Michael Fisher is a CFP® professional with 25 years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Ameriprise since 2020. His prior experience includes roles at Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. and Wells Fargo Advisors. Ameriprise is an institutional firm that offers a retirement-income planning service aimed at individuals approaching or in retirement with significant investable assets. The firm provides a combination of advisory, brokerage, and insurance solutions, utilizing research and modeling to deliver tailored, written recommendations focused on income sources, Social Security, and tax-efficient withdrawal strategies.

Monroe Diefendorf is a ChFC® with 51 years of industry experience, currently serving at Consolidated Portfolio Review Corp and Vanderbilt Securities, LLC. His career includes long-term roles at Provident Mutual Life Insurance Company and his own firms, including Diefendorf Planning Services, Ltd. He is an adjunct professor at Mitchell Hamline School of Law and serves on the Board of Directors for the International Association of Registered Financial Consultants. Consolidated Portfolio Review provides investment management and financial planning services to individual and institutional clients through a multi-advisor platform. The firm’s advisor-driven investment process combines strategic asset allocation with fundamental and technical analysis, offering proprietary model portfolios and access to third-party sub-advisors.

Mark Lebovic is a financial advisor with Kovack Advisors, Inc. in Commack, NY, holding the ChFC® designation along with Series 63 and Series 66 licenses. He has 51 years of industry experience and has been with Kovack Advisors and its affiliated Kovack Securities since 2007. Outside of advisory work, he is involved in selling life and health insurance and manages a portfolio of domain names. Kovack Advisors, Inc. is a multi-team registered investment adviser with approximately 260 advisors and over $6 billion in client assets. The firm serves individuals, pension plans, charitable organizations, banks, and government clients, employing a range of portfolio management and financial planning services supported by Envestnet technology and a combination of internal models and third-party managers.

Michael Black is a financial advisor with Arete Wealth Advisors, LLC, holding a Series 63 designation and 41 years of industry experience. He has worked at Arete Wealth Advisors and Arete Wealth Management since 2022, following six years at National Securities Corp. Arete Wealth Advisors provides investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, pension plans, trusts, and charitable organizations. The firm primarily manages assets on a discretionary basis using a combination of advisor-driven and proprietary model allocations, along with third-party sub-advisers and a due-diligence process for recommended managers and private investments.

Brandon Murphy is a financial advisor with Arete Wealth Advisors, LLC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and four years of industry experience. Prior to joining Arete Wealth Management in 2022, he worked at National Securities Corporation for one year. Outside of finance, he has experience with Glunta's Meat Farms, where he has been involved since 2017. Arete Wealth Advisors provides investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse clientele, including individuals, pension plans, trusts, and charitable organizations. The firm uses both advisor-driven and proprietary model allocations and employs third-party sub-advisers, regularly monitoring accounts while acting as an ERISA fiduciary when applicable.

Diana Fletcher is a Certified Financial Planner® at Vanderbilt Advisory Services with 34 years of industry experience. She has been with Vanderbilt Advisory Services since 2013 and also works with Vanderbilt Securities, LLC. Outside of her advisory role, she is a licensed agent involved in the sale of life insurance and fixed annuities. Vanderbilt Advisory Services serves a diverse client base including individuals, high-net-worth clients, charitable organizations, trusts, estates, businesses, and retirement plans. The firm offers a range of portfolio management and financial planning services, employing a strategic investment process that integrates fundamental, technical, and charting analysis.

Dave Rao is a financial advisor with Nations Financial Group, Inc., holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and possessing 22 years of industry experience. He has worked at Nations Financial Group since 2021 and previously held positions at Cetera Advisor Networks LLC and Summit Financial Services. Rao is also involved in running his investment advisory operations under the entities Rao Wealth Partners and Rao Capital. Nations Financial Group provides advisory services to a diverse range of clients, including individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, and corporate clients. The firm offers discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management with a variety of in-house model portfolios and access to third-party managers, employing multiple investment strategies across a broad risk spectrum.

Gregory Kennedy is a financial advisor with The Pinnacle Financial Group, holding a Series 63 designation and bringing 33 years of industry experience. His prior work includes roles at LPL Financial, Summit Brokerage/Cetera, and Atlantic Financial Group. Kennedy is also involved in providing investment advisory services through Atlantic Financial Group, a business he has been associated with since 2008. The Pinnacle Financial Group offers investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, high-net-worth clients, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and business entities. The firm employs a written Investment Policy Statement tailored to each client and uses fundamental analysis across various investment instruments, managing accounts primarily on a discretionary basis with regular reviews.

Richard Cecchi is a financial advisor at Verity Asset Management with 28 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 63 designation and has a background that includes ownership of a CPA practice and a longstanding role as National Secretary/Treasurer for the Workmen’s Benefit Fund. His career also includes positions at Planmember Securities Corporation and involvement with multiple entities under the Verity umbrella. Verity Asset Management is an SEC-registered investment adviser serving individual investors, including high-net-worth clients, as well as corporate and institutional clients. The firm employs a model-driven investment process focused on tactical asset allocation across diverse asset classes and offers both discretionary and non-discretionary advisory services.

Robert Alimena is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) with 15 years of industry experience. He is currently with Procyon Advisors, LLC and has previously worked at Beaumont Financial Partners, Gerstein Fisher, USAA Financial Planning Services, and Money Concepts Capital Corp. Outside of advising, he coordinates tax work with accounting firms through his involvement in Procyon Tax. Procyon provides investment management, financial planning, retirement-plan advisory, institutional consulting, and model-portfolio services to a diverse client base that includes individuals, high-net-worth families, trusts, businesses, retirement plans, RIAs, pooled investment vehicles, and certain government entities. The firm manages approximately $9.2 billion in assets and employs a combination of internal portfolio construction, independent managers, and AI tools to support both long-term strategies and shorter-term trading.

Robert Taglich is a financial advisor with Aegis Capital Corp. in Melville, NY, holding Series 63 and Series 65 designations and bringing 39 years of industry experience. He has worked at Taglich Brothers, Inc. since 1992 and joined Aegis Capital Corp. in 2026. Aegis Capital Corp. offers investment advisory and related financial services to both individual and corporate clients, providing asset management, financial planning, brokerage, annuities, insurance, and occasional investment banking services. The firm operates as both an SEC-registered investment adviser and a FINRA member broker-dealer, delivering advisory services through multiple programs and platforms, and is noted for its active broker-dealer operations.

Joseph Johnson is a financial advisor with Vanderbilt Advisory Services in Woodbury, NY, holding a Series 63 designation and 41 years of industry experience. He has been with Vanderbilt Securities, LLC since 2011. Outside of his advisory role, Johnson works as a registered nurse for the Veterans Administration. Vanderbilt Advisory Services serves a diverse client base including individuals, charitable organizations, trusts, estates, businesses, and retirement plans. The firm employs a strategic asset allocation process incorporating fundamental, technical, and charting analysis, and is noted for its formal integration with retirement-plan and benefits firms, supporting pension consulting and plan administration alongside advisory services.

Peter Cook is a financial advisor with Vanderbilt Advisory Services, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and bringing 37 years of industry experience. He has worked with Vanderbilt Securities, LLC since 2015. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as an administrative assistant for Essex Village Manor LLC, where he manages resident census and payroll duties remotely. Vanderbilt Advisory Services serves a diverse client base including individuals, charitable organizations, trusts, estates, businesses, and retirement plans. The firm offers a range of portfolio management and financial planning services, emphasizing strategic asset allocation and combining fundamental, technical, and charting analysis.

Ryan Thiel is a financial advisor with The Pinnacle Financial Group in Smithtown, NY, holding a Series 63 designation and 14 years of industry experience. He has been associated with Ryan Thiel & Associates Inc., The Pinnacle Financial Group, and LPL Financial LLC since 2015. The Pinnacle Financial Group provides investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, high-net-worth clients, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and business entities. The firm employs a fundamental analysis approach across various investment instruments and manages accounts primarily on a discretionary basis with regular monitoring and reviews.

James Arellano is a financial advisor at Vanderbilt Advisory Services with Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and one year of industry experience. His prior work includes roles at The Retirement Optimization Group and positions in education at the University of Tampa, Finger Lakes Community College, Victor Central High School, and Greece Athena High School. Vanderbilt Advisory Services serves a diverse client base including individuals, charitable organizations, trusts, estates, businesses, and retirement plans. The firm employs a strategic asset allocation approach combined with fundamental, technical, and charting analysis, offering discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management as well as financial planning and consulting services.

Robert Schpoont is an investment advisor representative at Composition Wealth, LLC with 23 years of industry experience. He previously spent 24 years at North Shore Asset Management, LLC and is currently dually registered with both firms during a transition period. Composition Wealth provides investment management, financial planning, and retirement plan advisory services to a broad client base including individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, and charitable organizations. The firm follows a primarily long-term investment approach using diversified, low-cost mutual funds and ETFs, supplemented by other asset types, and manages approximately $9.47 billion in discretionary assets.

Thomas Pekar is a financial advisor with Capitol Securities Management, Inc., holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 28 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Cetera Advisors LLC and First Allied Advisory Services. Outside of finance, he works as a freelance entertainer, performing as a singer, guitarist, and event MC. Capitol Securities Management serves individuals, corporate and charitable clients, trustees, and plan sponsors, offering brokerage and investment advisory services along with financial planning, pension consulting, insurance products, and educational seminars. The firm manages assets through separately managed accounts and various wrap fee programs, utilizing a platform that supports discretionary and non-discretionary account management across multiple investment instruments.

Young Choi is a financial advisor at Arete Wealth Advisors, LLC with 23 years of industry experience. He holds the ChFC® designation along with Series 63 and Series 65 licenses. His prior experience includes roles at TIAA-CREF and Microsoft. Outside of his advisory work, Choi is involved in tax preparation services as a partner at Saranac Tax Services LLC. Arete Wealth Advisors provides investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base, including high-net-worth individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, and charitable organizations. The firm employs both advisor-driven and proprietary model-based investment strategies and acts as an ERISA fiduciary when applicable.

Christopher Hilla is a financial advisor at Aegis Capital Corp. with 10 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and previously worked at Bank of America and Merrill from 2016 to 2024. Aegis Capital Corp. serves a diverse client base including both non‑high-net-worth and high-net-worth individuals as well as corporate clients. The firm offers investment advisory, financial planning, brokerage, annuities, insurance, and occasional investment banking services, with most assets managed on a non‑discretionary basis requiring client approval for trades.

Widmayer Jacques is a financial advisor at Arete Wealth Advisors, LLC with 10 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 63 and Series 66 designations and has worked at National Securities Corp and Arete Wealth Management LLC prior to his current role. He is also involved with Jerusalem SDA, an organization he has been connected with since 2010. Arete Wealth Advisors provides investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, pension plans, trusts, and charitable organizations. The firm manages assets primarily on a discretionary basis using advisor-driven and proprietary model allocations, and integrates affiliated financial businesses and product channels in its service offerings.