Melissa Thomas is a CFP® with 17 years of industry experience, currently serving with Voya Financial Advisors, Inc. She previously worked at Ameriprise Financial Services and Sam Weir, CRPC. Outside of her advisory work, she writes articles and social media posts about motherhood from the perspective of an adoptive mom for Magnolia Moms. Voya Financial Advisors, Inc. serves individual and institutional clients including retirement plan sponsors, charitable organizations, corporations, and high-net-worth individuals. The firm offers financial planning, portfolio management, wrap programs, and consulting, with an emphasis on non-discretionary, recommendation-based advice delivered through multiple program structures.

Christina Osborne is a financial advisor at Eagle Strategies (NY Life) with four years of industry experience. She holds a Series 66 designation and previously worked at First Commercial Bank for eleven years. Osborne also maintains concurrent roles at Nylife Securities LLC and Sledge and Company. Eagle Strategies serves individual and institutional clients by providing financial planning, investment management, and retirement-plan advisory services. The firm offers multiple program types tailored to client objectives, with a significant portion of assets managed on a non-discretionary basis.

Michael Mc Graw Sr. is a financial advisor at TLG Advisors, Inc. with over 33 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and has held various roles in the insurance and financial services sectors, including managing partner at McGraw Life & Health Services since 1989 and sales coordinator at Mark Wall & Co. since 2022. TLG Advisors, Inc. serves a diverse client base with services including portfolio management, financial planning, and fiduciary services for retirement plans. The firm emphasizes manager selection and portfolio monitoring through fundamental analysis and Modern Portfolio Theory, and offers a digital investment program called Starlight Portfolios.

La Taura Wilson is a financial advisor with Empower Advisory Group in Pearl, MS, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and eight years of industry experience. Prior to joining Empower Financial Services in 2018, she spent eleven years at the Public Employees' Retirement System of Mississippi. Outside of advisory work, Wilson prepares and files tax returns as a tax professional for H&R Block. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management primarily for employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors and their participants, as well as certain individual account holders. The firm delivers services through an integrated model linked to Empower’s administrative platforms, offering point-in-time financial plans and optional managed account solutions.

Ryan Mckibben is a financial advisor with Focus Partners Wealth, LLC, holding a Series 65 designation and 11 years of industry experience. He has previously worked at The Colony Group, LLC, Buckingham Strategic Wealth, LLC, and Horne LLP in various advisory capacities. Focus Partners serves individuals, high-net-worth families, family offices, and institutional clients with wealth management and advisory services. The firm employs a long-term, tax- and fee-sensitive investment approach that combines active and passive strategies within an enhanced open architecture framework.

Taylor Sledge Jr. is a financial advisor with Eagle Strategies (NY Life) based in Ridgeland, MS. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has 17 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at New York Life Insurance Company, NyLife Securities, LLC, and his own firms such as Sledge and Company and The Skyline Company. Outside of his advisory work, he serves as a board member for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes in Mississippi and is a co-founder of the nonprofit OSPREY (Old School Parents Raising Engaged Youth). Eagle Strategies serves a broad mix of individual and institutional clients, offering financial planning, investment management, and retirement-plan advisory services through a large network of affiliated advisors. The firm is notable for its emphasis on non-discretionary asset management and tailored advisory solutions, working extensively with retirement plans, charitable organizations, and corporate clients within the New York Life affiliate structure.

Peyton Hudson is a financial advisor at Focus Partners Wealth, LLC with three years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has worked at Buckingham Strategic Wealth, LLC and The Colony Group, LLC. Before his advisory career, he spent five years at Mississippi State University and two years at a local mortgage company. Focus Partners serves a diverse client base, including individuals, high-net-worth families, family offices, and institutional clients, offering comprehensive wealth management and advisory services. The firm’s investment approach combines active and passive strategies through an "enhanced open architecture" framework, utilizing both fundamental and quantitative analysis alongside alternative portfolio tools.

Thomas Candler is a Series 66-licensed financial advisor at Empower Advisory Group with nine years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at GWFS Equities, Morgan Stanley, Charles Schwab, Wells Fargo Bank, and Edward Jones. He serves as a Military Captain Plans and Operations Officer in the United States Army Reserve and owns a full-service vending machine business. 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 integrates its services with Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative platforms.

Robert Wojcik is a financial advisor with SPC in Madison, MS, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and 34 years of industry experience. He has worked at SPC and SIGMA Financial Corporation since 2017 and previously at Investment Professionals from 2013 to 2017. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as a FINRA industry arbitrator and is active as a soccer referee and member of the Central Mississippi Soccer Officials Association. SPC serves a diverse client base including high-net-worth individuals, charitable organizations, corporations, and employer-sponsored retirement plans, managing approximately $5.66 billion in assets. The firm provides portfolio management, financial planning, and ERISA-related retirement plan services, offering both discretionary and nondiscretionary management options through a network of over 460 advisors.

Jennifer Ladner is a financial advisor with Valic Financial Advisors in Ridgeland, MS, holding a Series 66 designation and six years of industry experience. She has worked previously at First Financial Capital Corp and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana. Outside of her advisory role, she serves as an agent for AGIA, selling non-securities insurance products, and acts as registered agent for South Mississippi Promotional Group, LLC, a marketing company managing promotional agreements between businesses and athletes. 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 UMA models with optional tax and ESG overlay services.

Chad Franks is a financial advisor with Eagle Strategies (New York Life) based in Ridgeland, MS. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 credentials and has 24 years of industry experience. He has been affiliated with New York Life Insurance Company since 2012 and Eagle Strategies since 2011. Franks is a member of the Magnolia Club Alumni Organization and volunteers on the housing committee for the Kappa Alpha Order’s Alpha Upsilon Chapter. Eagle Strategies serves a diverse client base including individuals and institutions, offering financial planning, investment management, and retirement-plan advisory services. The firm emphasizes tailored recommendations and primarily manages assets on a non-discretionary basis within an integrated New York Life affiliate structure.

Hillman Mc Cann is a financial advisor with Empower Advisory Group, holding Series 63 and Series 66 credentials and four years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at J.P. Morgan Securities, Charles Schwab, LPL Financial, and Countiss Wealth Management. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management primarily to employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors and participants, as well as Empower Premier IRA and select retail brokerage clients, using an integrated service model aligned with Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative platforms.

Samuel Stevens is a CFP® and holds a Series 65 license, with eight years of industry experience. He currently works at Creative Planning and has previously been employed at Buckingham Strategic Wealth, HORNE Wealth Advisors, Mississippi College, and Trustmark National Bank. Creative Planning provides wealth management, financial planning, and retirement-plan advisory services to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, foundations, and corporations. The firm manages approximately $295.6 billion in client assets through a financial-planning-led investment approach that includes low-cost indexing, buy-and-hold strategies, and selective private market exposure.

Taylor Triplett is a financial advisor with Eagle Strategies (NY Life) based in Ridgeland, MS. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has 13 years of industry experience. Taylor has held roles at Sledge & Company Financial and The Skyline Company, which he owns. Outside of his advisory work, he serves on the boards of the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra and St. Andrew's Episcopal School, and is involved with Breakthrough T1D, a nonprofit focused on Type 1 diabetes. Eagle Strategies serves a diverse client base, including individuals, institutional investors, and retirement plans, providing financial planning, investment management, and advisory services. The firm emphasizes tailored solutions across multiple program types, primarily managing assets on a non-discretionary basis within the integrated New York Life affiliate structure.

James Mcconnell is a financial advisor at Benjamin F. Edwards & Company, Inc. with 32 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at Benjamin F. Edwards since 2021, following five years at Wells Fargo Clearing and seven years at Wells Fargo Advisors. Outside of his advisory work, he owns a construction materials business and serves in trustee and custodial roles for family investment-related entities, as well as holding an ownership and officer position in a private hunting club. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company is an SEC-registered investment adviser and broker-dealer serving individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, corporations, and other institutions. The firm offers a range of fee-based wrap programs, financial planning, retirement and investment consulting, and manages portfolios using strategic and tactical approaches monitored by an Investment Strategy Committee.

Fred Sandifer is a Series 66-licensed financial advisor with seven years of industry experience. He currently works at Empower Advisory Group and has prior experience at J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., Edward Jones, and Broadstreet Business Brokers. Outside of financial advising, he was involved in Majestic Burger, LLC for 13 years. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management primarily to employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors and their participants, as well as to IRA and retail brokerage clients. The firm’s approach includes proprietary planning methodologies focused on long-term portfolio returns and integrates closely with Empower’s administrative platforms.

Phillip Whitehead is a financial advisor with Eagle Strategies (NY Life) based in Brandon, MS. He holds the ChFC® designation and has 32 years of industry experience, including long-term affiliations with New York Life and Nylife Securities Inc. Outside of his advisory role, he is involved in several small business ventures, including owning and managing retail food businesses and serving as a deacon at Park Place Baptist Church. Eagle Strategies serves a diverse client base with financial planning, investment management, and retirement-plan advisory services. The firm emphasizes tailored recommendations and primarily manages assets on a non-discretionary basis for both individual and institutional clients within the New York Life affiliate structure.

Jackson Sharp is a financial advisor at Kestra Advisory with five years of industry experience. He holds the CFP® designation along with Series 63 and Series 66 licenses. Prior to joining Kestra, he worked at J.P. Morgan Securities and JPMorgan Chase Bank. His other business activity includes serving as a Wealth Management Analyst supporting partners and advisors with client onboarding and account services. Kestra Advisory Services provides investment advisory and retirement-plan consulting to institutional and individual clients, offering fiduciary consulting, plan design, and employee education among other services. The firm manages approximately $79.8 billion in assets and serves a broad client base that includes large institutional investors and sovereign wealth funds.

James Vance is a financial advisor with Valic Financial Advisors in Ridgeland, MS. He holds the Series 66 designation and has one year of industry experience. Prior to joining Valic Financial Advisors, he worked at Spectrum Sports and held academic positions at Mississippi College and East Central Community College. He is also appointed as an agent to sell non-securities insurance products for AGIA. Valic Financial Advisors 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, and brokerage services, utilizing Envestnet-developed UMA models for portfolio construction.

Bowen Thigpen is a CFP®-designated financial advisor at CWM, LLC with 10 years of industry experience. He previously worked at New York Life Insurance Company and NYlife Securities LLC from 2015 to 2019 and has been associated with Thigpen Group since 2019. In addition to advisory services, he holds an insurance agent role, selling life, health, disability, annuities, and long-term care products. CWM, LLC is an SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, high-net-worth families, foundations, and institutional clients through a large network of advisors. The firm uses a discretionary approach with model portfolios overseen by an internal Investment Committee and offers a range of services including portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement-plan solutions.