James Jones Jr. is a financial advisor at Truist Advisory Services in Greensboro, NC, with 15 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked with firms including Merrill, Thrivent Financial, and Bbtis prior to joining Truist. He also receives renewal commissions from previous Medicare Advantage insurance sales. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting, financial planning, and portfolio management to individuals, corporations, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations. The firm offers a range of advisory services including asset allocation, fund monitoring, and manager selection through the Envestnet platform, utilizing both traditional research and AI-enabled tools.

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 nine years of industry experience. She has worked at Hightower Advisors since 2020 and previously spent five years at Stearns Financial Group. Paula is based in Greensboro, NC. Hightower Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to a diverse clientele, including individual and institutional investors. The firm’s approach emphasizes manager selection and multi-manager solutions, utilizing both affiliated and third-party managers, with capabilities in discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting.

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® professional with 14 years of experience in the financial services industry. He is currently with Truist Advisory Services, where he has worked since 2021. Prior to that, he held roles at BB&T Securities and Wells Fargo Clearing. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting, financial planning, portfolio management, and retirement plan services to a diverse client base, including individuals, corporations, plan sponsors, and charitable organizations. The firm employs a combination of traditional research and AI-enabled tools to support its advisory process and offers a range of services through partnerships with Envestnet and other affiliated entities.

Angus Mceachran III is a financial advisor at Cetera Planning Partners with 39 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at firms including LPL Financial, Independent Advisor Alliance, and Summit Financial Group. Mceachran is a partner at HMC Partners LLC and co-hosts a radio show focused on marketing securities business to the public. Cetera Planning Partners serves individual and high-net-worth clients, with a focus on pre-retirees and retirees, offering investment management, comprehensive financial planning, Social Security optimization, and retirement advice. The firm emphasizes diversified allocations through mutual funds and ETFs aligned with client objectives and integrates additional services such as tax planning, bookkeeping, and estate planning through affiliated providers.

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 financial advisor at Oppenheimer with 20 years of industry experience. He holds the CFA® and ChFC® designations and has worked at Oppenheimer since 2009, following two years at Stanford Group Company. Watson serves on the finance and investment committees at Greensboro Day School, providing consultation and financial strategy support. Oppenheimer is a registered investment adviser and broker-dealer serving individuals, corporations, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and IRAs. The firm offers a broad range of programs and advisory services across equity, balanced, and fixed-income portfolios with both discretionary and non-discretionary management approaches.

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 at Truist Advisory Services with 11 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at firms including Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, Bank of America, N.A., Wells Fargo Clearing, and Charter Communications-Spectrum Enterprise. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting, financial planning, portfolio management, and retirement plan services to a diverse client base, including individuals, corporations, and charitable organizations. The firm uses a combination of traditional research and AI-enabled tools to support its advisory process and offers a broad range of affiliated financial relationships within the Truist Financial network.

Phillip Williams Jr is a financial advisor at Hightower Advisors with 14 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 63 designation and has previously worked at Stearns Financial Group and Innosphere. He serves as a member of 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. The firm emphasizes manager selection and multi-manager solutions, utilizing proprietary research and a variety of investment vehicles including mutual funds, ETFs, and alternative investments.

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 with Oppenheimer in Greensboro, NC. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has recently begun his advisory career. Prior to joining Oppenheimer, he held various roles across industries including water technology, agriculture, and education. Oppenheimer is a registered investment adviser and broker-dealer serving high net worth individuals, corporations, pension plans, charitable organizations, and IRAs. The firm offers a wide range of investment programs and services, including discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, consulting, and retirement services.

Frank Hurtado is a financial advisor at Empower Advisory Group with 17 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses. His prior experience includes roles at Wells Fargo Clearing Services and Scottrade, Inc. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management primarily to employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors and their participants, as well as to Empower Premier IRA and certain retail brokerage account holders. The firm emphasizes long-term portfolio returns and savings rates through an integrated model linked to Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative platforms.

Brian Coghill is a financial advisor with Davenport & Company LLC in Greensboro, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 30 years of industry experience. He previously worked at Merrill Lynch Pierce Fenner & Smith from 1996 to 2009. Outside of finance, Coghill is involved with Rotary as a treasurer and assists part-time with clerical duties at McLeansville Tax Service. Davenport & Company serves individual and institutional clients, offering a range of services including asset management, brokerage, fixed income, public finance, and investment banking. The firm employs dedicated portfolio manager teams and provides separately managed accounts, mutual funds, and ETF model portfolios, operating as an employee-owned company with a history dating to 1863.

Karen Kahn is a Certified Financial Planner® with 30 years of industry experience. She has worked at Truist Advisory Services since 2016 and previously spent seven years with Wells Fargo Clearing. Kahn holds a Series 63 license and is based in Greensboro, NC. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting, financial planning, portfolio management, and retirement plan services to individuals, corporations, plan sponsors, and charitable organizations. The firm uses a combination of client financial data and AI-enabled research tools to develop asset allocation strategies and offers ongoing reviews and reporting through its partnership with Envestnet.

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.