Gregory Carstensen is a CFA® charterholder with 13 years of industry experience. He has been with Ballast Capital Advisors, LLC since 2016. Outside of his advisory role, he is involved as sole member of Veritas Capital, LLC, which serves as General Partner of the Ballast Distressed Opportunity Fund, LLLP, and holds leadership positions in other investment-related partnerships. Ballast Capital Advisors serves primarily high-net-worth and institutional clients through discretionary investment management and comprehensive financial planning. The firm emphasizes a liability-driven investment approach centered on individual bonds and asset-liability matching, supplemented by indexed ETFs and selective active equity or credit positions.

Patrick Freund is a CFA® charterholder with eight years of industry experience. He has worked at Ballast Capital Advisors, LLC since 2017 and previously spent eight years at American Equity Investment. Freund is a member-manager of Spire Capital, LLC, a private investment holdings entity that is currently dormant. Ballast Capital Advisors serves primarily high-net-worth individuals and institutional clients, offering discretionary investment management and comprehensive financial planning. The firm emphasizes a liability-driven investment approach centered on fixed income, combining top-down and bottom-up research, and provides access to affiliated private investment opportunities.