Haleh Moddasser is a financial advisor at Hightower Advisors with 14 years of industry experience. She holds the Series 65 designation and previously worked at Stearns Financial Services Group for nine years before joining Hightower Advisors in 2020. Hightower Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to a diverse range of individual and institutional clients. The firm’s approach emphasizes manager selection and multi-manager solutions utilizing both affiliated and third-party managers, combined with proprietary research and portfolio construction techniques.

Stephen Engelson is a financial advisor at Truist Advisory Services with 33 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and has been with Truist Advisory Services since 2016, also affiliated with Truist Investment Services since 2010. Outside of his advisory role, he is involved in purchasing homes for flipping in Durham, NC. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, corporate clients, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations, utilizing a mix of discretionary manager relationships and non-discretionary consulting supported by advanced research tools and inter-affiliate integration.

David Castro is a CFP® professional with 14 years of industry experience, currently serving at Focus Partners Wealth, LLC. He has previously worked at Kovitz Investment Group Partners, LLC and Kovitz Securities, LLC. Focus Partners Wealth, LLC provides wealth advisory and investment management services to a diverse client base, including individuals, high-net-worth families, family offices, retirement plans, institutions, and businesses. The firm employs a long-term, tax- and fee-sensitive investment approach within an enhanced open architecture framework that integrates active and passive strategies, separate account managers, private funds, mutual funds, and ETFs.

Michelle Disney is a CFP® with 18 years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Allworth Financial, L.P. in Durham, NC. Her prior experience includes roles at Adams Chetwood Wealth Management and Purshe Kaplan Sterling Investments. Disney holds the Series 66 designation. Allworth Financial is a fee-based SEC-registered adviser serving a diverse client base including individuals, qualified retirement plans, trusts, charitable organizations, and corporate clients. The firm employs a range of customized portfolio strategies and uses technology to manage held-away employer retirement accounts, with notable ownership ties to private investment vehicles and the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan.

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.

Jonathan Ludwig is a financial advisor with United Planners Financial Services of America, holding a Series 65 credential and based in Chapel Hill, NC. He has one year of industry experience and a background that includes seven years at Accenture Federal Services as a Growth & Strategy Manager in consulting, a role unrelated to investment advising. United Planners Financial Services is a national wealth-management enterprise serving a broad range of clients through independent Investment Adviser Representatives. The firm manages approximately $12.77 billion in assets, with a large portion of accounts managed on a non-discretionary basis, and operates as a limited partnership with various programs supporting advisor transitions.

Rajesh Chundi is a financial advisor at Transamerica Financial Advisors with 10 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at firms including Change Healthcare Inc. and Optum Services Inc. Outside of advising, he serves as a database administrator for the Orange Water and Sewer Authority and operates Chundi Financial Services, LLC. Transamerica Financial Advisors provides investment advisory, brokerage, and retirement-plan services to a diverse client base, utilizing model portfolios and third-party managers across multiple platforms such as Transamerica ONE and the TFA365 Advisory Program.

Sarah Hickey is a Planning Consultant at Fidelity Investments, a role she has held since 2023. She has accumulated over a decade of experience in financial services, working in various capacities including service management, investment solutions, and client relationship management. Her professional background includes positions at RBC Wealth Management, Fidelity Investments, Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, J.P. Morgan Wealth Management, and Barclays Wealth. Throughout her career, she has focused on understanding clients' unique needs and circumstances to develop financial plans that align with their goals and values. Outside of her professional work, Sarah has interests in art, food, parenthood, and yoga.

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.

James Simone is a financial advisor with TIAA-CREF in Durham, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and 30 years of industry experience. He has been with TIAA and TIAA-CREF since 2013. TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC’s Advice & Planning Services division offers financial planning and discretionary managed account programs to individuals, trusts, estates, and corporate entities, often serving clients connected to TIAA-administered employer retirement plans. The firm also advises donor-advised funds and combines point-in-time planning with ongoing portfolio management under a fiduciary standard.

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.

David Leder is a financial advisor with United Planners' Financial Services of America and holds Series 65 and Series 63 licenses. He has 11 years of industry experience, including prior roles at Cambridge Investment Research and Cambridge Investment Research Advisors. Outside of his advisory work, Leder is president of Legacy Insurance Solutions LLC. United Planners Financial Services is a national wealth-management enterprise serving a diverse client base including individuals, retirement plans, corporations, and institutional clients. The firm utilizes a combination of custodians, third-party money managers, and platform programs to implement investment strategies, with a majority of assets managed on a non-discretionary basis.

Casey Pickett is a financial advisor at TIAA-CREF with seven years of industry experience. He holds the Series 63 and Series 66 designations and has previously worked at Wells Fargo Clearing Services, Vanguard Marketing Corporation, Transamerica Life Insurance, and Merrill, among others. TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC provides financial planning and discretionary managed account programs to individuals, trusts, estates, partnerships, corporate entities, and small retirement plans, often serving clients with existing relationships through TIAA-administered employer retirement plans. The firm offers a range of advisory services, including model and customized portfolios, and acts as adviser to a donor-advised fund.

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.

Bradley Curelop is a CFP® professional with nine years of industry experience, currently with PNC Wealth Management. His prior roles include positions at United Brokerage Services, Suntrust Investment Services, Suntrust Bank, and Bb&T. He is a co-owner of a short-term rental business with Stacey Curelop. PNC Wealth Management offers retail brokerage and advisory services through model-based programs, including an online discretionary model account available as an invitation-only pilot for employees, which uses algorithm-driven risk assessment and implements investments via approved model strategies with mutual funds and ETFs.

Michael Dipenta is a financial advisor at TIAA-CREF with 19 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has been with TIAA-CREF since 2015. TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC’s Advice & Planning Services division offers financial planning and discretionary managed account programs primarily to individuals connected to TIAA-administered employer retirement plans, as well as to trusts, estates, partnerships, corporate entities, and small retirement plans. The firm separates one-time financial planning services from ongoing portfolio management and serves as adviser to a donor-advised fund while operating within a vertically integrated group utilizing affiliated funds.

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.