Independent financial advisors working with clients approaching retirement in Fountain Valley, CA

Connie Phan is a financial advisor with Merrill in Fountain Valley, CA, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and having 11 years of industry experience. She has been with Merrill and Bank of America since 2016. Merrill, together with its affiliate Managed Account Advisors LLC, provides managed account services to Bank of America fiduciary clients through the Select Portfolio Solutions Program. The firm offers model-based and discretionary investment strategies supported by internal and third-party managers, serving individuals, high-net-worth clients, pension plans, corporations, and charitable organizations.

Na Li is a financial advisor at Citigroup Global Markets with four years of industry experience. She holds the Series 66 designation and has worked at Citigroup since 2019, including a prior role at Citibank. Citigroup Global Markets serves individual and institutional clients across various wealth segments, offering a broad range of investment advisory programs and broker-dealer services. The firm employs multi-asset, multi-manager strategies and combines large institutional scale with unique market roles, including in-house research and involvement in derivatives and futures services.

Neil Higger is a financial advisor with Royal Fund Management, LLC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 designations and 10 years of industry experience. He has worked at Royal Fund Management since 2015 and has been associated with Academic Financial Insurance Services since 2000. Outside of his advisory roles, he operates a separate LLC for 1099 income unrelated to investment activities. Royal Fund Management serves individuals, corporations, pension and profit-sharing plans, and charitable organizations by providing portfolio management, financial planning, pension consulting, and participant account management. The firm uses fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis to implement strategies tailored to client risk tolerances and offers access to select non-traded REITs and an options-writing overlay for enrolled clients.

Thane McCready is a CFP® with 29 years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Perennial Financial Services since 2017. He has also been affiliated with LPL Financial since 2005. Outside of his advisory roles, he operates Perennial Legacy Insurance Solutions, focusing on non-variable insurance. Perennial Financial Services provides investment advisory and consulting services to individuals, trusts, retirement plans, and business entities. The firm offers discretionary asset management and financial planning, utilizing multiple platform relationships and third-party managers to tailor portfolios across various securities while combining ERISA retirement plan consulting with licensed insurance activities.

Quang Mike Tran is a financial advisor with Transamerica Financial Advisors, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and one year of industry experience. His background includes roles at Golden Choice Lending Corporation, 24/7 Mortgage Corporation, and WFGIA, along with 20 years of service in the Army National Guard and involvement in QTD International LLC since 2012. Transamerica Financial Advisors serves a diverse client base, including individual investors, pension plans, trusts, and corporations. The firm offers both advisory and broker‑dealer services, utilizing proprietary and third‑party model portfolios with discretionary and non‑discretionary options.

Willie Myles is a financial advisor with Equitable Advisors in Cary, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 16 years of industry experience. He has worked at Equitable Advisors since 2016, previously serving at Axa Advisors and MSI Financial Services. Outside of advising, he is a co-chairman of a fundraising campaign for Alpha Light Fund Inc., a nonprofit focused on renovating the House of Alpha. Equitable Advisors serves a range of clients including individuals, pension plans, corporations, and charitable organizations, providing financial planning, retirement consulting, and asset management through a network of representatives and third-party managers. The firm offers various investment vehicles and ERISA fiduciary services, relying on third-party program sponsors and an affiliation with a publicly traded parent company.

Stavroula Koutsfetsoulis is a financial advisor at Ameriprise with 25 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has been with Ameriprise and its affiliated entities since 2011. In addition to her advisory role, she is involved in fiduciary activities as an attorney-in-fact (power of attorney). Ameriprise is a large institutional firm that provides retirement-income planning services primarily to individuals with substantial investable assets. The firm combines research, modeling, and tax-efficiency analysis to deliver written recommendation reports through a centralized consulting team, focusing on tailored retirement income strategies.

Barbara Brewer is a financial advisor at RBC Capital Markets with 20 years of industry experience. She holds a Series 66 designation and has been with RBC Capital Markets Corporation since 2008. RBC Wealth Management, a division of RBC Capital Markets, serves individual investors, institutional clients, pension and profit-sharing plans, corporations, and charitable organizations. The firm offers various advisory programs with discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, custody, and brokerage services, tailoring strategies to clients’ Advisory Risk Profiles through a mix of in-house and third-party providers.

Richard Martin is a financial advisor at Cetera with 29 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 63 designation and has a background that includes nearly three decades at Avantax Advisory Services and eight years at Avantax Insurance Agency. Outside of his advisory work, he is the owner and sole proprietor of Martin & Pellegrin, CPAs, a tax preparation and accounting firm. Cetera Investment Advisers LLC is an SEC-registered firm that serves a broad client base including individuals, retirement plans, corporate and charitable clients, and institutional accounts. The firm provides a multi-manager platform offering discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and access to various program structures and third-party money managers.

Lee Chen is a financial advisor with UBS Financial Services in Pasadena, California, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 28 years of industry experience. He has been with UBS since 2009. Outside of his advisory role, Chen serves on the board of directors for the San Gabriel Country Club. UBS Financial Services serves individual, corporate, and institutional clients through brokerage and investment advisory offerings, combining proprietary capital market research with a broad range of financial planning and portfolio management solutions.

Jared Fruth is a financial advisor at Northwest Asset Management with four years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and previously worked at Securities America, Inc., KMS Financial Services, Inc., Oppenheimer Funds, and John Paul Mitchell Systems. Northwest Asset Management is a registered investment adviser managing approximately $3.6 billion for nearly 3,000 clients, including individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, charities, and corporations. The firm employs a customized, fiduciary approach using Modern Portfolio Theory and strategic asset allocation, combining fundamental and technical analysis to build diversified portfolios with periodic rebalancing.

Edwina Martin is a Series 65 licensed financial advisor with two years of industry experience, currently with Waverly Advisors, LLC. She previously worked at 9258 Wealth Management for five years and was employed at Teradata Corp for eleven years. Martin also serves as assistant director of tax planning at 9258 Tax and Planning, a non-investment related business. Waverly Advisors is a multi-team registered investment adviser managing portfolios for individuals, retirement plans, and pooled investment vehicles. The firm combines traditional equity and fixed-income strategies with alternative and private-market allocations, offering a range of investment management and financial planning services.

Craig Mcdaniel Jr. is a financial advisor with Capital Investment Advisory Services, LLC in Columbia, SC. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 13 years of industry experience. He has been with Capital Investment Group, Inc. and The McDaniel Corporation since 2012. Outside of his advisory role, he is involved in life insurance sales and serves as an independent agent for annuities and related products. Capital Investment Advisory Services, LLC provides investment advisory and supervisory services to individuals, retirement plans, corporations, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations. The firm offers customized investment management through discretionary mandates, third-party managers, and private-label model portfolios, using a blend of analytical methods with ongoing portfolio monitoring.

David Hart is a financial advisor with Martin Wealth Management, LLC in Irvine, CA. He holds a Series 65 credential and has 15 years of industry experience. Hart previously worked with Safeguard Investment Advisory Group and LifePro Asset Management. He is also a Certified Financial Fiduciary and volunteers as an instructor with the Foundation for Fiduciary Education, providing unbiased fiduciary financial education to the public. Martin Wealth Management offers investment advisory services primarily to individuals and high-net-worth clients by co-advising and directing accounts to a third-party money manager, Matson Money. The firm focuses on client onboarding, documentation, and ongoing review of third-party manager accounts rather than direct asset management.

Sarah Currier Barrella is a CFP® professional with 26 years of experience in financial advisory services. She currently works at Santander Securities LLC and Santander Bank, NA, having previously held positions at TD Bank and Citizens Securities, Inc. Barrella is based in Boston, MA. Santander Securities LLC serves a broad retail client base with approximately $3.14 billion in regulatory assets under management across 10,800 client relationships. The firm offers investment advisory services, portfolio management through wrap-fee programs, and financial planning, operating both as a registered investment adviser and a FINRA-registered broker-dealer.