I began in this industry in 2010 in the aftermath of the financial crisis, working in a largely transactional, commission-based role during my first year. My employer at the time focused heavily on investments and placed little emphasis on financial advice. My following employer was fee-based - favoring the AUM business model - and focused much more on financial planning. At face value, this was a great change for me. However, as my career progressed and I learned more about our industry, my feelings on the AUM business model began to evolve. Over time, I became disenchanted with the notion that an advisor should be entitled to a cut of a client’s portfolio. It also began to dawn on me that – in this industry – most employers would value me based on how much money I brought in each year, and not necessarily on how much I was helping my clients. This ultimately is what led me to breakaway, become fully independent, and establish Fair Asset Management. I am a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® professional. Back in 2010 when I got my start, this was considered the “gold standard” credential of the financial planning profession. This designation - while important & valuable - represents minimum, baseline knowledge, and serves as a starting point to furthering your expertise through continuing education. I went on to become a Certified Private Wealth Advisor® professional. The CPWA® curriculum focuses on serving the needs of clients with a minimum net worth of $5 million and goes far deeper than the CFP® into areas like high-net-worth estate planning strategies, and planning for corporate executives. My experience as a CPWA® professional uniquely qualifies me to develop specific strategies to minimize taxes, monetize & protect assets, maximize growth, and transfer wealth. I then became admitted to practice before the Internal Revenue Service as an Enrolled Agent (EA). Enrolled Agent status is the highest credential the IRS awards. As taxes are intertwined with virtually every aspect of financial planning, having such a broad base of knowledge & expertise allows me to help clients navigate an ever-changing tax landscape. Enrolled Agents, like tax attorneys & CPAs, are unrestricted as to what types of tax matters they can handle. In addition to the above credentials, I am also a Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC®), Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU®), and Retirement Income Certified Professional (RICP®).

Jian Kong is a financial advisor at Amerina International Capital Management LLC in Dallas, TX, with 13 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has been with Amerina since 2012, also working at Alphabetwise Capital LLC since 2022. Kong serves as the managing member of Amerina, overseeing daily operations and investment management. Amerina International Capital Management LLC provides discretionary investment supervisory services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, and corporations. The firm employs a blend of fundamental, technical, charting, and cyclical analysis, utilizing both long- and short-term trading strategies with discretionary authority to execute transactions on behalf of clients.

Ivan Sacks is a financial advisor at Kingsley Advisors, LLC in Dallas, TX, with 23 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 63 and Series 65 designations and has worked at Kingsley Advisors since 2015, with a brief tenure at National Asset Management, Inc. from 2015 to 2017. Kingsley Advisors provides discretionary portfolio management to individual and institutional clients, focusing on deep-value, out-of-favor opportunities through concentrated positions in a limited number of securities. The firm offers its investment strategy exclusively via its own wrap fee program, managing portfolios primarily through separately managed accounts.

James Browne is a financial advisor at Coleman River Capital LLC in Dallas, TX, with 22 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has been with Coleman River Capital since 2003. Coleman River Capital LLC provides investment advisory and portfolio management services to a diverse client base, including individuals, trusts, charitable organizations, and pension plans. The firm employs a combination of fundamental and technical analysis to construct concentrated long and short portfolios using U.S. equities, ETFs, and listed options, including strategies such as short sales and margin trading tailored to client risk profiles.

Ross Pauley is a CFP® professional with 25 years of experience in financial advising. He is the principal of Capital Achievements, LLC in Dallas, TX, where he has worked since 2017. Prior to that, he operated Pauley Financial Services, Inc. for over two decades and was involved with Now's the Time - Move Forward, LLC from 2022 to 2024. Capital Achievements provides investment management and financial planning services to individuals, families, and trusts, managing over $154 million in client assets. The firm focuses on active asset management, comprehensive planning, and offers both discretionary and non-discretionary account management, with a client base that is relatively small compared to its asset size.

David Portnoy is a CFP® and CFA® with 22 years of industry experience. He is the founder and principal of Upspring Capital LLC, where he has worked since 2018. Prior to that, he held roles at Calton & Associates, IMS Securities, and IMS Financial Advisors. Outside of financial advising, he owns and operates businesses in metal fabrication and material handling equipment sales. Upspring Capital provides investment management and financial planning services to individuals, trusts, estates, businesses, and retirement plans, as well as pooled investment vehicles. The firm combines fundamental analysis, Modern Portfolio Theory, and technical and cyclical analysis in its investment approach, offering discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management along with retirement plan consulting and fiduciary support.

Shayan Mozaffar is a financial advisor at 10x10y LLC in Dallas, TX, holding a Series 65 designation with four years of industry experience. He has worked at firms including Parian Global, Woodson Capital, and Solomon Global Management. Mozaffar is also an adjunct professor at Columbia Business School, where he teaches a course on Advanced Investment Research. 10x10y LLC provides discretionary investment management and portfolio oversight for individual and institutional clients across multiple asset classes. The firm employs a blend of fundamental, technical, quantitative, and qualitative analysis to construct concentrated long and short positions, utilizing tools such as ETFs, options, and leverage.

Edward Sullivan is a CFA® charterholder with 16 years of industry experience. He is the sole advisor at EFS Asset Management LLC, where he has worked since 2024. Prior to that, he was with Five Keys Capital Advisors, Inc. and Belmont Global Advisors Inc. from 2009 to 2024. EFS Asset Management provides discretionary investment advisory services to high-net-worth individuals, managing approximately $60 million across 32 client relationships. The firm combines equity and fixed-income strategies with distinctive use of leverage and short positions, and allocates IPO shares to eligible clients while forwarding proxy materials for client review.

Mary McMahon is a CFP® professional with 15 years of experience in financial advising. She has led MSM Advisory, LLC, an independent firm based in Dallas, TX, since 2016. Outside of advising, she serves as a chapter president of Master Networks and is active with Rotary International. MSM Advisory provides comprehensive financial planning and investment consultation to individual clients, including high-net-worth individuals, and small businesses. The firm employs a blend of fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis within an active investment approach, often utilizing third-party managers and the Envestnet platform, while maintaining non-discretionary client relationships.

Paul Williams is a financial advisor at Dominion Financial Advisors, LLC in Dallas, TX, holding a Series 65 credential. He has one year of industry experience, having joined Dominion Financial Advisors in 2025. Prior to his advisory role, he worked in franchising and the food service industry. Dominion Financial Advisors provides financial planning and discretionary investment management services to individuals and high-net-worth clients. The firm’s investment approach incorporates asset allocation and Modern Portfolio Theory, using both passive and active investment vehicles tailored to client objectives and risk tolerance.

Austin Akagu is a financial advisor at Trove Investment Advisors LLC in Dallas, TX, holding a Series 65 designation with six years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at IHS Markit and First National Bank Texas. He also serves as Head of Product, Strategy, and Business Development at Trove Nigeria, an affiliate of his firm, dedicating time outside trading hours to this role. Trove Investment Advisors LLC provides online robo-advisory portfolio management to individuals, banks, and corporate clients through an algorithm-driven platform accessible via web and mobile apps. The firm focuses on equities, fixed income, ETFs, and non-U.S. securities, offering both discretionary and non-discretionary arrangements with automated allocation adjustments based on client profiles.

Stephen spent the first six years of his career in the Dallas office of Ernst & Young, LLP, in various roles, including Manager in Mergers & Acquisitions Due Diligence, where he assisted private equity funds in acquiring businesses. Stephen then spent the next fifteen years in various roles at Maverick Capital, Ltd., one of the world’s largest, oldest, and most prestigious hedge funds, ultimately serving as a Managing Director in Private Equity and Venture Capital, overseeing the valuation of over $5B in private investments. Stephen obtained his undergraduate and graduate degrees in accounting and finance from Texas A&M University and was a proud member of the Texas Aggie Corps of Cadets, where he served as Company D-2’s Executive Officer in his senior year. He also completed the certificate program in Financial Planning from Southern Methodist University. Stephen has been married to his wife Amy for over 20 years, having met as young CPAs at Ernst & Young, LLP. Amy and Stephen live in Lake Highlands with their daughter, who attends Ursuline Academy, where she rows crew. An avid doubles tennis player, he can be found with his friends on courts all over North Dallas. Stephen has a passion for not-for-profit finance leadership and has served on the board of directors of various Dallas organizations, including the Maverick Capital Foundation, Church of the Incarnation, Incarnation Foundation, Incarnation Place, and Incarnation House. Additionally, he has served as Treasurer of The Family Place, Junior Warden, and Treasurer at Church of the Incarnation. Stephen is currently Vice-Chairman of the Dick Granger Neighborhood Ministry, where he co-leads a team of over 25 volunteers providing episodic financial assistance for the working poor in the Uptown area. He is also on the board of directors of the Ursuline Academy of Dallas Foundation and a finance committee member. Stephen is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional, an active Certified Public Accountant in Texas, and holds the American Institute of CPA's (AICPA) Personal Financial Specialist credential, Series 65 license, and the Certificate in Investment Performance Measurement from the CFA Institute. He is a member of the Financial Planning Association (FPA), CFA Institute, and AICPA and is active in both the Texas Society of CPAs – Dallas Chapter, where he serves as a committee director, and FPA – DFW Chapter, where he serves on the board of directors.

Stephen Ratchford is the sole advisor at R5 Capital Management in Dallas, TX, holding a Series 66 designation with 18 years of industry experience. He has been with R5 Capital Management since 2013. Outside of his advisory role, he has worked as an insurance agent on a limited basis. R5 Capital Management serves individual and high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and employer retirement plans. The firm offers asset management, comprehensive portfolio management, and retirement plan consulting, using a combination of analytical methods and typically pursuing long-term purchase strategies with periodic rebalancing.

Kyle Grisz is a financial advisor at Voyage Wealth Management, LLC with three years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and previously worked at Paratus Financial, Inc. for ten years. Voyage Wealth Management, LLC also provides tax planning and compliance services to clients. Voyage Wealth Management offers portfolio management and financial planning primarily to individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm emphasizes fundamental analysis and modern portfolio theory with a long-term investment approach, managing accounts primarily on a discretionary basis and providing custodial services through Charles Schwab.

Cindy Mikel is the principal of Mikel Wealth Management in Dallas, TX, with 13 years of industry experience. She holds a Series 66 designation and previously worked at Smith Wealth Advisors, Symmetry Financial Services, Securian Financial Services, Minnesota Life Insurance Company, and Planto Roe Financial Services. Outside of her advisory role, she practices law as the owner of the Law Office of Cindy Mikel and serves as a bookkeeper for Central Presbyterian Church. Mikel Wealth Management serves individuals, families, high-net-worth clients, and small businesses with personalized investment advisory and financial planning services. The firm manages portfolios across a range of securities using fundamental analysis and asset allocation, primarily operating in a non-discretionary capacity.

James Bruno Jr. is a financial advisor at Five Keys Private Advisors LLC in Dallas, TX, holding a Series 65 designation with experience beginning in 2020. His prior roles include work at Kennedy Private Client Services LLC and ownership in the Bruno Restaurant Group, LLC. He is also a passive owner of Village Way Financial LLC, an accounting services business. Five Keys Private Advisors provides discretionary investment advisory services to accredited investors, focusing on pooled investment vehicles and a fundamental, macroeconomic-based approach to identifying fairly priced assets. The firm actively monitors risk and may engage unaffiliated managers for specialized allocations.

Donald Laseter is a CFP® professional with 10 years of industry experience, currently serving as the sole advisor at Financial Consulting Services in Dallas, TX. He has been with the firm since 1989. Financial Consulting Services specializes in discretionary investment management and financial planning for individuals, families—including high-net-worth clients—and small businesses. The firm employs a long-term investment approach that combines fundamental, technical, cyclical, and charting analyses, alongside active trading strategies including options, leverage, and alternative investments.

John Shryack is the sole advisor at JS Wealth Investment Group, an independent firm based in Dallas, TX. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 designations and has 37 years of industry experience. He has led JS Wealth Investment Group since 2012. The firm primarily serves individual clients, including both non‑high-net-worth and high-net-worth individuals, as well as small businesses, charities, and small pension plans. JS Wealth Investment Group provides financial planning and portfolio management with a client-driven, largely non-discretionary approach, typically investing in broad markets through stocks, bonds, mutual funds, government securities, and options.

Melody Jackson is a CFP® professional with 15 years of industry experience, operating through her firm, Jackson Financial Services LLC in Dallas, TX. She has worked at Unum since 2010, providing group and individual financial counseling related to employee benefits. In addition to her advisory role, she is a licensed CPA and life and health insurance agent, offering tax compliance and insurance services. Jackson Financial Services LLC provides fee-based comprehensive financial planning, investment advisory, and income tax services to individuals, families, and small businesses. The firm serves as a fiduciary advisor to employer-sponsored retirement plans, delivering non-discretionary, advice-only investment guidance focused on long-term strategies and diversified allocations using mutual funds and ETFs.

Alan Lawrence is the sole advisor at Lawrence, Alan, an independent firm based in Dallas, TX. He holds the CFA® designation and Series 63 license and has 39 years of industry experience, including 36 years at First Research Financial. Outside of advising, he is involved in personal real estate investment activities through ownership, management, and financing of properties for his own account and trust. The firm provides portfolio management and advisory services to individuals, retirement plans, business entities, trusts, estates, and occasionally pension and profit-sharing plans. Investment decisions emphasize fundamental and macroeconomic analysis, with portfolios that can include a range of securities such as equities, bonds, ETFs, options, futures, and real-estate related instruments.