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.

Jacob Niles is a financial advisor at Empower Advisory Group with two years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and has worked at firms including Raleigh Capital Management and Fidelity Investments. Outside of advisory work, he is also an insurance agent with Raleigh Wealth Solutions. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management primarily to employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors and their participants, as well as to Empower Premier IRA and retail brokerage clients. The firm uses an integrated model tied to Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative platforms and focuses on long-term portfolio returns and annual rebalancing.

Hans Scheil Jr. is a financial advisor with Brookstone Capital Management LLC in Durham, NC. He holds the CFP® and ChFC® designations and has 20 years of industry experience. He is also the CEO of H.E. Scheil & Associates, Inc., an insurance agency based in Durham. Brookstone Capital Management provides fee-based asset management and financial planning to a diverse client base, including individuals, retirement plans, corporations, and trusts. The firm employs a range of strategic and dynamic asset-allocation models, incorporating proprietary funds and external sub-advisors, while also acting as a sub-advisor to other advisory programs.

James Chetwood III is a CFP® with 21 years of industry experience and is currently affiliated with Allworth Financial, L.P. He has worked at firms including Adams Chetwood Wealth Management, Purshe Kaplan Sterling Investments, and Wells Fargo Clearing. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as an elder on the board of The Summit Church and is the author of *Retire to the Fullest: Four Dimensions of Financial Peace of Mind*. Allworth Financial provides services to a broad client base, including individual and high-net-worth investors as well as institutions. The firm offers financial planning, portfolio management, and retirement plan consulting, employing a combination of quantitative and qualitative analysis to create customized investment strategies.

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.

Robert Mouro is a CFP® with 22 years of experience in the financial services industry. He has worked at Janney Montgomery Scott since 2019 and previously held roles at Bank of America and Merrill. He serves on the advisory board of the Northwest Cary YMCA, acting as an ambassador for the organization in the community. Janney Montgomery Scott is a large enterprise firm managing approximately $110 billion in client assets. The firm offers a wide range of services to individuals, families, trusts, corporate and retirement plan sponsors, and municipal clients, utilizing in-house and third-party portfolio management across multiple advisory programs.

Joseph Miller is a CFP® professional with 32 years of industry experience. He is currently with Concurrent Investment Advisors, LLC and has previously worked at Arky & Miller Financial Group and The Variable Annuity Marketing Company. Miller also teaches CFP Board educational courses as an adjunct faculty member at Guilford College. Concurrent Investment Advisors, LLC is a multi-team registered advisory firm serving individuals, high-net-worth clients, families, trusts, estates, businesses, and retirement plans. The firm emphasizes customized, primarily long-term portfolios using ETFs, mutual funds, individual securities, bonds, alternative investments, and independent sub-advisers, supported by a network of approximately 286 advisors serving over 13,000 clients.

Halah Little is a financial advisor with Transamerica Retirement Advisors, LLC, holding a Series 66 credential and three years of industry experience. Her background includes roles at Fidelity Investments, Barings, and Transamerica Life Insurance Company. Transamerica Retirement Advisors serves participants in employer-sponsored retirement plans and IRA owners through a range of advice programs focusing on asset allocation, contribution guidance, and retirement planning supported by Morningstar Investment Management’s proprietary portfolio construction and oversight.

Blake Gaulden is a CFP®, CFA®, and Series 66-licensed financial advisor with 16 years of industry experience. He is currently with Osaic Advisory Services, LLC and Gaulden & Associates Wealth Management, having previously worked at firms including LPL Financial, Lincoln Financial Advisors Corporation, and Ameriprise Financial Services. Osaic Advisory Services, LLC is an SEC-registered enterprise advisor serving a diverse client base that includes individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, corporate and charitable entities, retirement plan participants, and sovereign wealth funds. The firm offers a range of investment programs and consulting services, utilizing both fundamental and technical strategies, and operates within an affiliated ecosystem that integrates alternative investments and annuity sub-account management.

Jillian Rhyner is a CFP®-certified financial advisor with 19 years of industry experience, currently with Janney Montgomery Scott since 2020. She previously worked at Morgan Stanley for 11 years. Outside of her advisory role, she is a sales consultant for BeautyCounter, a skincare and beauty brand focused on safer products. Janney Montgomery Scott is a large, dually registered broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser managing approximately $110 billion in client assets. The firm serves a diverse client base including individuals, families, trusts, estates, and institutional clients, offering a variety of brokerage, financial planning, and advisory services through in-house and third-party portfolio management.

David Leder is a financial advisor with United Planners Financial Services of America, holding Series 65 and Series 63 credentials and bringing 11 years of industry experience. His prior roles include multiple positions at Cambridge Investment Research and Cambridge Investment Research Advisors. Outside of advisory work, he is president of Legacy Insurance Solutions LLC. United Planners Financial Services is a national wealth-management enterprise serving a broad client base with advisory and brokerage services. The firm supports a large network of independent advisors and primarily manages accounts 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 CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ with 12 years of industry experience. She is currently with Allworth Financial, L.P. and has previously worked at Adams Chetwood Wealth Management, ZEIDERS Enterprises, Bancwest Investment Services, Bank of the West BNP Paribas, and Charles Schwab. Outside of her advisory role, she provides financial education through ZEIDERS Enterprises, focusing on topics such as TSP, credit scores, and budgeting. Allworth Financial serves a diverse client base, including individual and high-net-worth investors, pension plans, trusts, and charitable organizations. The firm employs a combination of quantitative and qualitative analysis to offer customized investment strategies and provides a range of services including wealth planning, portfolio management, and retirement plan consulting.

Stephanie Bowens is a financial advisor at Kestra Advisory with 28 years of industry experience. She previously worked at Triad Advisors and OSAIC before joining Kestra in 2025. Outside of her advisory role, she is CEO of Chrysalis Capital Management, a developer of financial education and literacy materials, and serves as a board member on the finance committee of The Hope Center at Pullen. Kestra Advisory Services provides investment advisory and retirement-plan consulting to plan sponsors and a diverse range of institutional and individual clients. The firm offers services including fiduciary consulting, plan design, employee education, and access to multiple management platforms, serving clients such as sovereign wealth funds and large institutional investors.

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.

Serene Alsous is a CFP® and ChFC® with nine years of experience in financial advising, currently with Valic Financial Advisors in Durham, NC. She has been with Valic Financial Advisors and NC State University since 2017 and also has experience at BMW Manufacturing and Agia. Alsous serves as a notary public in Wake County. Valic Financial Advisors is a large SEC-registered investment adviser and FINRA-member broker-dealer serving primarily U.S. individuals, including high net worth clients and employer-sponsored retirement plans. The firm offers portfolio management and financial planning services through a network of over 1,200 advisors, utilizing discretionary unified managed accounts on Envestnet’s platform with optional tax-aware and ESG overlays.

Allen Smith is a financial advisor with OSAIC Institutions, Inc., holding Series 63 and Series 66 designations and bringing 36 years of industry experience. He has worked at Infinex Investments, Inc. since 2012 and has been EVP of Wealth Management at First Bancorp since 2011. Additionally, he serves as a consultant to Midwood Financial Services, a third-party marketing firm. OSAIC Institutions, Inc. is an SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, ERISA plans, trusts, estates, and corporate clients through a network of investment adviser representatives. The firm offers customized advisory services, financial planning, ERISA plan services, wrap programs, third-party asset manager referrals, and access to alternative investments and lending solutions.

Conrad Kunkel is a financial advisor with Brookstone Capital Management LLC in Chapel Hill, NC, holding a Series 66 designation and 19 years of industry experience. He has been with Brookstone since 2015 and also owns GPS Financial Strategies, where he counsels individuals, families, and business owners on financial security matters. Prior to Brookstone, he worked briefly at Gradient Advisors, LLC. Brookstone Capital Management provides fee-based asset management and financial planning to a wide range of clients, including individuals, retirement plans, corporations, and trusts. The firm employs strategic and dynamic asset-allocation models and offers discretionary portfolio management through a turnkey asset management platform and related wrap-fee programs.