical analysis and long-term trading principles. The firm advises on insurance products, ETFs, hedge funds, and private placements, with client permissions required for trade execution.

Steven Allen is a financial advisor at SOP Advisors LLC in Rancho Santa Fe, CA, holding a Series 65 designation with two years of industry experience. He has been with SOP Advisors LLC since 2022 and also has a long tenure at Greenbriar Partners L.P. dating back to 1994. SOP Advisors LLC provides discretionary investment management services primarily to individual clients and small businesses, employing a tailored portfolio management approach that includes a range of trading strategies across U.S.-based commodity, cyclical, and real asset sectors. The firm uses a combination of charting, fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis along with proprietary models to implement both short-term and long-term investment positions within client-directed guidelines.

Christopher Lis is a Series 65-registered advisor with FOX Wealth Strategies in Claremont, California. He has no prior experience in the financial advisory industry but has worked in commercial real estate, recruiting, and currently at John Paul the Great Catholic University. FOX Wealth Strategies serves individuals and families in Southern California by providing fee-based financial planning and standalone investment advice. The firm emphasizes customized, non-discretionary recommendations using fundamental analysis and offers services on an hourly or flat-fee basis rather than a percentage of assets under management.

James Paulsen is a CFP® with 22 years of industry experience. He is the principal advisor at Taxable Wealth in San Diego, CA, where he has worked since 2026. Prior to that, he spent 10 years with Guggenheim Funds Distributors LLC. Outside of his advisory work, Paulsen holds a passive ownership stake in a clothing company through TAVIK Holdings, LLC. Taxable Wealth provides investment advisory and financial planning services primarily to individual and high-net-worth clients, with additional services for corporate and business clients. The firm emphasizes passive portfolio construction using low-cost index funds combined with fundamental analysis, and it manages about $91 million in discretionary assets for roughly 40 clients.

Christopher Edwards is a financial advisor with Pax Horizon Wealth Management, LLC, holding a Series 65 credential and starting his advisory career in 2025. He concurrently works as an External Manufacturing Manager at Viasat, Inc., where he manages people and operations within the Global Planning department. Pax Horizon Wealth Management, LLC is a fee-only advisory firm serving individual clients with investment management and financial planning services. The firm’s approach emphasizes asset allocation based on Modern Portfolio Theory and a preference for passive funds, managing portfolios on a discretionary basis with quarterly reviews.