Colin Bates is a financial advisor at Franklin Street Advisors, Inc. in Chapel Hill, NC, holding a Series 65 designation with eight years of industry experience. He has been with Franklin Street Advisors since 2016. Franklin Street Advisors, Inc. provides discretionary, customized investment management to high-net-worth individuals and institutional clients, including pension plans and trusts. The firm employs a team-based manager research process and offers separately managed accounts alongside fund advisory programs that utilize mutual funds and ETFs.

Carter Ellis is a CFP® and holds a Series 65 license with 11 years of industry experience. He has worked at Guardian Wealth Advisors, LLC since 2022 and previously spent eight years at Kuhn Advisors, Inc. Outside of his financial advisory work, he is a co-founder and partner of Valley Peak Tax & Accounting, providing tax preparation and business consulting services. Guardian Wealth Advisors serves individuals, retirement plans, charitable organizations, trusts, and business entities by offering investment advisory, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting services. The firm employs a systematic, quantitative approach using ETFs, mutual funds, and third-party managers, and is notable for disclosing hypothetical performance materials in its client communications.

Paul Desmond is a financial advisor with Guardian Wealth Advisors, LLC in Raleigh, NC. He holds a Series 65 credential and has been with Guardian Wealth Advisors since 2026. Prior to his current role, he worked at Stifel, Nicolaus & Company and has held various positions in the hospitality and service industries. Guardian Wealth Advisors serves individuals, retirement plans, charitable organizations, trusts, and business entities by providing investment advisory, portfolio management, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and cash management services. The firm uses a systematic approach combining fundamental and technical analysis, primarily with ETFs and mutual funds, and incorporates risk-mitigation strategies.

Orlando Rosario is a financial advisor with SeaCrest Wealth Management, LLC in Durham, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 21 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Fidelity Personal and Workplace Advisors, Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC, and Advised Assets Groups, LLC. SeaCrest Wealth Management is an SEC-registered multi-advisor firm serving individuals, trusts, estates, retirement plans, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm employs a customized, long-term investment approach that combines fundamental and technical analysis and incorporates both internal and third-party AI tools as decision support.

Matthew Schanz is a CFP® professional with 12 years of experience in financial advising. He is currently with Prosperity - An EisnerAmper Company in Raleigh, NC. His prior roles include positions at Avantax Investment Services, HPG Wealthcare Advisors, and 1st Global Advisors. Schanz is also active as a licensed insurance agent, focusing on fixed insurance and annuity sales. Prosperity - An EisnerAmper Company serves individuals, trustees, estates, retirement plans, and business entities, offering financial planning, portfolio management, and retirement-plan advisory services. The firm manages approximately $5 billion in client assets and employs a diversified investment approach using both discretionary and non-discretionary management with third-party independent managers and model portfolios.

Christopher Demetropoulos is a financial advisor at Modern Wealth Management, LLC with six years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has worked previously at Advisory Services Network, LFM Wealth Management, Team Wealth Investments, and Trillium Asset Management, LLC. He serves on the advisory board for First in Families of North Carolina. Modern Wealth Management, LLC is a multi-team SEC-registered investment adviser managing approximately $10.9 billion in assets. The firm provides discretionary and non-discretionary investment management, financial planning, and related services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, and institutional clients, employing a centralized investment committee and a combination of model portfolios, third-party managers, and tactical adjustments.

Lorren Bryant is a CFP® with 36 years of industry experience, currently serving at Verity Asset Management. His career includes roles at Verity Investments, Inc., Verity Financial Group, and The Leaders Group Inc DBA Simplicity Investments. Outside of his advisory work, he is president of Manton Financial Services. Verity Asset Management is an SEC-registered investment adviser providing discretionary portfolio management, retirement-plan advisory, and financial planning services to individual, corporate, institutional clients, and other advisers. The firm employs a model-driven investment process emphasizing tactical asset allocation across multiple asset classes and offers both internally managed and third-party models under fiduciary and ERISA standards.

Eric Le is a CFA® charterholder with two years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Prosperity - An EisnerAmper Company in Raleigh, NC. Prior to joining Prosperity, he held roles at Dai Securities LLC and Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company. Prosperity - An EisnerAmper Company serves individuals, trustees, estates, retirement plans, and business entities by providing financial planning, portfolio management, and retirement-plan advisory services. The firm manages approximately $5 billion in client assets and employs a multi-team approach emphasizing asset allocation and diversification, utilizing third-party managers and technology platforms to support client service.

Craig Sullivan is a CFA® charterholder with 18 years of industry experience. He has been with Franklin Street Securities, Inc. since 2012. The firm provides discretionary investment management and advisory services to individuals, pooled investment vehicles, pensions, trusts, non-profits, and governmental entities. Franklin Street Advisors employs an open-architecture approach that combines in-house and external management, guided by a quarterly Investment Policy Committee and a disciplined manager-research process.

Roy Ray is a financial advisor with Gibbs Wealth Management, LLC in Durham, NC, holding a Series 65 credential and having two years of industry experience. He has also served as CEO of Strategic Retirement Solutions, Inc., a firm focused on insurance-related products, since 2010. In addition to his advisory roles, Mr. Ray is involved in managing a commercial and residential rental property business. Gibbs Wealth Management provides discretionary investment advisory services primarily to individual and high-net-worth clients through a model management program that utilizes third-party platforms and strategists. The firm focuses on assessing clients’ financial situations and risk tolerance to select and monitor model portfolios rather than managing individual securities directly.

Bruce Frankel is a CFP® with 23 years of industry experience, currently serving at Parallel Advisors, LLC since 2024. His prior roles include positions at MGO Private Wealth, Eckhoff Wealth Management, Yerba Buena Wealth Advisors, LPL Financial, and other firms dating back to 2003. Outside of financial advising, he is involved with AB Bedding, LLC, a bedding products company, where he provides strategic support. Parallel Advisors serves individuals, business entities, retirement plans, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations with discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting. The firm employs a multi-strategy investment approach that includes fixed income, mutual funds, ETFs, independent managers, and options strategies, while using technology platforms to support tax-efficient rebalancing and portfolio management.

Matthew James is a financial advisor at Guardian Wealth Advisors, LLC in Durham, NC, with two years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 credential and has prior experience at Brighton Jones and other organizations including the National Taxpayers Union Foundation and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Guardian Wealth Advisors provides investment advisory services, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting to individuals, retirement plans, and institutional entities. The firm employs a systematic investment approach using mutual funds, ETFs, bonds, options, and equities, combining fundamental and technical analysis to manage portfolios.

Christy Phillips Strigel is a financial advisor with Franklin Street Advisors, Inc. in Chapel Hill, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and bringing 16 years of industry experience. She has been with Franklin Street Advisors since 2013. Outside of her advisory role, she is a partner and officer in two non-investment businesses involved in the importation and sales of European sport horses and equestrian activities, though she does not have active management responsibilities in these ventures. Franklin Street Advisors, Inc. provides discretionary investment management and advisory services to a range of clients including individuals, pooled investment vehicles, pensions, trusts, non-profits, and governmental entities. The firm employs an open-architecture approach combining in-house and external managers, guided by a quarterly Investment Policy Committee, and offers strategic asset allocation models as well as bespoke mandates.

Colton Neighbors is a financial advisor with New Edge Wealth in Durham, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses. He has two years of industry experience and has worked at firms including Fidelity Investments and Northwestern Mutual. New Edge Wealth primarily serves ultra-high-net-worth individuals and families, as well as family offices, foundations, and institutional clients. The firm focuses on asset allocation and investor behavior, offering diversified portfolio management and advisory services enhanced by AI-assisted analytics combined with adviser judgment.

Peter Klas is a financial advisor with Verity Asset Management in Durham, NC, holding a Series 66 designation and 25 years of industry experience. He has worked at Verity Investments, Inc. and Verity Asset Management, Inc. for over a decade. Outside of his advisory role, he is also an insurance agent operating independently through Verity Financial Group, Inc. Verity Asset Management is an SEC-registered investment adviser offering discretionary portfolio management, model portfolio services, retirement-plan advisory, and financial planning to individual, corporate, institutional clients, and other advisers. The firm employs a model-driven investment process focused on tactical asset allocation across diverse asset classes and manages both internally developed and third-party models while operating under fiduciary and ERISA standards.

Lawrence Hamilton is a CFP® and PFS™ credentialed financial advisor with 24 years of industry experience. He is currently with Prosperity - An EisnerAmper Company in Raleigh, NC, where he has worked since 2024. His prior experience includes long tenures with Hpg Wealthcare Advisors, Avantax Investment Services, and 1st Global Advisors. Hamilton is also a partner at EisnerAmper, specializing in tax and accounting services. Prosperity - An EisnerAmper Company serves individuals, trustees, estates, retirement plans, and business entities by providing financial planning, portfolio management, and retirement-plan consulting. The firm emphasizes asset allocation and diversification, utilizing third-party managers and technology platforms to support client services.

Matthew Inman is a CFP® and holds a Series 65 license with 10 years of industry experience. He has been with Franklin Street Advisors, Inc. since 2016. Franklin Street Advisors, Inc. provides discretionary, customized investment management to high‑net‑worth individuals and institutional clients, including pension plans and trusts. The firm employs a team-based manager research process and offers tailored mandates across equity and fixed income strategies, combining internal portfolio teams with access to third-party managers.

Matthew Hynes is a financial advisor with Prosperity - An EisnerAmper Company, holding a PFS™ designation along with Series 63 and Series 66 licenses. He has six years of industry experience, including prior roles at JP Morgan Private Bank and PwC Advisory Services LLC. Prosperity advises individuals, trustees, estates, retirement plans, and business entities, offering financial planning, portfolio management, and retirement-plan consulting. The firm manages approximately $5 billion in client assets and emphasizes asset allocation and diversification, using both discretionary and non-discretionary management with third-party independent managers and model portfolios.

Michael Wong is a financial advisor with Abacus Wealth Partners in Durham, NC. He holds a Series 65 designation and began his advisory career in 2026 after eight years at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business and two years at UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School. Abacus Wealth Partners provides financial planning, consulting, and investment management to a diverse client base including individuals, high-net-worth clients, families, and institutional entities. The firm employs an asset-class investing approach grounded in academic research, utilizing primarily no-load mutual funds, ETFs, and passive institutional funds, while incorporating ESG screening and private pooled investments for qualified clients.

Jason Barbera is a CFA® charterholder with four years of industry experience. He has worked at Heritage Wealth Advisors since 2024 and previously held roles at Towards Equilibrium, LLC and SOJE Capital LLC. Heritage Wealth Advisors serves high-net-worth individuals, families, trusts, business entities, non-profits, and retirement plans with portfolio management, financial planning, tax preparation, and retirement-plan advisory. The firm constructs personalized asset-allocation models and manages both discretionary and non-discretionary portfolios using a variety of investment vehicles while also acting as investment manager and general partner to multiple private investment funds.