Jordan Beard is a financial advisor with Kestra Private Wealth Services, LLC, holding a Series 66 designation and two years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Merrill Lynch and Kestra Investment Services, LLC, as well as experience outside finance with Piedmont Hardware and the YMCA. Beard is involved in several real estate ventures, including ownership and management activities. Kestra Private Wealth Services, LLC provides investment advisory services through a network of independent advisors and multi-advisor teams, serving individuals and institutional clients with a wide range of investment products and personalized account management.

Jacob Downing is a CFP® and CFA® with 18 years of industry experience. He is currently with Cary Street Partners and has previously worked at Exencial Wealth Advisors, Dimensional Fund Advisors, and Fidelity Investments. Cary Street Partners provides discretionary and non-discretionary wealth management and advisory services to a diverse client base including individual investors, charitable organizations, corporations, and retirement plans. The firm offers portfolio management, financial and retirement planning, access to alternative investments, and proprietary strategies through its affiliated asset manager.

Ifeanyi Andrew Anyafo is a financial advisor at Simplicity Wealth with one year of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has prior work experience at NCI Wealth Management Inc. Outside of advising, he owns a clothing brand and has been a professional soccer player and free agent since 2022. Simplicity Wealth serves a broad range of clients, including individual and high-net-worth investors, retirement plans, institutional investors, and other financial firms. The firm focuses on a fund-of-funds approach using ETFs, mutual funds, and individual securities, offering portfolio management, model portfolios, and services for third-party advisers through a technology-enabled managed account platform.

Sarah Nestingen is a financial advisor at Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC with three years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has previously worked at Verum Partners LLC, Trinity Wealth Securities, LLC, and Florida Financial Advisors. Outside of her advisory role, she is also involved in marketing insurance and annuity investments as an insurance agent at Belmont Capital Advisors. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC serves individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, and corporate clients with discretionary portfolio management and financial planning services. The firm employs an open-architecture investment platform and combines tailor-made asset allocation models with fundamental and technical analysis to implement strategies consistent with client objectives.

Lori Haddock is a CFP®-certified financial advisor with 26 years of experience, currently with Blueprint Financial Advisors in Charlotte, NC. Her prior work includes roles at Securities America and OSAIC. Haddock serves as chair of the investment committee at Kintura and is a trustee at Daystar Christian Fellowship. She is also a member of the Greensboro Rotary Club. Blueprint Financial Advisors is a multi-advisor firm managing approximately $1.4 billion in assets, offering portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting to individuals, trusts, pension and ERISA plans, and nonprofit entities. The firm employs a strategic-and-tactical investment approach using price-driven trend-following and momentum rules across diversified asset classes.

Caroline Campanella is a CFP® professional at Ritholtz Wealth Management with two years of industry experience. She previously worked at Novare Capital Management and Corient, and earlier was employed by the University of Georgia. Ritholtz Wealth Management serves individual and institutional clients, offering portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting. The firm manages approximately $9.4 billion in assets, emphasizing goal-based investing, asset allocation, and behavioral finance principles, and provides both advisor-led services and digital platforms for portfolio implementation and management.

Leah Maybry is a financial advisor at SignatureFD, LLC with eight years of industry experience. She holds a Series 65 designation and has worked at SignatureFD since 2019, following four years at Rinehart Wealth Management/McShane Partners. In addition to her advisory role, she is a principal at Frazier & Deeter Certified Public Accountants and Advisors, where she provides tax compliance and consulting services for individuals and closely-held businesses. SignatureFD serves a diverse client base including high-net-worth individuals, business entities, and charitable organizations, offering wealth management, retirement plan management, and consulting services. The firm combines discretionary portfolio management with ongoing financial planning and integrates affiliated accounting and fund management capabilities.

Marissa Harris is a financial advisor at Rossby Financial, LLC in Charlotte, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with 17 years of industry experience. Her work history includes roles at Ally Invest Securities LLC, LPL Financial, and JLA Securities, LLC. Rossby Financial provides investment advisory and financial planning services to individuals, charitable organizations, pension and profit-sharing plans, corporations, and other business entities. The firm employs a diversified investment approach tailored to client objectives, incorporating fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis across multiple asset classes.

Ioulia Link is a CFP® professional with 16 years of industry experience, currently serving at Credit Union Investment Services. She has held multiple roles within the State Employees' Credit Union system since 2005, including Regional Vice President overseeing financial services for members. Link also acts as a Trust Representative for Members Trust Company and an agent for SECU Life Insurance Company. Credit Union Investment Services serves primarily individual investors in North Carolina, providing non-discretionary portfolio management, retirement and financial planning, and a wrap-fee program. The firm emphasizes low-cost, index-based mutual funds and ETFs, along with fixed-income products, while allowing clients to retain final decision-making authority.

William Smith is a financial advisor with Blueprint Financial Advisors in Charlotte, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 29 years of industry experience. His prior work includes nearly a decade at Securities America Advisors and Securities America Inc. Outside of his advisory role, Smith serves as the chairman of a church board and is involved in nonprofit activities, including serving on the board of a ministry and acting as treasurer for a youth basketball program. Blueprint Financial Advisors is a multi-advisor, SEC-registered firm managing approximately $1.4 billion in client assets. The firm offers portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement consulting for individuals, trusts, pension plans, and nonprofits, utilizing a proprietary investment strategy that combines diversified asset allocation with price-driven trend-following and momentum rules.

Shawn Sigler is a financial advisor at AlphaStar Capital Management with six years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and serves as Executive Vice President of Financial Independence Group, an independent marketing organization representing multiple insurance carriers. In this role, he dedicates significant time to consulting and supporting insurance agents. AlphaStar Capital Management manages approximately $1.84 billion for individuals, trusts, businesses, and other advisers, offering discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management along with financial planning and retirement consulting. The firm employs a strategic asset-allocation approach with quantitative analysis and works with subadvisers, underlying funds, and exchange-traded products.

Ava Smagacz is a financial advisor with 3 years of industry experience, currently with 49 Financial in Charlotte, NC. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked previously at Oakwood Capital Securities, Inc. and Purshe Kaplan Sterling Investments, Inc. Ava is also a licensed insurance agent providing fixed insurance services as part of her role. 49 Financial serves a diverse client base, including individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, corporations, and retirement plans, offering financial planning, investment management, and tiered fractional family office services. The firm employs a disciplined, long-term diversified asset allocation strategy using model portfolios primarily composed of mutual funds and ETFs, with oversight of third-party managers and tactical rebalancing.

Andrew Paolini is a financial advisor at Principal Advised Services with 14 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and has worked at Principal Financial Services, Principal Bank, and Wells Fargo in various roles. Outside of his advisory work, he serves as Treasurer for the Charlotte Adult Baseball League, managing budgets and financial reporting for the organization. Principal Advised Services provides investment advice and related services primarily to retirement plan participants and retail IRA clients, offering both nondiscretionary recommendations and a discretionary investment management program. The firm integrates proprietary models with third-party tools and operates within the Principal Financial Group family, enabling access to a range of affiliated products and services.

Kyle Corgan is a financial advisor at NFSG Corporation with 25 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63, 65, and 66 licenses and has worked at NewBridge Securities Corporation since 2018 and Fidelity Investments from 2011 to 2017. Outside of his advisory role, he is a licensed insurance agent and is involved with HomeVestors, marketing 1031 exchanges and DST investments. He also operates an insurance sales business under Goosehead Insurance Agency, LLC. NFSG Corporation provides investment advisory and financial planning services to a wide range of clients, including individuals, institutional participants, and charitable organizations. The firm offers diversified portfolio management and employs internal and third-party asset management resources to support its advisors.

Jennifer Jost is a financial advisor with Simplicity Wealth in Charlotte, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 19 years of industry experience. She previously worked at Ameritas Investment Corp and LifePro Asset Management, among other firms. Outside of her advisory role, she is a motivational speaker and money coach focusing on women’s groups, a certified divorce analyst, and the host of a weekly podcast called Rock My Finances. Simplicity Wealth serves a broad client base including individual and high-net-worth investors, retirement plans, and institutional clients, offering advisory services from financial planning to discretionary retirement plan management. The firm uses a fund-of-funds investment approach with ETFs, mutual funds, and individual securities, and provides technology and operational support for other advisers through its managed account platform.

John Capets is a financial advisor at United Capital Financial Advisors with 41 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at United Capital since 2021, following long tenures at Capital Investment Group, Inc. and Harbor Capital Management, Inc. United Capital Financial Advisors provides financial planning and investment management services nationally to individuals, corporations, retirement plans, charitable organizations, and institutional clients. The firm employs discretionary portfolio management using asset-allocation models developed by an Investment Policy Committee and offers customized strategies including ESG and faith-based options.

Rutherford Bryson III is a CFP® with 24 years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Cary Street Partners since 2011. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses. Outside of his advisory role, he acts as a trustee for the Sanders Family Trust, overseeing asset management and discretionary distributions. Cary Street Partners provides discretionary and non-discretionary wealth management and advisory services to individual investors, charitable organizations, corporations, retirement plans, and other institutions. The firm employs a comprehensive investment approach that includes portfolio management, financial and retirement planning, access to alternative investments, and proprietary strategies managed through affiliated entities.

James Pinzker is a financial advisor at A.G.P. / Alliance Global Partners with 31 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked previously at B. Riley Wealth Management, B. Riley Wealth Advisors, and National Securities Corporation. Outside of finance, he is a passive investor in a barbecue business and a coffee shop. A.G.P. / Alliance Global Partners provides advisory and brokerage services to individuals, trusts, corporations, and retirement-plan sponsors, offering portfolio management, financial planning, and capital markets services. The firm emphasizes international investing through specialized strategies and combines advisory recommendations with brokerage and insurance products.

Erik Merkau is a CFA® charterholder with 29 years of industry experience. He is currently affiliated with Choreo, LLC and has prior experience at Edelman Financial Engines Advisors, JPMorgan Securities LLC, and Chase. Choreo serves a diverse client base ranging from individual investors to institutional clients, offering services that include portfolio management, financial planning, and outsourced CIO solutions. The firm follows a rigorous investment process centered on strategic asset allocation and a combination of quantitative screening and due diligence to manage portfolios through various vehicles, including model portfolios and separately managed accounts.

Vikalp Agrawal is a financial advisor at Tucker Asset Management LLC with one year of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and previously worked at DXC Technologies for 17 years. He is also the owner and CEO of Desiretree Financial Services LLC, a life and health insurance agency based in Charlotte, NC. Tucker Asset Management serves individual and high-net-worth clients, as well as foundations, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations, providing discretionary investment management and financial planning through a network of independent adviser representatives. The firm employs a top-down, macroeconomic asset-allocation approach and incorporates a range of strategies including alternative investments and direct indexing.