Michael Hinz is a financial advisor at First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. in High Point, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with 18 years of industry experience. He has been with First Citizens Investor Services and First Citizens Bank since 2010. First Citizens Investor Services serves individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and corporate/business entities, providing advisory and brokerage services with a focus on IAR-led financial needs assessments and diversified portfolio management strategies.

John Thomas is a CFP® and CFA® with 14 years of industry experience. He has worked at Hightower Advisors since 2020 and previously spent 15 years at Stearns Financial Services Group. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as a board member and treasurer for a family corporation managing timberland and investment assets. Hightower Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to a wide range of individual and institutional clients, offering discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting. The firm emphasizes manager selection and multi-manager solutions, using both affiliated and third-party managers alongside proprietary research and diverse investment vehicles.

James Jones Jr. is a financial advisor with Truist Advisory Services, holding a Series 66 designation and 15 years of industry experience. His career includes prior roles at Thrivent Financial for Lutherans and BB&T Investment Services. He also receives renewal commissions from previous Medicare Advantage insurance sales. Truist Advisory Services offers investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, corporate clients, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations. The firm provides asset allocation, investment policy analysis, fiduciary support, and a manager-selection program, utilizing a combination of discretionary and non-discretionary approaches supported by inter-affiliate resources.

Michael Gillis is a financial advisor at Beacon Pointe Advisors, LLC with 25 years of industry experience. He holds the PFS™ and Series 66 credentials and has worked at Proequities and DMJ Wealth Advisors, LLC. Gillis is also the managing partner of a CPA firm and serves as treasurer and chairman of the finance committee for the United Way of Greater Greensboro. Beacon Pointe Advisors provides investment advisory and consulting services to a diverse client base, including individuals, institutions, and charitable organizations. The firm employs a manager-driven investment approach using proprietary due diligence and offers a range of services from wealth management to outsourced CIO solutions.

Darryl Cermak Serfass is a financial advisor with Independent Advisor Alliance, LLC, holding a Series 66 designation and 17 years of industry experience. He has worked at Independent Advisor Alliance and LPL Financial since 2014. Outside of his advisory role, he is involved in direct sales of nutritional products through Juice Plus. Independent Advisor Alliance serves a diverse client base including individuals, small businesses, and charitable organizations, offering asset management, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting. The firm provides both discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management using various strategies and technology platforms, and maintains a network model supported by affiliations with LPL Financial and third-party service providers.

Paula Mc Millan is a CFP® professional with eight years of experience in the financial services industry. She has worked at Hightower Advisors since 2020 and previously spent five years with Stearns Financial Group. Hightower Advisors delivers investment advisory and planning services to a diverse range of individual and institutional clients. The firm’s approach includes manager selection and multi-manager solutions, utilizing affiliated and third-party managers, proprietary research, and a variety of investment vehicles.

John Watson III is a financial advisor with Hornor, Townsend & Kent, LLC, holding the ChFC® designation and Series 63 and 65 licenses, with 44 years of industry experience. He has been affiliated with Penn Mutual Life Insurance and Hornor, Townsend & Kent since 2007. Outside of his advisory work, Watson is involved in organizing golf tournaments and managing non-variable brokerage through Eiger Financial Services, and he serves on various committees for Finseca, a financial services advocacy organization. Hornor, Townsend & Kent serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, businesses, charitable organizations, and retirement plans by offering advisory programs, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting. The firm operates both advisory and broker-dealer services, providing custody, execution, and brokerage capabilities alongside investment advice.

Tara Maxwell is a CFP® professional with 10 years of industry experience. She has worked at Hightower Advisors since 2020 and previously spent eight years at Stearns Financial Group. Based in Greensboro, NC, she currently serves clients through Hightower Advisors. Hightower Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to a diverse range of individual and institutional clients. The firm emphasizes manager selection and multi-manager solutions, utilizing both affiliated and third-party managers, and offers discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management alongside financial planning and retirement plan consulting.

Ryan Cooke is a CFP® and holds a Series 66 license, with 13 years of industry experience. He has been with Truist Advisory Services since 2021, following eight years at BB&T Securities. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, corporate clients, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations, utilizing a combination of discretionary manager relationships and non-discretionary consulting supported by third-party platforms and AI-enabled equity research tools.

Joanna Smith is a CFP® with 11 years of industry experience, currently serving at Kestra Advisory since 2018. Her prior roles include positions at Securities Service Network and Rather & Kittrell, Inc. She also holds roles supporting retirement plan clients through meeting preparation and financial planning activities. Kestra Advisory Services provides investment advisory and retirement-plan consulting to a diverse client base, including institutional and individual investors, offering services such as fiduciary consulting, plan design, and employee education.

William Watson is a CFA® and ChFC® with 20 years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Oppenheimer since 2009. He is based in Greensboro, NC. Watson serves on the finance and investment committees at Greensboro Day School, providing consultation and financial strategy reviews. Oppenheimer serves individuals, corporations, pooled vehicles, and retirement plans with a range of advisory programs including discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, consulting, and retirement services. The firm employs varied investment approaches tailored to each program and advisor, managing approximately $36.7 billion in assets as of December 31, 2025.

Brenton Fields is a financial advisor with Valic Financial Advisors in Greensboro, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 35 years of industry experience. He has been with Valic Financial Advisors since 1998 and also serves as an agent for Agia, where he is involved with non-securities insurance products. Valic Financial Advisors primarily serves U.S.-domiciled 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, consulting, and brokerage services, utilizing Envestnet-developed UMA models to construct client portfolios.

Stephen Walters is a financial advisor with Brookstone Capital Management LLC in Greensboro, NC. He holds a Series 65 designation and has been with Brookstone since 2026. Walters also has over a decade of experience with Asset Preservation Solutions, Inc., where he has worked since 2015. Brookstone Capital Management provides fee-based asset management and financial planning services to individuals, retirement plans, corporations, trusts, and other business entities. The firm utilizes a range of investment strategies including strategic and dynamic asset-allocation models, Unified Managed Accounts, and options-enhanced strategies, supported by proprietary and affiliated funds as well as multiple sub-advisors.

Douglas House is a financial advisor with Truist Advisory Services and holds the Series 66 designation. He has 11 years of industry experience and has previously worked at Merrill, Bank of America, and Charter Communications. House is based in Greensboro, NC. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, corporate and business clients, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations. The firm uses a combination of discretionary manager relationships and non-discretionary consulting, supported by third-party platforms and AI-enabled research tools.

Phillip Williams Jr is a financial advisor with Hightower Advisors in Greensboro, NC, holding a Series 63 designation and 14 years of industry experience. His prior roles include multiple positions at Stearns Financial Group and a year at Innosphere. He serves on the Board of Advisors for Grubb Southeast Real Estate Fund VI, LLC. Hightower Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to a diverse range of individual and institutional clients, utilizing a multi-manager approach that includes affiliated and third-party managers, proprietary research, and a variety of investment vehicles.

Roger Sims is a financial advisor with Eagle Strategies (NY Life) in High Point, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and having 25 years of industry experience. He previously worked with Pinnacle Wealth Strategies, LLC, and has been affiliated with New York Life Insurance Company and NYLIFE Securities, LLC throughout his career. Sims serves as a state board member of the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA-NC) and is a national Membership Committee Co-Chair for NAIFA. He also coordinates staffing for the World Ninja League Championships. Eagle Strategies serves a broad range of individual and institutional clients by providing financial planning, investment management, and retirement-plan advisory services. The firm offers multiple program types, including fee-based advice and co-advisory relationships, emphasizing tailored recommendations and maintains a predominantly non-discretionary asset base within an integrated New York Life affiliate structure.

Samuel Biesecker is a financial advisor at Oppenheimer in Greensboro, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses. He joined Oppenheimer in 2026 and has previous experience working at CRB Water, Southeastern Laboratories, and Syngenta, among other organizations. Oppenheimer serves individuals, corporations, pooled vehicles, and retirement plans with a variety of advisory programs, including discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, consulting, and financial planning. The firm’s investment approach varies by program and advisor, covering strategic and tactical asset allocation, manager selection, and rebalancing across equity, balanced, and fixed income strategies.

Brian Coghill is a financial advisor with Davenport & Company LLC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 designations and bringing 29 years of industry experience. He has been with Davenport since 2009 and has worked at Merrill Lynch Pierce Fenner & Smith, Inc. since 1996. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as treasurer for a local Rotary Club and assists part-time with clerical duties at a tax service. Davenport & Company serves individual and institutional clients by offering asset management, retail brokerage, fixed income, public finance, and investment banking services. The firm’s asset management features dedicated portfolio teams and a Manager Research team that construct and monitor strategies across separately managed accounts, mutual funds, ETFs, and unified managed accounts, and it operates as an employee-owned company with a history dating to 1863.

Karen Kahn is a Certified Financial Planner® with 30 years of industry experience, currently affiliated with Truist Advisory Services. She has been with Truist since 2016, working across Truist Advisory Services, Truist Investment Services, and Truist Bank. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, corporations, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations, utilizing a blend of discretionary and non-discretionary manager relationships supported by advanced research tools and integrated inter-affiliate operations.

William Mann is a financial advisor with Beacon Pointe Advisors, LLC, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 29 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at DMJ Wealth Advisors, LLC, and Proequities, Inc. since 2007. Beacon Pointe Advisors provides investment advisory and consulting services to a diverse client base, including individuals, institutions, and charitable organizations. The firm employs a manager-of-managers approach with a proprietary focus list and offers solutions such as discretionary wealth management, retirement plan consulting, and outsourced CIO services.