Robert Burts Jr. is a financial advisor with Synovus Securities, Inc., holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and over 36 years of industry experience. He has a long tenure at Synovus-related firms dating back to 1999 and recently joined Pinnacle Bank in 2026. Outside of his advisory role, he owns a rental condominium in Panama City Beach, FL. Synovus Securities serves a diverse client base including individual, high-net-worth, and institutional investors, offering both advisory and brokerage services through various managed account programs and using a risk-tolerance framework to guide investment decisions.

John Lydick is a financial advisor at Jaffe Tilchin Investment Partners, LLC with 23 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at firms including Merrill, Bank of America N.A., and Equitable Advisors. Outside of financial services, he is the president and owner of Jon Charles Makeovers Inc., a salon business, and serves as an organist at Christ Our Savior Lutheran Church. Jaffe Tilchin Investment Partners serves individual and institutional clients, offering investment advisory, portfolio management, financial planning, and private placement services. The firm manages accounts on discretionary and non-discretionary bases and provides private fund operational services integrated into client support.

Clinton Gharib is a financial advisor with Madison Avenue Securities, LLC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and 36 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Cetera Advisor Networks, Summit Financial Group, and J P Turner & Company Capital Management. He is involved in teaching financial planning classes at the Heartland Institute of Financial Education. Madison Avenue Securities provides investment advisory and brokerage services to individual and high-net-worth clients, as well as pension consulting and services for charitable organizations. The firm manages approximately $2.0 billion across multiple advisory programs, offering both discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management through a range of investment vehicles and third-party managers.

Grafton Newman Jr. is a financial advisor with Silver Oak Securities, Inc. holding the ChFC® designation and Series 63 license, and has 43 years of industry experience. His career includes long-term roles with William E. Hopkins & Associates, Inc., Guardian Life Insurance Company, and independent brokerage and insurance services dating back to 1985. He also operates an insurance business focused on life insurance, fixed annuities, and long-term care. Silver Oak Securities serves individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, corporations, trusts, estates, and other business entities through a network of over 100 financial professionals managing approximately $2.4 billion in discretionary assets. The firm offers a variety of advisory programs with primarily discretionary investment management tailored to client objectives and risk tolerances.

Dalton Lueck is a financial advisor at Empower Advisory Group with two years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 designations and has worked previously at firms including Wells Fargo and Lucas Retirement Group. Dalton is based in Panama City Beach, FL. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management primarily to employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors and their participants, alongside services for Empower Premier IRA and certain retail brokerage account holders. The firm’s offerings emphasize long-term portfolio returns and annual rebalancing within an integrated platform linked to Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative services.

Stephen Walsh II is a financial advisor at Creative Planning with 37 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has worked at Creative Planning since 2017, following a tenure at PNC Investments from 2013 to 2016. He is based in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida. Creative Planning provides investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base including individuals, corporations, foundations, trusts, and retirement plans. The firm manages approximately $217 billion in assets and employs a financial planning–led investment process that emphasizes low-cost indexing and buy-and-hold strategies, supplemented by direct indexing, tax-loss harvesting, and other portfolio management techniques.

Preston Neumann is a financial advisor with Eagle Strategies (NY Life) based in Santa Rosa Beach, FL. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 10 years of industry experience. His prior experience includes roles at Lucien, Stirling & Gray Advisory Group, Inc., and NYLIFE Securities LLC. Eagle Strategies serves a diverse client base including individual investors and institutional sponsors, providing financial planning, investment management, and retirement-plan advisory services. The firm emphasizes tailored recommendations and manages the majority of its assets on a non-discretionary basis within an integrated New York Life affiliate structure.

Otis Thames is a financial advisor with Valic Financial Advisors, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 36 years of industry experience. He has been with Valic Financial Advisors since 2003 and also serves as an agent with Agia, focusing on non-securities insurance products. Valic Financial Advisors primarily serves U.S. individuals, including high net worth and ultra-high net worth clients, as well as employer-sponsored retirement participants. The firm offers portfolio management, financial planning, and discretionary unified managed accounts through a large network of investment advisor representatives.

Scott Howe is a financial advisor at Mariner with Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and 29 years of industry experience. Prior to joining Mariner in 2023, he worked at Candriam, Forester Capital LLC, and AllianceBernstein L.P., with periods of unemployment in between. Mariner serves a diverse client base, including individuals, pension plans, trusts, and charitable organizations, offering investment management, financial planning, retirement consulting, and coordinated tax and family office services. The firm employs discretionary, customized portfolios supported by an internal management team and offers a broad range of investment strategies along with integrated tax and administrative services.

Ashli Smith is a financial advisor at Creative Planning with 10 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at IRA Group, Inc. and Lockton Investment Advisors prior to joining Creative Planning. Outside of her advisory work, she owns a short-term rental property in Miramar Beach, Florida. Creative Planning provides wealth management, financial planning, and retirement-plan advisory services to a diverse client base including individuals, pension plans, trusts, and corporations. The firm employs a financial-planning-led investment approach emphasizing low-cost indexing, buy-and-hold strategies, and selective private market exposure, managing over $295 billion in client assets across more than 1,100 advisors.

Wayne Rogers is a financial advisor at &Partners with 21 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and previously worked at Wells Fargo Clearing and Wells Fargo Advisors LLC. &Partners serves a diverse range of clients, including high-net-worth individuals, retirement plans, charitable organizations, and private businesses. The firm offers investment management, financial and tax planning, and ERISA consulting services using a combination of fundamental, technical, and quantitative analysis across discretionary and non-discretionary accounts.

Michael Rankin is a CFP® and holds a Series 66 license with 19 years of industry experience. He has been with Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC since 2017 and previously worked at Lincoln Financial Advisors from 2013 to 2017. Rankin also operates a non-variable insurance business. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, families, trusts, estates, businesses, and retirement plans through a network of independent financial advisors. The firm offers discretionary investment management, financial planning, family office services, and retirement plan advisory, utilizing customized portfolios primarily composed of mutual funds, ETFs, individual equities, and fixed income with a long-term investment approach.

Laura Plourde is a CFP® and ChFC® with 34 years of experience in the financial services industry. She has been affiliated with Equity Services, Inc. and National Life Group since 2010. Outside of her advisory work, she is a partner and owner of Clyde River Camping, a business renting campsites in Vermont. Equity Services, Inc., operating as ESI Financial Advisors, provides financial planning, consulting, and asset management services to individuals, corporations, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and employer retirement plans. The firm offers multiple advisory platforms and utilizes third-party asset managers and model portfolios, combining long-term strategies with options for short-term trading and specialized instruments.

Joseph Hamner is a financial advisor at GWN Securities Inc. with 28 years of industry experience. He previously worked at AXA Advisors, LLC from 2010 to 2017 before joining GWN Securities. Hamner serves as a board member for the Gulf Coast State College Foundation, focusing on fundraising activities. GWN Securities is an SEC-registered investment adviser and broker-dealer that offers discretionary managed accounts, financial planning, and access to third-party sub-advisers and model portfolios for individual and business clients. The firm supports a large network of advisors and provides a range of managed-account programs, including traditional asset allocation and legacy market-timing strategies.

Roger Hobby is a financial advisor at Empower Advisory Group with 35 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and previously worked at Fidelity Investments and Fidelity Personal and Workplace Advisors for over a decade. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as the sole trustee for the Scott Family Trusts. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management primarily to employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors and their participants, as well as to certain retail brokerage clients. The firm emphasizes long-term portfolio returns and integrates its services with Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative platforms.

Chad Link is a financial advisor at Truist Advisory Services with 10 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 designations and has worked within the Truist organization in various roles since 2015. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, corporate clients, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations. The firm offers asset allocation, investment policy analysis, fiduciary support, and manager-selection programs, utilizing both discretionary and non-discretionary investment approaches supported by third-party platform relationships and AI-enabled research tools.

Adam Breazeale is a CFP® professional with 18 years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Schwab Wealth Advisory, Inc. since 2022. His prior work includes roles at Charles Schwab & Co., Inc., Fidelity, and CUNA Mutual Group. Schwab Wealth Advisory, Inc. provides non-discretionary fiduciary investment advice, financial planning, and wealth management consultations to clients enrolled in the Schwab Wealth Advisory program and certain referrals from Charles Schwab & Co. The firm’s guidance is based on proprietary asset allocation models and research tools, with services tailored annually to client goals and risk tolerance.

David Stone is a CFP® with 35 years of industry experience, currently advising at Commonwealth Financial Network since 2024. He also has over a decade of experience with Tartan Wealth Management LLC and previously worked at Beacon Financial Advisory LLC and Curian Capital, LLC. Outside of advisory work, he is involved in tax preparation services as a co-owner of multiple tax-related businesses. Commonwealth Financial Network is a dual-registered broker/dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser serving a national network of approximately 2,900 advisors and hundreds of thousands of clients. The firm offers a broad adviser-support platform including managed-account programs, access to third-party asset managers, and custody services, managing roughly $212.7 billion in client assets.

Deborah Chamblee is a financial advisor with PNC Wealth Management and holds a Series 66 designation. She has 21 years of industry experience and previously worked at BBVA Wealth Solutions Inc., Compass Bank, and BBVA Securities Inc. from 2016 to 2021. PNC Wealth Management provides retail brokerage and advisory services through model-based investment programs, including an invitation-only digital discretionary model account for employees that uses algorithm-driven risk assessment and implements approved mutual fund and ETF strategies with annual rebalancing.

Amy Ungles is a financial advisor with Transamerica Retirement Advisors, LLC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and over 20 years of industry experience. Her prior roles include work with Nationwide Investment Services Corporation and Transamerica entities since 2016. Transamerica Retirement Advisors serves participants in employer-sponsored retirement plans and IRA owners through managed advice programs and investment education services. The firm emphasizes asset allocation and retirement planning guidance, supported by Morningstar Investment Management’s proprietary portfolio construction and oversight tools.