Michael Sinnott is a financial advisor with Truist Advisory Services, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 25 years of industry experience. His career includes roles at Suntrust Advisory Services, Suntrust Investment Services, Bank of America, and Merrill. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, corporate clients, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations. The firm offers asset allocation, investment policy analysis, plan sponsor fiduciary support, and a manager-selection program, implementing advice through a combination of discretionary and non-discretionary strategies supported by third-party platforms and proprietary research.

Jacob Cortes is a financial advisor with Empower Advisory Group, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and four years of industry experience. Prior to joining Empower in 2026, he worked at Fidelity Investments for five years and has experience in technology and retail sectors. He also spent three years at the Baha'i World Center. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management primarily for employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors and their participants, delivering services through an integrated platform connected to Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative systems. The firm emphasizes long-term portfolio returns and annual rebalancing within plan lineups selected by plan sponsors.

Wesley Walters is a financial advisor at Brookstone Capital Management LLC with 13 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 65 designation and has been with Brookstone since 2016. Walters is also President and CEO of Asset Preservation Solutions, Inc., a firm focused on financial strategies and tax savings for high-net-worth clients. He is involved with Helium as a user and instructor. Brookstone Capital Management provides fee-based asset management and financial planning services to individuals, retirement plans, corporations, trusts, and other entities. The firm utilizes strategic and dynamic asset-allocation models and offers discretionary portfolio management through its turnkey platform and wrap-fee program.

Shelby Brady is a financial advisor at GWN Securities Inc. with five years of experience. Shelby holds the Series 66 designation and has a background that includes roles at American Healthcare Capital and Robert Half Staffing. Outside of finance, Shelby worked at Royal Pet Mortuary for four years. GWN Securities is an SEC-registered investment adviser and broker-dealer serving individuals and business clients through discretionary managed accounts, financial planning, and access to third-party sub-advisers and model portfolios. The firm’s investment approach includes a range of managed-account programs and model portfolios, featuring both traditional asset-allocation strategies and legacy market-timing and momentum-based methods.

Scott Rumple is a financial advisor with Eagle Strategies (NY Life) in Greensboro, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with 26 years of industry experience. He has been with New York Life Insurance Company since 2000 and joined Eagle Strategies in 2024. Outside of advisory work, he is appointed as an insurance broker for non-registered insurance products with various carriers. Eagle Strategies serves individual and institutional clients by providing financial planning, investment management, and retirement-plan advisory services through a large network of affiliated advisers. The firm emphasizes tailored recommendations across multiple program types and manages a substantial majority of assets on a non-discretionary basis.

George Boss Jr. is a financial advisor with Truist Advisory Services in Charlotte, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 designations and bringing 28 years of industry experience. He has worked at SunTrust Advisory Services and SunTrust Investment Services since 2018 and previously at Bank of America and Merrill from 2009 to 2018. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, businesses, 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-enhanced research, to manage and review client portfolios.

William Chappell III is a financial advisor with Bankers Life Advisory Services, Inc. in Greensboro, NC. He holds the Series 66 designation and has two years of industry experience. Prior to his current role, he worked at several firms including Amerilife of Greensboro and Aflac. Outside of advising, he serves as Chair of the Risers Young Professionals group within the Guilford Merchants Association and is a member of its board. Bankers Life Advisory Services, Inc. is an SEC-registered investment adviser that serves mass-affluent and high-net-worth individuals with discretionary portfolio management, investment consulting, and retirement plan services. The firm uses a combination of fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis to tailor asset allocations and manages portfolios across multiple asset classes.

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.

Robert Blakely is a CFP® and ChFC® affiliated with Commonwealth Financial Network, with 30 years of industry experience. He has been with Commonwealth since 2000. Blakely is the owner of Calmwater Advisory Group, LLC, a consulting entity serving Blakely Financial, Inc. Commonwealth Financial Network serves a national network of approximately 2,950 advisors and their retail and institutional clients, providing a range of advisory programs, technology, and operational support. The firm offers various investment programs and discretionary model portfolios managed by its Investment Management and Research team.

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.

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 in Greensboro, NC, holding the ChFC® designation and Series 63 and 65 licenses. He has 44 years of industry experience, with significant tenure at Penn Mutual Life Insurance and Hornor, Townsend & Kent since 2007. Outside of his advisory role, he is active in professional organizations such as Finseca, serving on various committees, and he manages golf tournaments through a non-investment-related business. Hornor, Townsend & Kent serves individuals, trusts, businesses, charitable organizations, and retirement plans by offering advisory programs, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting. The firm operates under a dual SEC-registered adviser and FINRA-member broker-dealer model, providing both discretionary and non-discretionary account options and reporting approximately $8.37 billion in discretionary assets under management as of the end of 2025.

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.