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.

30+ yrs in Finance • MIT MBA '02 • CFA Charterholder '99 • UC Berkeley '95 • Series 7 '92 • Certified Tax Preparer '87 Jason is Chief Investment Officer at ImpactAdvisor LLC I started my career on the buy-side at Seneca Capital in 1995, an institutional investment advisor that also managed customized portfolios for high-net-worth clients. I was responsible for equity trading, research, and portfolio management, including the design and implementation of our integrated portfolio trading and rebalancing software. This technology enabled us to scale assets under management 10x to $10B+ with only a 50% increase in headcount over five years, allowing our small team to manage a thousand portfolios with customizations for impact, compliance, and tax-efficiency. Other expertise: multiple hedge-fund styles — long, short, and quantitative strategies — with an emphasis on deep-dive equity analysis. More on LinkedIn → To balance the uncertainties in the markets, I strive for optimal tax strategy: a variable we can influence to boost net returns. I was a certified tax preparer at age 14. In my free time I add to update our tax bracket optimizer and organize finance events for the MIT Club of N.California. I live in San Francisco with Vesna and our three-year-old son, Milan. ImpactAdvisor LLC is a boutique advisory firm with four advisors managing approximately $90 million for around 65 households, including individuals, business owners, retirement plans, and nonprofits. The firm offers discretionary portfolio management and financial planning, employing fundamental, cyclical, and quantitative analysis. Also available are values-aligned and sustainable investing alongside a broader range of alternative and tax-aware investment solutions.

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.

Gary Leonard is a financial advisor based in San Francisco, CA, with 20 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at Montrose Securities since 2011. Outside of his advisory role, he provides consulting related to hiking activities for a local cooperative. His firm offers discretionary investment management and advisory services primarily to individual clients, managing approximately $800,000 across about 20 accounts. The firm constructs balanced portfolios tailored to client risk tolerance using fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis, employing strategies that include equities, fixed income, options, and hedging techniques.

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.

Dave's experience in investment management and financial planning uniquely position him to serve as his client's independent trusted advisor - a personal chief financial officer that can discreetly navigate the tides affecting your financial life. ​ Professional highlights include portfolio management on Union Bank municipal investment team which earned recognition as the best in the industry by Barron's in 2008 and 2009; lead investment management responsibility at a $300M financial planning firm; and working with amazing entrepreneurs, executives, and families. ​ David's education includes a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation, a Certified Financial Planning (CFP) designation, and a U.C. Berkeley bachelor's degree where he conducted a study on evidenced based investment management with Haas Professor of Investments David Distad. ​ David launched PFM to continue building upon his vision of complete personal financial management: discreet and unwavering focus on how expert financial management can help a client achieve her goals. From setting and achieving goals, to preparing you for all of life's contingencies and investing for your future - David helps his client's understand what they should be doing, and then helps them get it done.

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.

Shailesh Patel is the founder of Patel Capital Management and holds a Series 66 designation with 14 years of industry experience. He previously worked at Fidelity Personal and Workplace Advisors and Fidelity Brokerage Services. He maintains an inactive insurance license that he intends to let expire and does not sell insurance products. Patel Capital Management is an independent, fee-only advisory firm serving a small number of high-net-worth individuals. The firm provides wealth management and financial planning, combining passive and active investment strategies and operating a direct-indexing program that employs institutional optimization and tax-management techniques.

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.

Juan Polanco is a Series 66 licensed financial advisor with Optimo Capital in San Francisco, CA, and has 11 years of industry experience. Before founding Optimo Capital, he worked at Carr & Ferrell LLP for two years. Outside of his advisory role, Mr. Polanco works full-time as an engineer at PacBio and mentors startups and founders at the Founder's Institute and LoyalVC. Optimo Capital advises founders of venture-backed companies, recently funded startups, and private investors on portfolio supervision and capital-raising. The firm uses a combined top‑down and bottom‑up analytical approach with a supervisory and consultative model, focusing on tailored services such as Investment Policy Statements, due diligence management, and pitch material preparation.

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/

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

It is a myth that you need to be ultra-wealthy in order to live a life with impact. You can start living well and making an impact in your communities right HERE and right NOW. At Bridgelane Financial, our goals are to assist you in developing a financial plan to live out a life that reflects your values. Maureen Recker is CFP®, a philanthropist, a mother of two and a community educator. She graduated with a B.S. from Indiana University and an MBA from Duke University. Maureen started her career in corporate finance and institution banking. After taking some time off to raise two children, she re-entered into a career in financial planning to work with clients in a more intimate and personal level. Clients’ satisfaction gives her gratification and encourages her to further her professional development and personal growth.

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.

As a Certified Financial Planner®, my goal is to help you take charge of your finances without the lecture, just practical advice. My approach provides the tools and know-how to handle your money like a pro, no spreadsheets required (unless you’re into that sort of thing). You’ll walk away making confident financial decisions without second-guessing yourself. You’ll get a custom financial plan made just for you by a CFP® professional, but we don’t just hand it over and wish you luck. We’ll help you actually put it into action, so it doesn’t just gather digital dust.

Michael Pablo is a CFP® and Series 65-registered financial advisor with 16 years of industry experience. He is the sole advisor at Agile Financial Planning, LLC, an independent firm based in San Francisco, CA. Agile Financial Planning serves individuals, families, and small business owners by offering modular and comprehensive financial planning alongside discretionary asset management. The firm manages approximately $11.1 million for about 30 clients, employing diversified portfolios primarily composed of exchange-traded funds, and emphasizes low-cost investments tailored to clients’ time horizons and risk tolerances.

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.

Brian Wu is the sole advisor at Elemental Capital Partners LLC in San Francisco, CA, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with 13 years of industry experience. He has been with Elemental Capital Partners since 2008. Elemental Capital Partners provides discretionary portfolio management to individual and institutional clients, focusing on customized portfolios and its proprietary Ascend Portfolio Strategy, an aggressive and concentrated growth approach primarily centered on the technology sector. The firm employs both fundamental and technical analysis and utilizes active trading techniques, including short sales, option writing, and margin in non-retirement accounts.

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.