Samuel Craig Benson

Zachary Slagel is the principal of Slagel Investment Management in Blacksburg, VA, with 22 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has managed his independent advisory firm since 1992. Outside of financial advising, he owns and manages an accounting and tax preparation business as well as a travel agency. Slagel Investment Management is a fee-only independent advisory firm serving individuals, households, small businesses, and trusts with portfolio planning, discretionary investment management, and one-time investment reviews. The firm manages approximately $45 million across more than 100 clients, offering both fund-based core portfolios and more actively managed performance portfolios tailored to client goals, including options for values-based or impact investing.

Ashley Coake is a CFP® professional with 12 years of experience in financial planning. She has worked at Cultivate Financial Planning since 2018 and previously held positions at OLIO Financial Planning and Wealthcare Capital Management. Coake holds the Series 66 designation and is based in Radford, VA. Cultivate Financial Planning serves individual clients, including high-net-worth households, and employer plan sponsors by providing comprehensive financial planning, investment management integrated into planning, employee benefit plan consulting, and tax preparation services. The firm employs a client-specific investment approach combining passive and active strategies and uses subscription and fixed fees rather than percentage-of-assets billing.

Jamie Lynn Byram is a CFP® professional with one year of experience in financial advising. She is the principal of Peace Within Financial, a firm she has led since 2024, following prior roles at EVOadvisers and Locker Financial Services. Byram also provides personal financial consulting and education through Peace Within Financial Counseling, LLC, where she writes and speaks about personal finance topics. Peace Within Financial is a fee-only advisory firm serving individuals, high-net-worth clients, and families with comprehensive financial planning and non-discretionary investment management. The firm emphasizes functional asset allocation, long-term buy-and-hold strategies, and educational seminars delivered in a classroom setting.

Michael Jones is a CFP® with 20 years of industry experience and the principal of Ataraxia Advisory Services, LLC. He has led the independent advisory firm since 2015. In addition to his advisory role, he is a licensed insurance agent and occasionally offers related products to clients. Ataraxia Advisory Services, LLC provides portfolio management and financial planning primarily for individual and high-net-worth clients, employing multiple analysis methods and a range of investment strategies with accounts reviewed quarterly.

Jesse Buchanan is a financial advisor at Main Advisory, Inc. with 10 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 designations and previously worked at Prudential Insurance Company of America and Pruco Securities, LLC. He is also a licensed insurance professional, dedicating less than 20% of his business time to insurance activities. Main Advisory, Inc. provides investment advisory and financial planning services to individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, corporations, and retirement plans. The firm offers discretionary portfolio management and tailored financial planning using a combination of internal management and allocations to unaffiliated independent managers, with a primarily long-term investment approach and continuous portfolio monitoring.

Linwood Fraher is a financial advisor at Martin Wealth Solutions with one year of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and previously worked at Amerilife of VA LLC. Martin Wealth Solutions provides discretionary investment management, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting to individuals, high-net-worth clients, charities, and businesses. The firm employs a primarily passive, asset-allocation approach combined with fundamental analysis and utilizes third-party model solutions and outside managers to support portfolio construction and ongoing supervision.