Victoria Waldman is a CFP® professional with eight years of industry experience. She is currently an associate at tru Independence Asset Management, LLC in Charlotte, NC, and has prior experience at The Vanguard Group, UBS Financial Services, and Duke Energy. Waldman also serves in managing client relationships for YellowWood Wealth Solutions, a subsidiary of her current firm. tru Independence Asset Management, LLC provides discretionary and non-discretionary investment management, financial planning, and pension consulting to individuals, high-net-worth clients, retirement plans, and institutional clients. The firm employs a diversified investment approach utilizing active and passive strategies across multiple asset classes and integrates a variety of digital and third-party platforms.

Adam Coleman is a financial advisor at Nectarine with two years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has previously worked at SmartPath Financial Education and Core Planning. Outside of his advisory role, he is involved as a mortgage loan originator at Loan Pronto and provides remote financial coaching through SmartPath Financial Education. Nectarine serves individual and high-net-worth clients by offering consultative financial planning through selected advisor representatives. The firm emphasizes long-term asset allocation using low-cost, index-based funds and provides services on a fee-for-service basis without managing client investment portfolios.

Jamie Esler is a CFP® professional with 12 years of industry experience, currently serving at Sparta Wealth Partners. Prior to joining Sparta Wealth Partners, he worked at High Flows Capital Group LLC for eight years and has held roles at Capital Management Group of Washington D.C., Bank of America, N.A., and Merrill. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses. Sparta Wealth Partners provides advisory services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, pension and profit-sharing plans, corporations, and retirement plans. The firm offers portfolio management, financial planning, and ERISA retirement-plan advisory services, utilizing a mix of fundamental and technical analysis alongside third-party managers and model-based strategies.

Shon Mc Carley is a Series 65-licensed advisor at Cornerstone Wealth Planning in Charlotte, NC, with experience in legal and financial services. He is a member and attorney at McCarley Legal, PLLC, where he provides estate planning and related legal advice. His prior work includes roles at Arnot & Haley, PLLC and Consilio, LLC. Cornerstone Wealth Planning serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, and small business owners, offering portfolio management and comprehensive financial planning grounded in Modern Portfolio Theory and fundamental analysis. The firm also provides in-house tax preparation and structured retirement-planning courses, with flexible planning options and no minimum account size.

Wade Menzies is a financial advisor at Insight Folios with 11 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and previously worked at Tactical Investment Advisors for 12 years. In addition to his advisory role, he is involved in insurance sales. Insight Folios provides portfolio management and financial planning primarily for individual and high-net-worth clients, as well as ERISA plan consulting and participant advisory services. The firm also serves other registered investment advisers through sub-advisory relationships and employs a team-of-advisers approach supported by proprietary planning software and artificial intelligence tools.

Ryan Kilmartin is a financial advisor at Stark Financial Advisers, Inc. with 11 years of industry experience. He holds Series 65 and Series 66 licenses and has worked at Stark Financial Advisers since 2023 and at R.M. Stark & Co., Inc. since 2012. Stark Financial Advisers, Inc. manages approximately $94.7 million in discretionary assets for individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, corporations, and other entities. The firm employs an asset-allocation driven approach that incorporates fundamental and technical analysis, offering portfolios from conservative to aggressive and utilizing a range of strategies including derivatives and options.

Christopher Hobart is a financial advisor with Hobart Wealth in Charlotte, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and 24 years of industry experience. He has previously worked with firms including G.F. Investment Services, LLC and Global Financial Private Capital. Outside of his advisory role, he owns a marketing consulting business and serves as secretary for a local business park homeowners association. Hobart Wealth provides discretionary and non-discretionary investment advisory services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, retirement plans, and trusts, offering tailored asset management, financial planning, and ERISA retirement plan consulting. The firm constructs portfolios based on client objectives and employs a range of investment strategies, including third-party managers and model providers.

Melissa Wall is a CFP® with nine years of industry experience, currently serving as an advisor at Providence Capital Advisors, LLC. She previously worked at Bank of America for thirteen years. Outside of her advisory role, she operates a seasonal tax preparation and schedule fee business. Providence Capital Advisors provides discretionary and non-discretionary investment management and integrated financial planning to individuals, high-net-worth clients, corporations, and small businesses. The firm employs fundamental security selection combined with technical and cyclical analysis across various strategy sleeves, including Core Equity, Diversified Income, and Covered Call programs, and incorporates derivatives and margin transactions in some strategies.

Heather Lawrence is a CFP® professional with 13 years of industry experience, currently serving at Alpha Financial Advisors, LLC. Her prior roles include positions at Relience Wealth Advisors, LLC and Truist Bank (premerger BB&T), with a period as a stay-at-home mother. Alpha Financial Advisors, LLC is an SEC-registered investment adviser that provides personalized financial planning and discretionary investment management to individuals, families, trusts, estates, and small businesses, including high-net-worth clients. The firm emphasizes strategic asset allocation primarily through no-load mutual funds and exchange-traded funds, with an approach that includes global diversification, fundamental analysis, and oversight of independent managers.

Paul Durso is a financial advisor with Insight Folios in Charlotte, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 13 years of industry experience. He has been with Insight Folios since 2015 and concurrently operates Durso Capital Management Co. Outside of his advisory roles, Durso is involved with Uplift Marketing, where he contributes to sales, marketing, design, and coaching for the Simplicitree planning software. Insight Folios serves a broad range of individual clients, including high-net-worth households, as well as ERISA retirement plans and other registered investment advisers. The firm offers discretionary portfolio management and financial planning, utilizing its proprietary Simplicitree software alongside long-term trading strategies and artificial intelligence tools.

Stewart Neely is a financial advisor at Cornerstone Wealth Planning in Charlotte, NC, holding a Series 65 designation with five years of industry experience. Prior to joining Cornerstone in 2021, he spent six years working at Christ Covenant Church. Cornerstone Wealth Planning serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, and small business owners with investment advisory, portfolio management, and comprehensive financial planning. The firm combines Modern Portfolio Theory with fundamental analysis and integrates in-house tax preparation alongside its advisory services.

Thomas Casey II is a financial advisor with Intellectus Partners, LLC in Charlotte, NC, holding a Series 66 license and bringing 26 years of industry experience. He has been with Intellectus Partners since 2015. Outside of his advisory role, he serves on the board of advisors for Marcus & Associates, LLC, an executive recruiting firm specializing in life sciences. Intellectus Partners provides wealth management, investment consulting, financial planning, and portfolio management services to high-net-worth individuals, trusts, estates, and private funds. The firm combines fundamental analysis with proprietary quantitative algorithms and alternative data, pursuing a generally long-term investment approach while accommodating shorter-term trades to meet client needs.

Thomas Maclennan is a CFP® professional with 14 years of industry experience. He is currently a partner and Chief Compliance Officer at WMS Advisors, LLC and also has ownership in TGM Capital, LLC, a holding company for interests in WMS Advisors. He serves on the board and finance committee of Charlotte Bilingual Preschool, a nonprofit organization. WMS Advisors is a team-based SEC-registered investment adviser managing approximately $281 million for individuals, families, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, and business entities. The firm employs asset-class oriented portfolios using ETFs, index funds, individual securities, and select alternatives, offering both discretionary and non-discretionary management alongside financial planning and retirement-plan consulting.

Joseph Brooks is a CFP® professional with 26 years of industry experience. He is currently with Sapere Wealth Management, LLC and has prior experience at Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company and Nfp. Sapere Wealth Management provides discretionary portfolio management and financial planning to individuals, including high-net-worth clients, as well as institutional and trust entities. The firm employs a top-down, global-macro investment approach with an absolute-return focus, combining public equities, registered funds, and privately offered vehicles, while emphasizing active liquidity management.

Brian Huff is a CFP® professional with one year of experience at Providence Capital Advisors, LLC. He previously worked for Flood, Bumstead, McCready & McCarthy, Inc. from 2018 to 2025 and held roles at American University and Live Nation. Providence Capital Advisors, LLC provides discretionary and non-discretionary investment management and comprehensive financial planning to individuals, high-net-worth clients, corporations, and small businesses. The firm employs fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis with customized portfolio construction and incorporates derivatives, borrowing, and alternative investments within some separately managed accounts.

Niki Erb is a Series 65-licensed financial advisor at Insight Folios with six years of industry experience. Prior to joining Insight Folios and Durso Capital Management Co. in 2020, she worked at Frito Lay for over two decades. She is also involved in insurance and annuity sales. Insight Folios provides portfolio management and financial planning primarily for individual and high-net-worth clients, along with ERISA plan consulting and participant advisory services. The firm often acts as a sub-adviser to other registered investment advisers and uses a team-of-advisers approach supported by proprietary planning software and artificial intelligence tools.

Cynthia Burger is a financial advisor at Stephens with 28 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has been with Stephens since 2006. Stephens provides investment advisory and wealth-management services to individuals, pension plans, foundations, corporations, and other institutional clients. The firm offers tailored portfolio management, financial planning, retirement-plan advisory, and institutional equity research, combining advisory services with broker-dealer and investment banking activities.

Malinda Dornan is a financial advisor at Modera Wealth Management, LLC in Charlotte, NC, with five years of industry experience. She holds the Series 66 designation and previously worked at Thrivent Financial and Novant Health. Modera Wealth Management provides wealth management, retirement plan consulting, and financial planning services to individuals, trusts, corporations, and plan sponsors. The firm combines diversified asset allocation based on Modern Portfolio Theory with in-house accounting and tax capabilities, supporting a wide range of client needs through an integrated advisory and accounting service model.

Jonathan Kirk is a financial advisor with Foundations Investment Advisors LLC in Charlotte, NC. He holds a Series 66 designation and has seven years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Edward Jones, FirstBank, and Home Point Financial. Foundations Investment Advisors, LLC provides financial planning and portfolio management services to a diverse client base, including individual and high-net-worth clients, retirement plans, and registered investment companies. The firm employs a combination of fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis, utilizing model portfolios and an asymmetric rebalancing approach to manage investments.

Carly Hensley is a financial advisor with Merit Financial Advisors, holding a Series 66 designation and 20 years of industry experience. She has worked at Purshe Kaplan Sterling Investments since 2024 and has been with Merit Financial Advisors since 2010. Prior to that, she was associated with LPL Financial from 2010 to 2024. Merit Financial Group, LLC is an SEC-registered advisory firm managing approximately $10.6 billion and serving a diverse client base that includes individuals, corporate clients, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations. The firm employs a long-term, diversified investment strategy using model portfolios and customizable sleeves, with oversight by a central Investment Management team and Investment Committee.