Matt McGinness

Founded in 1993, First Allied Securities, Inc. is an independent, SEC-registered broker/dealer headquartered in San Diego, California. The firm is a member of FINRA, the NASD and the SIPC. First Allied Securities Inc. was previously a subsidiary of Advanced Equities Financial Corp. In April 2006, Advanced Equities Financial Corp. acquired First Financial Planners and merged it with First Allied Securities. In 2008, the firm acquired First Montauk Securities Corp. from First Montauk Financial Corp. In 2011, Lovell Minnick Partners LLC and the management team of First Allied Advisory Services acquired the firm from Advanced Equities Financial Corp. First Allied Securities is affiliated with First Allied Advisory Services, Inc., a registered investment advisor. The firm provides a full array of trading and execution services for their clients. They do not provide any internal research.

Cerulli Associates, Inc. is an international research and consulting firm that provides financial institutions with guidance in strategic positioning and new business development. The private company is based in Boston, MA and has subsidiaries in Singapore and United Kingdom. The company's analysts blend industry knowledge, original research, and data analysis to bring perspective to current market conditions and forecasts for future developments. The company was founded in 1992 by David Nadig, Kurt Cerulli. Kurt Cerulli has been the CEO since 1992.

First Allied Advisory Services, Inc. (FAAS) is an investment management firm headquartered in San Diego, California. The firm was founded in 2007 and is owned by First Allied Holdings, Inc., ultimately held by Aretec Group, Inc. Through their Investment Advisory Representatives (IARs), FAAS provides a variety of investment advisory programs and services for individuals, high net-worth individuals, banking institutions, pension plans, profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and other corporations and businesses. The firm also offers both wrap and non-wrap programs.