Kartik Patel is a financial advisor at Simplify Investments with eight years of industry experience and holds a Series 65 designation. He is also the president of Data Express Inc., an information technology consulting firm where he provides IT consulting and business strategy analysis, including work with a client in the financial sector. Simplify Investments offers portfolio management services to private individuals, families, and small businesses, focusing on fundamental, value-oriented analysis using a concentrated portfolio of stocks, ETFs, and bonds. The firm serves a notable number of non-U.S. clients and emphasizes addressing currency risk and overseas investment considerations.

As a member of the financial independence community, I understand the value of quality fee only advice catering to the complex and "nontraditional" route we are taking to life. I have built a "lifestyle" practice, where I can serve clients, maintain my balanced lifestyle with two girls, pursue my hobbies and travel. I primarily work with clients on an ongoing retainer basis, charged with a monthly billing arrangement. For legacy (separated) clients or family of clients, I offer hourly based planning. I also prepare tax returns and manage assets, both of which I charge a separate fee for. After graduating from University of Maryland, College Park, I worked in public accounting doing tax preparation and consulting for high net worth individuals, estates and trusts. I changed careers into financial planning in 2013, working mainly with clients pursuing a traditional retirement path, including attorneys, physicians, executives and families with wealth. After working for a large planning firm in the DC area, I launched my firm in 2018. I am a CFP® and CPA. Given my background, I specialize in tax planning, retirement planning and frugality!

John Rathnam is the sole advisor at Rathnam Capital, LLC, an independent firm based in Bluemont, VA. He holds the CFA® designation and Series 65 license, with 21 years of industry experience. Rathnam has led Rathnam Capital since its founding in 2010. Rathnam Capital serves individual and high-net-worth clients, managing approximately $81 million across about three dozen households. The firm provides discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and consulting, utilizing customized asset allocation strategies and third-party sub-advisers to address a range of investment needs.

Eric Norberg is the principal of EAN Equity Financial Services LLC, an independent firm based in Leesburg, VA. He holds the CFP® and ChFC® designations and has 11 years of industry experience. Prior to his current role, he worked at PKS Investment Advisors LLC for one year. In addition to his advisory work, Norberg provides CPA tax preparation and small life insurance sales through his firm. EAN Equity Financial Services offers personalized financial planning and investment management to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and small businesses. The firm employs a combination of strategic and tactical asset allocation using both active and passive investment vehicles and fundamental security analysis, and maintains a tax-preparation practice alongside its advisory services.

David Pickei is the sole advisor at Reye Partners Asset Management LLC in Leesburg, VA, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with 24 years of industry experience. He has been with Reye Partners since 2005. Reye Partners Asset Management provides discretionary, separately managed investment management and portfolio consulting services primarily for individual clients and trusts. The firm serves both high-net-worth and non-high-net-worth clients, emphasizing portfolio composition, due diligence, diversification, and capital preservation through a manager-of-managers approach.

Eric Smeby is the principal advisor at EsmeB Inc, holding a Series 65 designation with 16 years of industry experience. His career includes roles at Waterfall Wealth LLC, FTToken Inc, Dash.Fi, and Capital One. He leads multiple ventures related to digital financial platforms. EsmeB Incorporated provides automated investment management and self-directed financial planning tools via its WaterfallWealth.ai platform. The firm serves individual investors and companies seeking rules-based portfolio solutions, delivering services exclusively online using a quantitative, algorithm-driven investment process.

Bryan Lohr is a financial advisor at Present Value Financial Services LLC in Purcellville, VA, holding a Series 65 designation with eight years of industry experience. He has been with his current firm since 2018 and previously spent three years semi-retired preparing for a career change. Present Value Financial Services provides financial planning, investment management, tax preparation, and financial education to individuals and families across various income levels. The firm operates under a fiduciary standard, employs a bottom-up fundamental analysis combined with capital market techniques, and uses fee structures that avoid the typical asset-based model.

Robert Allen is a Series 65-licensed financial advisor with 22 years of industry experience. He has been the principal at Allen Investment Management since 2014. Allen Investment Management serves individual investors, foundations, charitable organizations, businesses, and pension/profit-sharing plans by providing discretionary investment supervisory services combined with integrated financial planning. The firm emphasizes a value-oriented, long-term investment approach supplemented by active sector rotation or limited short-term trades and manages roughly $27.1 million in discretionary client assets across approximately 41 client relationships.

Mark Helm is the sole advisor at Helm Financial Advisors, LLC, an independent firm based in Purcellville, VA. He holds CFP® and Series 65 designations and has 22 years of industry experience, having founded Helm Financial Advisors in 2003. Helm Financial Advisors is a fee-only advisory firm serving individuals and families with comprehensive financial planning and investment advisory services. The firm emphasizes non-discretionary, tax-aware investment strategies and integrates tax preparation and planning into its ongoing client engagements.

Bradley Piesco is the managing principal of Magpie Consulting LLC, an independent advisory firm based in Leesburg, VA. He holds the CFP® and ChFC® designations and has 16 years of industry experience. Piesco has led Magpie Consulting since 2007. Magpie Consulting LLC provides fee-only asset management and financial planning services to individual clients, including high-net-worth and private investors. The firm uses a disciplined financial planning process and constructs diversified portfolios mainly with exchange-traded funds, offering both discretionary and nondiscretionary management options.

Diane Case is the principal of Shenandoah Financial, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with 20 years of industry experience. She has operated as a sole proprietor since 1993 and worked at Gradient Advisors, LLC from 2015 to 2016. In addition to her financial advisory work, she is a licensed insurance agent and dedicates approximately 25% of her time to that practice. Shenandoah Financial provides financial planning and consulting services to individuals and small businesses, referring clients to third-party money managers for investment management. The firm assists clients with tailored financial plans, monitors third-party manager performance, and handles related administrative tasks.

Jessie Rancourt is a financial advisor at Opportunity Cost Investors LLC with four years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and previously worked at Harris Miller Miller & Miller and UFA, Inc. Rancourt also serves at the Federal Aviation Administration and owns Opportunity Cost Media, a company that produces finance-related content on YouTube. Opportunity Cost Investors LLC provides discretionary investment management to retail clients, focusing on value-oriented, fundamental research. The firm emphasizes concentrated portfolios of high-quality companies trading at perceived deep discounts, targeting long-term capital growth.

John Seraphin is a CFP® and Series 66 designated advisor with seven years of industry experience. He is the sole advisor at Phin Wealth Planning, LLC, an independent firm based in Middleburg, VA. His prior roles include positions at Steigerwald, Gordon & Koch Wealth Advisors, Eagle Strategies (NY Life), and several other firms. Phin Wealth Planning provides financial planning and investment management to individuals, high-net-worth individuals, families, and nonprofit organizations. The firm offers fixed upfront and recurring fee planning engagements across Core and Advanced tiers, with discretionary portfolio management that combines passive and active strategies tailored to client objectives.

Tarif Homsi is a financial advisor at NoorVest LLC with nine years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and has prior experience at JPMorgan Securities LLC, UBS Financial Services, and Spire Wealth Management. NoorVest LLC provides discretionary and non-discretionary investment management, financial planning, and consulting to individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and business entities. The firm follows a Halal-compliant investment approach using third-party screening tools and proprietary macroeconomic models, and it offers fixed membership and flat fee structures alongside model-driven tactical portfolios.

David Berish is the sole advisor at The Dienekes Corporation, an independent registered investment adviser based in Purcellville, VA. He holds a Series 65 designation and has 15 years of industry experience. Berish has led The Dienekes Corporation since 2008. The Dienekes Corporation provides discretionary portfolio management services focused on customized strategies for individual clients. The firm manages a concentrated client base and draws on Berish’s extensive background in fixed-income markets, including prior roles as a bond trader in New York and London and a director at a bank.

Kevin O Neil is the principal of KO Financial, an independent firm based in Leesburg, VA. He holds the ChFC® designation along with Series 63 and 65 licenses and has 25 years of industry experience. Prior to founding KO Financial, O Neil worked at Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory and Rafalko Advisors. He is also a licensed insurance agent with Hilb Group, where he sells and services life, health, disability, and dental insurance plans. KO Financial serves primarily individual clients as well as corporate pension and profit-sharing plans, managing approximately $19 million for about 65 clients. The firm employs modern portfolio theory and asset-dedication models to build tailored portfolios, offers both discretionary and non-discretionary asset management, and provides retirement-plan consulting and fiduciary support.

Kevin Boss is a CFP® and ChFC® with four years of industry experience, currently serving as the sole advisor at Boss Financial Strategies, LLC. His prior work includes roles at Signet Technologies, Inc. and Carrier Global Corporation. In addition to his advisory duties, he is a licensed insurance agent and dedicates part of his time to insurance sales and service. Boss Financial Strategies provides discretionary portfolio management and financial planning services primarily for individuals, families, and trusts. The firm employs both fundamental and technical analysis to tailor investment strategies ranging from long-term buy-and-hold to short-term trading and options, managing approximately $9.9 million across about 32 clients without an account minimum.

Mary Boland is a CFP® professional with two years of industry experience, currently serving as an advisor at Brass Capital in Leesburg, VA. She previously worked at Dominion Financial Consultants, LLC for six years and spent four years at Florida Atlantic University. Outside of her financial career, she was involved with Fields of Athenry Farm, LLC for eight years. Brass Capital provides portfolio management and financial planning services primarily for individual clients, focusing on long-term, multi-method investment analysis tailored to client goals and risk tolerance. The firm emphasizes comprehensive financial planning and often serves clients with complex or sizable portfolios.

Anthony Davis is a CFP® and Series 66-registered financial advisor with nine years of industry experience. He has worked at Brass Capital since 2025 and previously held roles at MAI Capital Management, MTX Wealth Management, Bank of America, and Merrill Lynch. Brass Capital serves individual clients by providing portfolio management and both one-time and ongoing financial planning services. The firm’s investment approach focuses on long-term trading using multiple analysis methods and offers tailored portfolios based on client goals, time horizons, and risk tolerances.

Abdul Mallick is a financial advisor at Sampatti Financial LLC with eight years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 license and has previously worked at Capital One, Flying Phase, and currently as a consultant with Datsura, where he focuses on data analysis and reporting in addition to his advisory role. Sampatti Financial provides discretionary asset management and portfolio services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, and small businesses, as well as advising employer-sponsored retirement plans. The firm employs a combination of fundamental, technical, and quantitative analysis and offers performance-based fee arrangements and option-based hedging strategies.