Meet Financial Planning's 10 Rising Stars of 2026

Published September 14, 2026 5:35 AM

1 Min Read

Financial Planning is excited to announce its 2026 class of Rising Stars. This cohort of 10 standouts represents the next generation of wealth management.

Every year, we showcase advisors with fewer than 10 years of experience. These individuals are not just committed to their clients — they go the extra mile, weaving creativity with talent. Before selection, nominees undergo an independent review by Financial Planning's editorial team.

Diverse in location and scope, the class of 2026 — from midlife career-changers to TikTok activists — shares a common bond. They are mission-driven and often singularly focused, with the goal of leaving clients and communities better off for having met them. Whether it's the office or a gymnasium, they bring the same passion and conviction to the conversation.

Read on to learn more about each of the 2026 Rising Stars honorees.

Want to know more about past honorees? Read on for the winners from 2025, 2024 and 2023.

Victoria Tejeda didn't let a pandemic stop the conversation

Victoria Tejeda turned pandemic-era conversation circles into a broader mission to help women feel more confident talking about money. The Modera Wealth Management principal has since expanded that work through financial literacy programs, community partnerships and tax expertise that benefits both clients and fellow advisors.

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See how Tejeda turns education into community

Kelly Guadagnino is teaching a generation how to build and manage their wealth

Kelly Guadagnino has built her practice at Modera Wealth Management around young professionals navigating fast-rising incomes and major life changes. Along the way, she's making financial education as important as the advice itself — while also emerging as a technology leader inside her firm.

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See how Guadagnino is teaching young professionals to manage growing wealth

Sydney Woodward is defining service to others at YeskeBuie

Tease: Sydney Woodward has made service a defining part of her young career, from expanding pro bono financial planning to leading financial literacy and advocacy efforts in California. At YeskeBuie, the planner dubbed the "queen of pro bono" has helped turn giving back into a firm-wide commitment.

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See how Woodward is making service part of the culture

Chukwudi Uraih serves the clients he once saw in himself

Chukwudi Uraih took an unconventional path from the military and engineering to launching his own RIA. Now he's using those experiences to serve first-generation professionals and immigrants.

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See how Uraih turned his own financial journey into a planning niche

Cristina Wiebelt-Smith traded tax season for time — and purpose

After years navigating punishing tax seasons as a CPA, Cristina Wiebelt-Smith made a mid-career leap into financial planning. She's turned her tax expertise into a tool for helping women build confidence with money — while finding new ways to serve both clients and her community.

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See how Wiebelt-Smith turned tax expertise into a new calling

Uziel Gomez is banking on his clients' future potential

Uziel Gomez left a traditional advisory path to build Primeros Financial around first-generation wealth builders and young professionals. His model means charging less today and betting that helping clients build strong financial foundations will pay off for both sides over time.

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See why Gomez is betting on clients before they build their wealth

Patrick Yaghoobians is changing perceptions about the industry

Patrick Yaghoobians wants clients — and the next generation — to see financial advisors differently. Through Noor Financial Services and his work teaching financial literacy to students, he's trying to make good advice more accessible while challenging some of the industry's oldest stereotypes.

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See how Yaghoobians is working to change perceptions of financial advice

Gabbi Cerezo is educating educators on financial empowerment

Gabbi Cerezo traded the middle school classroom for financial planning, but she never stopped teaching. At Sustain Financial, she helps educators and government employees make sense of pensions and retirement — and she's extending those lessons to a growing audience on TikTok.

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See how Cerezo turned teaching into a planning niche

Matt Mintz has made giving back part of the job

Matt Mintz was told early in his career to repay the mentorship that helped him succeed. Six years in, the Edward Jones advisor has built an $85 million book while mentoring younger advisors, sharing planning expertise with peers and teaching financial literacy in his community.

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See how Mintz is paying his early-career mentorship forward

Marigny deMauriac is helping women through life's financial stress points

Marigny deMauriac saw firsthand as a mental health counselor how often money problems compound the stress people already face. Now she brings that perspective to financial planning, helping women through major transitions while mentoring entrepreneurs and supporting women-owned businesses.

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See how deMauriac turned a counselor's mindset into a planning career