Ryan Emminger is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional with 20 years of industry experience. He has worked at Fidelity Investments for 15 years before founding JME Wealth Management, an independent advisory firm based in Raleigh, NC. In addition to his advisory work, he is an independent insurance agent involved in fixed insurance sales and service. JME Wealth Management serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, and small businesses with comprehensive financial planning and portfolio management. The firm employs a blended investment approach that includes active and passive strategies, core-and-satellite construction, and uses derivatives and hedging techniques within separately managed accounts.

Bradley Turlington is a financial advisor with White Oak Wealth Partners in Raleigh, NC, holding a Series 66 designation and 14 years of industry experience. He has worked at White Oak Wealth Partners since 2015 and was previously affiliated with Kestra Financial Services, Inc. Additionally, he has been involved with The Turlington Group, Inc. since 1996. White Oak Wealth Partners serves individuals, high net worth clients, trusts, estates, charities, and business entities by providing financial planning, consulting, and discretionary wealth management. The firm manages approximately $110 million in discretionary assets and advises on held-away assets, emphasizing downside risk management and the use of third-party research and independent managers in its investment approach.

James Spirko is the principal advisor at Sovereign Financial Group in Raleigh, NC, holding Series 63 and 65 licenses with 20 years of industry experience. He has led Sovereign Financial Group since 2005. Sovereign Financial Group provides investment advisory and financial planning services primarily to individual and high-net-worth clients through three service programs: Investment, Legacy, and Wealth Management. The firm manages accounts on a discretionary basis, issues tailored Investment Policy Statements, conducts periodic reviews, and coordinates with tax, estate, and insurance professionals at higher service levels.

Lyle Finley Jr. is a CFP® with 31 years of industry experience, currently affiliated with RJ20, Inc. He has worked at Wells Fargo Bank and Wells Fargo Clearing for three years and served 14 years in the North Carolina National Guard. RJ20, Inc. provides non-discretionary investment guidance and educational tools to participants in employer-sponsored retirement plans through an online platform. The firm delivers participant-level advice using a proprietary modeling process and emphasizes education with a year-long financial wellness program and online workshops.

Sherri Rose is a CFP® and Series 63 credentialed financial advisor at Azimuth Planning Group, LLC with no prior industry experience. She is the founder and managing director of Rose Group CPAs, PLLC, a CPA firm where she oversees auditing, accounting, tax preparation, and business consulting. Rose is also involved in several business ventures, including founding FastFile1040, LLC, providing online tax filing services, and co-founding SageCFO Group, Inc., which offers outsourced CFO advisory services. Azimuth Planning Group, LLC provides fee-only financial planning primarily to solopreneurs, service-based founders, and business owners, focusing on business planning, retirement and estate coordination, tax-aware wealth strategies, and succession planning. The firm delivers written financial plans and investment recommendations emphasizing asset allocation, tax efficiency, and passive investment strategies rather than discretionary asset management.

Carolyn Larsen Wieber is a financial advisor at CLW Financial Planning LLC in Raleigh, NC, with 14 years of industry experience. She holds the PFS™ designation and previously worked at Paraklete Financial and Steward Ingram & Cooper PLLC. In addition to financial advising, she owns a CPA practice that provides tax compliance and consulting services for small business owners and their families. CLW Financial Planning LLC is an independent, fee-only advisory firm serving individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, and small businesses. The firm integrates discretionary investment management with comprehensive financial planning and tax preparation, using a Modern Portfolio Theory approach focused on long-term, diversified allocations primarily through passive mutual funds and ETFs.

Pomeroy Smith II is a financial advisor at Bison Wealth Management, LLC in Raleigh, NC, holding a Series 66 designation with 10 years of industry experience. He has worked at Bison Wealth Management since 2018 and previously at Pathway Wealth Management, LLC from 2016 to 2019. Bison Wealth Management provides discretionary asset management primarily to individuals, high net worth clients, and trusts, focusing on customized portfolios and active asset management. The firm uses both fundamental and technical analysis to guide asset allocation, emphasizing capital appreciation alongside asset preservation.

Steven Thorpe is the sole advisor at Pragmatic Portfolios, LLC, an independent registered investment adviser based in Durham, NC. He holds a Series 65 designation and has 15 years of industry experience. Thorpe has managed Pragmatic Portfolios since 2010 and previously worked at MCNC for 24 years. Pragmatic Portfolios provides portfolio management and comprehensive financial planning to individuals, families, high-net-worth clients, trusts, and select corporations or small businesses. The firm emphasizes broadly diversified, low-cost passive investments with strategic asset allocation and tax-efficient strategies, and offers client education through complimentary seminars and workshops.

Peter Platt is the sole advisor at Platt Investment Counsel, LLC, an independent firm based in Cary, NC. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 designations and has 12 years of industry experience, having led his firm since 2013. Platt Investment Counsel provides discretionary portfolio management to individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and business entities. The firm employs a tactical asset allocation approach using a proprietary model, managing portfolios primarily with exchange-traded funds and no-load mutual funds, and offers institutional-style custodial and reporting services uncommon among similar independent advisers.

Nicholas Faulkner is a CFP® certificant with seven years of experience in the financial services industry. He is the sole advisor at Testament Wealth Management and has prior experience with firms including Dimensional Fund Advisors and Beacon Financial Strategies Corp. Testament Wealth Management provides wealth management and comprehensive financial planning services to individuals and high-net-worth clients, as well as retirement plan consulting to employers and plan sponsors. The firm employs a fee-only approach, combining passive and active investment vehicles within individualized asset-allocation strategies, and offers both ongoing portfolio management and limited-scope planning without imposing account minimums.

Thomas Kelly III is a CFP® with five years of industry experience, currently serving as the sole advisor at Kelly Investment Management, LLC in Raleigh, NC. His prior work includes roles at Curi Capital, TD Ameritrade, and Scottrade. Kelly Investment Management, LLC provides investment advisory and financial planning services to individuals, families, and small-business owners. The firm offers managed accounts and written investment strategies tailored to client objectives, utilizing both discretionary and non-discretionary arrangements and employing techniques such as asset allocation and technical analysis.

Jim Wyatt is a Series 65 licensed financial advisor with 17 years of industry experience. He is the principal of Wyatt Financial L.L.C. and also owns Wyatt Family Office, L.L.C., where he provides tax and planning services, spending up to 30% of his time on this practice. His career includes over two decades as a CPA through his own firm, Jim K Wyatt CPA. Wyatt Financial L.L.C. is an independent, single-advisor registered investment adviser managing approximately $39 million for about 56 clients. The firm offers discretionary portfolio management to individuals and various institutional clients, using customized investment policies and a range of securities including equities, mutual funds, ETFs, REITs, and bonds.

Jose Maldonado is the principal of CIMA Financial, an independent advisory firm based in Raleigh, NC. He holds a Series 66 designation and has nine years of industry experience. Prior to founding CIMA Financial, he worked at firms including First Command and MassMutual. In addition to his advisory role, Maldonado serves as president of enFe Business Advisors, providing business coaching and consulting, and is a founding partner of Golden Arrow Properties LLC. CIMA Financial offers fee-only investment management and financial planning services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, and business owners. The firm’s approach is based on modern portfolio theory, utilizing a blend of passive and active investments, and includes services such as business planning, retirement strategies, and tax and risk management.

Adam Vega is a CFP® professional with 16 years of industry experience. He is the principal advisor at Avance Private Wealth LLC and has previously worked at Goldman Sachs, Gladstone Wealth Partners, Mercer Allied Company, CETERA Advisor Networks, and Girard Securities. In addition to advising, he is involved in insurance sales, dedicating approximately 10% of his time to this activity. Avance Private Wealth LLC serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, pension and profit-sharing plans, and business entities. The firm manages portfolios primarily on a discretionary basis, utilizing modern portfolio theory, fundamental analysis, and charting techniques, and offers a broad range of investment instruments alongside pension consulting and insurance products.

Mark Vitek is a CFP® professional with 23 years of experience in financial advising. He has been the principal of NC Money Management, Inc. since 1996 and also manages his own CPA firm, Mark Vitek, CPA, PA, which he founded in 1982. He divides his time between his CPA practice and his advisory business. NC Money Management, Inc. serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and businesses with discretionary portfolio management and financial planning. The firm integrates fundamental, technical, and charting analysis to tailor investment strategies and is notable for its affiliation with the principal’s CPA practice, providing tax-preparation support and consulting services uncommon among independent advisors.

Leonard Brooks is the sole advisor at Brooks Financial of North Carolina, LLC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with 28 years of industry experience. He has worked with firms including Cetera and H.D. Vest Advisory Services. Brooks also owns a tax preparation and filing service and serves as an agent for a property and casualty insurance agency. Brooks Financial of North Carolina provides financial planning and non-discretionary portfolio management primarily for individual and high-net-worth clients, offering retirement-plan services and insurance planning. The firm manages accounts with client-confirmed trades and uses both fundamental and technical analysis, disclosing a fiduciary duty for retirement advice and incorporating AI tools under supervision.

Edward Fulbright is the principal and sole advisor at Fulbright Financial Consulting, PA in Durham, North Carolina. He holds the PFS™ designation and Series 63 license, with 10 years of experience in financial advising and over 40 years managing his CPA firm, Fulbright & Fulbright, CPA, PA, where he provides accounting, tax, and management consulting services. Fulbright Financial Consulting is a fee-only advisory firm serving individual investors, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and employer-sponsored retirement plans. The firm employs a Functional Asset Allocation approach that integrates interest-earning assets, real estate, and equities, and emphasizes low-cost index funds and ETFs, offering both discretionary and non-discretionary services.

I didn't set out to become a financial advisor. I spent 18 years in the music industry as a recording and touring audio engineer. What I saw again and again were hardworking, independent people — musicians, artists, freelancers, and other creative professionals — who wanted the same things everyone wants: stability, a plan, a better financial future. But because their income was unconventional, they felt like the financial industry wasn't designed for them. Honestly, they were right. So in 2019 I launched my business, got my CFP® designation, and built a practice specifically for people who've spent their lives and careers outside the mainstream. I work with artists, musicians, authors, and other independent-minded professionals with unconventional careers and the financial complexity that comes with them. I offer two types of services: financial planning and investment management. Financial planning means identifying the two or three things that would make the biggest difference in your financial life right now and building a clear, actionable plan around them. Investment management means taking that completely off your plate — so you never have to think about it, worry about it, or wonder if you're doing it right. The work behind the scenes is rigorous. The experience on your end should feel like talking to someone who genuinely gets it. I live in Durham, NC with my family and our dog Yoshi. I have a degree in mathematics and grew up on a farm in Michigan. The through line: I've always figured things out on my own terms — and I have a lot of respect for people who do the same. If any of this resonates, I'd love to connect.

David Brodie is the principal of Brodie Wealth Management and holds a Series 66 designation. He has one year of experience in financial advisory roles and has worked at Osaic Advisory Services and Osaic Wealth. He also operates Brodie CPA PLLC, a CPA firm based in Cary, NC, where he serves as principal. Brodie Wealth Management provides wealth management, financial planning, and asset management services to individual and institutional clients. The firm offers tailored investment strategies across traditional and alternative asset classes and provides retirement plan advisory services, leveraging its affiliation with an in-house accounting practice for tax and estate planning support.

John Bland is a financial advisor with Diversified Investment Services LLC in Durham, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 24 years of industry experience. He previously worked at Blackridge Asset Management LLC and Commonwealth Financial Network. Bland is also a licensed insurance agent offering insurance product sales alongside his advisory services. Diversified Investment Services LLC provides portfolio management and financial planning to individual and high-net-worth clients, utilizing a range of analysis methods and investment strategies. The firm offers discretionary management, regular portfolio monitoring, and quarterly reporting, with portfolios that may include mutual funds, ETFs, fixed income, real estate funds, annuities, and non-U.S. securities.