Buddie Ballard Jr.

Kai Lamb is a financial advisor at Solaris Private Wealth Management in Austin, TX, with 22 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and has led Solaris since 2006. Outside of advising, he is a member and manager of Genesis Web Solutions, a web hosting business. Solaris Private Wealth Management serves individuals, small business owners, and nonprofit foundations, providing investment advisory, financial planning, and educational workshops. The firm uses Modern Portfolio Theory and a mix of no-load mutual funds, low-cost ETFs, individual equities, and fixed income to tailor portfolios according to each client’s risk profile.

Andrew Oskoui is a CFA® charterholder and Series 65 licensee with 12 years of industry experience. He has been the sole advisor at Blue Tower Asset Management, LLC since 2014, based in Austin, TX. Blue Tower Asset Management provides discretionary investment management to individuals, trusts, endowments, corporations, and other institutions, and also acts as a sub-adviser for other investment firms. The firm employs a value-oriented investment process focused on high-quality businesses and operates a flagship Global Value strategy that is unconstrained by market-cap or sector limits and typically concentrated in 15–25 holdings.

Mark Monreal is a CFP® with over 10 years of experience in financial advising and more than four decades of involvement in business and consulting through Mark Monreal & Associates. He is also president and CFO of The Monreal Foundation, a charitable organization focused on health fairs, fundraising, scholarships, and social services. Additionally, Monreal operates in real estate brokerage through Monarch Realty, assisting buyers and sellers on a referral basis. Mark Monreal & Associates offers discretionary investment supervisory services, financial planning, and consulting to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and small businesses. The firm emphasizes asset allocation with diversified global equity and fixed income exposure, using primarily institutional-share mutual funds and ETFs, and also provides advice informed by the principal’s experience in real estate sales and insurance.

Christopher Destefano is a financial advisor with DeStefano Wealth Management in Austin, TX. He holds a Series 66 designation and has 17 years of industry experience. Prior to founding his firm in 2021, he worked at Brighton Jones LLC for seven years. DeStefano Wealth Management is an independent advisory firm serving individual and high-net-worth clients with personalized investment management and comprehensive financial planning. The firm applies modern portfolio theory using primarily passive investment vehicles, supplemented by fundamental analysis, and provides ongoing portfolio supervision alongside regular plan updates.

Michael Mullett is a CFP® professional with 40 years of industry experience, currently serving as the sole advisor at Mullett Financial LLC. His prior experience includes more than two decades at Charles Schwab in various advisory roles. He also holds an insurance license, which he uses to assist clients with insurance product identification as part of his financial planning services without earning commissions. Mullett Financial LLC provides financial planning and portfolio management to individuals, high-net-worth clients, foundations, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm employs a variety of investment strategies, including Modern Portfolio Theory and value investing, and regularly incorporates third-party managers while maintaining advisory oversight.

Mark Scott is a CFA® charterholder and Series 63 licensee with 10 years of industry experience. He is the sole advisor at Trinvest Advisors, LLC, an independent firm he has worked with since 2015. In addition to his advisory role, Scott serves as a business development consultant for a Caribbean-based financial services firm. Trinvest Advisors provides portfolio management and financial planning services to individuals, including high-net-worth clients, as well as corporations and business entities. The firm serves both U.S. and non-U.S. clients, employing a range of investment strategies that include fundamental and technical analysis, long- and short-term trading, and allocations to various asset classes such as mutual funds, ETFs, hedge funds, and private equity.