Melinda Gaertner is a financial advisor with Commonwealth Financial Network, holding a Series 66 designation and 19 years of industry experience. She has previously worked at firms including LPL Financial, IBEX Wealth Advisors, and Raymond James Financial Services. Outside of finance, she is the owner of The Essential Goat, an aromatherapy retail business, and co-owner of The Goat's Haul, a retail gift shop. Commonwealth Financial Network is a dual-registered broker/dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser serving a national network of approximately 2,900 affiliated advisors and managing roughly $212.7 billion in client assets. The firm offers a broad adviser-support platform including managed-account programs, access to third-party asset managers, retirement and plan consulting, and custody/clearing services.

Charles Grotyohann IV is a financial advisor with Guardian Life and Park Avenue Securities, holding the CFP® and ChFC® designations and over 38 years of industry experience. His work history includes a long tenure at Park Avenue Securities since 2016. Outside of his advisory role, he participates in a local Rotary Club for networking. Park Avenue Securities, a subsidiary of The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, serves individuals, pension plans, charitable organizations, and corporate clients with brokerage services, financial planning, and a range of investment advisory programs, including hybrid digital solutions and model portfolio management.

Noelle Kacerek is a financial advisor with Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services, LLC, holding a Series 65 designation and two years of industry experience. Her prior roles include positions at Chicory Wealth, Northeast Financial Network, and Locker Financial Services, LLC. She has also been involved in educational roles at Sussex Community College and Centenary University. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services, LLC is an SEC-registered enterprise advisory firm serving a diverse client base including individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, corporations, and retirement plans. The firm offers a range of services such as financial planning, asset management, and specialized retirement consulting, utilizing a strategic investment process that combines passive and active management guided by an internal Investment Committee.

Matthew Kennedy is a financial advisor with Eagle Strategies (New York Life) in Hackettstown, NJ, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 17 years of industry experience. His career includes roles at Polaris Wealth Strategies LLC, Horizon Wealth Strategies LLC, NYLIFE Securities LLC, and New York Life Insurance Company. Outside of his advisory work, he operates as a seller on eBay. Eagle Strategies serves a diverse client base including individual and institutional investors, offering financial planning, investment management, and retirement-plan advisory services. The firm provides multiple program types tailored to client and plan sponsor objectives, with a significant portion of assets managed on a non-discretionary basis and a noted focus on fiduciary responsibilities to retirement investors.

Susanna Nieto is a CFP® professional with eight years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Citizens Securities, Inc. since 2023. Her prior roles include positions at MissionSquare Retirement, Fidelity Brokerage Services, Tapfin/EY, PIRS Capital, and TD Bank. She also serves as the administrator for the estate of Marcelo Nieto. Citizens Securities serves a broad retail client base, including individual and high-net-worth investors, offering investment advisory programs alongside brokerage and insurance services. The firm’s advisory offerings include a digital advisory program and a Managed Account program, operating as both a broker-dealer and insurance agency.

Lauren Ragsdale is a CFP® with 16 years of industry experience, currently affiliated with GWN Securities Inc. She has held positions at Metlife Investors Distribution Company and MetLife Securities Inc. since 2014. Lauren is co-founder and owner of TRI-STATE HEALTH & WEALTH ADVISORS GROUP, LLC, where she manages and trains agents and assists clients with financial literacy and guidance. GWN Securities provides investment advisory and related services to individual and corporate clients through various managed account programs and financial planning. The firm employs a mix of sub-advisers and model-based allocations and is noted for its use of market-timing and momentum-based investment strategies in certain programs.

Eric Mark is a financial advisor with Citigroup Global Markets who holds Series 63 and Series 65 designations and has 26 years of industry experience. He has been with Citigroup Global Markets since 2007. Citigroup Global Markets Inc. serves individual and institutional clients across various wealth segments, offering a range of investment advisory programs and execution services. The firm employs multi-asset, multi-manager strategies and maintains distinctive market roles, including swap dealer and futures commission merchant activities.

George Leppert III is a financial advisor with Commonwealth Financial Network holding a Series 65 credential. He has experience running The Leppert CPA Group since 2025 and managing Leppert Holdings LLC since 2015. Commonwealth Financial Network is a registered investment adviser that supports a national network of approximately 2,950 advisors with a range of advisory programs and services, including wealth management and retirement plan consulting. The firm offers operational, trading, technology, investment management, compliance, and practice-management support, enabling advisors to construct client portfolios using various securities and insurance products.

Kevin Gallagher is a financial advisor with Empower Advisory Group in Stroudsburg, PA, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and eight years of industry experience. His work history includes positions at GWFS Equities, Inc. and Merrill. He also has a background that includes a role at Team 85 Fitness and Wellness and experience with Applied Energy Group and Rutgers University. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management primarily to employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors and participants, as well as to individual IRA and retail brokerage clients. The firm integrates planning and managed account solutions with Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative platforms, delivering services that focus on long-term portfolio returns and client savings rates.

Mary Reid is a financial advisor at Citigroup Global Markets with 11 years of industry experience. She holds the Series 66 designation and has been with Citigroup since 2001. Citigroup Global Markets serves individual and institutional clients across various wealth segments, offering a broad range of investment advisory programs and execution services. The firm employs multi-asset, multi-manager strategies and combines large institutional scale with unique market roles such as acting as a swap dealer and futures commission merchant.

Shain Steffens is a financial advisor with Commonwealth Financial Network, holding a Series 66 designation and bringing 21 years of industry experience. He is co-owner of Steffens Financial Corp., a private entity facilitating securities, advisory, and insurance business. Outside of his advisory role, Steffens serves as an expert witness in legal matters. Commonwealth Financial Network is a dual-registered broker/dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser supporting a national network of nearly 2,900 advisors and managing approximately $213 billion in client assets. The firm provides a wide range of managed-account programs, third-party asset manager access, and custodian services, combining in-house and outsourced portfolio management options.

Ramon Baez Malone is a financial advisor at Empower Advisory Group with six years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at Empower Advisory Group since 2024, following prior roles at Empower Financial Services and Tapfin/EY. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management primarily to employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors and their participants, as well as select IRA and retail brokerage clients. The firm’s integrated model emphasizes long-term portfolio returns and rebalancing within plan lineups chosen by plan sponsors.

Shawn Steffens is a financial advisor with Commonwealth Financial Network who holds a Series 66 designation and has 25 years of industry experience. He is co-owner of Steffens Financial Corp., where he has worked alongside his role at Commonwealth since 2014. Outside of his advisory work, he serves as a caregiver. 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 advisory platform including managed-account programs, access to third-party asset managers, retirement consulting, and custody services.

Michael La Rosa Jr. is a Series 66-registered advisor with Key Investment Services LLC, bringing one year of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at MissionSquare Investment Services, LPL Financial, and Citibank. Outside of advising, he serves as an adjunct instructor for undergraduate business courses at Southern New Hampshire University and volunteers as a community manager for a nonprofit focused on cancer and mental health causes. Key Investment Services LLC is an SEC-registered investment adviser offering portfolio management and model-based advisory products to individuals, trusts, estates, small businesses, and institutional plans. The firm employs a multi-provider model with discretionary implementation and emphasizes non-discretionary asset management through various wrap programs.

George Fahy III is a financial advisor with Ameritas Advisory Services, LLC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 designations and possessing 27 years of industry experience. He previously worked at LPL Financial for 10 years before joining Ameritas in 2025. Ameritas Advisory Services, LLC provides investment advisory and planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, high-net-worth investors, retirement plans, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm utilizes a range of investment strategies and platforms, incorporating model portfolios, mutual funds, ETFs, and individual securities, alongside third-party technology and advisory resources.

Joseph Fiumara is a financial advisor with PNC Wealth Management in Stanhope, NJ, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 27 years of industry experience. He has been with PNC Investments since 2010. PNC Wealth Management provides retail brokerage and advisory services through model-based programs, including an employee-only digital discretionary account that uses algorithm-driven risk assessment to guide investment in approved mutual funds and ETFs.

Frederick Wright is a financial advisor with LPL Financial, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 50 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Ameriprise Financial Services and Merrill. Outside of his advisory work, he is registered as a non-variable insurance agent. LPL Financial is a national broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, retirement plan participants, banks, trust companies, and other institutions. The firm offers a range of services including financial planning, model portfolios, third-party asset management, and institutional platforms, supporting advisors with operational tools and a broad array of financial products.

Davien Medina Centeno is a financial advisor with Primerica Advisors in Hackettstown, NJ, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and four years of industry experience. His career includes roles at PFS Investments Inc. and Primerica Financial Services. Outside of his advisory work, he participates as a study participant with Clinilabs, Inc. and is an investor on the Fundrise online real estate platform. Primerica Advisors sponsors a wrap-fee asset management program serving individual investors, including both non-high-net-worth and high-net-worth clients, as well as corporate and charitable clients. The firm offers advisory services through model-based recommendations managed by unaffiliated asset managers and supports trade execution and custody via BNY Mellon Advisors and Pershing.

Thomas Drongoski is a financial advisor with Edward Jones in Branchville, NJ, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 17 years of industry experience. He previously worked at Prudential Investment Management Services LLC and PGIM Investments, LLC from 2013 to 2023. Outside of financial advising, he is also an owner and landlord of residential rental property. Edward Jones is a wealth management firm serving a broad range of clients, including individual, institutional, and charitable organizations. The firm offers various advisory programs and investment strategies, operating under a fiduciary standard and supported by a nationwide network of advisors and branches.

Sarah Kayal is a CFP®-certified financial advisor with seven years of industry experience, currently associated with LPL Financial. She has worked at Raymond James Financial Services and First Hope Wealth Management, where she continues to maintain a role. LPL Financial is a national broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, retirement plan participants, banks, trust companies, and institutions. The firm offers a range of advisory services, including financial planning, model portfolio programs, and institutional platforms, supported by advanced operational tools and oversight of substantial discretionary assets.