Wales Dixon IV is a financial advisor with Principal Advised Services, holding a Series 66 designation and two years of industry experience. His prior work includes roles at Principal Life Insurance Company and Principal Financial Services, as well as positions outside the financial industry. Dixon also provides one-on-one investment advice to retirement plan participants as a Retirement Consultant. Principal Advised Services delivers investment advice and related services primarily to retirement plan participants and retail IRA clients, offering a combination of non-discretionary recommendations and a discretionary investment management program supported by proprietary models and third-party methodology.

Barrett Gray is a financial advisor at Earned Wealth Advisors, LLC with two years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has previously worked at Dimensional Fund Advisors and Choreo, LLC. Earned Wealth Advisors serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, and employer-sponsored retirement plans, with a focus on doctors, dentists, and their practices. The firm offers financial planning, discretionary wealth management, and retirement-plan advisory services, utilizing independent investment managers and model portfolios guided by an internal Investment Strategy Committee and third-party consultants.

Matthew Pratt is a ChFC® credentialed financial advisor with 21 years of industry experience, currently serving at Arkadios Wealth Advisors since 2020. He previously worked at Triad Advisors, Inc. from 2014 to 2020. Pratt is also involved in financial services through his roles in Thompson Pratt Capital Management, LLC, and Pratt Investments, LLC. Arkadios Wealth Advisors provides investment and wealth management services to individuals, trusts, businesses, and retirement plans, utilizing a variety of managed accounts, third-party money managers, and financial planning. The firm supports advisors with an internal portfolio team and offers an integrated operating model combining advisory services, brokerage execution, and portfolio management.

Sean Bandazian is a financial advisor at Cornerstone Wealth Group with 13 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at firms including The Leaders Group, Alphastar Capital Management, and LPL Financial. Cornerstone Wealth Group is an SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, trusts, employer plans, other advisers, and corporations. The firm offers comprehensive portfolio management and financial planning, implementing model-based portfolios that use ETFs, mutual funds, individual securities, and third-party managed alternatives.

Paxton Wood is a financial advisor with USAA Investment Services Company, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 12 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Ally Invest Advisors, Ally Invest Securities LLC, and The Vanguard Group. He also holds director-level roles in business line risk at Ally Invest Advisors and Ally Bank, assisting with third-party risk management and new product assessment. USAA Investment Services Company provides retirement-focused advice and referral services primarily to USAA members and individual investors, offering a Retirement Income Strategy Report and facilitating referrals to third-party broker-dealers and advisers. The firm operates mainly as a referral intermediary without managing client assets or charging percentage-of-assets fees.

Derek Hernquist is a financial advisor at Aptus Capital Advisors, LLC with 10 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 designations and has been with Aptus since 2018. Prior to that, he worked at Strategic Index Advisors and Adhesion Wealth Advisor Solutions. Aptus Capital Advisors manages approximately $14.47 billion on a discretionary basis and provides advisory services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, retirement plans, and registered investment companies. The firm employs primarily ETF-based strategies using both technical and fundamental analysis and offers a range of portfolio management and consulting services.

John Helmers is a financial advisor at 49 Financial in Charlotte, NC, holding a Series 65 credential. He has one year of experience in the industry and previously worked at Forward Wealth Management, Rinse N Repeat, and Aptive. Outside of advisory roles, he is also a licensed fixed insurance agent. 49 Financial serves individual and institutional clients, including high-net-worth individuals and retirement plans, offering comprehensive financial planning, advanced planning, and investment management. The firm utilizes a disciplined, long-term diversified asset allocation strategy and provides tiered fractional family office services.

Michael Komara is a ChFC® with 32 years of industry experience and currently serves at Blueprint Financial Advisors. His prior roles include positions at Solas Wealth, Prudential Insurance Company of America, and Merrill. He serves as treasurer and board member of Grow Holdings, a church-affiliated organization focused on investment oversight. Blueprint Financial Advisors is a multi-advisor SEC-registered firm managing approximately $1.4 billion in assets. The firm provides portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement consulting to individuals, trusts, pension and ERISA plans, and nonprofits, using a proprietary strategic-and-tactical investment framework to manage globally diversified portfolios.

Audrey Blanke is a CFP®-certified financial advisor with 10 years of industry experience. She is currently with Choreo, LLC and has previously worked at firms including Robert W. Baird and Carolinas Investment Consulting LLC. Choreo serves a diverse client base ranging from individuals to institutional investors and offers a range of advisory services including portfolio management, financial planning, and outsourced CIO consulting. The firm employs a strategic, quantitative investment process and provides specialized services such as 1031 exchange advisory and Deferred Sales Trusts™ consulting.

Ryan Zutter is a CFP® professional with 19 years of experience in the financial industry. He has worked at Ally Invest Advisors since 2021 and previously spent 12 years at Robert W. Baird & Co. His background includes roles at Ally Invest Securities LLC beginning in 2020. Ally Invest Advisors serves a broad retail client base, including both individual and high-net-worth clients, by providing discretionary portfolio management through web-based automated services and advisor-led guidance. The firm employs a Modern Portfolio Theory-based investment process with model portfolios across multiple risk tiers, combining passive and actively managed ETFs and utilizing digital automation to manage a large volume of client accounts.

Marcus Anderson is a financial advisor with Merit Financial Advisors in Charlotte, NC, holding a Series 66 designation and 22 years of industry experience. He has held roles at Purshe Kaplan Sterling Investments, LPL Financial, and Uvest Financial Services Group. Anderson is also licensed to provide fixed insurance advice tailored to client needs. Merit Financial Group is a multi-team SEC-registered advisory firm serving individual investors, retirement plans, ESOPs, and institutional clients. The firm employs a long-term, diversified asset allocation strategy managed through centrally coordinated models and supports both discretionary and non-discretionary accounts.

Edward Wood III is a CFP®-certified financial advisor with 28 years of industry experience. He is currently with Cornerstone Wealth Group LLC, where he has worked since 2018, and has held positions at several firms including Mutual Securities, Inc., Cornerstone Financial Partners, Inc., and LPL Financial. Wood is also involved in insurance-related activities through Cornerstone Risk Management Advisors, LLC. Cornerstone Wealth Group is an SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, trusts, employer plan sponsors, advisers, and corporations. The firm provides comprehensive portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting, utilizing model-based portfolios that include ETFs, mutual funds, equities, bonds, and alternative investments when appropriate.

Jennifer Muckley is a CFP® certificant with six years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Bragg Financial Advisors Inc since 2018. Prior to joining Bragg, she worked for three years at Wells Fargo Bank dba Abbott Downing. 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 focuses on strategic asset allocation with broad diversification and periodic rebalancing, offering discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and managed-account services.

Kamden Gaines is a financial advisor at Ally Invest Advisors with nine years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and previously worked at Ernst & Young LLP and The Vanguard Group, Inc. Gaines supports both Ally Invest Securities and Ally Invest Advisors as Director of Client Services, overseeing customer support for self-directed and advisory clients. Ally Invest Advisors provides discretionary portfolio management primarily to individual and high-net-worth clients through web-based and virtual solutions, offering ETF-based Robo Portfolios and advisor-delivered Personal Advice services. The firm uses model portfolios based on Modern Portfolio Theory with multiple risk tiers and focuses on retail and high-net-worth individuals.

Jeremy Fisher is a financial advisor at Choreo, LLC in Charlotte, NC, holding a Series 65 designation with 13 years of industry experience. He has been with RSM US Wealth Management LLC since 2012. Choreo provides investment and advisory services to a diverse client base including individual investors, family offices, endowments, foundations, retirement plans, charitable organizations, and corporate clients. The firm emphasizes strategic asset allocation and diversified model portfolios managed by a centralized team and overseen by an Investment Committee.

Isaiah Smith II is a financial advisor with Integrity Advisory Solutions, holding Series 63 and 65 licenses and bringing 11 years of industry experience. Prior to joining Integrity Advisory Solutions in 2025, he worked at AlphaStar Capital Management, LLC for five years and Regal Investment Advisors LLC for four years. He also serves as Senior Vice President of Annuity Sales at The Assurance Group, where he is involved in training and mentoring agents. Integrity Advisory Solutions serves individual, trust, estate, corporate, and business clients through a network of approximately 100 independent advisors, managing about $1.1 billion in client assets. The firm offers a range of services including portfolio management, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and uses both fundamental and technical analysis supported by various asset allocation strategies and third-party platforms.

Michael Ames is a financial advisor at StoneX Advisors Inc. with 15 years of industry experience. He has worked at StoneX Advisors since 2020, following roles at Fifth Third Securities and Truist Investment Services. Ames is also involved in insurance sales as an agent with Synergy Insurance Group and Buckhead Brokerage Group. StoneX Advisors serves individuals, corporations, retirement plans, and charitable organizations, offering portfolio management, financial planning, and consulting services through a combination of independent advisors and an in-house Private Client Group. The firm utilizes a variety of strategies and platforms to support customized investment solutions.

Andrea Pine is a financial advisor with Cornerstone Wealth, holding Series 65 and Series 63 licenses and 17 years of industry experience. She has worked at Mutual Securities, Inc. since 2017 and at Cornerstone Financial Partners since 2014, with prior experience at LPL Financial from 2013 to 2017. Cornerstone Wealth Group is an SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, trusts, employer plan sponsors, other advisers, and corporations. The firm offers portfolio management, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and related services, implementing model-based portfolios with a mix of ETFs, mutual funds, equities, bonds, and alternative investments when appropriate.

Matthew Sandberg is a CFP® professional with 10 years of industry experience, currently serving at Cornerstone Wealth Group since 2017. His prior roles include positions at Mutual Securities, Inc., Cornerstone Financial Partners, and LPL Financial, LLC. Cornerstone Wealth Group is an SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, trusts, employer plan sponsors, other advisers, and corporations. The firm offers portfolio management, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and related services, employing model-based portfolios guided by an investment committee and providing both discretionary and non-discretionary solutions.

Sarah Khan is a Series 66 licensed financial advisor with Ally Invest Advisors in Charlotte, NC, where she has worked since 2021. She has five years of industry experience, including six years at Grant Thornton prior to joining Ally Invest. Khan also holds a regulatory oversight role supporting compliance functions across Ally Invest Advisors and Ally Invest Securities. Ally Invest Advisors serves a broad retail client base with discretionary portfolio management that combines automated and advisor-led services. The firm employs a model-driven investment approach based on Modern Portfolio Theory, utilizing ETFs across multiple risk tiers and strategy variants while integrating digital tools for portfolio management and reporting.