Blake Gaulden is a CFP®, CFA®, and Series 66-licensed financial advisor with 16 years of industry experience. He has worked at firms including Ameriprise Financial Services, Lincoln Financial Advisors, and LPL Financial before joining Osaic Advisory Services, LLC. Osaic Advisory Services, LLC is an SEC-registered investment adviser that serves individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, corporations, trusts, charitable organizations, and municipal entities. The firm offers a range of services including investment management, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and third-party manager oversight, with portfolios managed through both proprietary and third-party platforms.

Jillian Rhyner is a CFP®-certified financial advisor with 19 years of industry experience, currently with Janney Montgomery Scott since 2020. She previously worked at Morgan Stanley for 11 years. Outside of her advisory role, she is a sales consultant for BeautyCounter, a skincare and beauty brand focused on safer products. Janney Montgomery Scott is a large, dually registered broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser managing approximately $110 billion in client assets. The firm serves a diverse client base including individuals, families, trusts, estates, and institutional clients, offering a variety of brokerage, financial planning, and advisory services through in-house and third-party portfolio management.

David Leder is a financial advisor with United Planners Financial Services of America, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and 11 years of industry experience. He has previously worked at Cambridge Investment Research and is also president of Legacy Insurance Solutions LLC. United Planners Financial Services is a national wealth-management enterprise serving individual investors, retirement plans, corporations, trusts, and institutional clients. The firm employs independent investment adviser representatives and offers a mix of advisory and brokerage services with a significant portion of assets managed on a non-discretionary basis.

Casey Pickett is a financial advisor at TIAA-CREF with seven years of industry experience. He holds the Series 63 and Series 66 designations and has previously worked at Wells Fargo Clearing Services, Vanguard Marketing Corporation, Transamerica Life Insurance, and Merrill, among others. TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC provides financial planning and discretionary managed account programs to individuals, trusts, estates, partnerships, corporate entities, and small retirement plans, often serving clients with existing relationships through TIAA-administered employer retirement plans. The firm offers a range of advisory services, including model and customized portfolios, and acts as adviser to a donor-advised fund.

Brian Thornton is a financial advisor at Truist Advisory Services with 23 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has worked at Truist Advisory Services since 2021. Prior to that, he was employed at BB&T Investments and BB&T Securities. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, businesses, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations. The firm uses a combination of discretionary manager relationships and non-discretionary consulting, supported by third-party platforms and AI-enhanced research, to deliver asset allocation, fiduciary support, and manager selection services.

Donella Winkler is a CFP® professional with 12 years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Allworth Financial, L.P. She has prior experience at Adams Chetwood Wealth Management, Zeiders Enterprises, BancWest Investment Services, Inc., and Bank of the West BNP Paribas. Outside of her advisory role, she provides financial education through Zeiders Enterprises, focusing on topics such as Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), credit scores, and budgeting. Allworth Financial is a fee-based SEC-registered adviser serving individuals, qualified retirement plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and corporate clients. The firm offers customized investment portfolios using various model strategies and employs technology to manage held-away employer retirement accounts without client login credentials.

Stephanie Bowens is a financial advisor at Kestra Advisory with 28 years of industry experience. She previously worked at Triad Advisors and OSAIC before joining Kestra in 2025. Outside of her advisory role, she is CEO of Chrysalis Capital Management, a developer of financial education and literacy materials, and serves as a board member on the finance committee of The Hope Center at Pullen. Kestra Advisory Services provides investment advisory and retirement-plan consulting to plan sponsors and a diverse range of institutional and individual clients. The firm offers services including fiduciary consulting, plan design, employee education, and access to multiple management platforms, serving clients such as sovereign wealth funds and large institutional investors.

Michael Dipenta is a financial advisor at TIAA-CREF with 19 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has been with TIAA-CREF since 2015. TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC’s Advice & Planning Services division offers financial planning and discretionary managed account programs primarily to individuals connected to TIAA-administered employer retirement plans, as well as to trusts, estates, partnerships, corporate entities, and small retirement plans. The firm separates one-time financial planning services from ongoing portfolio management and serves as adviser to a donor-advised fund while operating within a vertically integrated group utilizing affiliated funds.

Robert Williams IV is a financial advisor at Commonwealth Financial Network with 26 years of industry experience. He has held roles at NEXT Financial Group, Inc. and currently leads Williams Wealth Management, a private firm through which he conducts securities, advisory, and insurance business. Williams holds Series 63 and Series 66 designations. Commonwealth Financial Network serves a national network of nearly 2,900 advisors and manages approximately $212.7 billion in client assets. The firm offers a comprehensive adviser-support platform with discretionary and nondiscretionary managed-account programs, access to third-party asset managers, retirement consulting, and custody services.

Joshua Maida is a financial advisor with Valic Financial Advisors in Durham, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 15 years of industry experience. He has been with Valic Financial Advisors since 2016 and is also associated with AGIA, where he works with non-securities insurance products. Valic Financial Advisors serves primarily U.S. individuals, including high net worth clients and employer-sponsored retirement participants, providing portfolio management, financial planning, and consulting services. The firm operates at scale with over 1,200 advisors and integrates technology and model solutions to manage a large client base.

Serene Alsous is a CFP® and ChFC® with nine years of experience in financial advising, currently with Valic Financial Advisors in Durham, NC. She has been with Valic Financial Advisors and NC State University since 2017 and also has experience at BMW Manufacturing and Agia. Alsous serves as a notary public in Wake County. Valic Financial Advisors is a large SEC-registered investment adviser and FINRA-member broker-dealer serving primarily U.S. individuals, including high net worth clients and employer-sponsored retirement plans. The firm offers portfolio management and financial planning services through a network of over 1,200 advisors, utilizing discretionary unified managed accounts on Envestnet’s platform with optional tax-aware and ESG overlays.

Allen Smith is a financial advisor with OSAIC Institutions, Inc., holding Series 63 and Series 66 designations and bringing 36 years of industry experience. He has worked at Infinex Investments, Inc. since 2012 and has been EVP of Wealth Management at First Bancorp since 2011. Additionally, he serves as a consultant to Midwood Financial Services, a third-party marketing firm. OSAIC Institutions, Inc. is an SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, ERISA plans, trusts, estates, and corporate clients through a network of investment adviser representatives. The firm offers customized advisory services, financial planning, ERISA plan services, wrap programs, third-party asset manager referrals, and access to alternative investments and lending solutions.

Matthew Malone is a CFP® with 26 years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Truist Advisory Services since 2021. His prior experience includes roles at BB&T Bank, BB&T Investments, and BB&T Securities. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, corporate and business clients, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations. The firm employs a combination of discretionary manager relationships and non-discretionary consulting, supported by third-party platform and manager arrangements, and integrates services across its affiliated entities.

Conrad Kunkel is a financial advisor at Brookstone Capital Management LLC with 19 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and has been with Brookstone since 2015. In addition to his role there, he owns GPS Financial Strategies, where he counsels individuals, families, and business owners on financial security matters. Brookstone Capital Management is an SEC-registered adviser providing fee-based asset management and financial planning through a turnkey asset management platform and wrap-fee program. The firm serves a diverse client base, including individuals, retirement plans, corporations, charitable organizations, other registered investment advisers, sovereign wealth funds, and banking institutions.

John Todd is a financial advisor at Osaic Advisory Services, LLC with 10 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and previously worked at Arbor Point Advisors, Securities America, Inc., Ameriprise Financial Services Inc., and Edward Jones. Osaic Advisory Services, LLC is an SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, pension plans, corporations, trusts, charitable organizations, and government entities. The firm provides investment management, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and related services through multiple program models, utilizing a combination of proprietary guidance and third-party platforms.

Kimberley Palladino is a financial advisor at Truist Advisory Services with 16 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 66 designations and has worked at Truist and its predecessor, SunTrust, since 2015. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, businesses, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations. The firm offers asset allocation, fiduciary support, and manager selection programs, utilizing a combination of discretionary and non-discretionary approaches supported by AI-enabled research tools.

George Arky is a CFP® with 37 years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Concurrent Investment Advisors, LLC since 2025. He previously worked at Arky & Miller Financial Group, LLC and Cambridge Investment Research Advisors. Arky is a board member of the Ronald McDonald House of Durham and also leads wine tours in Durham, NC. Concurrent Investment Advisors, LLC is a multi-team advisory firm serving individuals, families, trusts, estates, businesses, and retirement plans. The firm offers wealth management, financial planning, and retirement advisory services through customized, primarily long-term portfolios that utilize ETFs, mutual funds, and other investment vehicles.

Khutchnai Kang is a financial advisor at Empower Advisory Group with one year of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 designations and previously worked at Fidelity Investments. Prior to his financial career, he spent time in retail and education roles. 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 account holders. The firm’s approach emphasizes integrated services tied to Empower’s administrative platforms and focuses on long-term portfolio returns and plan sponsor-chosen investment lineups.

Richard Nathan is a financial advisor at Mariner with 8 years of industry experience. He previously spent 28 years at Forte Capital LLC. Outside of advising, he serves on the management committee of Forte Capital, which solely holds Mariner F-1 Units without providing investment advice or financial planning. Mariner serves a diverse client base through customized, discretionary portfolio management supported by in-house research and third-party managers, and offers integrated tax, accounting, and financial wellness services in addition to traditional investment solutions.

Christopher Walsh is a CFP® with 15 years of experience in the financial advisory industry. He is currently affiliated with Commonwealth Financial Network and has previously worked at Pathfinder Wealth Consulting, Wealth Wise Planning, and Keystone Financial Partners. Walsh also conducts fixed insurance sales as a secondary business activity. Commonwealth Financial Network is a dual-registered broker/dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser serving a national network of approximately 2,900 advisors and numerous individual and institutional clients. The firm offers a broad platform of managed-account programs, third-party asset manager access, retirement consulting, and custody services.