Austin Smith is a financial advisor at Principal Financial Services with one year of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked previously at American Express and MThree Consulting. Outside of his advisory role, he is involved with Smith Financial Corp., which focuses on sales and service of securities and fixed products. Principal Securities provides brokerage and registered investment advisory services to individual investors, retirement plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, corporations, and active-duty military personnel. The firm offers financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and access to third-party money manager asset allocation and separately managed account solutions through various advisory and promoter arrangements.

David Kitterman is a CFP®-designated financial advisor with 23 years of industry experience. He is currently with Empower Advisory Group and has previously worked at firms including Dunster Rose, LPL Financial, Capital Guardian Wealth Management, Woodbury Financial Services, TIAA-CREF, and Banc of America Investment Services. Empower Advisory Group primarily serves employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors and their participants, offering financial planning and investment management through an integrated model connected to Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative platforms. The firm emphasizes long-term portfolio returns and annual rebalancing within plan lineups selected by plan sponsors.

Colby Clark is a financial advisor at Independent Advisor Alliance, LLC with 11 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and has worked at several firms, including Aspire Private Capital and LPL Financial. Outside of his advisory role, he is involved as an independent insurance sales agent and has advisory-related activities through C SQUARED CAPITAL LLC. Independent Advisor Alliance serves a diverse client base, including individuals, small businesses, charitable organizations, and retirement plans, offering asset management, financial planning, and retirement consulting. The firm employs a network model combining independent advisory representatives with access to various portfolio management strategies and technology platforms.

Michael Davis is a financial advisor at &PARTNERS with 20 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and previously worked at Wells Fargo Clearing for eight years. Outside of advising, Davis is a franchisee and partial manager of Summitt Coffee Cafe and serves on the investment team of the United Methodist Foundation of Western North Carolina. &PARTNERS serves a diverse client base including high-net-worth individuals, retirement plans, charitable organizations, and corporations. The firm offers investment management and financial planning through discretionary and non-discretionary strategies, utilizing a combination of fundamental, technical, and quantitative analysis alongside proprietary and third-party models.

Jeffrey Bulger is a financial advisor with Truist Advisory Services in Mooresville, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 27 years of industry experience. His prior experience includes roles at BB&T Securities, Bank of America, Merrill, and Banc of America Investment Services. Truist Advisory Services delivers 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 uses a combination of financial data collection, goal definition, asset allocation strategies, and manager selection via the Envestnet platform, supported by AI-enabled research and ongoing client reviews.

Kymona Thomas is a financial advisor at Creative Planning with 11 years of industry experience. She holds Series 65 and Series 63 licenses and has worked at firms including Pearson, GWFS Equities, LPL Financial, Wells Fargo Clearing, TIAA-CREF, and Vanguard Marketing Corporation. Creative Planning provides wealth management, financial planning, and retirement-plan advisory services to a diverse client base, including high-net-worth individuals, pension plans, trusts, and corporations. The firm employs a financial-planning-led investment approach that emphasizes low-cost indexing and buy-and-hold strategies, complemented by tax-loss harvesting, managed accounts, and selective private market investments.

Richard Pucciarelli is a financial advisor at Brookstone Capital Management LLC with 16 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has worked at Brookstone since 2010 and Carolina Retirement Resources since 2003. In addition to his advisory role, he is also an insurance agent. Brookstone Capital Management is an SEC-registered adviser that provides fee-based asset management and financial planning through a turnkey asset management platform and wrap-fee program. The firm serves a diverse client base including individuals, retirement plans, corporations, charitable organizations, other registered investment advisers, sovereign wealth funds, and banking institutions, offering discretionary investment management via various account types and model portfolios.

Angela Lessor is a CFP® with 16 years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Hightower Advisors. Her prior roles include positions at Journey Strategic Wealth LLC, Bleakley Financial Group LLC, LPL Financial, and Northwestern Mutual Investment Management. Hightower Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to a diverse range of individual and institutional clients, utilizing a multi-manager approach that includes affiliated and third-party managers, with capabilities in discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting.

Patrick Schultz is a CFP® with 21 years of industry experience, currently serving at Concurrent Investment Advisors, LLC. His previous roles include positions at New York Life Investment Management LLC, Purshe Kaplan Sterling Investments, Inc., and Neuberger Berman. Outside of advisory work, he acts as a marketing consultant for Armstrong, Fleming, & Moore. Concurrent Investment Advisors, LLC is a multi-team advisory firm serving individuals, families, trusts, estates, businesses, and retirement plans. The firm focuses on customized, primarily long-term portfolios using ETFs, mutual funds, and other investment vehicles, supported by a network of roughly 286 advisors managing over 13,000 clients.

Michael Smith is a financial advisor at Fifth Third Securities, Inc. in Kannapolis, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with 27 years of industry experience. He has been with Fifth Third Securities since 2012. Fifth Third Securities provides brokerage and investment advisory services through its Passageway Managed Account Program to individuals, charitable organizations, corporate clients, and institutional investors. The firm offers multiple discretionary managed-account programs and combines third-party portfolio managers, strategist portfolios, and advisor-managed sleeves, with features such as direct indexing and tax-overlay services.

Robert Flynn is a financial advisor with Empower Advisory Group who holds Series 63 and Series 65 designations and has 22 years of industry experience. He previously worked at TIAA-CREF and TIAA from 1997 to 2022 before joining Empower Financial Services in 2023. 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 retail brokerage clients. The firm’s integrated approach leverages proprietary and third-party methodologies focused on long-term portfolio returns and is closely tied to Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative platforms.

Mark Sumner is a financial advisor with SPC in Mooresville, NC, holding a Series 66 designation and 17 years of industry experience. He has worked at SPC and Parkland Securities LLC since 2020 and previously spent seven years at Securities Service Network, Inc. Sumner is also a licensed insurance agent involved with Sumner Wealth Management, Inc., where he provides life, Medicare Supplement, long-term care, and disability insurance. SPC serves a diverse client base including individuals, charitable organizations, corporations, and employer-sponsored retirement plans, managing approximately $5.66 billion in assets. The firm offers portfolio management, financial planning, and ERISA-related retirement plan services, delivering strategies through discretionary and nondiscretionary management options.

Robert Eberhardt is a CFP® with over 31 years of industry experience, currently serving at Principal Financial Services since 2011. Based in Denver, NC, he holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses. Outside of his advisory role, he is president and owner of Safe Self Storage, LLC, where he manages accounting and marketing for two self-storage locations. Principal Financial Services provides brokerage and registered investment advisory services to a diverse client base, including individual investors, retirement plans, trusts, and corporations. The firm offers direct advisory programs, financial planning, and access to third-party money manager solutions under various advisory and promoter arrangements.

Lisa Scriba is a financial advisor with \u0026Partners in Davidson, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 25 years of industry experience. She joined \u0026Partners in 2024 after eight years at Wells Fargo Clearing. Outside of her advisory role, she owns and oversees operations of an automotive maintenance and repair business. \u0026Partners serves a diverse client base, including high-net-worth individuals, institutions, and charitable organizations. The firm offers investment management and financial planning services through both discretionary and non-discretionary accounts, utilizing a combination of fundamental, technical, and quantitative analysis.

Justin Romero is a financial advisor with Principal Financial Services, holding Series 63, 65, and 66 licenses and five years of industry experience. He has previously worked at firms including Accelerate Investment Advisors LLC, Principal Life Insurance Company, and Morgan Stanley. Outside of his advisory role, Romero is a partner at Cypress Benefit Solutions, a firm specializing in group insurance and employee benefits. Principal Securities provides brokerage and registered investment advisory services to a diverse client base, including individual investors, retirement plans, trusts, and corporations. The firm offers direct advisory programs, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and access to third-party money manager asset allocation and separately managed account solutions.

Christopher Hance is a financial advisor with TIAA-CREF, holding a Series 66 credential and 23 years of industry experience. He has been with TIAA-CREF and its predecessor entities since 2006, with a brief period of unemployment in 2019. TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC’s Advice & Planning Services division provides financial planning and discretionary managed account programs to individuals, trusts, estates, partnerships, and small retirement plans, often serving clients with existing relationships through TIAA-administered employer retirement plans. The firm operates a fiduciary advisory model that distinguishes planning services from ongoing discretionary management and advises a donor-advised fund while utilizing a vertically integrated investment approach.

Pete Trontis is a CFA® charterholder with eight years of industry experience. He is currently an advisor at Savant Wealth Management and previously worked at Exencial Wealth Advisors, LLC, where he was also an equity partner. Prior to that, he held roles at Willingdon Wealth Management and Horizon Investments. Savant Wealth Management serves a broad client base including individuals, families, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, corporations, and high-net-worth clients. The firm employs a mixed investment approach combining evidence-based, model-driven asset allocation with actively managed strategies and offers integrated services such as accounting, legal, and trust through affiliated entities.

Randy Farina is a CFA® charterholder with six years of industry experience, currently serving as an advisor at Savant Wealth Management since 2026. Prior to joining Savant, he worked at Exencial Wealth Advisors, LLC for six years and had a one-year tenure at Westwood Global. Savant Wealth Management provides wealth management, portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting services to individuals, families, corporate clients, and institutions. The firm combines evidence-based, model-driven asset allocation with actively managed strategies and offers integrated accounting, legal, and trust services through affiliated entities.

David Carrara is a CFP® with 26 years of experience in the financial services industry. He is currently an advisor at Citizens Securities, Inc., where he has worked since 2021. His prior experience includes 14 years at TIAA-CREF. Citizens Securities serves a broad retail client base, including individual and high-net-worth investors and individual retirement plans, offering investment advisory programs alongside brokerage and insurance services. The firm provides both a digital advisory program featuring ETF-based portfolios and a Managed Account program, operating as a broker-dealer and insurance agency under ownership by Citizens Bank, N.A.

Kenneth Putnam is a CFP® with 15 years of industry experience, currently serving as an advisor at Independent Advisor Alliance, LLC since 2017. He previously worked at Cornerstone Financial Advisors and is also associated with LPL Financial, LLC. Independent Advisor Alliance serves a diverse client base including individuals, small businesses, charitable organizations, and retirement plans, offering asset management, financial planning, and retirement consulting services. The firm provides both discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management through a network model supported by technology platforms and access to third-party managers.