Philip Shelton is a financial advisor at Empower Advisory Group with one year of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and previously worked at Edward Jones. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management primarily to employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors and their participants, as well as to certain IRA and retail brokerage account holders. The firm integrates its services with Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative platforms, offering point-in-time financial plans and optional managed account solutions.

Debra Allen is a financial advisor at First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. in Raleigh, NC, holding a Series 66 designation with 22 years of industry experience. She has worked at First Citizens Investor Services since 2004 and at First-Citizens Bank & Trust Company since 2003. 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-focused process using fundamental, quantitative, and technical analysis to manage portfolios across various asset classes.

Lang Mac Bain is a financial advisor at First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. in Raleigh, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials with nine years of industry experience. He has been with First Citizens Investor Services and First Citizens Bank since 2016. First Citizens Investor Services serves individuals, including high-net-worth clients, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and corporate entities. The firm offers a range of advisory and brokerage services, utilizing fundamental, quantitative, and technical analysis to manage diversified portfolios across multiple asset classes.

Tabitha Concepcion is a CFP®-credentialed financial advisor with 12 years of industry experience, currently with Truist Advisory Services. Her career includes roles at Truist Investment Services and BB&T affiliates dating back to 2013. Outside of her advisory work, she co-owns Red Barn Naturals, a farm producing natural personal care products from dairy goat milk, and owns The Homestead, an agricultural business. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, corporate clients, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations. The firm offers asset allocation, fiduciary support, and manager selection programs, utilizing a mix of discretionary and non-discretionary strategies with integration across affiliated entities.

George Fotiou is a financial advisor at AE Wealth Management, LLC with a Series 65 designation and one year of industry experience. He has prior experience as owner and CEO of Limani Insurance, LLC and People First Retirements, LLC, where he was involved in insurance sales and services. AE Wealth Management provides fee-based portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement-plan consulting to a diverse client base including individuals, corporations, trusts, and ERISA plan sponsors. The firm relies on discretionary model portfolios and supports third-party RIAs with sub-advisory and model-licensing arrangements.

Iantha Wortman is a Series 66-registered financial advisor with Truist Advisory Services, based in Durham, NC. She has two years of industry experience and has previously worked at Equitable Advisors LLC and Lighthouse Lending. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, corporate clients, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations. The firm offers asset allocation and investment policy analysis, fiduciary support, and a manager-selection program that combines discretionary and non-discretionary approaches, supported by AI-enabled research and inter-affiliate integration.

Jeffrey Thompson is a financial advisor with TIAA-CREF in Durham, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 19 years of industry experience. He has been with TIAA-CREF since 2014. TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services offers financial planning and discretionary managed account programs to individuals, trusts, estates, partnerships, corporate entities, and small retirement plans, often serving clients connected to TIAA-administered employer retirement plans. The firm operates a vertically integrated advisory model that includes both point-in-time planning and ongoing discretionary management under a fiduciary standard.

Dan Thomason III is a financial advisor with First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. in Raleigh, NC, holding a Series 66 designation and 21 years of industry experience. He has been with First Citizens Investor Services since 2005. Outside of his advisory role, he owns several rental properties in North Carolina, which are managed by third parties. First Citizens Investor Services provides advisory and brokerage services to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and corporate entities. The firm utilizes a comprehensive client assessment process and a mix of fundamental, quantitative, and technical analysis to guide investment allocations across various asset classes.

Kenneth Marsh is a CFP® professional with 23 years of industry experience, currently serving at First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. in Raleigh, NC. He has been with First Citizens Investor Services and First Citizens Bank since 2011. 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-focused process guided by Investment Advisor Representatives, offering portfolio management, model portfolios, and tax-aware services.

Frances Hymiller is a CFP® with 20 years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Mercer Global Advisors Inc. since 2022. She also has a long tenure at Wrenn Financial Strategies, Inc., where she has worked since 1997. Mercer Global Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, high-net-worth families, small business owners, corporate plan sponsors, foundations, and nonprofits. The firm employs a Modern Portfolio Theory-based investment approach, utilizing globally diversified, risk-appropriate portfolios with multi-factor tilts and a range of implementation options.

Nicholas Powell is a CFP® and Series 66-licensed financial advisor with 19 years of industry experience. He has been with VALIC Financial Advisors since 2007 and also holds an agent position with Agia, where he is involved in 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.

Nikolas Pry is a financial advisor at Davenport & Company LLC with two years of industry experience and holds a Series 66 designation. Prior to joining Davenport, he worked at Raymond James Financial and Edward Jones among other firms. Outside of his advisory role, Pry is the CEO of Pry Athletics LLC, which provides individual pitching lessons and operates youth travel baseball teams. Davenport & Company LLC serves individual and institutional clients with a range of services including asset management, retail brokerage, fixed income, public finance, and investment banking and advisory. The firm’s investment approach involves dedicated portfolio manager teams and comprehensive strategy monitoring, offering separately managed accounts, mutual funds, ETFs, and unified managed accounts.

Timothy Sumner is a financial advisor at First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. in Raleigh, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 66 credentials with 20 years of industry experience. He has been with First Citizens Investor Services since 2014. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as a board member of the Sampson County Soccer Club and is president of the Clinton High School Booster Club. First Citizens Investor Services serves individuals, pension plans, charitable organizations, and corporate clients, offering advisory and brokerage services through individual advisors and third-party portfolio managers. The firm utilizes a client-focused process involving financial need assessments and applies fundamental, quantitative, and technical analysis to manage diversified portfolios.

David Weiss is a financial advisor at Allworth Financial, L.P. in Durham, NC, holding Series 63, 65, and 66 licenses with 29 years of industry experience. His prior work includes positions at Scottrade, Inc. and Weston Banks Wealth Partners. 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 portfolios using various model strategies and employs technology to manage held-away employer retirement accounts without client login credentials.

Jon Jester is a CFP® and Series 66 credentialed financial advisor with 25 years of industry experience. He has been with Brown Advisory since 2016, based in Chapel Hill, NC. Brown Advisory manages approximately $124.3 billion for a diverse client base, including institutions, high-net-worth individuals, and pooled investment vehicles. The firm employs a bottom-up, fundamental research process across equity and fixed-income strategies and integrates active and passive approaches alongside sustainable investing and alternative asset exposure.

Shira Katsir is a CFP® professional with nine years of experience in financial advising, currently serving at Hightower Advisors since 2020. Her prior roles include positions at Stearns Financial Group and CAPTrust. Hightower Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, institutions, and pooled investment vehicles. The firm emphasizes a manager selection approach with multi-manager solutions, combining affiliated and third-party managers, and offers services such as discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting.

Andrew Rotz is a CFP® professional with seven years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Mercer Global Advisors Inc. He previously worked at Fruitful, NCSU-CVM, Simplicity Financial Marketing, and Fidelity Investments. Outside of his advisory role, Rotz is the founder and CEO of Tide & Tempest Financial Planning, LLC, and serves as an officer in the U.S. Navy Reserves. Mercer Global Advisors serves individuals, families, small business owners, plan sponsors, foundations, non-profits, and endowments, providing a range of investment advisory and financial planning services. The firm employs a globally diversified, risk-appropriate investment approach based on Modern Portfolio Theory and utilizes low-cost ETFs, index funds, separate account managers, and other investment options.

William Norman IV is a financial advisor with First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. in Raleigh, NC. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has eight years of industry experience. Norman has been with First Citizens in various roles since 2018. He serves on the board of The Fisher Oil Company as a trustee, participating in shareholder meetings related to the oil and gas market and company financials. First Citizens Investor Services serves individuals, including high-net-worth clients, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and corporate entities. The firm offers advisory and brokerage services featuring portfolio management, a Guided Investing platform, tax-aware services, and financial planning, employing a client process that emphasizes tailored assessments and diversified investment strategies.

Jane Yarborough is a CFP® with 32 years of industry experience, currently serving at Truist Advisory Services in Chapel Hill, NC. She has been affiliated with SunTrust Advisory Services and related SunTrust entities since 2006. Yarborough serves on the Board of Directors for Duke Memorial United Methodist Church’s Memorial Church Fund, a non-profit foundation account overseeing investment decisions for the church. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, corporate and business clients, retirement plan sponsors and participants, and charitable organizations. The firm combines discretionary manager relationships with non-discretionary consulting and utilizes third-party platforms and AI-enabled research tools to support its investment strategies.

Molly Mccormack is a financial advisor at TIAA-CREF with 25 years of industry experience. She has held her position at TIAA-CREF since 2005 and holds Series 63 and Series 66 designations. TIAA‑CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC’s Advice & Planning Services division offers financial planning and discretionary managed account programs to individuals, trusts, estates, partnerships, corporate entities, and small retirement plans. The firm operates within a vertically integrated group and provides services including access to donor-advised funds and various managed account options.