Daren Blonski is a financial advisor at Fermata Advisors in Sonoma, CA, holding CFP® and Series 66 credentials with 14 years of industry experience. He has worked at Fermata Advisory, LLC since 2019 and was previously with Enso Wealth Management from 2016 to 2020. Fermata Advisors provides investment management, financial planning, and retirement-plan consulting primarily to individuals, small businesses, and plan fiduciaries. The firm offers both discretionary and non-discretionary services using a combination of behavioral, charting, cyclical, fundamental, and technical analysis to guide portfolio allocations.

James Stein is a financial advisor at Edward Jones in Sonoma, CA, holding the ChFC® designation and Series 66 license with 19 years of industry experience. He has been with Edward Jones since 2006. Edward Jones is a full-service wealth management firm serving more than four million individual and institutional clients through a nationwide network of over 23,000 advisors. The firm offers a range of advisory programs, including discretionary and non-discretionary wrap fee strategies, separately managed accounts, and affiliated mutual funds, operating under a fiduciary standard.

Most people in their 40s and 50s are doing well financially—but aren’t completely sure they’re on track for retirement. They’ve built careers, accumulated savings, and are making good money… But questions start to surface: Am I saving enough? When can I realistically retire? How do I turn what I’ve built into income later? Am I being tax-efficient? That’s where I come in. I work with professionals in their peak earning years to help them create a clear, realistic path to retirement—one that connects their income, investments, and long-term goals. Together, we focus on: Building a structured retirement plan Aligning investments with real-life goals Creating future income strategies Improving tax efficiency over time Bringing clarity and confidence to big decisions My approach is straightforward and practical. No jargon. No overcomplication. Just a plan that makes sense for your life. If you’re within 10–15 years of retirement and want a clearer picture of where you stand—and what to do next—I’m happy to connect. I am a financial advisor with Mass Mutual Investors Services based in Napa, CA.

John Cruse is the principal of Cruse Investments in Petaluma, CA, holding a Series 66 designation and bringing 24 years of industry experience. He has led Cruse Investments since 2013. Cruse Investments provides investment management and written financial planning services to individuals, trusts, estates, and corporations. The firm customizes portfolios using stocks, bonds, ETFs, and mutual funds, operates primarily on a non-discretionary basis, and offers advice on retirement rollovers and employer plan distributions.

John Baughman is a financial advisor with Baughman Financial Group in Novato, CA, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and 33 years of industry experience. He has worked at First Allied Securities, Inc. from 2008 to 2018 and has been with Baughman Wealth Advisors Inc. and Baughman Financial Group since 2008 and 1999, respectively. Baughman Wealth Advisors, operating as Baughman Financial Group, provides portfolio management, financial planning, retirement and estate planning, and consulting services to individuals, families, trusts, foundations, charitable organizations, and various institutional clients. The firm employs a combination of fundamental, modern portfolio theory, technical, and cyclical analysis to create customized portfolios and offers discretionary management, insurance product sales, and educational seminars.

Sean Scruby is a CFP® professional with over two years of experience at Olde World Investments. He has worked in the investment advisory field since 2006 and also owns and operates Olde World Design, a construction company in Napa, CA, where he serves as a licensed general contractor. Olde World Investments is a state-registered, sole-proprietor firm providing financial planning and discretionary portfolio management to individuals, high-net-worth clients, and small businesses. The firm offers customized financial plans and employs a flexible investment approach that includes passive, active, and core-and-satellite strategies tailored to client objectives and risk tolerance.

Patrick Brennan is the sole advisor at Brennan Asset Management in Napa, CA. He holds the CFA® designation and Series 63 license, with 12 years of industry experience. He has led Brennan Asset Management since 2015. Brennan Asset Management provides discretionary investment supervisory services to a select group of individual and institutional clients, focusing on client-specific investment policy statements and concentrated equity portfolios. The firm uses a bottom-up, fundamental research process and combines retail advisory services with active management of private funds and pooled investment vehicles.

Daniel Peterson is a CFP® with 32 years of industry experience and has been with Northbay Financial Group, Inc. since 2003. He is the president and CEO of North Bay Financial Group, which provides income tax preparation services through its subsidiary Express Income Tax Services. Northbay Advisors is an independent firm serving individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and small businesses with personalized financial planning and investment management. The firm combines advisory services with an affiliated tax-preparation practice, offering clients integrated tax and planning coordination.

John Jones is the principal of John Schooler Jones LLC, an independent advisory firm based in Petaluma, CA. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 24 years of industry experience. Jones has led his firm since its founding in 2003. John Schooler Jones LLC provides financial advisory and planning services to a client base primarily consisting of higher-net-worth individuals, closely held corporations, trusts, and pension plans. The firm operates on a non-discretionary model, coordinating third-party asset managers and dedicating significant focus to business succession planning.

Janet Mlynar is a CFP® with 44 years of industry experience and is the principal of Benefits Plus, LLC in Napa, CA. She has worked in healthcare compliance since 2013 and has been associated with LPL Financial since 2009. Outside of her advisory work, she owns a division production company that films historic properties for commercial and media use. Benefits Plus serves employer plan sponsors, employee benefit plans, professionals, and individuals by providing consulting and financial planning focused on settlement, pension, and health insurance matters. The firm delivers advice through fixed or hourly fee consulting engagements and written plans without managing client assets.

“I want to make the right decisions but I don’t have time to figure it out on my own.” “Can you help me with my student loans? This is more complicated than I thought it would be.” “How do I invest? I know it’s important but I don’t know the best way to do it and I don’t want to mess it up” Have you said any of these before? You’re not alone if you have. I have heard these statements from many lawyers I’ve met throughout my wife’s time in law school and her legal career. As a CPA, CFP, and someone who has worked in financial planning, I have seen young people who are overwhelmed about managing their personal finances. I have also seen people near retirement who unfortunately didn’t make good financial decisions and now have to modify their future lifestyles because of their financial situations. I hate seeing people not achieve everything they want in life because they can’t afford their dream lifestyle. So I set out to change that. My mission is to help young lawyers establish a strong financial foundation early in their careers so they can capitalize on future opportunities instead of trying to fix financial mistakes. So I created the Developing Financial Process. My process identifies what is most important to you, analyzes your current financial situation, builds a comprehensive financial plan, implements the plan, adapts the plan as your life changes on an ongoing basis, and most importantly educates and empowers you throughout the entire process. My process helps you pay off your student loans completely, invest effectively, save and spend intentionally, and achieve your financial goals and ambitions. I believe that everyone should live their dream life without worrying about their finances. I live what I preach and when I’m not working, I am out living. I love to travel and have visited many states and countries. My family and I go camping, spend time at the beach, and visit friends and family as often as possible. I truly love educating and empowering people to live their ideal life. I hope you reach out to learn more about my process and how financial planning can benefit young lawyers like yourself!

E. Wannen is a financial advisor with Sustainvest Asset Management, LLC, holding Series 63, 65, and 66 licenses and 15 years of industry experience. He has worked at Sustainvest Asset Management since 2013. Sustainvest Asset Management provides investment management and advisory services to a diverse client base including individuals, trusts, charitable organizations, and foundations. The firm employs a long-term, diversified investment approach focused on sustainable and responsible investing using ESG factors, screened funds, and tailored portfolios, with an emphasis on working with charitable organizations and an active proxy-voting policy.

James Busterud is a CFP® professional with 27 years of experience in financial advising. He has been with Jack Point Advisors, LLC since 2017 and previously worked at UBS Financial Services Inc from 2008 to 2017. Jack Point Advisors provides discretionary portfolio management and financial planning services primarily to high-net-worth individuals and institutional clients such as foundations, endowments, pensions, and charitable organizations. The firm focuses on long-only, fundamental analysis to construct disciplined, long-term equity and bond portfolios tailored to clients’ time horizons, tax sensitivity, and risk tolerance.

John Liles is a CFP® professional based in Napa, CA, with 32 years of experience at his own firm, John H. Liles, CFP. He has provided financial planning and investment advisory services since 1994. His firm offers investment advisory and financial planning services to individuals and entities including trusts, pension and profit-sharing plans, estates, and charitable organizations. The investment approach emphasizes strategic asset allocation through a core-and-satellite structure with passively managed index funds and ETFs as the core, complemented by selected individual securities and actively managed funds, with portfolios reviewed at least quarterly.

Stephen Bossio is the sole advisor at Magnum Financial in Sonoma, CA, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with 19 years of industry experience. He has been with Magnum Financial since 2009. Outside of advising, he consults to charter schools in California and is a licensed insurance agent, spending a portion of his time on insurance-related business. Magnum Financial is an independent advisory firm offering discretionary portfolio management and financial planning to individuals and institutional clients, including 401(k) plans and pension funds. The firm focuses on asset allocation and diversification, combining strategic and technical analysis to manage portfolios and provides ongoing planning and regular reviews.

Andrew Fedeli is the principal of Fedeli Financial, LLC, an independent advisory firm based in Novato, California. He holds a Series 65 designation and has three years of industry experience. Outside of his financial advisory role, he owns a consulting business specializing in Salesforce training. Fedeli Financial, LLC provides portfolio management and individualized investment planning for a small, high-net-worth client base. The firm employs a variety of analytical methods and offers tailored recommendations across diverse investment types, including private placements and venture capital, while maintaining a non-discretionary trading approach.

Eva Soares is a CFP® professional with 23 years of experience in financial advising. She is the principal and sole advisor at Soares Financial, Inc., an independent firm she has led since 2002. Prior to founding the firm, she was self-employed in the financial services industry. Soares Financial primarily serves individual clients through discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and portfolio analysis. The firm manages approximately $19.6 million for about 18 clients, focusing on no-load mutual funds and exchange-traded funds, and also provides portfolio management for institutional clients.

Autumn Kruse is a CFP® professional with 14 years of industry experience, currently operating Kruse Financial Strategy in Petaluma, CA. She has been working under her own name since 2007. Kruse Financial Strategy provides fee-only financial planning services tailored to individuals, families, and small businesses, with a focus on high-net-worth clients. The firm emphasizes comprehensive and limited-scope planning without managing client assets, often recommending mutual funds, ETFs, bond funds, and CDs, with attention to socially responsible investing.

John Rutledge is a CFP® and CFA® with 16 years of industry experience. He is the sole advisor at Phoundational LLC, an independent firm he has led since 2019. Prior to founding Phoundational, he worked for 11 years at Fairview Capital Investment Management. Phoundational provides investment consulting and financial planning services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, charitable organizations, foundations, endowments, corporations, and other businesses. The firm employs a liability-driven investing philosophy and typically recommends passive, index-based mutual funds and ETFs, operating on a fee-only basis without managing client assets directly.

Earl Knecht is a CFP® with 26 years of industry experience. He is the founder of Knecht Capital Management, LLC and has held prior roles at LPL Financial, Napa Valley Wealth Management, and Cetera Advisor Networks. In addition to his advisory work, he has taught business courses as a contract instructor at Pacific Union College. Knecht Capital Management is an independent, single-advisor SEC-registered firm managing approximately $116 million for individual and high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, corporations, and retirement plans. The firm offers tailored portfolio management, comprehensive financial planning, and retirement plan consulting, utilizing a range of investment strategies and analyses.