Sydney Dugan

Gary Smith is the sole advisor at Wealth Creation Advisory in Carthage, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with 36 years of industry experience. His prior work includes nine years at H. Beck, Inc. and operating advisory businesses under his own name. Wealth Creation Advisory provides portfolio management and advisory services to individual clients, employing a combination of charting, fundamental, quantitative, and technical analysis. The firm offers both discretionary and non-discretionary management across various asset classes, utilizing strategies that include margin, options, and futures trading.

Michael Kelly is a ChFC® and holds a Series 66 license with six years of industry experience. He currently serves as the sole advisor at Canopy Financial Solutions and has prior experience with firms including Modern Woodmen of America, Principal Financial Group, and First Citizens Investor Services. Kelly also provides financial consulting services to legal clients through a consulting role with Brick City Law. Canopy Financial Solutions offers portfolio management and financial planning to individuals, high-net-worth clients, charitable organizations, and business entities. The firm employs a blend of cyclical and fundamental analysis along with modern portfolio theory and quantitative methods, managing accounts primarily under discretionary authority with both long-term and active investment strategies.

Milton West is a CFP® professional with 25 years of experience in financial advising. He has been with West Financial Strategies, Inc. since 1998 and also serves as the president and sole owner of M. Lee West, CPA, P.A., a CPA firm he founded in 1986. Outside of his advisory role, he is a managing partner in a company that holds title to a motorboat and boat slip. West Financial Strategies provides personalized financial planning and discretionary investment management to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and small businesses. The firm employs a strategic asset-allocation approach using passive index funds and ETFs as the core, complemented by selective active funds and securities, managing approximately $106 million in discretionary assets.

Charles Von Canon is a PFS™ credentialed financial advisor with 24 years of industry experience. He has been with West Financial Strategies, Inc. since 1998 and is also vice-president and manager at M. Lee West, CPA, a CPA firm. West Financial Strategies provides personalized financial planning and discretionary investment management to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and small businesses. The firm uses a strategic asset-allocation approach combining passive index funds and ETFs with selective active funds and securities, managing approximately $106 million in discretionary assets.

Daniel Baugher is a financial advisor at Fiduciary Financial Advisors with a Series 65 credential and no prior industry experience. He has served in the US Army Special Forces since 2010. Fiduciary Financial Advisors provides discretionary investment management, financial planning, legacy position management, and retirement services to individuals, families, trusts, retirement plans, corporations, and charitable foundations. The firm combines strategic asset allocation with tactical adjustments and multiple analysis methods, and offers individual professional trustee services as well as access to private and non-liquid alternative funds.

Crystal White is a financial advisor with Credit Union Investment Services, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 21 years of industry experience. She has been associated with Credit Union Investment Services since 2007 and holds roles with Secu Life Insurance Company and Members Trust Company. White also serves as a Financial Advisory Services Specialist at State Employees’ Credit Union, where she has worked since 1993. Credit Union Investment Services serves primarily individual investors in North Carolina, offering non-discretionary portfolio management, retirement and financial planning, and a wrap-fee program. The firm emphasizes low-cost, index-based mutual funds and ETFs, a goals-based planning approach, and salaried advisory representatives.