Richard Kagan is a financial advisor with Commonwealth Financial Network, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 44 years of industry experience. He has been with Commonwealth since 2000. Outside of his advisory role, Kagan serves as CFO and shareholder of two non-investment related companies, Adessence Marketing, Inc. and Right Brain Media, and is also a squash coach. Commonwealth Financial Network is a registered investment adviser supporting a national network of approximately 2,950 advisors and their clients through a range of advisory programs and services. The firm provides operations, trading, technology, compliance, and practice-management support, with discretionary portfolio construction and model portfolios managed by its Investment Management and Research team.

David Castro is a CFP® and holds a Series 66 designation with 15 years of industry experience. He is currently with Focus Partners Wealth, LLC and has previously worked at Goldman Sachs Wealth Services, Kovitz Investment Group Partners, and other firms. Focus Partners serves individuals, high-net-worth families, family offices, and institutional clients with wealth management and advisory services. The firm employs an enhanced open architecture investment approach combining active and passive strategies, third-party managers, and private funds, and offers services including financial planning, retirement consulting, and access to affiliated private funds.

Michelle Disney is a CFP® and holds a Series 66 license with 19 years of experience in the financial services industry. She has worked at Allworth Financial since 2022, following previous roles at Adams Chetwood Wealth Management, Purshe Kaplan Sterling Investments, and Wells Fargo Clearing. Allworth Financial serves individual and high-net-worth investors, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, corporations, and charitable organizations, offering financial and wealth planning, portfolio management, retirement plan consulting, and variable annuity sub-account servicing. The firm uses a combination of quantitative and qualitative analysis through an Investment Committee to implement customized investment strategies across various asset classes and offers specialized portfolios, alongside educational resources such as newsletters, podcasts, and seminars.

Mark Nachimson is a CFP® professional with 25 years of industry experience, currently serving at VALIC Financial Advisors since 2004. He also holds a role with Agia, focusing on non-securities insurance products. Nachimson is a limited partner in a family limited partnership established for estate planning purposes. VALIC Financial Advisors primarily serves U.S.-domiciled individual investors, including high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth clients, along with corporate and retirement-plan participants. The firm offers discretionary managed-account programs, financial planning, and brokerage services, employing Envestnet-developed UMA models for portfolio construction.

Hans Scheil Jr. is a financial advisor with Brookstone Capital Management LLC in Durham, NC. He holds the CFP® and ChFC® designations and has 20 years of industry experience. He is also the CEO of H.E. Scheil & Associates, Inc., an insurance agency based in Durham. Brookstone Capital Management provides fee-based asset management and financial planning to a diverse client base, including individuals, retirement plans, corporations, and trusts. The firm employs a range of strategic and dynamic asset-allocation models, incorporating proprietary funds and external sub-advisors, while also acting as a sub-advisor to other advisory programs.

James Chetwood III is a CFP® with 21 years of industry experience and is currently affiliated with Allworth Financial, L.P. He has worked at firms including Adams Chetwood Wealth Management, Purshe Kaplan Sterling Investments, and Wells Fargo Clearing. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as an elder on the board of The Summit Church and is the author of *Retire to the Fullest: Four Dimensions of Financial Peace of Mind*. Allworth Financial provides services to a broad client base, including individual and high-net-worth investors as well as institutions. The firm offers financial planning, portfolio management, and retirement plan consulting, employing a combination of quantitative and qualitative analysis to create customized investment strategies.

Kennedy Taylor is a Series 66-licensed financial advisor with five years of industry experience. He currently works at Empower Advisory Group and previously was employed by Fidelity Investments and First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management primarily to employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors and their participants, delivering services through an integrated model connected to Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative platforms. The firm emphasizes long-term portfolio returns and savings rates in its financial planning, serving a large participant base with a higher client-to-advisor ratio than many peers.

Halah Little is a financial advisor with Transamerica Retirement Advisors, LLC, holding a Series 66 credential and three years of industry experience. Her background includes roles at Fidelity Investments, Barings, and Transamerica Life Insurance Company. Transamerica Retirement Advisors serves participants in employer-sponsored retirement plans and IRA owners through a range of advice programs focusing on asset allocation, contribution guidance, and retirement planning supported by Morningstar Investment Management’s proprietary portfolio construction and oversight.

Blake Gaulden is a CFP®, CFA®, and Series 66-licensed financial advisor with 16 years of industry experience. He is currently with Osaic Advisory Services, LLC and Gaulden & Associates Wealth Management, having previously worked at firms including LPL Financial, Lincoln Financial Advisors Corporation, and Ameriprise Financial Services. Osaic Advisory Services, LLC is an SEC-registered enterprise advisor serving a diverse client base that includes individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, corporate and charitable entities, retirement plan participants, and sovereign wealth funds. The firm offers a range of investment programs and consulting services, utilizing both fundamental and technical strategies, and operates within an affiliated ecosystem that integrates alternative investments and annuity sub-account management.

Donella Winkler is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ with 12 years of industry experience. She is currently with Allworth Financial, L.P. and has previously worked at Adams Chetwood Wealth Management, ZEIDERS Enterprises, Bancwest Investment Services, Bank of the West BNP Paribas, and Charles Schwab. Outside of her advisory role, she provides financial education through ZEIDERS Enterprises, focusing on topics such as TSP, credit scores, and budgeting. Allworth Financial serves a diverse client base, including individual and high-net-worth investors, pension plans, trusts, and charitable organizations. The firm employs a combination of quantitative and qualitative analysis to offer customized investment strategies and provides a range of services including wealth planning, portfolio management, and retirement plan consulting.

Joshua Maida is a financial advisor with Valic Financial Advisors in Durham, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 15 years of industry experience. He has been with Valic Financial Advisors since 2016 and is also associated with AGIA, where he works with non-securities insurance products. Valic Financial Advisors serves primarily U.S. individuals, including high net worth clients and employer-sponsored retirement participants, providing portfolio management, financial planning, and consulting services. The firm operates at scale with over 1,200 advisors and integrates technology and model solutions to manage a large client base.

Serene Alsous is a CFP® and ChFC® with nine years of experience in financial advising, currently with Valic Financial Advisors in Durham, NC. She has been with Valic Financial Advisors and NC State University since 2017 and also has experience at BMW Manufacturing and Agia. Alsous serves as a notary public in Wake County. Valic Financial Advisors is a large SEC-registered investment adviser and FINRA-member broker-dealer serving primarily U.S. individuals, including high net worth clients and employer-sponsored retirement plans. The firm offers portfolio management and financial planning services through a network of over 1,200 advisors, utilizing discretionary unified managed accounts on Envestnet’s platform with optional tax-aware and ESG overlays.

Conrad Kunkel is a financial advisor with Brookstone Capital Management LLC in Chapel Hill, NC, holding a Series 66 designation and 19 years of industry experience. He has been with Brookstone since 2015 and also owns GPS Financial Strategies, where he counsels individuals, families, and business owners on financial security matters. Prior to Brookstone, he worked briefly at Gradient Advisors, LLC. Brookstone Capital Management provides fee-based asset management and financial planning to a wide range of clients, including individuals, retirement plans, corporations, and trusts. The firm employs strategic and dynamic asset-allocation models and offers discretionary portfolio management through a turnkey asset management platform and related wrap-fee programs.

Khutchnai Kang is a financial advisor at Empower Advisory Group with one year of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 and Series 63 designations. Prior to joining Empower, Kang worked at Fidelity Investments and held various roles outside the financial industry. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management primarily to employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors and their participants, as well as to certain IRA and retail brokerage clients. The firm integrates its services with Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative platforms, offering point-in-time financial plans and optional managed account solutions.

Richard Nathan is a financial advisor at Mariner with 8 years of industry experience. He previously spent 28 years at Forte Capital LLC. Outside of advising, he serves on the management committee of Forte Capital, which solely holds Mariner F-1 Units without providing investment advice or financial planning. Mariner serves a diverse client base through customized, discretionary portfolio management supported by in-house research and third-party managers, and offers integrated tax, accounting, and financial wellness services in addition to traditional investment solutions.

Gordon Pruitt is a Series 66-licensed financial advisor at Edward Jones in Chapel Hill, NC, with one year of industry experience. Prior to joining Edward Jones, he worked at Bull City Learning and Syneos Health. Edward Jones is a full-service wealth management firm serving individual and institutional clients, with over $1 trillion in assets under management and a nationwide network of more than 23,000 financial advisors. The firm offers a range of advisory programs and investment strategies, operating under a fiduciary standard.

Roger Werner is a financial advisor with OSAIC based in Chapel Hill, NC, holding the ChFC® designation along with Series 63 and Series 65 licenses. He has 55 years of industry experience, including 25 years at Signator Investors, Inc. and John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Company, and has been with Royal Alliance Associates, Inc. since 2018. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as a volunteer on the UNC Board of Visitors, assisting with communication to prospective honors students. OSAIC Wealth serves a diverse client base including retail and institutional investors, offering brokerage and advisory services through a multi-advisor platform. The firm employs a model-based investment process with tools for asset allocation and portfolio optimization, and it supports various account types and third-party manager programs.

Daniel Bayait is a financial advisor with Edward Jones in Durham, NC, holding a Series 66 designation and 11 years of industry experience. He has been with Edward Jones since 2015. Edward Jones is a full-service wealth management firm serving more than four million individual and institutional clients, offering a range of managed strategies, separately managed accounts, and affiliated mutual funds under a fiduciary standard. The firm is notable for its large nationwide network of advisors and branches, as well as its additional capabilities including a trust company and securities-based lending options.

Benjamen Parker is a financial advisor at Fidelity with 17 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has worked across various Fidelity entities since 2008. Fidelity’s Strategic Advisers LLC provides investment management and advisory services to retail and institutional clients, as well as registered investment companies. The firm uses proprietary fundamental research combined with quantitative analysis and algorithmic portfolio construction, offering services that include discretionary portfolio management, fund advisory, and model portfolio delivery.

Andrew Snider is a financial advisor with LPL Financial in Durham, NC, holding a Series 66 designation and 26 years of industry experience. His prior work includes 14 years at Cuso Financial Services and more than two decades at Coastal Federal Credit Union. He serves as a board member for the Triangle Adult Soccer League, a nonprofit organization in North Carolina. LPL Financial is a national broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser that provides advisory and brokerage services to individuals, retirement plan participants, banks, trust companies, and institutions. The firm offers a range of financial planning and investment management solutions, supported by research-driven strategies and technology tools.