Emmanuel Molina

Miguel Angel Gomez Garcia (Miguel Gomez), CFP®, EA was born in Mexico City and has lived in El Paso, Texas since 2007. Miguel Gomez founded Sophronia with his partners in 2024 after 14 years as an advisor at one of El Paso's largest wealth management firms. Today, with over 16 years of experience, Miguel enjoys serving a clientele of (mainly) Latino professionals and business owners through sensible and prudent wealth management. Miguel enjoys weight-lifting and reading non-fiction books, as well as traveling and hiking with his wife and children. Miguel has a growing collection of pre-1900 books and also enjoys baking and building LEGO sets.

Kristine Marcum is a Senior Resident Director at Merrill, bringing over 25 years of experience in financial and wealth management advice and services. Since August 2000, she has worked with individuals, business owners, families, and couples to help them achieve their personal and financial goals. Her areas of expertise include college education planning, divorce transition planning, family wealth management strategies, LGBT wealth planning, personal retirement planning, portfolio management, and small business strategies. Kristine holds a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies (1995) and a master’s degree in education (2000), both from the University of Texas at El Paso. She has earned professional designations including Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor (CRPC) and Personal Investment Advisor (PIA) and maintains FINRA registrations including Series 7, 9, 10, 31, and 66. She is active in professional and community organizations such as the Executive Forum, Borderplex Alliance, CASFV, El Pasoans Fighting Hunger, Junior League of El Paso, Kids Excel El Paso, and the YWCA Paso Del Norte Region. Outside of her professional responsibilities, Kristine enjoys spending time with her husband Alfonso, their blended family of four children and three grandsons, as well as engaging in activities such as baseball, cooking, dancing, football, reading, traveling, and watching movies.

Dwayne Cates is a Senior Financial Advisor at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management. He brings over 25 years of experience in the financial services industry, having started his career with Merrill Lynch in 1999. His professional background includes roles in operations, client services, and compliance across several firms including optionsXpress and Wells Fargo Investments. In 2008, he joined the Marcum Team, combining his expertise in compliance and customer service to support his clients. Dwayne's areas of expertise encompass corporate benefit programs such as equity compensation, defined benefit, defined contribution, and nonqualified deferred compensation plans. He assists corporate executives in integrating these benefits into comprehensive, long-term financial strategies. Dwayne holds several FINRA registrations, including Series 7, Series 66, and Series 24, and has earned the Personal Investment Advisor (PIA) designation. He completed his high school education at Andress High School. In addition to his professional pursuits, Dwayne is engaged in community service and values participating in local organizations. He emphasizes building strong, accessible relationships with clients to support them and their families in making important financial decisions.

Jesus Castellanos is an International Wealth Advisor at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, where he has served since 1996. Over his tenure, Jesus has held various roles that have shaped his expertise in supporting affluent U.S.-domiciled and international clients. His experience encompasses working with institutional clients, ultra-high-net-worth families, central banks, insurance companies, corporations, and government entities, particularly throughout Latin America. As a qualified Portfolio Manager, Jesus manages discretionary Personalized and Defined Strategies that may include individual securities, Merrill Lynch model portfolios, and third-party investment approaches. Jesus holds several professional designations including CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP), CERTIFIED PLAN FIDUCIARY ADVISOR (CPFA), Personal Investment Advisor (PIA), and Retirement Accredited Financial Advisor (RAFA). He earned his Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance and Economics from Texas Tech University, followed by a Master of Business Administration and a Master of Public Administration from The University of Texas at El Paso. Bilingual in Spanish and English, he collaborates with colleagues to navigate the evolving global investment landscape and specializes in areas such as family wealth management, international wealth management, philanthropic planning, and socially responsible investing. In addition to his professional commitments, Jesus is involved with organizations including the El Paso Estate Planning Council, Financial Planning Association, and Rio Grande Economics Association. He participates in community initiatives such as the El Paso Chamber of Commerce LEP Class 37 and serves as a Better Money Habits Champion, promoting financial literacy locally. Outside of work, Jesus enjoys outdoor activities like hiking, biking, running, swimming, and woodworking with his wife Anabel and their four children.