Richard Leader is a CFA® charterholder with 27 years of industry experience. He is currently with Focus Partners Wealth, LLC and Kovitz Investment Group Partners, LLC. His prior experience includes roles at First Houston Capital, Inc., Burnham Securities Inc., and Burnham Asset Management Corp. Focus Partners Wealth, LLC serves individuals, high-net-worth families, family offices, and institutional clients, offering wealth management, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting. The firm employs a long-term, tax- and fee-sensitive investment approach that integrates active and passive strategies, third-party managers, and private funds within an enhanced open architecture framework.

Christopher Norman is a financial advisor with Bankers Life Advisory Services, Inc. based in Greensboro, NC. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has 14 years of industry experience. Norman has worked with Bankers Life Securities, Inc. since 2016 and has been an insurance agent and field trainer with Bankers Life & Casualty since 2007. Bankers Life Advisory Services, Inc. serves mass-affluent and high-net-worth individuals, offering discretionary portfolio management, investment consulting, and retirement plan consulting. The firm uses a combination of fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis to tailor asset allocations and portfolio management according to clients’ goals and risk tolerances.

Daniel Lee is a financial advisor at Hornor, Townsend & Kent, LLC with 11 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at Hornor, Townsend & Kent and Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company since 2016. In addition to his advisory role, he is an agent for Navigon Financial Group, focusing on the sales and service of life, accident, health, disability, long-term care, and annuity products. Hornor, Townsend & Kent serves individuals, trusts, businesses, charitable organizations, and retirement plans with a range of advisory programs, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting. The firm operates both as an SEC-registered investment adviser and a FINRA-member broker-dealer, offering custody, execution, and brokerage capabilities alongside investment advice.

Daniel Billings is a CFP®-certified financial advisor with 20 years of industry experience. He is currently with Ameritas Advisory Services, LLC, where he has worked since 2019, and has held various roles within affiliated Ameritas entities since 2013. Billings is also a licensed independent insurance agent specializing in fixed insurance products and serves as Director of Financial Planning at Southeast Financial Services, Inc. Ameritas Advisory Services, LLC provides investment advisory and financial planning services to individuals, high-net-worth investors, retirement plans, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm employs a diversified investment approach using model portfolios, mutual funds, ETFs, and individual securities, and manages multiple program platforms supported by third-party technology and managers.

Jeffery Kee is a financial advisor with Bankers Life Advisory Services, Inc. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has 14 years of industry experience. His work history includes roles at Bankers Life Advisory Services, Bankers Life Securities, Inc., and Bankers Life & Casualty. He is also an agent and unit field trainer with Bankers Life & Casualty. Bankers Life Advisory Services, Inc. is an SEC-registered investment adviser serving mass-affluent and high-net-worth individuals through discretionary portfolio management, investment consulting, and retirement plan consulting. The firm uses a combination of fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis to tailor portfolios to clients’ goals and risk tolerances, offering strategies across various securities with ongoing performance reviews.

Kyle Anderson is a Series 66-licensed financial advisor with Ameritas Advisory Services, LLC, based in Summerfield, NC. He has three years of industry experience, including roles at Ameritas Investment Company, Summerfield Wealth Advisors, and eight years with Honda Aircraft Company, LLC. In addition to his advisory work, Anderson is involved with Summerfield Wealth Advisors, focusing on insurance and financial strategy as well as comprehensive planning and back-office operations. Ameritas Advisory Services, LLC provides investment advisory and planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, high-net-worth investors, retirement plans, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm offers a range of solutions such as asset management, financial planning, retirement plan advisory, and variable product subaccount management, utilizing model portfolios, mutual funds, ETFs, interval funds, and individual securities.

Virginia Saslow is a CFP® professional with 20 years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Oppenheimer since 2009. Prior to that, she worked at Stanford Group Company for one year. Outside of her advisory role, she serves on the board of directors of a family-owned retail jewelry business. Oppenheimer is a registered investment adviser and broker-dealer serving individuals, corporations, pension and profit-sharing plans, and charitable organizations. The firm offers a range of investment and consulting services, utilizing strategic and tactical asset allocation and manager selection across equity, balanced, and fixed-income portfolios.

Roy Greer is a CFP® professional associated with Kestra Advisory, bringing 35 years of experience in the financial industry. He has held various roles since 2001, including positions at Invest Financial Corporation, Cetera Wealth Services, and Kestra Investment Services. In addition to his advisory work, he owns Gate City Advisors and Gate City Insurance, providing investment advisory and insurance services in Greensboro, NC. Kestra Advisory Services offers investment advisory and retirement-plan consulting to a diverse client base of institutional and individual investors, including very large institutional clients such as sovereign wealth funds. The firm provides fiduciary services, plan-level advice, and access to multiple management platforms and third-party solutions.

Dennis Stearns is a CFP® and ChFC® with eight years of industry experience. He has worked at Hightower Advisors since 2020 and previously operated Stearns Financial Services Group for nearly three decades. Outside of his advisory role, he is a partner, director, and officer at Triad Growth Partners LLC, a technology business accelerator. Hightower Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to a diverse client base including individuals, institutions, and pooled investment vehicles. The firm emphasizes manager selection and multi-manager solutions, offering discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement consulting through a broad network of advisors.

John Donaldson is a financial advisor with Eagle Strategies (NY Life) based in Germanton, NC. He holds the ChFC® designation and has 37 years of industry experience. Donaldson has worked with Eagle Strategies since 2001 and operates Donaldson Insurance And Financial Services, where he sells New York Life products and brokers non-registered insurance products. Eagle Strategies serves a diverse client base including individual investors, defined contribution and benefit plans, and charitable and corporate clients. The firm provides financial planning, investment management, and retirement-plan advisory services, mainly on a non-discretionary basis, and emphasizes tailoring recommendations to client objectives and plan sponsor criteria.

Elke De La Cruz is a Series 66 licensed financial advisor with 13 years of industry experience, currently serving at VALIC Financial Advisors since 2016. She also holds an agent position at AGIA, focusing on non-securities insurance products. VALIC Financial Advisors primarily serves U.S. individuals, including high net worth clients and employer-sponsored retirement participants, offering portfolio management, financial planning, and discretionary unified managed accounts through a large network of advisors and centralized technology.

James Story is a financial advisor with Valic Financial Advisors in Augusta, GA, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 26 years of industry experience. He has worked at Valic Financial Advisors since 2014 and has been associated with Agia since 2022. Story serves as an investment community member on the Gwinnett County Public Schools Investment Oversight Committee and is also involved with non-securities insurance products through Agia. 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, wrap programs, financial planning, and brokerage services, utilizing Envestnet-developed UMA models with National Financial Services as custodian.

Robert Reese is a financial advisor at OSAIC Institutions, INC. with 17 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 63 and Series 66 designations and has worked at firms including First Bancorp, Infinex Investments, Inc., FTB Advisors, and CommunityOne Wealth Management. OSAIC Institutions, INC. is an SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, ERISA retirement plans, trusts, estates, and corporate clients through a network of investment adviser representatives. The firm offers customized advisory services, financial planning, and access to alternative investments, operating under a hybrid adviser and broker-dealer structure.

John Rosser Jr. is a financial advisor at Guardian Life with 53 years of industry experience. He has been with Guardian Life and its related entities since 2014, and previously worked at C.P. Advisory Services. Outside of his advisory role, he is involved in managing CP Greensboro, Inc., which offers group and individual medical, dental, and vision insurance products. Guardian Life, through its subsidiary Park Avenue® Wealth Management, provides brokerage and investment advisory services to individuals, corporations, retirement plan sponsors, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm combines advisor-led discretionary management with model-based strategies and offers a range of financial planning and consulting services tailored to client needs.

Shaquan Edwards is a financial advisor at Truist Advisory Services with three years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and has worked at various Truist entities since 2019. Prior to joining Truist, Edwards held roles at Alorica and Interac Co Ltd. Truist Advisory Services provides 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 utilizes a combination of traditional research and AI-enabled tools to support its investment and advisory processes and offers a range of services through its affiliation with Truist Financial and related entities.

Timothy Towery is a CFP® professional with 36 years of experience and has been with Valic Financial Advisors since 1997. He serves as Treasurer for the Gate City Vineyard Christian Fellowship and is an advisory board member of a nonprofit coffee shop employing adults with disabilities. Valic Financial Advisors is an SEC-registered investment adviser and FINRA-member broker-dealer serving primarily U.S. individuals, including high net worth clients, as well as employer-sponsored retirement participants. The firm uses a model-driven approach with discretionary unified managed accounts and offers a range of financial planning and portfolio management services through a large network of advisors.

Indiana Cary is a financial advisor with Transamerica Retirement Advisors, LLC in Greensboro, NC, holding a Series 66 designation and seven years of industry experience. His prior work includes roles at Merrill and JP Morgan Securities LLC. Cary has been with Transamerica-related firms since 2023. Transamerica Retirement Advisors serves participants in employer-sponsored retirement plans and IRA owners, offering managed advice and investment education through proprietary software and model portfolios developed in collaboration with Morningstar Investment Management. The firm operates at a large scale with over 200,000 clients and focuses on non-discretionary asset management rather than high-net-worth or standalone financial planning.

Lauren Norris is a financial advisor with Sanctuary Advisors, LLC, holding a Series 66 designation and 11 years of industry experience. She previously worked at Bank of America and Merrill before joining Sanctuary Advisors and Sanctuary Securities in 2024. Norris serves on committees for Make-A-Wish and Women 2 Women, organizations focused on supporting children with life-threatening illnesses and empowering women and children in Guilford County, respectively. Sanctuary Advisors, LLC provides investment advisory and financial planning services to a broad range of clients, including individuals, corporations, pension plans, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations, through a network of over 400 independent investment adviser representatives. The firm offers portfolio management, retirement plan consulting, and access to various managed account platforms, employing multiple analytical approaches and acting as a fiduciary under written advisory agreements.

Jeffrey Lewis is a financial advisor with Truist Advisory Services in Greensboro, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 39 years of industry experience. His career includes roles at Truist Investment Services, BB&T Securities, Stephens Inc, Wells Fargo Clearing, and Prudential Equity Group. He serves as the treasurer and a voting board member for the Armfield Homeowners Association. Truist Advisory Services offers investment consulting, financial planning, portfolio management, and retirement plan services to individuals, corporations, plan sponsors, and charitable organizations. The firm uses a combination of traditional research and AI-enabled tools to support asset allocation and manager selection through the Envestnet platform while maintaining ongoing client reviews and reporting.

Ashley Hausler is a CFP® with experience at Truist Advisory Services since 2026 and prior roles at Truist Investment Services, First Citizens Wealth, Truist Wealth, and Bank of America, spanning over a decade in financial services. She is based in Greensboro, NC and holds the Series 63 license. Truist Advisory Services offers investment consulting, financial planning, portfolio management, and retirement plan services to individuals, corporations, plan sponsors, and charitable organizations. The firm integrates traditional research with AI-enabled tools and leverages its affiliation with Truist Financial to provide a broad range of advisory and operational capabilities.