Our Team

Our Team

Paragon Financial Services, formerly Bryan Chew & Associates, was formed with one mission: to help our clients reach their financial goals. For the past 30 years, we have continued to service our clients at the exceptionally high level of service they deserve.

We provide a collaborative team approach by combining the skills and experience of CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER professionals to answer all of your financial needs. We believe this is a distinct approach because it allows us to understand your situation and to provide services that exceed your expectations.

Our services focus on maintaining a strong working relationship to guide you through any financial milestone, including retirement planning, college planning, preservation of assets or accumulation, estate planning, risk management, and tax planning. Our team will provide you with independent, professional advice that is not clouded by proprietary products like our competition may. We remain completely independent through our affiliation with Commonwealth Financial Network®.

Bryan Chew

Bryan Chew, JD, CFP®, received his undergraduate degree from the University of California, Irvine, and his juris doctorate degree from the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law. Prior to establishing his financial planning practice, he was an agent with the Internal Revenue Service specializing in audits.

Bryan was an instructor of the Personal Financial Planning Program offered at the University of California, Davis Extension Program. With more than 30 years of industry experience, he feels that teaching students real-life scenarios, in addition to fundamental theories, will better prepare them for this rapidly evolving profession.

In his spare time, he enjoys coaching baseball, playing softball, gardening, spending time with his family, and giving back to the community by educating future financial planners entering the industry.

Designations and registrations:

  • CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional
  • FINRA Series 7, 24, and 63 securities registrations
  • California life and health insurance licenses (CA Insurance Lic. #0768271)
  • Investment Adviser Representative of Commonwealth Financial Network

Marites Avila

Marites is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional with more than 10 years of experience in the financial industry. She received her undergraduate degree in mathematics from California State University, East Bay. Marites graduated from the University of California, Davis Extension Program's Personal Financial Planning program and worked 10 years with J.P. Morgan Chase Bank, four years as a financial advisor.

As a financial advisor, Marites provides comprehensive wealth management, which includes educating and guiding her clients in building, managing, and protecting their wealth. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with family, having lunch with friends, and watching travel shows. 

Designations and registrations:

  • CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional
  • FINRA Series 6, 7, 63, 66 securities registrations
  • California life and health insurance licenses (CA Insurance License #0I12189)
  • Investment Adviser Representative of Commonwealth Financial Network 

Kiran Ali

Kiran graduated from California State University, Sacramento with a degree in finance. She has worked various roles and internships in the financial industry before joining the team at Paragon Financial, where she felt she could truly make an impact in helping individuals reach their financial goals. When Kiran is not in the office, you can find her reading a book in her garden, concocting new recipes, or traveling. 

Nick Chew

Nick officially joined Paragon in July 2023 and worked as a seasonal intern in years prior. He graduated from San Diego State University in the spring of 2023 with a bachelor’s degree in financial services. He is the newest addition to the Paragon family and is working toward attaining his CFP® certification in the near future. He is also studying to become an Enrolled Agent to prepare tax returns. In his free time, Nick enjoys spending time with family and friends, playing softball and baseball, going to festivals, working out at the gym, and being a proud Cat Dad. He has a passion for baseball and aspires to coach one day when he has a family of his own. 

Lida Chew

Lida joined Paragon in October 2016 as an administrative assistant and helps oversee the day-to-day operations of the office. In this role, she performs duties that include office and personnel management, hiring and training staff, processing financial transactions, and engaging with clients. She considers everyone to be a part of her special extended family. Lida has always enjoyed interacting and engaging with people, especially children. Prior to joining Paragon, she worked for many years with children with a range of learning disabilities and behavioral challenges. One of her many proud and rewarding moments was teaching a group of students starting at kindergarten and helping them grow and thrive, then watching them move on to middle school and then high school. Everyone has special qualities and is unique in their own ways. Lida enjoys making people feel special and happy; spending time with family and friends is especially important to her.

Naomi Hisatomi

Naomi joined Paragon in November 2016 as an administrative assistant and has extensive experience in client relations and office management. She efficiently coordinates activities, ensuring that office programs are organized and completed. Naomi provides support to our advisors in preparing for client meetings, processing various financial transactions, conducting quarterly client calls, processing retirement distributions, and taking on office projects and coordinating client events with a smile! You may have received a cheerful birthday greeting from Naomi…she delivers service with a smile. She often goes above and beyond and the extra mile to ensure that end results exceed expectations. When not working at the office, she can be found caring for her family, gardening, or going on shopping sprees!

Sophie Zeller