Jacob Hollifield is an advisor at Fifth Third Securities, Inc. based in Raleigh, NC, with two years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has prior work experience at Fifth Third Bank, Best Buy, Yogurt Mountain, and North Carolina State University. Outside of his advisory role, he is involved in freelance photography. Fifth Third Securities, Inc. serves individual and institutional clients through investment advisory and brokerage services, offering a variety of portfolio management programs via the Passageway Managed Account Platform. The firm operates as a broker-dealer, SEC-registered investment adviser, and municipal advisor, with a broad mix of clients and multiple investment options.

Kimberly Benfield is a financial advisor with Truist Advisory Services, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 24 years of industry experience. She has been with Truist and its related entities since 2017. 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.

Tabitha Concepcion is a CFP® professional with 12 years of industry experience, currently serving as an advisor at Truist Advisory Services. Her career includes roles at Truist Investment Services and BB&T, spanning over a decade. Outside of financial advising, she co-owns Red Barn Naturals, a farm specializing in pure-bred dairy goats and handmade natural personal care products, and owns an agricultural business called The Homestead. 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 a manager-selection program, utilizing a combination of discretionary and non-discretionary strategies supported by AI-enabled research tools.

Charles Brantley is a financial advisor with Bankers Life Advisory Services, Inc. He holds a Series 66 designation and has eight years of industry experience. Prior to joining Bankers Life Advisory Services, he worked at Morgan Stanley for eight years and has held positions at several other firms. Bankers Life Advisory Services, Inc. provides discretionary portfolio management and investment consulting primarily to mass-affluent and high-net-worth individuals. The firm’s investment process focuses on customized asset allocation, tax efficiency, and a combination of fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis to guide portfolio management.

Zachary Carver is a CFP® professional with four years of experience in financial advisory, currently with Cerity Partners LLC since 2025. His prior roles include five years at Cook Wealth Management Group, LLC, and earlier positions at TRP Sumner PLLC, Petway Mills & Pearson PA, and Bunch & Company, LLP. Cerity Partners serves a wide range of clients including individuals, families, trusts, institutions, and business entities, managing approximately $166.2 billion in assets as of the end of 2025. The firm offers customized wealth management services and combines quantitative analysis, manager selection, and direct security selection within client-specific investment frameworks, while also providing access to alternative and private market solutions for qualified clients.

Karen Brock is a Certified Financial Planner® (CFP®) with three years of industry experience. She is currently affiliated with Commonwealth Financial Network in Cary, NC, having previously worked with Pathfinder Wealth Consulting. Brock has been associated with Commonwealth Financial Network in two separate periods totaling 12 years of service. Commonwealth Financial Network is a dual-registered broker/dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser that supports a national network of approximately 2,900 advisors and manages roughly $212.7 billion in client assets. The firm offers a broad range of advisory support services, including managed-account programs, access to third-party managers, retirement and plan consulting, and custody/clearing services.

Matthew Bracciante is a financial advisor with Stratos Wealth Partners, Ltd., holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 27 years of industry experience. His prior work includes roles at LPL Financial, Merrill, Banc of America Investment Services, and MetLife Investment Fund Services. Outside of his advisory work, he serves as a high school lacrosse coach at Green Level High School. Stratos Wealth Partners is an enterprise advisory firm with approximately 379 advisors and $18.6 billion in assets under management. The firm serves a broad client base, including individuals, retirement plans, corporations, nonprofits, and institutional clients, offering a range of services such as advisor-managed portfolios, financial planning, third-party manager programs, and outsourced CIO solutions.

James Trull is a financial advisor with Commonwealth Financial Network in Cary, NC, holding the CFP® and ChFC® designations and possessing 38 years of industry experience. He previously worked at Keystone Financial Partners for 24 years and Commonwealth Equity Services, Inc. for 27 years. Outside of advisory work, he is the founder and managing member of The Senior Resource Alliance of the Triangle, a professional networking group, and serves as a course instructor at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at North Carolina State University. Commonwealth Financial Network serves a national network of approximately 2,950 advisors and their clients, providing a range of advisory programs and back-office support including operations, trading, technology, investment management, and compliance. The firm offers discretionary model portfolios and multiple program structures designed to accommodate diverse investment strategies.

Thomas Burchhardt is a financial advisor with Equity Services, Inc., holding a Series 66 designation and three years of industry experience. His prior work history includes roles at National Life Group, Mass Mutual Investors Services, MassMutual Life Insurance Co, Equitable Advisors, Joe Van Gogh, and Starrlight Meadery. Outside of his advisory role, he is involved in business operations as the owner of TLB Strategies LLC, which focuses on assessing business strategic direction and growth of intangible capital. 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, combining long-term strategies with options for shorter-term trading, and utilizes both discretionary and non-discretionary management across a broad client base.

Thomas Beck is a financial advisor with Janney Montgomery Scott in Raleigh, NC, holding a Series 66 designation and 18 years of industry experience. Prior to his current role, he worked at Janney Montgomery Scott, LLC for 10 years and has also been involved with the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources and Raleigh Parks & Recreation/Raleigh Aquatics. Outside of finance, he operates a freelance photography business and serves as a board member for the Raleigh Area Masters swim team, in addition to contributing as a photographer and blogger for a local live music website. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC is a large, dually registered broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser managing approximately $110 billion in client assets. The firm serves a diverse clientele including individuals, families, trusts, estates, corporate and retirement plan sponsors, and municipal clients, offering a range of brokerage, financial planning, and advisory services with a combination of in-house and third-party portfolio management.

Julie Carroll is a financial advisor at Janney Montgomery Scott with 23 years of industry experience. She holds the Series 63 and Series 66 designations. In addition to her advisory role, she serves as a co-trustee of a family trust in Warsaw, North Carolina. 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 individuals, families, trusts, corporate and retirement plan sponsors, and other entities, offering brokerage services, financial planning, and multiple advisory programs.

Nicholas Creekmore is a financial advisor at Janney Montgomery Scott with two years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and has worked at Janney since 2020. Prior to this, he was employed at MORSCO and East Carolina University. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC is a large, dually registered broker-dealer and investment adviser managing approximately $110 billion in client assets. The firm serves individuals, families, trusts, corporate and retirement plan sponsors, charitable organizations, and municipal clients, offering a range of brokerage, financial planning, and advisory services.

Alan King is a CFP® professional with nine years of industry experience, currently serving as an advisor at Commonwealth Financial Network since 2015. He is also co-owner of LifeTime Asset Management, a private entity involved in securities, advisory, and insurance business, and LifeTime Tax Management, which focuses on tax services. Commonwealth Financial Network is a registered investment adviser supporting 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 provides operational, trading, technology, compliance, and practice-management support while offering advisors discretion in portfolio construction and access to proprietary model portfolios.

Jeffrey Thompson is a financial advisor with TIAA-CREF in Durham, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 designations and bringing 20 years of industry experience. Prior to joining TIAA-CREF in 2014, he worked at CapFinancial Securities, LLC and Wells Fargo Clearing. 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 employer retirement relationships. The firm offers both point-in-time planning and ongoing discretionary management, and acts as adviser to a donor-advised fund while operating within a vertically integrated group.

Salvatore Bottone is a CFP® and Series 66-licensed financial advisor with three years of industry experience, currently with Janney Montgomery Scott in Raleigh, NC. His prior experience includes roles at George Pickett & Associates and various other positions before joining Janney. Outside of advising, he serves as the head JV men's soccer coach and assistant varsity coach at Cardinal Gibbons High School. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC is a large, dually registered broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser managing approximately $110 billion in client assets. The firm serves a broad range of clients, including individuals, families, trusts, corporate sponsors, and municipal clients, providing investment advice through in-house and third-party managers across multiple advisory programs.

Ryan Pope is a CFP® with 10 years of industry experience, currently affiliated with Principal Financial Services in Raleigh, NC. He has held roles at Hunter & See Wealth Management and Mid Atlantic Executive Benefits, among others. Outside of his advisory work, he serves on the finance committee of Bethlehem Baptist Church and is treasurer of the Coats Area Chamber of Commerce, and he is also involved in athletic officiating locally. Principal Securities provides brokerage and registered investment advisory services to a diverse client base, including individual investors, retirement plans, trusts, and business entities. The firm offers direct advisory programs, financial planning, and access to third-party money manager asset allocation and separately managed account solutions.

H. Hughes is a CFP® with 14 years of industry experience, currently affiliated with Commonwealth Financial Network. Prior to joining Commonwealth, Hughes worked at Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. for five years. Hughes also conducts fixed insurance sales under the name Cross Bridge. Commonwealth Financial Network is a dual-registered broker/dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser supporting a national network of approximately 2,900 advisors and managing over $210 billion in client assets. The firm offers a broad adviser-support platform including managed-account programs, access to third-party asset managers, and comprehensive custody and clearing services.

Brian Cook is a CFP® with 24 years of industry experience. He is currently with Cerity Partners LLC and has previously worked at Cook Wealth Management Group LLC and LPL Financial, LLC. Cerity Partners advises a diverse client base, including high-net-worth individuals, families, trusts, foundations, and institutional investors, providing customized wealth management services such as investment management, financial planning, retirement consulting, and tax services. The firm’s investment approach combines client-specific profiles with proprietary quantitative screening and access to alternative and private market solutions.

Benjamin Guyton is a financial advisor with Brookstone Capital Management LLC holding a Series 65 designation. He has eight years of experience at Amerilife and previously worked for four years at Bonefish Grill. Brookstone Capital Management provides fee-based asset management and financial planning services to individuals, retirement plans, corporations, trusts, and other business entities. The firm utilizes strategic and dynamic asset allocation models, a turnkey asset management platform, and a variety of investment vehicles including ETFs, mutual funds, individual securities, and options-enhanced strategies.

Bradley Williams is a CFP® with 29 years of industry experience, currently serving as an advisor at Independent Advisor Alliance, LLC since 2017. He previously worked at Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. from 2005 to 2017. Independent Advisor Alliance works with a diverse client base including individuals, small businesses, charitable organizations, and retirement plans, providing asset management, financial planning, and retirement consulting services. The firm employs a network model of advisory representatives and utilizes discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management strategies supported by technology platforms and third-party resources.