Jeffery Smith is a CFP® certificant with 10 years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Guardian Life and Park Avenue Securities. His tenure at these firms spans multiple roles since 2016. Outside of his advisory work, he serves as president of the Rotary Club of Troutman. Park Avenue Securities LLC, a subsidiary of The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, provides brokerage and investment advisory services to individuals, retirement plan sponsors, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm offers a combination of advisor-led discretionary management and model-based strategies, supported by proprietary programs and third-party platforms.

Paul Brown is a CFP® with 26 years of industry experience, currently affiliated with Independent Advisor Alliance, LLC. His career includes roles at LPL Financial, Bank of America, and Merrill. Outside of his advisory work, he is the owner of Streamline Productions, a business he has operated since 2008. Independent Advisor Alliance serves a diverse client base including individuals, small businesses, charitable organizations, and retirement plans, offering asset management, financial planning, and retirement consulting. The firm utilizes a network model of advisory representatives and employs various portfolio management strategies supported by technology platforms and third-party managers.

John Bogert is a financial advisor at TIAA-CREF with 31 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and has been with TIAA and its affiliated entities since 2007. TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC provides financial planning and discretionary managed account programs to individuals, trusts, estates, partnerships, and corporate entities, often serving clients with existing relationships through TIAA-administered retirement plans. The firm offers both point-in-time planning and ongoing portfolio management, acting as adviser to a donor-advised fund and operating within a vertically integrated structure that includes affiliated funds.

Justin Cook is a financial advisor with Eagle Strategies (New York Life) based in Charlotte, NC. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has five years of industry experience. Prior to joining Eagle Strategies, he worked at NYLIFE Securities LLC and New York Life Insurance Company, and he has a background that includes senior roles at T-Mobile and experience with Dragonfly Visual Productions. Outside of his advisory work, Cook is involved in local education initiatives, serving as a board member of the Cuthbertson High School Parent Teacher Student Organization and volunteering with the NTES WatchDOGS program. Eagle Strategies provides financial planning, investment management, and retirement-plan advisory services to a diverse client base, including individual investors, institutional sponsors, and corporate clients. The firm offers multiple program types tailored to client objectives and is noted for managing a substantial portion of assets on a non-discretionary basis within an integrated New York Life affiliate structure.

Carl Rogers Jr. is a financial advisor with Ameritas Advisory Services, LLC, holding the ChFC® designation and a Series 63 license. He has 41 years of industry experience and has worked with several firms, including Financial Independence Group and Southeast Financial Services, Inc. Outside of his advisory role, Rogers serves as a precinct judge for the Mecklenburg County Board of Elections and operates an independent insurance agency focused on succession planning, estate planning, and executive compensation for business owners. Ameritas Advisory Services, LLC provides investment advisory and planning services to a wide range of clients, including individuals, high‑net‑worth investors, retirement plans, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm offers diversified asset management and financial planning solutions through various program platforms, leveraging both proprietary and third‑party models and managers.

Leo Harrington Jr. is an investment advisor with FIFTH THIRD SECURITIES, Inc. in Waxhaw, NC. He holds Series 66, Series 65, and Series 63 registrations and has 19 years of industry experience. He has been with Fifth Third Securities since 2013. FIFTH THIRD SECURITIES, Inc. serves a diverse client base including individuals, high-net-worth clients, and institutions, offering investment advisory and brokerage services. The firm provides access to multiple managed account programs and third-party portfolio managers through its Passageway platform.

Matthew Jelnicky is a CFP® with 27 years of experience in the financial services industry. He is currently affiliated with Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services, LLC and has a background that includes nearly 24 years operating his own CPA firm, Matthew G. Jelnicky CPA PA, where he provided tax preparation and accounting services. Matthew also has experience selling term life insurance through Park South Advisors. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services manages over $122 billion in assets through a large advisor network, offering financial planning, asset management, and retirement-plan consulting to individuals, high-net-worth clients, corporations, and retirement plans. The firm employs a diversified, risk-class based investment approach that combines passive and active management with quantitative, momentum, and fundamental analysis.

Larry Carroll is a financial advisor with Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services, LLC in Charlotte, NC. He holds a Series 63 designation and has 44 years of industry experience, including roles at Carroll Financial Associates, Inc. and CETERA Advisor Networks LLC. Carroll has been with Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services and its affiliated Wealth Enhancement Group since 2021. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services provides financial planning, asset management, retirement plan consulting, and referrals to separate managed account investment managers. The firm serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, corporations, and retirement plans, managing over $122 billion in regulatory assets under management through diversified, risk-class based investment strategies that combine passive and active management.

Peter Gebre is a financial advisor at Guardian Life with 17 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 designations and has previously worked at OneAmerica Securities and Voya Financial Partners. Gebre is based in Charlotte, NC. Guardian Life, through its subsidiary Park Avenue Securities LLC, offers brokerage and investment advisory services to individuals, corporate and retirement plan sponsors, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm provides a range of financial planning, consulting, and discretionary management solutions, combining proprietary and third-party investment platforms.

Paul Brown is a financial advisor with Eagle Strategies (NY Life) in Matthews, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 66 designations and 19 years of industry experience. He has been affiliated with Eagle Strategies since 2013 and also operates Parker Financial Group, LLC and Parker Financial and Insurance Solutions, which sell New York Life products and broker non-registered insurance products. Eagle Strategies serves a diverse client base, including individual investors and institutional retirement plans, providing financial planning, investment management, and 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.

Kevin Chase is a financial advisor with Sanctuary Advisors, LLC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and 36 years of industry experience. His career includes over three decades at Merrill and multiple roles at Sanctuary Advisors and Sanctuary Securities. Sanctuary Advisors, LLC provides investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, corporations, pension plans, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations, supported by a network of more than 400 independent investment adviser representatives. The firm offers a range of portfolio management and consulting services and employs various analytical approaches, delivering advice through dually licensed advisers who manage accounts on both discretionary and non-discretionary bases.

Daniel Holloway is a Series 66 licensed financial advisor with 12 years of industry experience, currently with Bankers Life Advisory Services, Inc. in Charlotte, NC. He has been associated with various entities within the Bankers Life organization since 2009. Outside of advisory work, he is a partner in a fitness franchise in Pittsburgh, PA, involved in operations and business activities. Bankers Life Advisory Services, Inc. primarily serves mass-affluent and high-net-worth individuals through discretionary portfolio management, investment consulting, and retirement plan consulting. The firm employs a combination of fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis to develop tailored investment strategies aligned with clients’ goals and risk tolerances.

Jason Minsky is a financial advisor at Empower Advisory Group with 24 years of industry experience. His background includes roles at Ameriprise, Charles Schwab, and LPL Financial. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 designations. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management primarily to employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors and their participants, as well as certain retail brokerage clients. The firm’s services integrate with Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative platforms and focus on long-term portfolio returns and client savings rates.

Jennifer James is a CFP® and Series 66-registered advisor with 12 years of industry experience. She is currently with Truist Advisory Services and has previously worked at Wells Fargo Clearing. Jennifer has been with Truist since 2018, including time at Suntrust Advisory Services and Suntrust Investment Services. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting, financial planning, portfolio management, and retirement plan services to individuals, corporations, plan sponsors, and charitable organizations. The firm employs a combination of traditional research and AI-enabled tools to support client portfolios and offers a range of fiduciary services, including partnerships with Envestnet Retirement Solutions.

Anastasios Marros is a financial advisor with Eagle Strategies (NY Life) in Charlotte, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and four years of industry experience. He has worked at multiple firms including Wells Fargo and New York Life Insurance Company. Outside of his advisory role, he owns and operates CLT Wrist, LLC, a business involved in buying and selling luxury watches. Eagle Strategies serves a diverse client base including individual investors, defined contribution and defined benefit plans, and corporate clients. The firm offers financial planning, investment management, and retirement-plan advisory services, primarily providing non-discretionary asset management through a broad network of affiliated advisers.

Grant Palmer IV is a CFP® with eight years of industry experience. He currently works at Mariner and previously held positions at Waypoint Wealth Management, The Vanguard Group, Inc., and Buckingham Strategic Wealth. He also has background experience associated with Virginia Tech, including the Tennis Center and the university itself. Mariner serves a diverse client base including individuals, pension plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, corporations, and private funds. The firm offers investment management, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, tax services, and family office capabilities, utilizing customized portfolios overseen by an Investment Committee and supported by extensive in‑house research and third‑party managers.

Christine Neese is a financial advisor with Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services, LLC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and 29 years of industry experience. Her prior work includes roles at LPL Financial, Cetera Advisor Networks, and Carroll Financial Associates. She provides administrative support to Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services as part of her professional activities. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services, LLC is an SEC-registered enterprise advisory firm serving individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, corporations, and retirement plans through a large network of advisors. The firm employs a strategic investment approach that combines passive and active management, supported by an internal Investment Committee and research targeting factor premiums, and offers a broad range of financial planning, asset management, and specialized consulting services.

William Mcclanahan is a CFP® with seven years of industry experience, currently affiliated with Guardian Life and Park Avenue Securities. His prior experience includes roles at Valic Financial Advisors and TIAA. Park Avenue Securities LLC, a subsidiary of The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, provides brokerage and investment advisory services to individuals, corporations, retirement plan sponsors, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm offers a combination of advisor-led discretionary management and model-based strategies, along with access to proprietary and third-party advisory solutions.

John Welch Sr. is a CFP®, ChFC®, and Series 63 credentialed advisor with 44 years of industry experience. He is currently with Equity Services, Inc. and National Life Group, having also worked at SagePoint Financial from 2014 to 2020. Welch participates in community activities as a volunteer finance committee member for Mt. Tabor United Methodist Church. Equity Services, Inc., operating as ESI Financial Advisors, provides financial planning, consulting, and asset management services to a broad clientele including individuals, corporations, and charitable organizations. The firm offers multiple advisory platforms that combine long-term strategies with options for shorter-term trading, utilizing third-party asset managers and model portfolios.

Jacob Brock is a financial advisor with Bankers Life Advisory Services, Inc. in Charlotte, NC, holding a Series 66 designation and four years of industry experience. Prior to his advisory role, he worked at Papa Johns Inc. for five years. He is also an insurance agent with Bankers Life and Casualty, Inc., where he sells life insurance, annuities, long-term care, and senior insurance products including Medicare supplements and Medicare Advantage programs. Bankers Life Advisory Services, Inc. provides discretionary portfolio management and investment consulting primarily to mass-affluent and high-net-worth individuals. The firm focuses on customized asset allocation, tax efficiency, and a combination of fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis to guide investment decisions.