Susan Gavrich

Mark Liu is a financial advisor at Ardent Capital with 26 years of industry experience. He has been with Ardent Capital since 2005 and holds Series 63 and Series 65 designations. Ardent Capital provides discretionary portfolio management for affluent individuals, corporations, and trusts, overseeing investments in brokerage and IRA accounts under limited power of attorney. The firm emphasizes asset allocation across various asset classes with a focus on long-term holdings and uses third-party research to inform investment decisions.

Jie Shen is the sole advisor at Jie Shen, CFA, with eight years of industry experience. He holds the CFA designation and works full-time at Google as the North America Operation Lead, managing customer support and relationships. His firm provides investment advice and portfolio management services primarily to individual clients with a minimum asset size of $500,000. The firm focuses on long-term strategic asset allocation across equities and fixed income, employs periodic rebalancing and tactical adjustments, and conducts client reviews at least quarterly. It also offers investment education seminars to help clients understand investment principles and risks.

I am a seasoned technology professional and an entrepreneur based in Silicon Valley. I have experience starting and running a software company that was venture-funded and subsequently acquired by a public company. During my high-tech career, I got intrigued by money matters such as savings, investments, insurance, taxes in order to achieve my family's financial goals. Out of curiosity, I spent time reading and researching various aspects of personal finance. I realized that there are a growing number of financial options available with increasing complexity in these choices. My passion towards financial planning ultimately resulted in pursuing formal education in financial planning, subsequently completing the CFP Board requirements to be a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® Professional. I launched Encover Personal Finance in 2018, primarily to help technology professionals achieve their financial life goals based on my own experience. I believe in serving clients honestly and transparently in a conflict-free manner. https://www.encoverpersonalfinance.com/about

Megan Rouse is the principal of Megan Rouse Financial Planning in Dublin, California, holding the CFP® designation and a Series 65 license with 17 years of industry experience. She is also a California Licensed Professional Fiduciary and operates a separate fiduciary services business. Megan has provided financial planning services since 2009. Her firm advises individuals, families, and small businesses with comprehensive or segmented financial planning, focusing on non-discretionary advice and low-cost investment options such as mutual funds and ETFs. The firm uses project, hourly, or retainer fee structures and does not manage client assets or take custody of funds.

Ajay Agrawal is the principal of Ajay Agrawal, a state-registered investment management firm based in Fremont, CA. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 18 years of industry experience, including roles at Envestnet Asset Management and SagePoint Financial. Outside of his advisory work, Agrawal serves as Managing Director of Taj Funds, a private investment fund focused on hard money lending and startup funding. His firm provides discretionary investment management and qualified retirement plan consulting to plan sponsors, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and corporate entities. The investment approach combines fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis through tactical allocation strategies and custom portfolio management across a broad range of instruments.

Kautilya Palaypu is a financial advisor at Cow Capital Inc with a Series 65 designation and two years of industry experience. He has held roles at Masala Capital Inc and serves as a director and independent consultant for several private companies, including a gold bullion distribution firm. Cow Capital provides portfolio management, wealth management, financial planning, and self-directed retirement plan services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, and business entities. The firm uses a range of analytical methods and offers advice on both traditional securities and alternative assets, including tokenized and non-conventional investments.