Find Top Financial Advisors in Glendale, Arizona

Aaron Montez, Senior Partner with Validus Financial Associates, chose to be a financial professional as his desired profession early in life. After graduating with a finance degree from Arizona State University, Aaron was able to grow a client base helping individuals and business owners with their financial, education and retirement planning, estate planning strategies, and business succession planning. As a benefit to his clients Aaron sought and received a Certificate in Retirement Planning from Wharton School and holds Series 7, 63, 65 and 24 registrations through LPL Financial as well as Life and Health Licenses.

In 2003, Aaron was asked to join his firm's management team where he was eventually promoted to the Senior Vice President of the Southwest Branch. While in management, Aaron oversaw the hiring, training, development and mentoring of new advisors to the firm. This position not only allowed him to further develop his adeptness for leadership and communication but, more importantly, he also gained valuable experience working with complex client situations. He has earned the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANER^™ practitioner certification and is a member of the local Financial Planning Association. Aaron and his wife Olivia have 5 children (Zachary, Dallin, Brigham, Keaton and Ella). Aaron's hobby IS his family so he spends any and all free time with them. He enjoys fishing, coaching his kids and supporting his wife and children in their various activities. Community service has always been a priority for Aaron. He is an active volunteer with the local BSA program and serves in several capacities with his church.

We appreciate your time and interest in Validus Financial Associates.

Validus Financial Associates provides you access to a highly experienced group of professionals who provide a collaborative approach to help you toward realizing your stated goals. We help you define your vision for the future and create a clear, concise course of action to optimize your potential for financial success. Additionally, as part of your financial plan we will factor in all aspects of your financial situation including how taxes, timing and other factors may affect your portfolio now and in the future.

Ryan Kidd, Senior Partner with Validus Financial Associates, first launched his career as an Evaluator at a Nuclear Power Plant. This afforded him the chance to develop his aptitude for communication and leadership. He later channeled this unique skillset into his passion for finance as he embarked on a career in retirement planning for Utility/Nuclear Power Plant employees. Ryan's client base grew as he helped build a better financial future and transition his clients into retirement. Ryan is a Certified Retirement Counselor® who is committed to helping individuals and business owners with Financial/Retirement Planning, Estate Planning Strategies and Business Succession Planning.

Ryan Kidd received his bachelor's degree in Business Administration, a master's degree in Counseling and a Certificate in Retirement Planning from Wharton. In addition to education, he holds Series 7, 66 and 24 registrations through LPL Financial and Life and Health licenses. His dedication and success in the financial service industry has led to many awards. His dedication to his clients has led him to author his first book "The Art of Retiring Whole", a non-financial guide to retiring with purpose, productivity and endless possibilities.

Validus Financial Associates provides you access to a highly experienced group of professionals who provide a collaborative approach to help you toward realizing your stated goals. We help you define your vision for the future and create a clear, concise course of action to optimize your potential for financial success. Additionally, as part of your financial plan we will factor in all aspects of your financial situation including how taxes, timing and other factors may affect your portfolio now and in the future.

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What if you didn't need to be ultra-wealthy for personal, top-to-bottom financial guidance and investment advice? Since 1986, we've helped millions of people get the ball rolling on their financial plans — with straightforward guidance built around their story and where they're headed next. Today, we're proud to be one of America's top independent investment advisory firms as ranked by Barron's (awarded September 2025, based on prior 12-month data through June 30), with nearly 1.25 million clients and more than $314 billion assets under management (as of March 31, 2026) — and prouder still of the trust clients place in us.

The Barron's Top 100 RIA Firms list, an annual ranking of independent advisory firms, is based on qualitative and quantitative criteria. Firms elect to participate but do not pay to be included in the ranking.

Brian Penney takes stewardship of his client's finances as seriously as he takes his own. As a personal financial professional his investment recommendations are made first and foremost with your best interest in mind. Brian proudly holds himself and the firm to the highest ethical and legal standards.

What keeps Brian coming to work, though, is learning new strategies for clients, meeting new people, and building and reviewing client portfolios. He's a my-clients-come-first kind of adviser. That means maintaining his independence, so clients know he's acting according to their goals and not according to some corporate agenda. It's the best outlet for his love of people and his love of economics and the markets. He knows what he's doing is helping shape people's financial lives. Before moving forward with any financial plan, he listens carefully to your values and your vision for the future and for your legacy. His goal is to help you define and refine your vision, honor your decisions, and help you achieve those goals.

Brian holds his life, health, LTC, and securities licenses. He is a member of the Million Dollar Roundtable and a Platinum Advisor. When he's not at work, he enjoys golf, family movie night, and travel with his family, including his wife, Tammie, and their four kids.

We believe in continuing to set goals and imagine different futures.

Our mission is as consistent as the attention it provides: to have a dedicated, enduring relationship with clients, helping to grow and preserve their wealth while achieving their personal milestones and long-term goals.

Our rich investment experience enables us to craft a fully integrated wealth plan that embraces all aspects of a client's life. From those looking toward retirement or college to maximizing wealth for the next generation, or to minimizing tax exposure, our process provides strategies based on the client's overall investment goals.

We have the client's objective in mind when developing a fully personalized portfolio. We take an analytic look at a variety of financial strategies and how these may impact future cash flow and the ability to reach the client's goals.

To help ensure each client's plan moves in sync with their goals, asset allocations* are monitored and rebalanced based on changes in market conditions, client situations, and future ambitions.

*Asset allocation does not assure or guarantee better performance and cannot eliminate the risk of investment losses.

University of Michigan, B.A. in Economics 1994;

Indiana University, M.S. in Finance, 2016;

Boston College, Certificate in Financial Planning 2008;

Fuller Theological Seminary, M.A. in Theology, 2009