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.

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.

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/

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.

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.

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.

Prasant Sahoo is a CFA® charterholder and principal of Mission Peak Investors, LLC, an independent wealth management firm based in Fremont, CA. He has nine years of industry experience, including time as a self-employed advisor before founding Mission Peak Investors in 2017. Mission Peak Investors is a fee-only practice serving individual and family clients, trusts, and select institutional accounts. The firm focuses on discretionary portfolio management driven by bottom-up fundamental analysis, using a mix of ETFs, mutual funds, closed-end funds, and selected individual securities, with occasional tactical strategies and performance-based fee arrangements for qualified clients.

Dalbir Gill is the principal of Khalis Financial Advisors LLC and holds the PFS™ designation with two years of industry experience. He also owns and operates Dalbir Singh Gill, CPA, a tax and accounting services business. His prior experience includes roles at Stanford Health Care, Kforce, and several accounting firms. Khalis Financial Advisors LLC provides portfolio management, pension consulting, and financial planning services to retirement plans and individual clients. The firm employs a variety of analytical approaches within documented Investment Policy Statements and primarily manages assets on a non-discretionary basis.

Richard Holbrook is the sole advisor at Holbrook Global Strategies in Foster City, CA, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with 22 years of industry experience. He has worked at Wells Fargo since 1998. Holbrook Global Strategies manages approximately $160 million, providing discretionary investment management primarily for individuals and families, as well as foundations, trusts, pension plans, and other institutional clients. The firm employs a global, long-term, and diversified investment approach across multiple asset classes, with portfolios tailored to client objectives and the capacity to include private placements and illiquid investments.

Adam Sharma is a financial advisor at Sharma Everyday Finance in Oakland, CA. He holds a Series 65 designation and has prior experience in health-care management and consulting, including roles at Central California Alliance for Health and San Francisco Health Plan totaling over a decade. Sharma Everyday Finance provides hourly financial planning, investment consulting, and portfolio management services for individuals and families, serving both non-high-net-worth and high-net-worth clients without account minimums. The firm’s investment approach is based on Modern Portfolio Theory, emphasizing low-cost, diversified allocations and tax-aware planning, with additional offerings that include financial education and group workshops.

Michael Power is a CFP® professional with over 30 years of experience, operating Power Investing since 1994. He is also an Enrolled Agent authorized to represent clients before the IRS, providing tax preparation and representation services alongside his investment advisory work. The firm offers discretionary investment management and comprehensive financial planning to individuals, families, and small businesses. Power Investing employs a fundamental analysis approach, emphasizing broad diversification with ETFs and individual securities, and integrates in-house tax services as part of its client offerings.