John Kushman is a financial advisor with Truist Advisory Services, holding Series 65, Series 63, and Series 66 licenses and 22 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at U.S. Bancorp Investments, U.S. Bank, Synovus Bank, and SunTrust Advisory Services. He serves on the investment advisory committee of The Community Foundation and holds board roles with a semi-professional soccer club and a local condominium association in Sarasota, FL. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, corporate clients, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations, utilizing a combination of discretionary manager relationships and non-discretionary consulting supported by third-party platforms and manager arrangements.

David Haertel is a financial advisor at Empower Advisory Group with 17 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 63 and Series 66 designations and has previously worked at Charles Schwab, Fisher Investments, and Fidelity. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as president of the Miss Manatee Softball League, where he oversees operations and fundraising efforts. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management primarily to employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors and their participants, as well as certain IRA and retail brokerage clients, using an integrated model tied to Empower’s administrative platforms.

John Raleigh Jr. is a CFP®-certified financial advisor with 33 years of industry experience. He is currently with CWM, LLC and has held roles at Shilanski & Associates and Summit Financial Group Inc., among others. Outside of his advisory work, he volunteers as a track coach for pole vaulting and is an Auxiliarist with the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary, in addition to organizing tours as a conductor. CWM, LLC is an SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, high-net-worth families, foundations, endowments, corporations, and institutional clients. The firm employs a discretionary portfolio management approach using model portfolios and third-party sub-advisors, with a focus on retirement plan services and comprehensive fiduciary oversight.

Alina Gray is a financial advisor with Truist Advisory Services in Sarasota, FL, holding Series 63, 65, and 66 designations and 15 years of industry experience. She has been with Truist Advisory Services and its predecessor firms since 2016. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, corporate clients, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations. The firm uses a combination of discretionary and non-discretionary manager relationships and employs AI-enabled research tools to support its investment oversight and manager selection.

Brian Dixon II is a financial advisor at Mariner with one year of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has previously worked at Ameriprise Financial Services LLC, Wells Fargo Advisors, Merrill, Amazon.com, Bank of America, and other companies. Mariner serves a diverse client base including individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, corporations, and private funds. The firm offers a range of services such as investment management, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and tax and accounting integration, with customized, discretionary portfolios supported by in-house research and third-party managers.

Chad Fratto is a financial advisor with Commonwealth Financial Network, holding a Series 66 designation and 13 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at LPL Financial LLC, Royal Alliance Associates, Inc., and Signator Investors, Inc. He is based in Bradenton, Florida. Commonwealth Financial Network is a dual-registered broker/dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser serving a national network of approximately 2,900 advisors and managing about $212.7 billion in client assets. The firm offers a comprehensive adviser-support platform with various managed-account programs, access to third-party asset managers, retirement consulting, and custody services.

Dominick Bennese is a financial advisor at SPC with 17 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked previously at Royal Alliance Associates, Inc. and Signator Investors Inc. Bennese is also licensed as an independent insurance agent, selling life, disability, health, and Medicare insurance products. SPC serves individual clients, charitable organizations, corporations, and employer-sponsored retirement plans with a range of portfolio management, financial planning, and ERISA-related retirement services. The firm manages approximately $5.66 billion in assets and offers discretionary and nondiscretionary investment strategies tailored to client suitability.

Kimberly March is a financial advisor at TIAA-CREF with five years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and previously worked at Societe Generale for 18 years before joining TIAA-CREF. TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC provides financial planning and discretionary managed account programs primarily to individuals connected through employer retirement plans, as well as to trusts, estates, and other entities. The firm differentiates its services by separating one-time financial planning from ongoing portfolio management, offering both model-based and customized investment solutions.

Thomas Breiter is a financial advisor with Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services, LLC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 38 years of industry experience. He previously led Breiter Capital Management for 30 years before joining Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services and Wealth Enhancement Group in 2022. He serves as a board member of the Trillium Links Condominium Association, a residential homeowners association. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services, LLC is an SEC-registered enterprise advisory firm serving individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, corporations, and retirement plans. The firm offers financial planning, discretionary and non-discretionary asset management, and specialized retirement plan consulting, utilizing a strategic investment approach that combines passive and active management guided by an internal Investment Committee.

Darin Pierce is a financial advisor with Commonwealth Financial Network, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and over 32 years of industry experience. He has been associated with Commonwealth Equity Services, Inc. since 1997 and is president and part owner of Financial Services of Bradenton, Inc. and Insurance Services of Bradenton, through which he is involved in both securities and insurance 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 managing about $213 billion in client assets. The firm provides a broad adviser-support platform including managed-account programs, third-party asset manager access, and custody services.

Rose Roberts Jassoy is a financial advisor with Eagle Strategies (NY Life) who holds a Series 63 designation and has 41 years of industry experience. She has been associated with Eagle Strategies since 2016 and operates the Roberts-Jassoy Financial Group, brokering non-registered insurance products through various outside insurance carriers. Eagle Strategies serves a broad range of individual and institutional clients, 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, working within an integrated New York Life affiliate structure.

Ryan Lynch is a financial advisor at Steward Partners Investment Advisory, LLC with 10 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and previously worked at UBS Financial Services Inc., Bank of America, N.A., and Merrill. Lynch is based in Sarasota, FL. Steward Partners Investment Advisory, LLC is an SEC-registered enterprise-scale RIA managing approximately $36.7 billion in regulatory assets. The firm serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, pension and profit-sharing plans, corporations, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations, offering investment advisory, financial planning, pension consulting, and managed account programs.

Carl Hefflefinger is a CFP® professional with 37 years of industry experience, currently serving at Commonwealth Financial Network since 2002 and at Acorn Financial, LLC since 2008. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses. Outside of his advisory work, he acts as a guardian and power of attorney for family members. Commonwealth Financial Network is a registered investment adviser supporting a national network of approximately 2,950 advisors and their retail and institutional clients. The firm provides operations, trading, technology, investment management, compliance, and practice-management support, offering a variety of advisory programs including discretionary model portfolios and personalized investment solutions.

Brett Jacobs is a financial advisor with Kestra Advisory, holding Series 63 and 65 credentials and bringing 18 years of industry experience. He has been with Kestra Advisory since 2016 and also operates Cormac Benefits Group, where he serves as owner and registered representative. Jacobs serves on the Dean’s Advisory Board for the Indiana University Northwest School of Business. Kestra Advisory provides investment advisory and retirement-plan consulting to plan sponsors and a diverse range of institutional and individual clients, offering services including fiduciary consulting, plan design, and vendor benchmarking. The firm supports complex investment solutions and serves large institutional investors, including sovereign wealth funds.

Jakob Hart is a financial advisor with Eagle Strategies (New York Life) based in Sarasota, FL, holding a Series 66 designation and bringing 12 years of industry experience. He is the principal of Hart and Hart Financial Services and has been associated with New York Life Insurance Company and NYLife Securities LLC since 2013. Hart serves as a board member on the endowment fund committee for the Sahib Shriners. Eagle Strategies provides financial planning, investment management, and retirement-plan advisory services to a diverse client base, including individuals, defined contribution and defined benefit plans, and charitable and corporate entities. The firm emphasizes tailored advice and delivers solutions through multiple program types, with most assets managed on a non-discretionary basis.

Kelly Sever is an advisor at Fifth Third Securities, Inc. based in Sarasota, FL. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has been with Fifth Third Securities since 2025. Her prior experience includes roles at Fifth Third Bank, Covenant Metabolic Specialists, and the University of South Florida. Fifth Third Securities, Inc. provides brokerage and investment advisory services through its Passageway Managed Account Program to individuals, charitable organizations, corporate and business clients, and institutional investors. The firm offers multiple discretionary managed-account programs and features such as direct indexing and a tax-overlay service, operating as a wholly owned subsidiary of Fifth Third Bank.

Sarah Birkin is a financial advisor with Bankers Life Advisory Services, Inc. She holds a Series 66 designation and has been with the Bankers Life organization since 2013, primarily in insurance roles. Her current advisory experience spans one year at Bankers Life Advisory Services. Outside of advisory services, she works as an insurance agent specializing in Medicare, life, long-term care, critical illness, and fixed/indexed annuity products. Bankers Life Advisory Services, Inc. provides discretionary portfolio management, investment consulting, and retirement plan consulting primarily to mass-affluent and high-net-worth individuals. The firm focuses on customized asset allocation, periodic rebalancing, and a combination of fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis to guide investment decisions.

Lea Marie Mattia is a financial advisor at Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services, LLC with a Series 65 designation and one year of industry experience. Her prior work includes roles at Wealth Enhancement Group, the University of Florida, JPAN Sushi & Grill, and Pine View School. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services provides financial planning, asset management, and retirement-plan consulting for individuals, high-net-worth clients, corporations, and retirement plans. The firm manages over $122 billion in assets and follows a diversified, risk-class based investment approach that combines passive and active management overseen by an internal Investment Committee.

Gina Tedesco is a Series 66-credentialed financial advisor with five years of industry experience, currently with NewEdge Advisors. Her prior work includes roles at Equitable Advisors and WR Wealth Planners LLC, as well as entrepreneurial and instructional positions such as an entrepreneurship instructor at the State College of Florida 26 West Entrepreneurship Center. Outside of her advisory work, she co-owns the Women's Power Forum, a professional networking group. NewEdge Advisors is an enterprise-scale registered investment adviser serving a wide range of clients, including individuals, pension plans, corporations, and charitable organizations. The firm offers diversified portfolio management and consulting services through multiple program structures, combining in-house and third-party manager selections with technology-supported client solutions.

Christine Meyer is a Series 66-licensed financial advisor with 12 years of industry experience, currently with Transamerica Retirement Advisors, LLC. She has worked at Transamerica Investors Securities Corporation and Transamerica Retirement Solutions since 2017 and previously at Axa Advisors, LLC. Outside of her advisory role, Meyer is a practicing artist and serves as vice president on the board of the Art Center Manatee in Bradenton, FL, where she volunteers on the finance committee and assists with annual events. Transamerica Retirement Advisors serves participants in employer-sponsored retirement plans and IRA owners through managed advice programs and investment education services. The firm uses proprietary software and model portfolios developed with Morningstar Investment Management and focuses on asset allocation, contribution guidance, and retirement planning, primarily offering non-discretionary recommendations at scale.