Driven by a deep passion for finance and investing, Praveen brings a unique blend of experience to his work. As a South Asian immigrant, he navigated the complexities of building a successful 15-year career in Silicon Valley, including co-founding a startup and most recently serving as a Software Engineering Manager at Google. In parallel, he dedicated over a decade mastering various asset classes, from traditional stocks and bonds to value-add commercial real estate and alternative investments like private equity and venture capital. Having achieved financial independence through diligent saving and strategic investing, Praveen is now committed to empowering others to take control of their financial futures by drawing on his own hard-earned wisdom. Empower Financial is an independent, fee-only advisory that provides financial planning and investment consultation to individuals, trusts, estates, retirement plans, small businesses, and a variety of institutional and nonprofit clients. The firm employs a Core + Satellite investment approach, focusing on client risk profiles and asset allocation recommendations, while clients generally execute trades themselves.

Riley Cantwell is a financial advisor at IEQ Capital, LLC with three years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and previously worked at PEERS & Co and Sundance Bay. Cantwell’s background also includes a four-year period at Claremont McKenna College. IEQ Capital provides portfolio management and investment advisory services to high-net-worth individuals, families, trusts, foundations, endowments, and non-profit organizations. The firm’s investment approach combines macroeconomic research, client-specific Investment Policy Statements, and diversified portfolios that include liquid strategies, third-party managers, and private alternative investments.

Louis Romero III is a financial advisor with OSAIC in San Ramon, CA, holding a Series 66 designation and 19 years of industry experience. He previously worked at Lincoln Financial Advisors Corporation for nine years and MetLife Securities Inc. for one year. Outside of advisory work, he owns and operates Sentinel Wealth Strategies, providing financial planning and annuity sales. OSAIC Wealth, Inc. is an SEC-registered investment adviser and FINRA member broker-dealer serving a diverse client base, including individual investors, pension plans, corporations, and charitable organizations. The firm employs a technology-driven investment process and offers a wide range of advisory programs and investment options through a large network of financial advisers.

Lydia Idem is a financial advisor with FM Capital Group in Oakland, CA, holding a Series 65 designation and 11 years of industry experience. FM Capital Group provides investment advisory and consulting services to individuals, groups, corporations, and other business entities, offering portfolio management and handling due diligence and negotiation of private investment term sheets. The firm follows a strategic allocation approach across public securities and alternative investments and distinguishes itself by charging performance-based fees on private placements and producing educational content such as workshops and radio broadcasts.

Cassandra Cummings is a financial advisor with RC Wealth Management in Oakland, CA, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and 19 years of industry experience. She has led RC Wealth Management since 2015. In addition to her advisory role, she provides financial literacy services through online courses and in-person events. RC Wealth Management serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, small businesses, and certain nonprofit organizations with financial planning, investment consulting, and portfolio management. The firm emphasizes fundamental analysis, downside risk mitigation, and capital preservation, offering primarily nondiscretionary portfolio management alongside educational seminars and business consultation services.

Kevin Martin is a CFP® and Series 65-registered advisor with 10 years of industry experience. He is the principal of Oak Peak Financial, an independent advisory firm he has led since 2015. Prior to founding Oak Peak Financial, he worked at InSpeed Networks for three years. In addition to his advisory role, Martin is an IRS Enrolled Agent and provides tax preparation services as a separate engagement. Oak Peak Financial serves individual investors, including high-net-worth clients, and retirement-plan sponsors with financial planning, portfolio management, and retirement-plan consulting. The firm follows a fiduciary standard and employs a diversified, tax-efficient investment approach based on Modern Portfolio Theory, typically using low-cost index funds and ETFs alongside select individual securities and fixed income.

Financial Planning for What Matters Most Your financial plan should reflect what matters most to you. I begin every client relationship by understanding your values and goals. Together, we review where your money is going and identify opportunities for saving, investing, and living the life you envision. We then integrate relevant planning areas such as investment analysis, retirement planning, tax strategies, education funding, risk management, and estate planning. Financial planning can often feel overwhelming, so I organize the process into clear, manageable steps and strive to make complex concepts understandable. We begin with your most urgent priorities and incorporate additional tasks as we make progress, building momentum together. With a background in engineering and technical project management, I bring a structured, creative, and thoughtful approach to every conversation, ensuring each step is purposeful and aligned with your goals. Whether you're seeking comprehensive or hourly planning, our work is tailored to the topics that matter most to you. My process stays grounded in your values, so each step supports your unique goals and priorities. As a fiduciary, I always put your interests first, offering honest guidance and clear, transparent fees. Whether you want hands-on support or prefer to implement your plan yourself, I'll provide a complete and actionable roadmap for your financial journey. My practice is built on trust, transparency, and a deep commitment to my clients' success. Nothing is more rewarding to me than seeing clients become thoughtful stewards of their wealth, gaining clarity and confidence, and building a future rooted in what matters most.

Carol Gosho is a Certified Financial Planner® with 24 years of industry experience. She has been the principal advisor at Gosho Financial Group since 2011. The firm serves individuals, families, businesses, trusts, estates, donor-advised funds, and retirement plan participants by providing fee-based investment advisory services and non-discretionary financial planning. Gosho Financial Group employs a tactical allocation approach using fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis to manage custom discretionary portfolios and offers educational seminars and plan-level consulting as part of its pension services.

I specialize in helping families make better financial decisions related to stock options and RSUs. I know we’re saving enough for retirement in 401k’s, but my wife and I still have serious conversations about how to use her company stock to help live the life we want. Our issues require significant financial planning that firms focused on AUM can't help with. In my free time, I coach my three kids sports teams, play softball, golf, ski in Incline Village, and work on the NYTimes Crossword puzzle with my wife, Jessica. If you ever see me out and about, I’m the guy wearing something UCLA, Chargers, Padres, or Warriors. Listen to Aaron's podcast here: https://mindmoneyspectrum.buzzsprout.com/

William Pitney is a CFP® with 22 years of industry experience and is the sole advisor at FocusYou in Redwood City, CA. He has been with FocusYou since 2010 and also operates as an independent insurance agent, providing clients with life, disability, long-term care, business overhead expense insurance, and annuities when appropriate. FocusYou offers ongoing portfolio management and comprehensive financial planning to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, and business entities. The firm employs an asset-allocation centered approach primarily through third-party managers and passive, buy-and-hold strategies, with a focus on non-discretionary portfolio supervision and routine client education.

I am a seasoned technology professional and an entrepreneur based in Silicon Valley. I have experience starting and running a software company that was venture-funded and subsequently acquired by a public company. During my high-tech career, I got intrigued by money matters such as savings, investments, insurance, taxes in order to achieve my family's financial goals. Out of curiosity, I spent time reading and researching various aspects of personal finance. I realized that there are a growing number of financial options available with increasing complexity in these choices. My passion towards financial planning ultimately resulted in pursuing formal education in financial planning, subsequently completing the CFP Board requirements to be a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® Professional. I launched Encover Personal Finance in 2018, primarily to help technology professionals achieve their financial life goals based on my own experience. I believe in serving clients honestly and transparently in a conflict-free manner. https://www.encoverpersonalfinance.com/about

Megan Rouse is the principal of Megan Rouse Financial Planning in Dublin, California, holding the CFP® designation and a Series 65 license with 17 years of industry experience. She is also a California Licensed Professional Fiduciary and operates a separate fiduciary services business. Megan has provided financial planning services since 2009. Her firm advises individuals, families, and small businesses with comprehensive or segmented financial planning, focusing on non-discretionary advice and low-cost investment options such as mutual funds and ETFs. The firm uses project, hourly, or retainer fee structures and does not manage client assets or take custody of funds.

Ajay Agrawal is the principal and sole advisor at Ajay Agrawal, an independent firm based in Fremont, CA. He holds Series 65 and Series 63 registrations and has 19 years of industry experience, including roles at Envestnet Asset Management and SagePoint Financial. Outside his advisory practice, he serves as Managing Director of Taj Funds, a private investment fund focused on hard money lending and startup funding. Ajay Agrawal provides fee-based discretionary investment management and qualified retirement plan consulting to various entities such as plan sponsors, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, corporations, and high-net-worth individuals. The firm utilizes a tactical allocation approach incorporating fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis, and emphasizes retirement plan advisory services alongside individual account management.

Catherine Curtis is a CFP® professional with 13 years of experience in financial planning. She is the sole advisor at Curtis Financial Planning, an independent firm she has led since 2013 in Oakland, CA. Curtis Financial Planning provides fee-only financial planning and investment management to individuals, families, and small-business owners, with a focus on the financial planning needs of women. The firm employs a strategic asset allocation process using diversified portfolios and operates as a fiduciary, offering educational seminars and maintaining a business continuity agreement with another fee-only advisory firm.

Kautilya Palaypu is a financial advisor at Cow Capital Inc in Newark, CA, holding a Series 65 designation with three years of industry experience. He has been involved in multiple private companies, serving as a director and management consultant for businesses including a gold bullion distribution firm. Cow Capital Inc provides investment advisory and financial planning services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, and business entities. The firm offers a range of services from portfolio management to self-directed retirement plans, employing diverse investment strategies and features such as performance-based fees and advice on non-conventional tangible assets.

Lionel Shaw is a financial advisor at Caritas Investment Advisors LLC in San Francisco, CA, with 29 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and previously worked at Summit Financial Group Inc and Summit Brokerage Services, Inc. In addition to his advisory work, he is a licensed real estate agent representing buyers and sellers in residential real estate transactions. Caritas Investment Advisors provides discretionary investment supervisory services and individual portfolio management to a diverse client base, including individuals, charitable organizations, corporate non-profits, endowments, and public pension plans. The firm focuses on low-cost, index-oriented strategies using ETFs and employs a mix of quantitative, fundamental, and technical analysis within its asset allocation framework.

Alicia Ivancovich is a CFP® professional with 27 years of industry experience. She has led Financially Healthy, LLC since 2011, an independent advisory firm based in Oakland, CA. Outside of her advisory role, she volunteers with Advisers Give Back, providing free personal financial advice by phone. Financially Healthy, LLC serves individual and high-net-worth clients with discretionary portfolio management and comprehensive financial planning, combining passive and active investment strategies with quarterly account reviews.

Faith is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional and the founder of Chrysadia Financial. Our clients: We serve high achieving mid-career women in Tech with equity compensation. Whether you are too busy to manage your complex finances, feel overwhelmed by decisions about your equity compensation or wondering if your finances align with your goals, we’re available to assist as a trusted advisor. We offer expert guidance to optimize your complex finances and navigate the milestones and multi-faceted decisions stemming from your RSUs, Stock Options, ESPP and company stock. We help you: • Strategize for and optimize equity compensation. • Leverage your compensation to achieve your financial goals; whether it’s buying a home, taking a sabbatical or financial independence. • Understand, maximize and utilize employee benefits. • We manage your investments to align with your financial goals. Why Partner with Us? • Collaborative Process: Together we collaborate to optimize your complex finances. • Emphasis on you: Emphasis is on you, the future you envision, helping attain it! • We’ve walked in your shoes: As seasoned high achieving professionals in a dynamic landscape. Managing a demanding career, a busy personal life and navigating key equity compensation milestones. Want to find out more about our services, approach and how we can work together? Schedule an Introductory Call at: https://chrysadiafinancial.com/contact/#meeting Faith’s professional and educational background: Prior to Launching Chrysadia Financial Faith counseled high net-worth families with cross-border lifestyles and finances. As a former spouse to a technology professional, she brings personal experience to helping clients navigate decisions regarding equity compensation and the myriad of other employee benefits specific to the Tech industry. Previously, Faith provided consulting and research services to pension plans, foundations and endowments for 19 years as an investment professional and employee benefits consultant. Faith has an MBA in Finance from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and has BSc. Degrees Information Systems and Business Administration. In addition to being a CFP® professional, she is a member of the Financial Planning Association, through which she volunteers as a pro-bono financial planner. Having lived on four continents and worked on three, Faith likes to travel in her free time – sampling new cuisines along the way.

Alireza Asayesh is the sole advisor at Sea Breeze Analytics in San Carlos, CA, holding a Series 65 designation with five years of industry experience. He has been self-employed since 2012 and also works as an integrated circuit electronic consultant outside of the investment field. Sea Breeze Analytics provides personalized investment management services to individuals and small businesses, combining fundamental, quantitative, and statistical analysis to implement strategic asset allocation and portfolio diversification on a discretionary basis. The firm operates as a fee-only adviser and serves both non-high-net-worth and high-net-worth clients.

Zhaokun Yang is a CFA® charterholder with eight years of industry experience, currently serving as the sole advisor at Plutus Wealth Management. His prior experience includes roles at M Holdings Securities and FW Group, LLC, where he also engages in managing Chinese restaurant operations. In addition to his financial advisory work, he acts as a financial analyst for Wellspring Consulting, focusing on portfolio analysis and financial research. Plutus Wealth Management offers portfolio management, financial planning, and pension consulting to individuals, high-net-worth clients, and institutional entities. The firm utilizes a combination of technical and fundamental analysis across various strategies and provides performance-based fee arrangements and pension plan consulting services.