WHY JERRY CHOSE TO BE A FINANCIAL PLANNER: His lack of financial literacy was not by choice. It was because personal finance was not taught in school or in his community. As a first-generation wealth builder, Jerry's money journey has been shaped by a profound understanding of both cultural and financial expectations. His experiences have uniquely positioned him to empathize with the challenges faced by first-generation families, inspiring a distinctive approach to financial guidance. His moment of profound solitude occurred during his transition from the Marine Corps back to civilian life. In uniform, Jerry felt in control, with camaraderie, financial stability, and a consistent salary. However, the day he left, all that stability vanished giving way to a cascade of emotions - depression, anxiety, and fear. Jerry, who had grown up facing financial hardships, relying on food stamps, and public aid, knew it was time to stop merely talking about wanting to build wealth and start acting. The realization struck deep: He needed to make a difference not just for himself, but for others facing similar issues. Motivated by a desire to help his family and friends, Jerry decided to be the guide he wished he'd had. He obtained his license, college degree, and joined a firm not only to enhance his life but the lives of other 1st-time wealth builders. After a few years of helping high net worth individuals grow their assets, Jerry felt the firm wasn't built to help families like his. In 2024, Jerry took the leap and launched Confianza Wealth Management as a guide for aspiring wealth builders. Jerry is on a mission to empower 1st-time wealth building families. Jerry wants to bridge the financial planning accessibility gap by helping these millennial families take control of their financial futures.

Terrence Gustafson is the principal of Gustafson Financial Solutions in Oceanside, CA, and holds the CFP® and Series 63 designations. He has 22 years of experience at his independent firm and also holds credentials as an Enrolled Agent, preparing client tax returns alongside financial advising. Gustafson Financial Solutions serves individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations, offering financial, retirement, and estate planning, as well as risk reviews and tax planning. The firm focuses on portfolio analysis and commission-free mutual fund and ETF recommendations, using a proprietary database and computerized screening to develop asset allocations and fund selections.

Scott Weber is a financial advisor with WealthLynk, Inc., holding a Series 66 designation and 19 years of industry experience. He previously worked at J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and Tollminder before joining WealthLynk. In addition to his advisory role, he is an independent insurance agent. WealthLynk provides ongoing portfolio management and financial planning to individual, high-net-worth, and charitable organization clients. The firm offers tailored, non-discretionary investment recommendations based on long-term strategies and multiple analytical methods, conducting at least quarterly account reviews and implementing trades only with client consent.

John O'Reilly is the sole advisor at O'Reilly Wealth Advisors in Carlsbad, CA, holding a Series 65 designation with 19 years of industry experience. He has been the principal of O'Reilly Financial Services, LLC since 2006. In addition to his advisory role, Mr. O'Reilly is a licensed insurance agent affiliated with various companies. O'Reilly Wealth Advisors serves individuals, corporations, and pension/profit-sharing plans, offering investment management, financial planning, retirement advisory, and insurance services. The firm employs a risk-tolerance questionnaire to construct diversified model portfolios primarily using low-expense mutual funds and reviews accounts quarterly.

Clair Leedom is the principal of Leedom Asset Management, Inc., an independent firm based in Rancho Santa Fe, CA. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 20 years of industry experience. Prior to founding Leedom Asset Management in 2007, he has been involved with California Equity Research since 2003, where he also serves as chairman of the board. Leedom Asset Management provides discretionary portfolio management for individual investors, charitable organizations, and pension/profit-sharing plans. The firm manages equity and fixed-income portfolios, operates a private pooled investment vehicle, and employs a growth-oriented strategy focused on small- to mid-cap emerging-growth stocks using a proprietary strength indicator and a combination of fundamental and technical analysis.

Brad Reinard is the sole advisor at QTR Capital Management LLC in Oceanside, CA, holding a Series 65 license with five years of industry experience. He has been with QTR Capital Management since 2020 and serves as an adjunct professor of Management Science at Chapman University’s Argyros School of Business and Economics. Additionally, he is the chief publisher of an investment newsletter through MCTO Capital Management LLC, a role he has held since 2008. QTR Capital Management provides discretionary investment management primarily to high-net-worth individuals through separately managed accounts. The firm employs a range of equity, ETF, and options strategies that combine technical, fundamental, and quantitative analysis, offering both long/short equity trades and non-directional options strategies tailored to client preferences.

Gabriel Katzner is a CFP® professional with five years of experience at Frame Wealth Management and over 17 years as a solo attorney at Katzner Law Group, P.C., specializing in estate planning, asset protection, and estate administration. He operates out of Carlsbad, CA, combining financial advisory with legal expertise in his practice. Frame Wealth Management offers a “Personal Chief Financial Officer” style wealth management program focused on discretionary investment management, advanced planning, and financial planning for individuals, trusts, and charitable organizations. The firm’s approach is based on Modern Portfolio Theory and a long-term, buy-and-hold strategy utilizing diversified asset-class exposure primarily through no-load mutual funds and ETFs, and includes affiliated legal services for estate and asset protection planning.

Rick Alvarado is a CFP® professional with 35 years of industry experience. He has been with Wealth One Advisors since 2000 and has also worked with LPL Financial (formerly Linsco/Private Ledger Corp.) since 1993. His practice includes providing financial planning services and occasional work related to fixed annuities. Wealth One Advisors offers financial planning and consulting services to individuals, high-net-worth households, and certain pension and profit-sharing plans. The firm does not manage client assets or accept custody, instead focusing on written financial plans and hourly consulting, using both fundamental and technical analysis to support long-term asset allocation and other strategies.

Darren Schuringa is a CFA® charterholder and the sole advisor at Yorkville Capital Management LLC, where he has worked since 2006. He has 20 years of industry experience. Yorkville Capital Management provides discretionary portfolio management and investment supervisory services to high-net-worth individuals and various institutional and household accounts. The firm employs proprietary risk models and asset-allocation algorithms, tactical hedging, and short selling as part of its risk-management strategy.

Ahmet Turken is a financial advisor at Turken Investments LLC with five years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has worked in finance roles at Becton Dickinson, Thermo Fisher Scientific, and DEI Holdings. In addition to his advisory work, he serves as Senior Finance Manager at Becton Dickinson, focusing on financial planning and budgeting for the Biosciences division. Turken Investments provides investment management and financial planning services to individuals including executives, professionals, entrepreneurs, retirees, and small business owners, with a client base that may include U.S. clients with family or business interests abroad. The firm emphasizes client-specific investment policies, asset-class allocation, and diversification, operating on a non-discretionary basis and offering both asset-based management fees and hourly billing for certain planning projects.

Scott Goswami is a CFA® charterholder with 11 years of industry experience. He is currently the sole advisor at Archstone Capital Advisors, where he has worked since 2025. Prior to joining Archstone, he spent nine years at RBC Capital Markets. Archstone Capital Advisors is a newly registered investment advisory firm that provides discretionary portfolio management and integrated financial planning primarily to individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm’s investment approach focuses on income-oriented, risk-defined option strategies alongside long- and short-term trading and ongoing portfolio rebalancing.

Chano Arellano is a financial advisor at Building Equities, LLC with 35 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has worked independently since 1995, with prior roles at Calton & Associates, Inc. and Whitney Kuhn, LLC. Outside of advisory work, he operates as a licensed insurance agent and serves as an independent contractor for Redfin, assisting with home showings. Building Equities LLC provides portfolio management and investment advisory services primarily to individual clients, utilizing standard instruments such as mutual funds, equities, fixed income, and ETFs. The firm employs both charting and fundamental analysis, engaging in various trading strategies including long- and short-term trading, margin transactions, and options.

Jake Pezzi is a financial advisor at Pezzi Wealth Management LLC in San Marcos, CA, holding a Series 66 designation with two years of industry experience. He previously worked at LPL Enterprise, Prudential Financial Planning Services, and Pruco Securities, LLC. Outside of advisory services, he is a licensed insurance agent. Pezzi Wealth Management LLC provides discretionary investment management and comprehensive financial planning to individual and high-net-worth clients, focusing on portfolios built with exchange-traded funds and low-cost mutual funds. The firm employs a fundamental analysis-based investment process with a long-term orientation, incorporates independent managers without receiving direct compensation, and offers retirement and other planning services.

Francisco Maldonado is a CFP® and holds a Series 66 license with 20 years of industry experience. He is the sole advisor at Global Vantage Wealth Management in Encinitas, CA, where he has worked since 2010. Global Vantage Wealth Management provides investment management and comprehensive financial planning to individual and high-net-worth clients, including cross-border families and international professionals. The firm uses a primarily passive investment approach supplemented by fundamental analysis, focusing on individualized portfolios and maintaining mostly non-discretionary assets under management.

Nicholas Di Paolo is a CFP® professional with two years of industry experience, currently serving as the sole advisor at Forum Private Wealth, LLC. His prior roles include positions at Evoke Wealth, Crescent Bay Advisors, and BNY Mellon Wealth Management. Forum Private Wealth, LLC is a state-registered advisory firm that provides comprehensive financial planning, consulting, and family office services to ultra-high-net-worth clients. The firm focuses on tailored financial summaries and recommendations, coordinating with unaffiliated third-party managers and other specialists rather than managing assets directly.

Born and raised in Saigon, I moved to the U.S. alone at 16. Shortly after, my family’s business collapsed, and I became financially independent when I was still a teenager. That experience lit a fire in me—a desire to understand how money works, and how to use it to protect and empower the people we love. As I went deeper into the world of finance, spent over a decade working with leading private wealth management firms in California, I realized wealth isn't just about income or investments. It's about peace. It's about having choices. And it's about living a life that reflects who you are—not just what you’ve earned. Too often, we’re taught to chase someone else’s version of success. I’ve seen people climb hard, high, and fast—only to realize they were on the wrong mountain. That’s why I started Anora Wealth: to help people like you pause, get clear on your “why,” and build a financial life rooted in intention, not pressure. Today, I work with first-generation wealth builders, content creators, and women in transition to align their money with what matters most—so they can stop surviving, and start designing a life of clarity, calm, and confidence. Outside of work, I love learning new things, listening to podcasts, crafting, and spending time in nature. I stay active through boxing, cycling, hiking, tennis, and yoga. I’m fluent in Vietnamese, currently learning Mandarin, and know a bit of French.

Boonseon Gudmundsen is a CFP® and Series 65-licensed financial advisor with 14 years of industry experience. He has been the principal of Beacon Financial Management LLC since 2011 and has also managed family financial matters since 2004. Beacon Financial Management LLC is a fee-only registered investment adviser serving individuals, small businesses, trusts, estates, and retirement plans. The firm offers comprehensive and limited-scope financial planning along with discretionary investment management, focusing on long-term asset allocation and diversified portfolios tailored to clients’ objectives and risk tolerance.

Tommy Wadsworth is a financial advisor at Safe Harbor Assets in Fallbrook, CA, holding a Series 65 designation with three years of industry experience. His prior work includes roles at Jack Wadsworth Consulting and Voice by the Sea Inc. Safe Harbor Assets is an independent advisory firm serving individuals, high-net-worth clients, and business entities with discretionary and non-discretionary asset management, financial planning, and consulting. The firm employs a variety of analytical methods to tailor investment programs to client goals and risk tolerance, managing approximately $1.7 million in discretionary assets for a small client roster.

Darren Caris is the sole advisor at Caris Investment Partners, an independent firm based in Encinitas, CA. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 26 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Western Financial Corp, Caris Global Advisors, and Independent Investment Bankers Corp. Caris Investment Partners provides discretionary portfolio management and advisory services to individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, retirement-plan participants, and small businesses. The firm employs a combined fundamental and technical investment approach with active security selection across multiple asset classes and manages both individual and institutional accounts, including ERISA plans.

At Arcadia, we focus on helping people over age 45 lower taxes, manage their wealth, and retire on their terms. We charge a fair, flat fee which covers all financial planning and investment management. Before founding Arcadia I was an equity Partner at one of the largest Registered Investment Advisors (RIA) in the country where I was directly responsible for managing over $400 million in client assets and 120 client relationships. Over my 16 years in the wealth management industry, I became critical of the notion that wealth management firms should be entitled to a percentage of a client’s portfolio by charging an assets under management (AUM) fee. It also began to dawn on me that – in this industry – most traditional wealth management firms would value me based on how much client assets I brought in each year, and not necessarily on how much I was helping my clients. This ultimately is what led me to become fully independent and found Arcadia Private Wealth, implementing flat fee pricing so clients are treated more equitably and more conflicts of interests are removed from the advisor-client relationship.