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.

Emmanuel Molina is a Financial Solutions Advisor (FSA) at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management. In his role, he focuses on working with clients to develop personalized investment strategies that align with their financial goals and priorities. He also provides access to banking and lending services through Bank of America. Emmanuel holds professional designations as a Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor (CRPC) and Personal Investment Advisor (PIA). He earned his high school diploma from Montwood High School. His approach centers on understanding what matters most to clients and their families to help them pursue their financial objectives.

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.

Carlos Fernandez is an International Wealth Advisor with Merrill Lynch Wealth Management. He has been in the financial services industry since 2002 and specializes in developing strategies for high-net-worth individuals, their families, and their businesses. His work focuses on aligning financial solutions with clients' risk tolerance, time horizon, liquidity needs, investment goals, and associated costs. Carlos employs a client-centered and consultative approach to wealth management. He begins by gaining a thorough understanding of each client’s financial needs, then formulates asset allocation recommendations that reflect their income and growth expectations. He and his team maintain ongoing communication to ensure that the wealth management strategy continues to align with clients' personal financial goals. His expertise extends to serving international clients with considerations such as currency hedging, financial privacy, capital preservation, and estate planning. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering (1997) and a Master’s in Finance (2001) from Instituto Tecnológico de Monterrey, as well as an M.B.A. from Pepperdine University (2002). Carlos is a Personal Investment Advisor (PIA) and is fluent in Spanish and English. Originally from Mexico City, he resides in El Paso, Texas, with his wife, Chantal, and their children.

Mario Lopez is an International Wealth Advisor and Senior Vice President at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management. Since joining Merrill in 2011, he has worked alongside his father, Fernando Lopez, to lead The Lopez Team, continuing a family practice that began in 1987. He focuses on guiding business owners and families, both in the U.S. and internationally, through complex financial decisions with an emphasis on comprehensive wealth planning, cross-border strategies, business transition and exit planning, and tax-efficient investment approaches. Mario holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona’s Eller College of Business and several professional designations, including CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® (CFP®), Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor™ (CRPC™), Accredited Asset Management Specialist™ (AAMS™), and Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA). He has been recognized on Forbes’ Best-in-State Wealth Advisors lists from 2022 through 2025 and was selected to serve on Merrill’s Next Generation Leadership Council in 2024. Fluent in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, and Italian, Mario brings a global perspective to his practice. Outside of his professional work, he spends time with his wife and two children and pursues interests such as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, where he holds a black belt with over 18 years of training, chess, rock climbing, tennis, and music.