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 CFP® and ChFC® with 20 years of experience in financial advisory. He is currently with Brookstone Capital Management LLC and serves as CEO and insurance agent at H.E. Scheil & Associates, Inc., where he spends a significant portion of his time. His prior experience includes roles at Insurance Advisor Associates, Inc., Cardinal Retirement Planning, Inc., and Gradient Investments, LLC. Brookstone Capital Management is an SEC-registered adviser providing fee-based asset management and financial planning through a turnkey asset management platform and wrap-fee program. The firm serves a broad client base, including individuals, retirement plans, corporations, and institutional clients, and supports a large advisor network with back-office and sub-advisory services.

James Chetwood III is a CFP® with 21 years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Allworth Financial. His prior experience includes roles at Adams Chetwood Wealth Management and Purshe Kaplan Sterling Investments. He is an elder at The Summit Church and author of *Retire to the Fullest: Four Dimensions of Financial Peace of Mind*. Allworth Financial is a fee-based SEC-registered adviser serving individual, retirement, trust, charitable, and corporate clients. The firm offers customized portfolio strategies, including model allocations and options-based overlays, and incorporates technology to manage held-away retirement accounts.

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.

Joseph Miller is a CFP® professional with 32 years of industry experience. He is currently with Concurrent Investment Advisors, LLC and has previously worked at Arky & Miller Financial Group and The Variable Annuity Marketing Company. Miller also teaches CFP Board educational courses as an adjunct faculty member at Guilford College. Concurrent Investment Advisors, LLC is a multi-team registered advisory firm serving individuals, high-net-worth clients, families, trusts, estates, businesses, and retirement plans. The firm emphasizes customized, primarily long-term portfolios using ETFs, mutual funds, individual securities, bonds, alternative investments, and independent sub-advisers, supported by a network of approximately 286 advisors serving over 13,000 clients.

Halah Little is a financial advisor at Transamerica Retirement Advisors, LLC with two years of industry experience. She holds the Series 66 designation and has previously worked at Fidelity Investments and Barings. Transamerica Retirement Advisors serves participants in employer-sponsored retirement plans and IRA owners through managed advice programs and investment education services, utilizing proprietary software and third-party model portfolios to provide both discretionary and non-discretionary investment recommendations.

Blake Gaulden is a CFP®, CFA®, and Series 66-licensed financial advisor with 16 years of industry experience. He has worked at firms including Ameriprise Financial Services, Lincoln Financial Advisors, and LPL Financial before joining Osaic Advisory Services, LLC. Osaic Advisory Services, LLC is an SEC-registered investment adviser that serves individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, corporations, trusts, charitable organizations, and municipal entities. The firm offers a range of services including investment management, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and third-party manager oversight, with portfolios managed through both proprietary and third-party platforms.

Donella Winkler is a CFP® professional with 12 years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Allworth Financial, L.P. She has prior experience at Adams Chetwood Wealth Management, Zeiders Enterprises, BancWest Investment Services, Inc., and Bank of the West BNP Paribas. Outside of her advisory role, she provides financial education through Zeiders Enterprises, focusing on topics such as Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), credit scores, and budgeting. Allworth Financial is a fee-based SEC-registered adviser serving individuals, qualified retirement plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and corporate clients. The firm offers customized investment portfolios using various model strategies and employs technology to manage held-away employer retirement accounts without client login credentials.

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 at Brookstone Capital Management LLC with 19 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and has been with Brookstone since 2015. In addition to his role there, he owns GPS Financial Strategies, where he counsels individuals, families, and business owners on financial security matters. Brookstone Capital Management is an SEC-registered adviser providing 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.

John Todd is a financial advisor at Osaic Advisory Services, LLC with 10 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and previously worked at Arbor Point Advisors, Securities America, Inc., Ameriprise Financial Services Inc., and Edward Jones. Osaic Advisory Services, LLC is an SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, pension plans, corporations, trusts, charitable organizations, and government entities. The firm provides investment management, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and related services through multiple program models, utilizing a combination of proprietary guidance and third-party platforms.

Kimberley Palladino is a financial advisor at Truist Advisory Services with 16 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 66 designations and has worked at Truist and its predecessor, SunTrust, since 2015. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, businesses, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations. The firm offers asset allocation, fiduciary support, and manager selection programs, utilizing a combination of discretionary and non-discretionary approaches supported by AI-enabled research tools.

George Arky is a CFP® with 37 years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Concurrent Investment Advisors, LLC since 2025. He previously worked at Arky & Miller Financial Group, LLC and Cambridge Investment Research Advisors. Arky is a board member of the Ronald McDonald House of Durham and also leads wine tours in Durham, NC. Concurrent Investment Advisors, LLC is a multi-team advisory firm serving individuals, families, trusts, estates, businesses, and retirement plans. The firm offers wealth management, financial planning, and retirement advisory services through customized, primarily long-term portfolios that utilize ETFs, mutual funds, and other investment vehicles.

Khutchnai Kang is a financial advisor at Empower Advisory Group with one year of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 designations and previously worked at Fidelity Investments. Prior to his financial career, he spent time in retail and education roles. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management primarily to employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors and their participants, as well as to certain retail brokerage account holders. The firm’s approach emphasizes integrated services tied to Empower’s administrative platforms and focuses on long-term portfolio returns and plan sponsor-chosen investment lineups.

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 at OSAIC with 55 years of industry experience. He holds the ChFC® designation along with Series 63 and Series 65 licenses. His prior work includes 25 years with Signator Investors, Inc. and John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Company, followed by eight years at Royal Alliance Associates, Inc. Werner volunteers on the University of North Carolina Board of Visitors, where he communicates with prospective honors students. OSAIC serves a diverse client base, including individuals, high-net-worth investors, pension plans, corporations, and charitable organizations through a large network of advisors. The firm offers integrated brokerage and advisory services with a variety of investment options and utilizes advanced portfolio management tools and third-party solutions.

Benjamen Parker is a financial advisor with Fidelity, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and 17 years of industry experience. He has worked with Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC since 2008 and has been part of Fidelity Personal and Workplace Advisors since 2018. Fidelity’s Strategic Advisers LLC provides investment management and advisory services to retail and institutional clients, including registered investment companies and an IRS-qualified Charitable Gift Fund. The firm employs a combination of proprietary fundamental research, quantitative analysis, and algorithmic portfolio construction to manage discretionary and non-discretionary portfolios.

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.