Connor Crayne is a financial advisor at Modera Wealth Management, LLC in Charlotte, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials with two years of industry experience. Prior to joining Modera in 2026, he was associated with Trinity Wealth Securities, LLC and Florida Financial Advisors DBA Tristate Financial Advisors. He also served nine years in the U.S. Navy and was involved briefly with Hatch Homes, LLC. Modera Wealth Management provides wealth management, portfolio management, retirement plan consulting, and financial planning services to individuals, trusts, corporations, and plan sponsors. The firm employs diversified asset allocation based on Modern Portfolio Theory and combines investment management with in-house accounting and tax capabilities, serving over 100 advisors and managing roughly $17.7 billion in regulatory assets.

James Johnson is a financial advisor with Lombard Advisers Incorporated, holding Series 63 and Series 66 credentials and bringing 21 years of industry experience. He has been with Lombard Securities Incorporated since 2007 and also has a long-standing role at Perigee.Net Corporation. Lombard Advisers provides personalized investment management services to individuals, retirement plans, trusts, charitable organizations, and small businesses. The firm employs a range of discretionary and non-discretionary programs, combining fundamental and technical analysis, with a notable portion of assets managed on a non-discretionary basis where clients retain final trading authority.

Bradley Kellen is a CFP® with 21 years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Founders Financial Securities LLC and Fairway Financial since 2015. He is based in Matthews, NC, and holds the Series 66 designation. His work includes financial planning and insurance sales with a focus on variable annuities, long-term care, and variable life products. Founders Financial Securities serves a diverse client base including individuals, high-net-worth investors, retirement plans, charitable organizations, and corporate clients. The firm offers discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement consulting, utilizing multiple advisory platforms and a combination of mutual funds, ETFs, and sub-advised strategies.

Timothy Beldner is a financial advisor with Ausdal Financial Partners, Inc. He holds a Series 66 designation and has 18 years of industry experience. Prior to joining Ausdal in 2020, he worked at Larson Financial Securities, LLC and Larson Financial Group LLC. Outside of his advisory role, he is involved in managing and developing real estate investments and assists his daughter with a coffee trailer business. Ausdal Financial Partners manages over $2 billion in client assets and provides investment advisory, retirement planning, and financial planning services to individuals, trusts, corporations, pension plans, and charitable organizations. The firm offers a range of investment programs, including discretionary and non-discretionary portfolios, through a network of advisors, combining advisory, brokerage, and insurance services.

Thomas Clark is a financial advisor at Altitude Capital Management LLC in Charlotte, NC, with one year of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has prior experience at the Clark Agency, Horace Mann Investors, Horace Mann Companies, and Liberty Mutual Insurance. Clark is also involved in insurance sales as an agent, dedicating up to 30% of his working time to this activity. Altitude Capital Management LLC provides investment advisory and financial planning services to individuals and high net worth clients. The firm employs tailored strategies that include asset allocation, dollar-cost averaging, and technical analysis, managing $103.6 million in discretionary assets under a multi-team structure.

David Reid is a financial advisor with Founders Financial Securities LLC, holding a Series 66 designation and 21 years of industry experience. He has been with Founders Financial Securities and Fairway Financial since 2015, where he also provides insurance advice and products as part of his other business activities. Founders Financial Securities serves a broad range of clients, including individual and high-net-worth investors, retirement plans, charitable organizations, and corporate clients. The firm offers discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, access to third-party asset managers, financial planning, and retirement consulting, utilizing multiple investment programs and combining advisory, broker-dealer, and insurance services within its platform.

Marcus Anderson is a Series 66-credentialed financial advisor with 22 years of industry experience. He has worked at Merit Financial Advisors since 2016 and previously at Purshe Kaplan Sterling Investments and LPL Financial, LLC. Merit Financial Advisors is a multi-team registered investment adviser with over 260 advisors serving approximately 20,000 clients across 66 offices. The firm offers coordinated wealth management services and employs a long-term, diversified investment approach overseen by an internal committee, allowing advisors to customize portfolios using fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis methods.

Hailey Hall is a financial advisor with Advisory Solutions Group and holds the Series 66 designation. She has five years of industry experience, including roles with Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services and LPL Financial. Advisory Solutions Group, operating as FocusPoint Solutions, serves retail clients through a network of Investment Advisor Representatives and provides turnkey business and back-office services to other registered investment advisory firms. The firm employs a diversified investment approach combining quantitative, momentum, and fundamental analysis, and offers both discretionary and non-discretionary strategies with regular client reviews.

Jacob Stevenson is a financial advisor with Ausdal Financial Partners, Inc., holding Series 66 and Series 63 credentials and 15 years of industry experience. He previously worked at Larson Financial Securities, LLC and Larson Financial Group, LLC from 2015 to 2022. In addition to his advisory role, Stevenson is involved in outside insurance sales as an agent and partner at Mint Hill Insurance. Ausdal Financial Partners serves individuals, trusts, estates, retirement plans, and business entities, managing approximately $3.73 billion for over 16,000 clients through a large network of advisors. The firm offers a wide range of services, including advisor-managed and separately managed accounts, retirement-plan advisory, and financial planning, with investment strategies tailored at the advisor level to meet client-specific objectives and risk tolerances.

Michael Ziemer is a CFP® professional with 23 years of experience in the financial advisory industry. He has worked at Modera Wealth Management, LLC since 2023 and previously spent 19 years at Parsec Financial Management, Inc. Outside of his advisory work, he serves as a board member for Ziemer Funeral Homes. Modera Wealth Management, LLC provides fiduciary, fee-only advisory services to a diverse client base including individuals, pension plans, trusts, and charitable organizations. The firm employs an allocation-driven investment approach based on Modern Portfolio Theory and offers a range of services including portfolio management, retirement plan consulting, financial planning, and tax-related services.

Lewis Kayes is a CFA® charterholder with 19 years of industry experience. He is currently with Cary Street Partners and has previously worked at Exencial Wealth Advisors and Willingdon Wealth Management Inc. Lewis is based in Charlotte, NC. Cary Street Partners serves a diverse client base, including high-net-worth individuals, corporations, trusts, and institutional clients. The firm provides comprehensive portfolio management, financial planning, and access to proprietary strategies supported by AI tools and a range of affiliated services.

Leslie Moise is a financial advisor with Arete Wealth Advisors, LLC in Charlotte, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 20 years of industry experience. Prior to joining Arete Wealth Management LLC in 2022, Leslie worked at National Securities Corp for 11 years. Outside of investment advising, Leslie is the owner and president of LIANMAC, Inc., a small accounting and tax-related business. 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 both advisor-driven and proprietary model allocations, and integrates with affiliated financial businesses and product channels.

Thomas Braun is a financial advisor at Gradient Investments, LLC with 13 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63, Series 65, and Series 66 licenses. Braun has been with Gradient Investments since 2018 and is also the owner of GoldenGuard Financial, where he provides insurance services and products. Gradient Investments offers discretionary investment management to a diverse client base, including individuals, high-net-worth clients, institutions, and charitable organizations. The firm utilizes a proprietary Wright Investment Strategies framework and provides a variety of model and custom portfolios managed on a discretionary basis.

Christopher Elliotte is a Series 65 credentialed advisor with 16 years of industry experience, currently with Colony Family Offices, LLC since 2014. He is based in Charlotte, NC and is part of a team of six advisors at the firm. Colony Family Offices provides comprehensive wealth management and financial planning primarily to ultra-high-net-worth families, managing approximately $3.32 billion in discretionary assets. The firm employs a priorities-based, customized planning approach combining passive and active investment strategies, and utilizes third-party managers alongside independent research to support client portfolios.

Lance Bryan is a financial advisor with Cary Street Partners in Charlotte, NC, holding a Series 66 designation and 22 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Matrix Private Capital Group and Neuberger Berman, LLC. Cary Street Partners provides discretionary and non-discretionary wealth management and advisory services to a diverse client base, including individuals, charitable organizations, corporations, and retirement plans. The firm offers portfolio management, financial and retirement planning, access to alternative investments, and integrated lending and insurance solutions.

John Bly is a financial advisor with Aprio Wealth Management, LLC, holding a Series 66 designation and 15 years of industry experience. He has worked at Aprio Advisory Group and related Aprio entities since 2019 and previously held roles at HK Financial Services, Proequities Inc, and L B & A, CPA, PLLC. Bly is also a partner at a CPA firm where he engages in speaking activities. Aprio Wealth Management provides discretionary and non-discretionary investment advisory services to individuals, qualified retirement plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and business entities. The firm employs asset allocation, technical analysis, and a range of trading strategies, and is known for its affiliation with a third-party administrator and pension consulting business, advising approximately $1.57 billion in assets under advisement.

Lamaar Steadman is a financial advisor at Gradient Investments, LLC with two years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 credential and has worked previously at Civitas Financial LLC and Gradient Advisors LLC. Steadman is also involved with American Insurance Marketing Solutions in an insurance sales role. Gradient Investments, LLC provides discretionary investment management to a diverse client base, including individuals, high-net-worth clients, institutions, and charitable organizations. The firm employs a proprietary investment framework and offers a range of model and custom portfolios managed on a discretionary basis.

Katrina Hayes is a CFP® with 25 years of industry experience, currently serving at Prospera Financial Services, Inc. since 2013. She holds the Series 66 designation and is based in Matthews, NC. Outside of her advisory role, she is a member of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Republican Women's Club, chair of the Charlotte chapter of Ellevate, a global professional networking association, and president and treasurer of Cru Inc., a nonprofit wine tasting social club. Prospera Financial Services, Inc. is an enterprise-scale firm with approximately 207 advisors managing about $12.4 billion. The firm serves a diverse client base including individuals, corporations, charitable entities, and retirement plans, offering investment advisory and financial planning services across multiple platforms and delivery vehicles.

William Etheridge Jr. is a financial advisor at Hilltop Securities Inc. with 38 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and previously worked at RBC Capital Markets Corporation for 17 years. Hilltop Securities Inc. provides brokerage, investment advisory, and retirement-plan consulting services to individuals, corporations, nonprofits, and institutional clients. The firm manages approximately $2.25 billion in assets and offers a range of portfolio management programs supported by an open-architecture platform and a variety of investment strategies.

Melissa Boyer is a CFP® professional at Modera Wealth Management, LLC with 24 years of industry experience. She has held positions at Keatley Wealth Management, LPL Financial, and MetLife Investors Dist Co prior to joining Modera in 2020. Modera Wealth Management, LLC provides fiduciary, fee-only advisory services to a diverse client base, including individuals, pension plans, trusts, and charitable organizations. The firm employs an allocation-driven investment approach based on Modern Portfolio Theory, utilizing diversified portfolios with mutual funds, ETFs, individual securities, and selected alternative strategies tailored to client objectives and risk tolerance.