Benjamin Smith, CFP®, is the founder and owner of Briarwood Financial, a comprehensive financial services firm providing wealth management, tax preparation, accounting, and business consulting for individuals and business owners nationwide. Benjamin enjoys working directly with clients to help them navigate the complexities that wealth inevitably brings. His approach combines financial planning, tax strategy, and business advisory services—ensuring that every piece of a client’s financial picture works together efficiently and intentionally. Before launching Briarwood, Benjamin served as a Financial Advisor at Cetera Investment Services, an independent broker-dealer. There, he specialized in developing customized investment portfolios guided by long-term strategic planning. His drive to offer clients more holistic, tax-integrated advice led him to expand his practice beyond traditional advising and establish Briarwood Financial as a full-service firm. Benjamin holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration with a concentration in Economics from Seattle Pacific University and is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Professional. Earlier in his career, he gained valuable experience in sales, operations, and management within the telecommunications industry—skills that helped shape his practical, results-oriented approach to leadership and client service. At the heart of his philosophy are integrity, honesty, and competence. He believes true financial planning is built on trust, clarity, and a genuine commitment to helping clients make informed, confident decisions that align with their values and long-term goals.

Jimmie Mendoza is a financial advisor at Cornerstone Asset Management, LLC with 25 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has been with Cornerstone Asset Management since 2000. Outside of his advisory role, Mendoza is also employed as a benefits specialist. Cornerstone Asset Management provides personalized investment management and comprehensive financial planning services to individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and small businesses. The firm employs a strategic asset allocation approach with a core-and-satellite portfolio structure, focusing on globally diversified investments and individualized client reviews.

Lewis Mc Murran is the sole advisor at A&M Advisory LLC in Puyallup, WA, holding Series 63 and Series 65 designations with one year of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at The Leaders Group Inc, Black Pearl Advanced LLC, and the State of Washington. A&M Advisory LLC provides financial planning and investment research services to individuals, couples, families, and accredited investors, focusing on tailored financial plans and specific investment recommendations rather than portfolio management. The firm emphasizes client education and personalized planning using both fundamental and technical analysis and generally refers clients to third-party custodians or asset managers.

Troy Sapp is a CFP® professional with 15 years of experience in financial planning and wealth management. He has been with Commencement Financial Planning LLC since 2010 and is based in Lakewood, WA. Commencement Financial Planning LLC provides fee-only comprehensive financial planning and wealth management services primarily to individuals and families. The firm emphasizes a collaborative, consultative process and manages client accounts on a non-discretionary basis, focusing on low-cost passive mutual funds and ETFs, periodic rebalancing, and tax-loss harvesting.

Julie Wurst is a CFP® professional with 11 years of industry experience. She has operated her independent advisory firm, Julie A. Wurst, CFP, LLC, in Tacoma, WA, since 2017. Her firm provides advisory services to individual clients, including high-net-worth individuals, as well as small businesses and trusts. The firm employs a globally diversified, low-cost investment approach primarily using index mutual funds and ETFs, and offers customized financial planning and consulting through various communication methods.

Jacob Hall is a financial advisor at Pace Wealth Advisors with 11 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and has previously worked at firms including AE Wealth Management, Park Avenue Securities, and Guardian Life Insurance. In addition to his advisory role, Hall is an owner of four recreational cannabis dispensaries, where he oversees financial and management operations. Pace Wealth Advisors is an independent, single-advisor practice serving individuals, families, trusts, and business owners. The firm provides planning-driven, non-discretionary investment advisory services and financial planning, implementing investment strategies primarily through model portfolios of ETFs and mutual funds.

Gregory Merrill is the sole advisor at Strategic Asset Management in Tacoma, WA, holding a Series 65 designation with 31 years of industry experience. He has been with Strategic Asset Management since 1995. Strategic Asset Management serves individual investors across various account types, offering discretionary portfolio management and investment advice. The firm employs a combination of fundamental and technical analysis to guide investment decisions and incorporates private limited partnerships for accredited clients, along with operational practices aimed at fairness in trade execution.

Cole Ferrier is the principal advisor at EnoughFP LLC, holding the ChFC® designation and a Series 65 license with two years of industry experience. Prior to founding EnoughFP, he worked at The Boeing Company and held a position at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. He has a professional background in information technology and public-sector roles. EnoughFP is a solo registered investment adviser providing comprehensive financial planning to individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, and businesses. The firm follows a buy-and-hold passive indexing approach based on Modern Portfolio Theory and offers implementation-focused recommendations without discretionary management.

Jacy Hixon is the president and chief compliance officer of Crossroads Advisor Network LLC and has 20 years of experience in the financial industry. He is also president and co-owner of Advisor Systems Inc., a technology company serving financial advisers. Prior to his current roles, he has been self-employed as a business consultant since 2015. Crossroads Advisor Network LLC provides discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and pension consulting services for pooled vehicles, institutional retirement accounts, businesses, trusts, and individual clients. The firm’s investment approach incorporates technical, cyclical, and fundamental analysis and may include options strategies, margin, and derivatives in separately managed accounts.

Laurence Elvins is the sole advisor at Tacoma Investment Group in Tacoma, WA, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with 31 years of industry experience. He has led Tacoma Investment Group since its founding in 1995. Tacoma Investment Group provides discretionary portfolio management for individuals, trusts, retirement accounts, corporations, pension and profit-sharing plans, and charitable organizations. The firm emphasizes fundamental and qualitative analysis, asset allocation, and long-term investment strategies tailored to client-specific considerations, and it uniquely serves both individual and institutional clients as an independent solo advisor.

Elaine Chan is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®) with 20 years of industry experience. She has been the sole advisor at FIOH Global Asset Management and Strategies, LLC since 2011. FIOH Global Asset Management and Strategies is an independent registered investment adviser serving individuals, trusts, charitable organizations, and corporate clients. The firm offers discretionary portfolio management, financial and retirement planning, benefit plan consultation, and divorce settlement consulting, using tailored strategies with stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and ETFs.

Viral Shah is the sole advisor at An Irrational Mind, LLC, holding a Series 65 designation and bringing 15 years of industry experience. He has been with Prudent Financial Planning, LLC since 2010 and works full-time as an internal medicine physician and hospitalist at Multicare Health System in Tacoma, WA. An Irrational Mind, LLC provides fee-only financial planning and investment advice to individuals, families, organizations, corporations, trusts, and estates. The firm emphasizes passive, buy-and-hold indexing and asset-allocation strategies using low-cost index mutual funds and ETFs, and offers short educational seminars. It does not manage client portfolios directly or take custody of assets, typically billing on an hourly or project basis.

Pravin Davrey is the principal of Emerald Pacific Investment Advisors LLC in Tacoma, WA, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with 16 years of industry experience. He has worked with Farmers Insurance Company since 2025 and has been involved with Emerald Pacific Investment Advisors since 2021 and Emerald Pacific Capital LLC since 2016. Outside of investment advisory, he is the managing principal and mortgage broker at Emerald Pacific Capital, a consumer loan company that originates mortgage and commercial loans. Emerald Pacific Investment Advisors provides non-discretionary, customized investment advisory services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, partnerships, and corporations. The firm typically constructs diversified portfolios using stocks, bonds, mutual funds, ETFs, and REITs, employing both fundamental and technical analysis, and manages portfolios with client approval.

I help women achieve financial independence (FI), so they can live life on their own terms. I am you. My journey into personal finance started unexpectedly almost 30 years ago when my mother developed cancer and was eventually left disabled. I hired a financial advisor to help my parents with their finances. He sold them expensive load funds (5.75%) that enriched him while hampering their returns. After a year and a half, I caught on, fired him and began overseeing our family’s finances myself. As an investor and financial planner, I’ve noticed that while women have made tremendous strides educationally and professionally, this has not always translated into greater financial security and personal freedom. Why? Based on my experience, a big part of that is the cultural stories that we’ve inherited regarding our roles and responsibilities to others at the expense of ourselves. But, only when we take ownership of our stories can we take ownership of our lives and make the most of our resources, including money. As with any resource, money has its own energy. I can teach you to master it, so it becomes the wind on your back to help you realize your Life’s mission and vision. Our society equates money with wealth. While there is overlap, in my opinion, they are different. Money is the means to live life on our own terms. But, wealth is the recognition that a life well-lived means taking care of ourselves and then our family and our community.

Shubham Acharya is the sole advisor at Ninja Wealth Advisors, LLC, an independent registered investment adviser based in Federal Way, WA. He holds a Series 65 designation and has one year of industry experience. In addition to his advisory role, Acharya works as a Systems Analyst for the U.S. Government. Ninja Wealth Advisors provides portfolio management and financial planning services to individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm uses a combination of analytical methods to build long-term portfolios tailored to client goals and risk tolerance, maintaining a small client roster and a unique approach to trade execution and service delivery.

Alexander Morrow is a CFP® with eight years of experience in the financial industry. He is the sole advisor at Faire Capital Group, an independent firm based in Gig Harbor, WA. His prior work includes roles at KPMG, Cpwm, LLC, and Wright Investment Properties. Faire Capital Group provides discretionary and non-discretionary investment management and financial planning services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, retirement plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, churches, and corporations. The firm constructs customized portfolios utilizing ETFs, mutual funds, and individual securities, employing fundamental analysis, modern portfolio theory, and cyclical analysis.

Rafe Johnson is a financial advisor at Anchor Financial in Tacoma, WA, with one year of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has prior experience at Bankers Life Securities, Bankers Life & Casualty, and the Medicare Exchange. Anchor Financial serves primarily individual clients with a small, concentrated practice managing about $5.7 million in assets. The firm offers discretionary asset management focused on mutual funds and ETFs, retirement plan services, and uses a mix of fundamental, technical, and charting analysis to tailor investment strategies to client objectives.

Holli Howatson is a financial advisor at Woodland Wealth Advisors with 19 years of industry experience. She holds a Series 65 designation and has worked at her current firm since 2023. Prior to that, she was retired and spent a year affiliated with The Olympia Yacht Club. Woodland Wealth Advisors is a registered investment adviser that provides discretionary portfolio management primarily to individual clients. The firm employs an income-oriented investment approach that combines long-term stock and ETF holdings with covered-call and related options strategies to generate premium income while seeking capital preservation.

Nils Wickman is a CFP® with 18 years of industry experience and currently serves at Ares Financial Consulting LLC. He has worked at Ares since 2017 and has prior experience with Ameritas Investment Corp. Outside of his advisory role, Wickman teaches a financial literacy class for Tacoma Public Schools and serves as Planned Giving Director at Urban Grace Church. He is also an advisory committee member of the 253 Youth Ultimate Program. Ares Financial Consulting serves individuals, families, small businesses, retirement plans, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations. The firm offers comprehensive financial planning and discretionary portfolio management using a long-term, diversified investment approach typically involving mutual funds and ETFs, alongside value-based pricing and business-focused services.

Frank Gallo is a CFP® with 34 years of experience in financial services, currently affiliated with Investors Portfolio Services LLC. He has held positions at multiple firms, including Fortune Financial Services, United Planners Financial Services, and FMT Solutions. Outside of advisory work, he acts as trustee of the Joan M Gallo Trust and prepares federal tax returns. Investors Portfolio Services LLC provides discretionary and non-discretionary investment supervisory services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, charities, and qualified retirement plans. The firm integrates portfolio construction based on Investment Policy Statements with technology-driven implementation and offers tax preparation, estate planning, and educational seminars.