Phillip Lloyd Smelser

Bruce Shay is a financial advisor at Empower Advisory Group with one year of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation. Prior to joining Empower, he worked at Deloitte & Touche LLP for 23 years. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management primarily to employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors and their participants, as well as certain IRA and retail brokerage clients, using an integrated model aligned with Empower’s administrative platforms.

James Gentry Jr Jr is a CFP® and ChFC® credentialed financial advisor with 13 years of industry experience. He has been with Edward Jones since 2012. In addition to his advisory role, he manages Freedom Odyssey LLC, a real estate holding entity related to his branch office building. Edward Jones is a full-service wealth management firm serving over four million individual and institutional clients, with a broad range of advisory programs and affiliated financial services supported by a nationwide network of approximately 23,701 financial advisors.

Geddings Crawford Jr. is a financial advisor with Raymond James Financial Services Advisors, Inc., holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and bringing 34 years of industry experience. He previously worked at Janney Montgomery Scott for 12 years before joining Raymond James in 2024. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors, Inc. provides financial planning, investment consulting, and advisory services to a diverse client base, including individuals, high-net-worth clients, institutions, and charitable organizations. The firm uses analytical tools such as risk profiling and probability modeling to tailor non-discretionary investment consulting and supports its clients through various advisory programs and institutional consulting services.

Richard Trouillot is a financial advisor with Wells Fargo Clearing, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 29 years of industry experience. He has been with Wells Fargo Clearing since 2016 and previously worked at Wells Fargo Advisors LLC from 2009 to 2016. Wells Fargo Clearing provides retirement plan consulting services to qualified ERISA and non-qualified deferred compensation plans, offering both discretionary and non-discretionary investment management grounded in modern portfolio theory. The firm’s advisory process is driven by investment policy statements and includes a broad range of financial product options, including insurance-related vehicles and bank deposit sweep programs.

Thomas Perkins Jr. is a financial advisor with Edward Jones in Spruce Pine, NC, holding a Series 66 designation and seven years of industry experience. He has been with Edward Jones since 2018 and previously worked at Verizon Wireless from 2015 to 2018. Edward Jones is a full-service wealth management firm serving over four million individual and institutional clients. The firm manages approximately $1.01 trillion in assets under management and offers a range of advisory programs and investment solutions through a large network of financial advisors and branch offices nationwide.

Howard Kobrin is a financial advisor with Wells Fargo Clearing, holding Series 63 and Series 66 designations and bringing 40 years of industry experience. He has been with Wells Fargo Clearing since 2016 and previously worked at Wells Fargo Advisors LLC from 2009 to 2016. Wells Fargo Clearing provides retirement plan consulting services to qualified ERISA plans and non-qualified deferred compensation plans, offering both non-discretionary and discretionary investment advisory solutions. The firm’s process is IPS-driven and incorporates modern portfolio theory, with a notable inclusion of insurance-related products and bank deposit sweep options in its investment offerings.