Bruce Frankel is a CFP® with 23 years of industry experience, currently serving at Parallel Advisors, LLC since 2024. His prior roles include positions at MGO Private Wealth, Eckhoff Wealth Management, Yerba Buena Wealth Advisors, LPL Financial, and other firms dating back to 2003. Outside of financial advising, he is involved with AB Bedding, LLC, a bedding products company, where he provides strategic support. Parallel Advisors serves individuals, business entities, retirement plans, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations with discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting. The firm employs a multi-strategy investment approach that includes fixed income, mutual funds, ETFs, independent managers, and options strategies, while using technology platforms to support tax-efficient rebalancing and portfolio management.

Madison Held is a Series 65 licensed financial advisor with five years of industry experience. He is currently associated with Nelson Wealth Management, LLC and Mariner Platform Solutions since 2022. Prior to this, he worked at AdvicePeriod, LLC and Nelson Financial Partners, LLC. Mariner Independent serves individuals, including high-net-worth clients, as well as pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and business entities. The firm offers financial planning, portfolio management, retirement plan consulting, tax support, insurance solutions, and access to alternative investments through a network of 119 advisers using both model and customized portfolios.

Christy Phillips Strigel is a financial advisor with Franklin Street Advisors, Inc. in Chapel Hill, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and bringing 16 years of industry experience. She has been with Franklin Street Advisors since 2013. Outside of her advisory role, she is a partner and officer in two non-investment businesses involved in the importation and sales of European sport horses and equestrian activities, though she does not have active management responsibilities in these ventures. Franklin Street Advisors, Inc. provides discretionary investment management and advisory services to a range of clients including individuals, pooled investment vehicles, pensions, trusts, non-profits, and governmental entities. The firm employs an open-architecture approach combining in-house and external managers, guided by a quarterly Investment Policy Committee, and offers strategic asset allocation models as well as bespoke mandates.

Colton Neighbors is a financial advisor with New Edge Wealth in Durham, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses. He has two years of industry experience and has worked at firms including Fidelity Investments and Northwestern Mutual. New Edge Wealth primarily serves ultra-high-net-worth individuals and families, as well as family offices, foundations, and institutional clients. The firm focuses on asset allocation and investor behavior, offering diversified portfolio management and advisory services enhanced by AI-assisted analytics combined with adviser judgment.

Peter Klas is a financial advisor with Verity Asset Management in Durham, NC, holding a Series 66 designation and 25 years of industry experience. He has worked at Verity Investments, Inc. and Verity Asset Management, Inc. for over a decade. Outside of his advisory role, he is also an insurance agent operating independently through Verity Financial Group, Inc. Verity Asset Management is an SEC-registered investment adviser offering discretionary portfolio management, model portfolio services, retirement-plan advisory, and financial planning to individual, corporate, institutional clients, and other advisers. The firm employs a model-driven investment process focused on tactical asset allocation across diverse asset classes and manages both internally developed and third-party models while operating under fiduciary and ERISA standards.

Matthew Inman is a CFP® and holds a Series 65 license with 10 years of industry experience. He has been with Franklin Street Advisors, Inc. since 2016. Franklin Street Advisors, Inc. provides discretionary, customized investment management to high‑net‑worth individuals and institutional clients, including pension plans and trusts. The firm employs a team-based manager research process and offers tailored mandates across equity and fixed income strategies, combining internal portfolio teams with access to third-party managers.

Michael Wong is a financial advisor with Abacus Wealth Partners in Durham, NC. He holds a Series 65 designation and began his advisory career in 2026 after eight years at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business and two years at UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School. Abacus Wealth Partners provides financial planning, consulting, and investment management to a diverse client base including individuals, high-net-worth clients, families, and institutional entities. The firm employs an asset-class investing approach grounded in academic research, utilizing primarily no-load mutual funds, ETFs, and passive institutional funds, while incorporating ESG screening and private pooled investments for qualified clients.

Jason Barbera is a CFA® charterholder with four years of industry experience. He has worked at Heritage Wealth Advisors since 2024 and previously held roles at Towards Equilibrium, LLC and SOJE Capital LLC. Heritage Wealth Advisors serves high-net-worth individuals, families, trusts, business entities, non-profits, and retirement plans with portfolio management, financial planning, tax preparation, and retirement-plan advisory. The firm constructs personalized asset-allocation models and manages both discretionary and non-discretionary portfolios using a variety of investment vehicles while also acting as investment manager and general partner to multiple private investment funds.

Matthew Dellaero is a Certified Financial Planner® at Facet with 10 years of industry experience. He previously worked at The Vanguard Group for seven years and has entrepreneurial experience from Matt & Wills Toys. Facet Wealth provides subscription-based financial planning and discretionary investment management primarily to individual clients across a range of wealth levels, using technology-driven processes and model-based asset allocations that emphasize exchange-traded funds.

Brian Kurtzer is a financial advisor at Verity Asset Management in Durham, NC, holding a Series 66 designation with 21 years of industry experience. He has worked at Verity Asset Management since 2011 and previously at Verity Financial Group starting in 2004. Verity Asset Management is an SEC-registered investment adviser that provides discretionary portfolio management, model portfolio services, retirement-plan advisory, and financial planning to individual, corporate, institutional clients, and other registered investment advisers. The firm employs a model-driven investment process emphasizing tactical asset allocation across multiple asset classes and offers both internally managed and third-party manager models.

Todd Young is a financial advisor at Franklin Street Advisors, Inc. in Chapel Hill, NC, holding a Series 65 designation with nine years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at KDI Capital Partners LLC and Echelon Point Advisors, LLC before joining Franklin Street Advisors. Franklin Street Advisors, Inc. provides discretionary investment management and advisory services to individuals, pooled investment vehicles, pensions, trusts, non-profits, and governmental entities. The firm employs an open-architecture approach combining in-house and external managers, guided by a quarterly Investment Policy Committee and a disciplined manager-research process.

Andrew James is a financial advisor at Franklin Street Advisors Inc. with six years of industry experience. He holds the Series 65 and Series 66 designations and has been associated with Franklin Street Partners, Inc. since 2002. Franklin Street Advisors provides discretionary, customized investment management to high-net-worth individuals and institutional clients. The firm employs a team-based approach to asset allocation and offers separately managed accounts along with pooled investment vehicles, combining internal portfolio teams with access to third-party managers.

Katherine Sumner is a CFP® and holds a Series 65 license, with five years of industry experience. She has worked at Abacus Wealth Partners since 2021 and previously served in private family wealth roles and at Spotted Dog. Outside of finance, she has been involved with Girls Rock NC, Inc. Abacus Wealth Partners provides financial planning, consulting, and investment management services to individuals, families, and institutions. The firm employs an asset-class investing strategy grounded in academic research, including the use of no-load mutual funds, ETFs, and passive institutional funds, and integrates ESG screening and private pooled investments for qualified clients.

Martin Hensley is a financial advisor at Foundations Investment Advisors LLC with 22 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63, 65, and 66 licenses and has previously worked at firms including EQIS Capital Management and Capital Financial Advisory Group. Outside of his advisory role, he is involved in insurance sales through Full Court Wealth. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC serves a broad client base including individual and high-net-worth clients, employer-sponsored retirement plans, and registered investment companies. The firm offers financial planning, portfolio management, and sub-advisory services, employing a blend of fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis along with model portfolios and an asymmetric rebalancing approach.

Wilson Li is a CFP® and holds a Series 65 license, currently serving as a financial advisor at Abacus Wealth Partners with two years of industry experience. Prior to joining Abacus Wealth Partners in 2024, he worked at Woodward Financial Advisors from 2021 to 2024. Abacus Wealth Partners provides financial planning, consulting, and investment management services to a diverse client base including individuals, families, charitable organizations, and business entities. The firm employs an asset-class investing approach grounded in academic research, utilizing primarily no-load mutual funds, ETFs, and passive institutional funds, along with ESG screening and private pooled vehicles in client portfolios.

Gavin Speck is an advisor at SEIA with a Series 66 designation and approximately one year of industry experience. Prior to joining SEIA, he was affiliated with SES LLC and spent several years as a student. SEIA is an SEC-registered, multi-team advisory firm with about 142 advisors serving individuals, trusts, retirement plans, and institutional clients. The firm offers a range of portfolio management and financial planning services, combining strategic asset allocation with tactical and qualitative investment processes.

Charles Mahaffey is a financial advisor at Franklin Street Advisors, Inc. in Chapel Hill, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with 16 years of industry experience. He has been with Franklin Street Advisors since 2010. Franklin Street Advisors, Inc. provides discretionary investment management and advisory services to a range of clients including individuals, pooled investment vehicles, pensions, trusts, non-profits, and governmental entities. The firm employs an open-architecture approach that combines in-house management with external managers, guided by a quarterly Investment Policy Committee and a disciplined manager-research process.

Todd Zempel is a financial advisor at Summit Financial, LLC with five years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and previously worked for Gordon Asset Management, LLC for 12 years. Outside of his advisory work, he is a co-managing member of Z & M Real Estate Holdings, LLC, a passive real estate investment entity. Summit Financial, LLC is a multi-team advisory firm managing approximately $26.35 billion in assets for about 17,800 clients. The firm offers investment advisory and portfolio management programs, financial planning, and retirement plan advisory services through a combination of discretionary and consultative approaches.

Kathleen Villegas is a CFP® professional with eight years of industry experience. She currently works at Root Financial Partners and previously held roles at Ellevest and Old Peak Finance LLC. Prior to her financial advisory career, she worked at Duke University. Root Financial Partners provides investment management and comprehensive financial planning to individuals, trusts, estates, small businesses, and retirement plans. The firm emphasizes broadly diversified, passive portfolios tailored to client goals and offers specialized strategies when appropriate, along with educational programming and separate paid online academies.

Jo Beth Mullens is a financial advisor at Verity Asset Management with two years of industry experience. She holds a Series 65 credential and has worked in tax services as a tax analyst for H&R Block. Verity Asset Management is an SEC-registered investment adviser serving individual, corporate, institutional clients, and other advisers. The firm employs a model-driven investment process focused on tactical asset allocation across diverse asset classes and offers discretionary portfolio management, retirement-plan advisory, and financial planning services.