Lauren Castle Black

Lynn Phillips Gaines is a CFP® with 44 years of industry experience, currently serving at Phillips Wealth Planners LLC since 2022. She previously worked at Raymond James Financial Services Advisors, Inc. for 13 years and operated Phillips Financial and Lynn Phillips Inc. for over a decade. Outside of advisory work, she owns and partners in several businesses, including Early Building Construction, LLC and Endeavour Enterprises, LLC. Phillips Wealth Planners provides discretionary wealth management, financial planning, and retirement plan advisory services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, families, trusts, estates, and small businesses. The firm employs a primarily long-term investment approach tailored to client goals, utilizing fundamental and technical analysis, and offers customized portfolios including equities, ETFs, bonds, and mutual funds.

Andrew George Sr. is a financial advisor at Savvy with 10 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63, Series 65, and Series 66 licenses and previously worked at Cetera and Regions Bank. Savvy provides investment and financial planning services to individuals, trusts, estates, businesses, ERISA plan sponsors, and charitable organizations. The firm offers customized, primarily index-based long-term investment strategies alongside active equity portfolios and tax-aware direct indexing, utilizing third-party sub-advisers and technology platforms.

Elton Thomas III is a CFP® professional with 24 years of industry experience, currently serving at VALIC Financial Advisors since 2003. He also holds a Series 66 designation and has worked with Agia since 2022. Outside of his advisory role, he serves on the Finance Committee of First United Methodist Church in Columbus, MS. VALIC Financial Advisors primarily serves U.S.-based individual investors, including high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth clients, as well as corporate and retirement-plan participants. The firm offers discretionary managed-account programs, financial planning, and brokerage services, utilizing Envestnet-developed UMA models for portfolio construction and management.

Aaron Jones is a ChFC® credentialed financial advisor with 15 years of industry experience. He has worked at Eagle Strategies (NY Life) since 2018 and has been affiliated with Nylife Securities LLC and New York Life Insurance Company since 2013. Jones serves as Vice President on the board of the Local Learning Community Foundation, which focuses on empowering families and youth in the community. Eagle Strategies provides financial planning, investment management, and retirement-plan advisory services to individual and institutional clients. The firm offers a range of program types and emphasizes tailored recommendations, managing the majority of its assets on a non-discretionary basis within an integrated New York Life affiliate structure.

Robert Crosland III is a CFP® professional with 35 years of experience in the financial services industry. He is affiliated with Commonwealth Financial Network and is the owner of Crosland Wealth Management, Inc., where he has worked since 2010. His practice includes fixed insurance sales conducted at his branch location. Commonwealth Financial Network serves a national network of approximately 2,950 advisors and their clients, providing a range of advisory programs, including discretionary model portfolios and personalized investment solutions. The firm supports its advisors with operations, technology, compliance, and practice-management services.

Katrina Yarbrough is a financial advisor with Empower Advisory Group in Starkville, MS, holding Series 66 and Series 63 licenses and bringing 12 years of industry experience. She previously worked for ET George Investment Management, LLC for five years before joining Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc., where she spent eight years. Outside of her advisory role, she serves as Secretary on the Board of Directors for the Shockwave Starkville Swim Team. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management primarily to employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors and their participants, as well as to Empower Premier IRA and certain retail brokerage clients, using an integrated model tied to Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative platforms.