Michael Grimes is a CFA® charterholder and Series 63 licensee with six years of industry experience. He has worked at MBL Advisors since 2022 and previously held positions at Barings Securities LLC and Bank of America. Outside of his advisory role, he is a residential landlord in Charlotte, NC. MBL Wealth (MBL Advisors) provides wealth management, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting to individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, businesses, charitable organizations, and qualified retirement plans. The firm manages over $1.14 billion in discretionary assets through a team of ten advisors, employing a goals-based, broadly diversified investment approach that incorporates macroeconomic, fundamental, and technical analysis.

John Stamas is a financial advisor at Defender Capital with 33 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has been with Defender Capital and its related entities since 2011. He is also involved in managing D.J.S. Investments, LLC, a real estate investment entity. Defender Capital provides fee-based investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, charitable organizations, and corporate clients. The firm employs a customized, discretionary investment approach focused on fundamental analysis and primarily recommends exchange-traded equity securities.

James Harlow is a CFA® charterholder and holds the Series 66 designation, with 21 years of industry experience. He has been with Novare Capital Management since 2012. Novare Capital Management is an SEC-registered wealth management firm with a team of 18 advisors managing approximately $1.9 billion for a diverse client base including individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, businesses, and financial institutions. The firm offers comprehensive financial planning and portfolio management services, employing proprietary investment strategies and utilizing both human and AI tools for research and risk monitoring.

Charles Dann is a CFP® with 13 years of industry experience, currently serving at Novare Capital Management since 2021. He previously worked at Fidelity Personal and Workplace Advisors and Fidelity Investments. Outside of his advisory role, he is involved in insurance sales. Novare Capital Management is an SEC-registered wealth management firm with a team of 18 advisors managing approximately $1.9 billion for individuals, trusts, estates, and institutions. The firm utilizes a client-specific Investment Policy Statement with proprietary strategies and incorporates artificial intelligence tools alongside human oversight in its portfolio management.

Brian Willis is a financial advisor with Wilson Wealth Management Group, LLC in Charlotte, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and 19 years of industry experience. Prior to joining Wilson Wealth Management Group, he worked at Mass Mutual Investors Services, MassMutual Life Insurance Company, and MetLife Securities Inc. Outside of his advisory role, Willis owns a drone video and photography business and serves as CEO of a business referrals company. Wilson Wealth Management Group is a team-based RIA that advises high-income individuals, families, business owners, and early-career investors. The firm offers investment management and comprehensive financial planning, combining model portfolios, technical analysis, and customized strategies alongside estate planning coordination and insurance solutions.

Maurice Wilson is a financial advisor with Wilson Wealth Management Group, L.L.C. in Charlotte, NC. He holds a Series 66 designation and has 19 years of industry experience, including over two decades with his current firm. Wilson Wealth Management Group is a team-based RIA serving high-income and high-net-worth individuals, families, business owners, and early-career investors. The firm combines model and customized portfolios with technical analysis and passive ETF strategies, offering comprehensive financial planning, estate planning coordination, insurance, and annuity solutions.

Joseph Brooks is a Certified Financial Planner® with 27 years of experience in the financial advisory industry. He is currently with Sapere Wealth Management, LLC in Matthews, NC, and has held positions at Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company and Nfp, among others. Sapere Wealth Management provides discretionary investment management and financial planning to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and business entities. The firm employs a top-down global macroeconomic analysis with an absolute-return focus, using diversified model portfolios designed to manage liquidity and limit drawdowns.

Julia Martinelli is a financial advisor at Strathmore Capital Advisors with five years of industry experience. She holds Series 65 and Series 63 licenses. Her prior experience includes roles at Dimensional Fund Advisors, The Vanguard Group, and Hightower Advisors. Strathmore Capital Advisors serves individuals, trusts, endowments, and participant-directed retirement plans with discretionary portfolio management and goals-based financial planning. The firm employs an asset-allocation approach utilizing mutual funds and ETFs, integrates technology for client service, and offers distinctive services such as a synthetic lending strategy and integrated tax preparation.

Brian Huff is a CFP® professional with one year of experience at Providence Capital Advisors, LLC. He previously worked for Flood, Bumstead, McCready & McCarthy, Inc. from 2018 to 2025 and held roles at American University and Live Nation. Providence Capital Advisors, LLC provides discretionary and non-discretionary investment management and comprehensive financial planning to individuals, high-net-worth clients, corporations, and small businesses. The firm employs fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis with customized portfolio construction and incorporates derivatives, borrowing, and alternative investments within some separately managed accounts.

Niki Erb is a Series 65-licensed financial advisor at Insight Folios with six years of industry experience. Prior to joining Insight Folios and Durso Capital Management Co. in 2020, she worked at Frito Lay for over two decades. She is also involved in insurance and annuity sales. Insight Folios provides portfolio management and financial planning primarily for individual and high-net-worth clients, along with ERISA plan consulting and participant advisory services. The firm often acts as a sub-adviser to other registered investment advisers and uses a team-of-advisers approach supported by proprietary planning software and artificial intelligence tools.

John Wilks is a CFP® professional with 17 years of industry experience. He has been with Novare Capital Management in Charlotte, NC since 2009. Novare Capital Management is an SEC-registered wealth management firm with a team of 18 advisors managing approximately $1.9 billion for individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, businesses, and financial institutions. The firm offers comprehensive financial planning and portfolio management, utilizing proprietary strategies and AI tools alongside human oversight.

Robert Gammon is a CFP® professional with 22 years of industry experience. He has worked at Verum Partners LLC since 2019 and previously spent 11 years at Carolinas Investment Consulting LLC. He holds a Series 63 license and is also a licensed insurance professional, dedicating less than 10% of his business time to that activity. Verum Partners LLC provides customized wealth management and discretionary portfolio management services for high net worth individuals, families, trusts, and estates. The firm sponsors a wrap fee program that combines advisory and securities transaction services and offers access to independent portfolio managers, with a focus on client goals, risk tolerance, and ongoing portfolio oversight.

Perrin Berry is a financial advisor at Apollon Wealth Management, LLC with a Series 65 credential and three years of industry experience. Prior to his current role, he held positions at Crisp Event Rentals, Modern Woodmen, and the Secretary of States Office. He also has experience working in educational and recreational organizations, including the University of South Carolina and Lake Murray Boat Club. Apollon Wealth Management is a multi-team SEC-registered investment adviser managing approximately $11.56 billion in client assets across 67 offices. The firm serves individuals, high-net-worth families, family offices, trusts, estates, businesses, retirement plans, and insurance clients, offering financial planning, portfolio management, and advisory services that combine centrally managed strategies with locally managed portfolios supported by extensive research and technology tools.

Anthony Bykovsky is a financial advisor at Bragg Financial Advisors Inc with 13 years of industry experience. He holds the CFA® designation along with Series 65 and Series 63 licenses. Prior to joining Bragg in 2018, he worked at Barings Securities and Barings LLC from 2017 to 2021 and Bedel Financial Consulting, Inc. from 2012 to 2017. Bragg Financial Advisors, Inc. is a family-owned SEC-registered investment adviser managing over $4.6 billion for individuals, charitable organizations, corporations, and investment-company clients. The firm emphasizes strategic asset allocation, broad diversification, and longer-term holdings, offering discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and managed-account services.

Murray Kinlaw III is a financial advisor at Mariner Independent with a Series 65 designation and over 18 years of industry experience, including a long tenure at TIAA-CREF. He has also worked at Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC and Mariner Platform Solutions. Mariner Independent provides investment advisory, financial planning, and consulting services to individuals, trusts, charitable organizations, corporations, and employer-sponsored retirement plans. The firm offers a range of portfolio management options and retirement plan services, supported by institutional resources and affiliations that enhance its investment capabilities.

Shepard Ottaway is a financial advisor at Blueprint Financial Advisors with Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and six years of industry experience. He previously worked at Securities America, Inc., among other firms. Outside of his advisory role, he volunteers as an assistant track and field coach for High Point Christian Academy. Blueprint Financial Advisors is a multi-advisor SEC-registered firm managing approximately $1.4 billion in client assets. The firm serves individuals, trusts, pension and ERISA plans, and nonprofits, employing a globally diversified investment approach that incorporates a proprietary strategic-and-tactical framework to adjust asset-class allocations based on price-driven trend-following and momentum rules.

Cynthia Burger is a financial advisor at Stephens in Charlotte, NC, with 28 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has worked at Stephens since 2006, following five years at UBS Financial Services. Stephens is a multi-team investment adviser serving individuals, retirement plans, foundations, corporations, and institutional clients. The firm offers a range of advisory services, including discretionary and non-discretionary management, combining bottom-up equity research with committee-driven asset allocation and fixed-income strategies.

Edward Taylor III is a financial advisor at Beck, Mack & Oliver LLC with five years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses. Prior to joining Beck, Mack & Oliver, he worked at Banbury Partner LP and Scopia Capital Management LP. Beck, Mack & Oliver LLC provides discretionary asset management primarily through separately managed accounts for individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, tax-exempt institutions, and pooled investment vehicles. The firm follows a long-only, value-based, process-driven equity approach rooted in fundamental research and manages approximately $6.1 billion.

Ivan Henriquez is a financial advisor with Infinity Financial Services Advisory in Charlotte, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with seven years of industry experience. He has previously worked with Forthright Capital Advisory, Guardian Life Insurance Company, Park Avenue Securities, and Equitable Advisors. Henriquez has also been involved with entrepreneurial ventures including Munchies Vending, LLC and Synergized Property Acquisitions, LLC. Infinity Financial Services Advisory is a multi-advisor firm managing approximately $174 million for about 642 clients. The firm employs a multi-method investment approach and offers portfolio management, financial planning, adviser selection, and pension consulting for individual and high-net-worth clients.

Malinda Dornan is a financial advisor at Modera Wealth Management, LLC in Charlotte, NC, with five years of industry experience. She holds the Series 66 designation and previously worked at Thrivent Financial and Novant Health. Modera Wealth Management provides wealth management, retirement plan consulting, and financial planning services to individuals, trusts, corporations, and plan sponsors. The firm combines diversified asset allocation based on Modern Portfolio Theory with in-house accounting and tax capabilities, supporting a wide range of client needs through an integrated advisory and accounting service model.