Michelle Vargas, Certified Financial Planner™ is the President of Waymaker Financial Planning, a Fee-Only firm that provides transparent and accessible financial guidance. She enjoys helping clients navigate and plan all aspects of their financial life so that they will worry less about their future and free up more time to spend doing what they love. After earning a degree in Finance from the University of Southwestern Louisiana in 1990, she moved to Florida and started her career with Harcourt Brace Publishing. Her journey into personal finance began when she signed up for her 401K and wanted to learn about additional options to plan for retirement. This eventually led to working as a financial advisor and completing the extensive education requirements for becoming a CFP® in 1998. She believes her experience as a young professional searching for unbiased advice enables her to better serve Gen XY professionals because she remembers what it was like being in their shoes. As a former homeschool parent and the wife of a federal employee, she is passionate about helping women, homeschool families, and federal workers plan wisely for a comfortable financial future. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking in Colorado, barbecuing with family, and working in her garden.

Lacy Rogers is a CFP® professional with 11 years of industry experience currently serving as the sole advisor at The Dedicated Dollar in Fort Worth, TX. Her prior roles include positions at Hilltop Securities Inc. and Morgan Stanley. The Dedicated Dollar provides investment management and financial planning services to individual and high-net-worth clients, including business owners. The firm utilizes a Modern Portfolio Theory-based approach with primarily passive portfolios and automated model platforms, offering project-based, hourly, and ongoing comprehensive planning engagements.

Matthew Beeby is a financial advisor at Harvest Capital Management in Aledo, TX, with 19 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and previously worked at Stephens from 2014 to 2018. Outside of advisory work, he owns and manages residential real estate investments through MHB Real Estate Investments, LLC. Harvest Capital Management provides investment advisory and planning services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, and pension and profit-sharing plans. The firm employs a long-term, modern portfolio theory approach with fundamental analysis, offering services such as portfolio management, financial planning, and pension consulting.

Travis Soppe is a CFP® professional with 16 years of industry experience, currently serving at Cumbie Advisory Services, Inc. in Fort Worth, TX. He has been with Cumbie Advisory Services and Rhodes Securities since 2012. Cumbie Advisory Services, Inc. provides financial planning and investment management consulting to individuals, high-net-worth clients, retirement plans, trusts, and other entities. The firm operates as a non-discretionary investment consultant, focusing on diversified, low-cost portfolios and research-based approaches while assisting clients in selecting and monitoring independent money managers.

Edward Whelan is the principal of EMW Capital Advisors, LLC, an independent firm based in Fort Worth, TX. He holds a Series 65 designation and has 20 years of industry experience. In addition to his advisory role, Whelan serves as Chief Financial Officer of Bobby Cox Companies, Inc., a holding company with operations in restaurants, real estate, and ranching, and as Treasurer for CNR, Inc., a holding company with interests in chemical manufacturing and distribution. EMW Capital Advisors serves individual and trust clients through separately managed accounts and acts as adviser and general partner to a pooled private fund, also accepting corporate clients. The firm employs a value-oriented equity approach combining fundamental company analysis with a macroeconomic overlay and a proprietary ranking framework, implementing both long and short positions in portfolios tailored to client objectives.

Chukwudi Uraih is a financial advisor at Lampados Financial Group, LLC, holding a Series 65 designation with four years of industry experience. He has worked at Booz Allen Hamilton and serves in the United States Army Reserve. Outside of advising, he is the owner and CEO of Lampados Realty Group TX, LLC, a real estate business. Lampados Financial Group provides fee-only financial planning and investment advisory services to individuals, families, professionals, and fund investors. The firm utilizes a proprietary methodology combining fundamental investment analysis with algorithmic cash-flow modeling to offer diversified, long-term, and risk-aware strategies alongside infrastructure-focused fund management.

Robert Helm is the sole advisor at Helm Investment, an independent firm based in Fort Worth, TX. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has 21 years of industry experience, with prior roles at Securities America Advisors, Securities America, Inc., and LPL Financial. He is also an independently licensed insurance agent specializing in life insurance. Helm Investment provides discretionary asset management primarily to individual and high-net-worth clients as well as select business entities. The firm employs a combination of fundamental and technical analysis with tailored strategies and manages both separately managed accounts and a private pooled vehicle that includes cryptocurrency-focused investments.

Brian Phillips is the sole advisor at Phillips Ray Capital Management, Inc., an independent registered investment adviser based in Fort Worth, TX. He holds a Series 63 designation and has 28 years of industry experience. Phillips has been with his firm since its founding in 2002. Phillips Ray Capital Management serves approximately 98 clients, managing about $59.5 million in assets. The firm provides discretionary portfolio management and consulting services to individuals and certain institutional clients, employing both fundamental and technical analysis to tailor portfolios according to client objectives, risk tolerance, and liquidity needs.

Tempest Williams is the principal advisor at The Tempest Financial Group PLLC in Fort Worth, TX, with 13 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and previously worked at Eagle Strategies (NY Life) from 2016 to 2019. Outside of financial advising, Williams owns and manages Storm Catering & Smoked Meats, a catering company specializing in smoked meats. She also serves as an officer of the Paul Laurence Dunbar Alumni Association, supporting her alma mater and local schools. The Tempest Financial Group provides comprehensive financial planning, insurance strategies, and consulting primarily through virtual engagements for individuals, high-net-worth households, and business owners. The firm emphasizes a planning-led approach and fundamental analysis to guide asset allocation and investment recommendations, offering services such as retirement and estate planning, tax planning, business succession, and educational seminars.

Tory Giddens is a financial advisor at Fort Eagle Wealth Management with 12 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has worked at Fortis Capital Advisors, Westlake Wealth Management, and Edward Jones. Giddens also engages in fixed insurance product sales on a limited basis. Fort Eagle Wealth Management is an independent advisory firm serving individuals, charitable organizations, corporations, and other advisers. The firm offers tailored portfolio management, financial planning, and insurance products, employing investment strategies informed by Modern Portfolio Theory and a combination of fundamental, technical, cyclical, and charting analyses.

Shane Wilkins is the sole advisor at Wilkins Advisors, LLC, an independent firm based in Fort Worth, TX. He holds a Series 65 credential and has three years of experience in financial advising. Wilkins also works as a Management Analyst for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, where he applies Lean Six Sigma methodologies and serves as an instructional cadre for process improvement projects. Prior to his advisory role, he spent three years at Fordham University. Wilkins Advisors serves private individuals, families, trusts, small businesses, retirement plans, and other business entities, providing financial planning, discretionary asset management, and portfolio supervision. The firm employs a core-and-satellite investment approach combining value-oriented and passive strategies, guided by fundamental analysis and modern portfolio theory, with services tailored through client-specific Investment Policy Statements.

Garrison Leach is the sole advisor at G.P. Leach Securities LLC in Aledo, TX, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with five years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Cheldan Capital Management, L.L.C. and J.S. McNair Advisors. G.P. Leach Securities LLC provides quantitative portfolio management and advisory services to institutions and individual investors, offering a range of separately managed strategies executed primarily through exchange-traded funds. The firm employs a systematic, research-driven approach using proprietary models and incorporates derivatives and leverage where suitable, operating as a boutique manager with a broad and sophisticated strategy set.

Richard Stroud is the principal advisor at Stroud Investment Consulting with 47 years of industry experience. He previously worked at UBS Financial Services and JPMorgan Securities. Stroud holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and is also a licensed insurance agent, dedicating a portion of his time to insurance sales. Stroud Investment Consulting is an independent, single-advisor firm offering discretionary investment management and integrated financial planning to individuals, families, business owners, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and other business entities. The firm employs a mix of quantitative and qualitative analysis, modern portfolio theory, and charting to construct diversified portfolios across various securities.

Ricardo Rivas Alas is the sole advisor at Lambda Wealth Management LLC in Fort Worth, TX, holding a Series 65 designation with one year of experience at the firm. He concurrently holds a full-time engineering management position at Corning Optical Communications, where he has worked since 2015. Lambda Wealth Management LLC provides continuous investment advisory and portfolio management services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, and small businesses. The firm uses fundamental analysis combined with modern portfolio theory to construct diversified portfolios, focusing on traditional asset classes without recommending alternative investments or performance-based fees.

You deserve simple, straightforward financial advice that you understand and trust. I’m the son of two master plumbers. When it came to plumbing, “master” is the right word. They were good at what they did. And, like all contractors and tradesmen, their business went through highs and lows. When times were good, we took amazing vacations and enjoyed life together. When times were tough, like going through bankruptcy to avoid losing everything, we had to bear the burden. This is a story told all too often, and it’s why I started Forthright Financial Services. I received a Bachelors Degree in Accounting, Masters Degree in Taxation, and a Certification in Financial Planning on my way to becoming a Certified Financial Planner® professional. I worked for 4 years at a CPA firm, where I became the lead tax associate for individuals and small partnerships. I switched careers to my original passion and worked for a great financial planning firm for 5 years. While there I became the director of financial planning and helped create and implement the entire financial planning process. Throughout my journey, I helped my dad in many different ways. After my dad passed away, I left my job and started my business with the mission to help other hard-working business owners, like him, understand their finances in order to minimize taxes, maximize cashflows, increase profits, and grow their business efficiently. As a contractor, your business and your personal financial situations are so connected that I believe you need special advice to address both of those areas simultaneously. That special guidance is exactly what we provide. Straightforward advice for all circumstances, goals, and seasons of life – that’s always a phone call away. If you’re ready to offload the stress and worry around your money and your business, now and for when your working days are done, let’s talk. Also help with: Small Business help Family Business Planning Self-Employed Individuals & Consultants planning Tax Planning Charitable Giving Business Planning Holistic Financial Planning Entrepreneurs Startup Founders Retirement Planning Cryptocurrency Financial Life Planning & Financial Coaching Family Financial Planning Social Security Optimization Baby Boomers, Gen X, Gen Y/Millenials, Gen Z Christian Business Owners

Laurie Sepanski is a financial advisor at LTS Financial Group in Ft. Worth, TX, with 10 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at several firms including FRIE Financial Group, Rhodes Securities, and Meinen Financial Services. LTS Financial Group provides ongoing portfolio management tailored to individual and business clients’ goals, time horizons, and risk tolerances. The firm combines multiple analytical approaches and manages accounts on a discretionary basis, with regular reviews and detailed reporting.

Carlisle Wysong is the sole advisor at Chalk Creek Partners, LLC in Fort Worth, TX. He holds the CFA® designation and Series 63 license and has six years of industry experience, including five years at Carrhae Capital and a year spent traveling. Chalk Creek Partners, LLC is a solo registered investment adviser managing approximately $29 million in assets. The firm serves individuals, trusts, limited partnerships, charitable organizations, and corporate clients, employing a combination of fundamental, technical, and quantitative analysis with both long-term and short-term strategies. It also acts as investment manager and co-investment advisor to a private pooled vehicle, the Chalk Creek Total Return Fund, LP, which pursues long/short, multi-asset approaches.

Vint Stevenson is the principal advisor at Stevenson Advisory Services & Investments, an independent firm based in Weatherford, TX. He holds a Series 66 designation and has 23 years of industry experience, including prior roles at Regal Investment Advisors LLC and Securities America. Outside of finance, he owns and educates through Stevenson Firearms & Ammo, a firearms and gunsmithing business. Stevenson Advisory Services & Investments offers discretionary investment management and standalone financial planning to individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, and estates. The firm employs a combination of fundamental and multiple technical analysis methods, managing a small client roster with tailored investment programs and quarterly account reviews.

Kevin Stadtler is the principal of Stadtler Capital Management, LLC in Fort Worth, TX, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with 14 years of industry experience. He has led Stadtler Capital Management since its founding in 2011. The firm provides discretionary investment advisory services primarily to private pooled investment vehicles, charitable organizations, registered investment advisors, and other institutional clients. Stadtler Capital Management follows a value-oriented equity approach focusing on large- and mid-cap stocks, incorporating fundamental and technical analysis as well as derivatives strategies, and serves as investment manager to a private partnership formed in 2024.

Joshua Brooks doesn't just manage money—he orchestrates financial victories. As founder and lead Certified Financial Planner® at Exponential Advisors, he's built his practice on a simple premise: veterans deserve financial strategies as disciplined and effective as their military training. With over two decades of military service and now serving as an Army Reserve chaplain in the 490th Civil Affairs Battalion, Joshua understands both spreadsheets and sacrifice. He's counseled soldiers through deployment stress and guided families through financial storms, discovering that the same tactical thinking that wins missions can demolish debt and build lasting wealth. At Exponential Advisors, Joshua deploys AI-enhanced financial artillery to hit every target: investment growth, risk management, tax efficiency, and legacy planning. He treats market volatility like enemy fire—anticipated, analyzed, and neutralized through superior positioning. His blockchain expertise and analytical prowess transform chaotic markets into navigable terrain. Joshua's communication cuts through financial fog like tracer rounds through darkness. He translates complex concepts into crystal-clear action plans, whether he's explaining why a Roth IRA beats traditional savings like air support beats ground assault, or demonstrating how Bitcoin fits into a diversified portfolio like special forces complement regular infantry. Every financial plan becomes a strategic operation with defined objectives, measurable outcomes, and adaptive protocols.