Katie Peeden is a CFP® professional with 11 years of industry experience, currently affiliated with First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. in Raleigh, NC. Her career includes positions at Fidelity Personal and Workplace Advisors and Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC before joining First Citizens Bank and its investor services division in 2021. First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. provides advisory and brokerage services to individuals, including high-net-worth clients, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm uses a client-focused process to assess financial needs and risk tolerance, employing a range of investment analyses to manage portfolios across various asset classes.

Vernon Russ is a financial advisor at First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. with nine years of industry experience. He holds Series 63, Series 65, and Series 66 licenses and has previously worked at firms including MML Investors Services, Mass Mutual Life Insurance Company, and New York Life Insurance Company. Outside of finance, he was involved with The Curious Kitchen from 2015 to 2019. First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. provides advisory and brokerage services to individuals, pension plans, charitable organizations, and corporate entities. The firm offers portfolio management, model portfolios, an automated investing platform, and tax-aware services, focusing on client assessments and a mix of fundamental, quantitative, and technical analysis for asset allocation.

Whitney H Ill is a CFP® professional with three years of industry experience, currently serving at Creative Planning. Prior to joining Creative Planning, Whitney worked at Collective Wealth Partners and GRID 202 Partners. Outside of financial advising, Whitney is involved in entrepreneurial ventures including ownership in an ecommerce business and a quick-service restaurant franchise. Creative Planning provides wealth management, financial planning, and retirement-plan advisory services to a diverse client base ranging from individuals to institutions. The firm employs a financial-planning-led investment approach emphasizing low-cost indexing, tax-loss harvesting, and selective private market exposure while managing approximately $295.6 billion in client assets.

Kenneth Wilson is a financial advisor with First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. in Raleigh, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 20 years of industry experience. His prior experience includes nearly a decade at Bb&T and related entities before joining First Citizens in 2020. Outside of his advisory work, he is a co-owner of MSK Farms LLC and MSK Adventures LLC, which are personal family business ventures. First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. serves a diverse client base including individuals, pension plans, charitable organizations, and corporate entities, offering portfolio management, financial planning, and tax-aware services through a combination of advisory and brokerage solutions. The firm applies fundamental, quantitative, and technical analysis in managing assets and reported over $2.6 billion in client assets as of year-end 2025.

Eric Cohen is a financial advisor with First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. in Raleigh, NC, holding a Series 66 designation and 10 years of industry experience. He previously worked at Edward Jones from 2015 to 2024 before joining his current firm. First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. provides advisory and brokerage services to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and corporate entities. The firm employs a client process focused on financial needs assessments and applies fundamental, quantitative, and technical analysis to manage diversified portfolios using equities, fixed income, mutual funds, and ETFs.

Daniel Knox is a financial advisor with Valic Financial Advisors in Durham, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 23 years of industry experience. He has worked at VALIC Financial Advisors since 2002 and has been associated with Agia since 2022, where he acts as an agent for non-securities insurance products. 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, financial planning, and brokerage services, utilizing Envestnet-developed UMA models for portfolio construction and management.

James Contino is a CFP® professional with 33 years of experience in the financial industry. He is affiliated with Valic Financial Advisors and has worked at AIG Valic since 2003 and Agia since 2022. Outside of advisory work, he is involved in non-securities insurance product sales. Valic Financial Advisors serves primarily U.S. individuals, including high net worth clients and employer-sponsored retirement participants. The firm offers portfolio management, financial planning, and discretionary unified managed accounts through a large network of advisors, utilizing centralized technology and model solutions to manage roughly $29.2 billion in assets.

Gary Gaulden is a CFP®-certified advisor with over 33 years of experience in financial services. He has worked at Osaic Advisory Services, LLC since 2024 and previously held roles at Securities America, Inc., Arbor Point Advisors, and Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. He operates a satellite office in Atlantic Beach, North Carolina, under Gaulden & Associates. Osaic Advisory Services, LLC is an SEC-registered firm serving a diverse client base that includes individuals, pension plans, corporations, trusts, and charitable organizations. The firm provides investment management, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and other related services through multiple program models, utilizing a combination of proprietary guidance and third-party platforms.

Edward Harris is a CFP®-certified financial advisor with 27 years of industry experience. He is currently with First Citizens Investor Services, Inc., where he has worked since 2019. Prior to this, he spent 19 years at Valic Investment Services Company. First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. serves individuals, including high-net-worth clients, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and corporate/business entities, offering advisory and brokerage services through a variety of portfolio management solutions and financial planning. The firm’s client process focuses on assessing financial needs, risk tolerance, and time horizon to allocate assets using fundamental, quantitative, and technical analysis.

Jeffrey Marko is a financial advisor at Beacon Pointe Advisors, LLC with four years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has worked previously at DMJ & Co., PLLC, where he is a partner, and Dixon Hughes Goodman, LLP. He serves on the finance committee of Housing for New Hope, a nonprofit organization. Beacon Pointe Advisors provides investment advisory and consulting services to a diverse client base, including individuals, institutions, and charitable organizations. The firm employs a manager-driven investment approach using third-party platforms and sponsors proprietary investment vehicles and private funds.

Robert Scholes is a financial advisor at Allworth Financial, L.P. in Durham, NC, with six years of industry experience. He holds the CFP®, CFA®, and Series 63 credentials. Prior to joining Allworth Financial in 2025, he worked at Investors Trust Company, Cook Wealth Management Group, Park Avenue Securities, and Guardian Life Insurance Company. Scholes also spent nine years at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Allworth Financial is a fee-based SEC-registered adviser serving individuals, qualified retirement plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and corporate clients. The firm implements customized portfolios using a range of model strategies and employs third-party sub-advisers, offering both discretionary and non-discretionary asset management and financial planning services.

Tao Zhang is a financial advisor with Transamerica Financial Advisors, holding Series 65 and Series 63 licenses and bringing 11 years of industry experience. His career includes roles at World Financial Group, Datalenty Inc., and International Medical Group, where he provides IT consulting and insurance services. Outside of advisory work, he is also involved in ride-sharing as a Lyft driver. Transamerica Financial Advisors serves a diverse client base including individual investors, pension plans, trusts, and charitable organizations, offering both advisory and broker-dealer services with access to proprietary and third-party investment models.

Tonja Womble is a financial advisor at Truist Advisory Services with 23 years of industry experience. She holds a Series 66 designation and has been with SunTrust Advisory Services since 2016 and SunTrust Investment Services, Inc. since 2013. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, corporate clients, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations, utilizing both discretionary and non-discretionary approaches alongside third-party manager arrangements and AI-enabled research tools.

Shenghao Song is a financial advisor with Transamerica Financial Advisors in Morrisville, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and nine years of industry experience. He has been associated with Transamerica Financial Advisors since 2015 and is also involved in language translation services through Fluent Language Solutions and provides bookkeeping, accounting, and tax consulting services via Melody Song, CPA. Transamerica Financial Advisors serves a broad client base including individual investors, retirement plans, trusts, and charitable organizations, delivering advisory and brokerage services primarily through model portfolios and third-party managers across multiple program platforms.

Troy Fairbank is a financial advisor with First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. in Durham, NC, holding a Series 66 designation and 20 years of industry experience. He has been with First Citizens Investor Services since 2008. First Citizens Investor Services serves individuals, including high-net-worth clients, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and corporate entities, offering a range of advisory and brokerage services. The firm’s approach involves IAR-led assessments of client financial needs and employs fundamental, quantitative, and technical analysis to manage portfolios across various asset classes.

Ryan Ferguson is a CFP® with 10 years of industry experience, currently with First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. since 2022. He previously worked at LPL Financial LLC and UBS Financial Services Inc. First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. provides advisory and brokerage services to individuals, including high-net-worth clients, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and corporate entities. The firm employs a client process based on financial needs assessment and risk tolerance, utilizing fundamental, quantitative, and technical analysis across various investment vehicles.

David Wilder is a financial advisor with TIAA-CREF in Durham, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 26 years of industry experience. He has been with TIAA-CREF since 2007. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as an elder and committee member at Triangle Grace Church and is the treasurer for the Voyager Academy Booster Club. TIAA-CREF’s Advice & Planning Services division provides financial planning and discretionary managed account programs to individuals, trusts, estates, partnerships, and small retirement plans, often serving clients with existing relationships through TIAA-administered employer retirement plans. The firm separates point-in-time planning from ongoing management and acts as adviser to a donor-advised fund while operating within a vertically integrated group that includes affiliated funds.

Amber Mc Neill is a financial advisor at TIAA-CREF based in Durham, NC, holding a Series 65 designation. She has been with TIAA-related firms since 2015. TIAA‑CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC’s Advice & Planning Services division offers financial planning and discretionary managed account programs to individuals, trusts, estates, and small retirement plans. The firm provides both point-in-time planning and ongoing portfolio management, operating within a vertically integrated structure that includes affiliated funds and donor-advised fund services.

Vijaya Arun is a financial advisor with Transamerica Financial Advisors holding a Series 66 designation and one year of industry experience. She has been self-employed since 2014, providing accounting and bookkeeping services on a part-time basis. Arun also engages in sales of insurance and non-insurance products affiliated with Transamerica Financial Advisors. Transamerica Financial Advisors, LLC offers investment advisory, brokerage, and retirement-plan services to a diverse client base, including individuals, employer-sponsored plans, trusts, and charitable organizations. The firm uses a model portfolio approach implemented through third-party managers and proprietary platforms to deliver its services.

Thomas Storrie is a CFP® professional with 28 years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Commonwealth Financial Network since 2017. He previously worked at Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. for 12 years. Outside of his advisory role, he is involved in fixed insurance sales conducted under Crossbridge Financial Group. Commonwealth Financial Network is a registered investment adviser supporting a national network of approximately 2,950 advisors with a range of advisory programs and services. The firm provides operations, trading, technology, investment management, compliance, and practice-management support, enabling advisors to offer customized portfolio solutions and model portfolios to retail and institutional clients.