I submitted my first buy order in 1987 at age 13 trying to impress my exiled grandfather, the former Undersecretary of the Treasury of the Castro Revolutionary Government. Since 1996, I have pursued my early-found passion in various industry roles including portfolio management and institutional sales with Fortune 500 companies, as well as no-name startups.In 2005, I started an investment advisory practice at an insurance-owned broker/dealer which developed into delivering investment management solutions for financial advisors nationwide. The practice was formalized in 2012 as its own LLC, and then further formalized as its own SEC registered investment adviser in 2022, where I serve as CIO for its investment advisory offerings.I've authored two books on financial services. The #1 Amazon Bestseller in Accounting, “Success as a Financial Advisor For Dummies” (©️2018, Wiley), is a must-have manual for anyone seeking a successful financial advisory career. My first book (dedicated and presented to my elated grandpa before his death), “How to Hire (or Fire) Your Financial Advisor: Ten Simple Questions To Guide Decision-Making” (©️2015, iUniverse), was even favorably featured by The Washington Post.Member of CFA Institute; Founding Member of CFA Society Los Angeles Wealth Management League; Monthly article published at Forbes.com; Feature interviews with The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones, Financial Planning Magazine, and Proactive Advisor Magazine on capital markets and wealth advisor topicsOfficial Member of Forbes Finance Council ('16-'23); Financial Times Top Financial Adviser ('16); Five Star Wealth Manager by Los Angeles Magazine and The Wall Street Journal ('18-'23); Investopedia Premier Advisor ('16); Inc. 5000 Honoree ('19); InvestmentNews Diversity & Inclusion “See It, Be It” Role Model Award ('19)B.A. Philosophy and B.S. Finance from Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA; Certified Fund Specialist (CFS); Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF); Passed Level I of the CFA ProgramDisclosure: Investment advisory services offered through Aligne Wealth Advisors Investment Management (AWAIM®), an SEC registered investment advisor. Supervisory Office: 1801 Century Park E, Ste 1440, Los Angeles, CA 90067, (310) 795-0622. AWAIM® is a wholly owned business unit and DBA of Aligne Wealth Preservation & Insurance Services, LLC. www.sipc.org