James Chetwood III is a CFP® with 21 years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Allworth Financial. His prior experience includes roles at Adams Chetwood Wealth Management and Purshe Kaplan Sterling Investments. He is an elder at The Summit Church and author of *Retire to the Fullest: Four Dimensions of Financial Peace of Mind*. Allworth Financial is a fee-based SEC-registered adviser serving individual, retirement, trust, charitable, and corporate clients. The firm offers customized portfolio strategies, including model allocations and options-based overlays, and incorporates technology to manage held-away retirement accounts.

Kwame Richards is a financial advisor with First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. in Raleigh, NC. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has three years of industry experience. Prior to his current role, Richards worked at First Citizens Bank for 18 years. First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. provides advisory and brokerage services to individuals, pension plans, charitable organizations, and corporate entities. The firm employs a client-focused process utilizing fundamental, quantitative, and technical analysis to manage portfolios across various asset classes.

Kennedy Taylor is a Series 66-licensed financial advisor with five years of industry experience. He currently works at Empower Advisory Group and previously was employed by Fidelity Investments and First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management primarily to employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors and their participants, delivering services through an integrated model connected to Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative platforms. The firm emphasizes long-term portfolio returns and savings rates in its financial planning, serving a large participant base with a higher client-to-advisor ratio than many peers.

James Simone is a financial advisor with TIAA-CREF in Durham, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and 30 years of industry experience. He has been with TIAA and TIAA-CREF since 2013. TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC’s Advice & Planning Services division offers financial planning and discretionary managed account programs to individuals, trusts, estates, and corporate entities, often serving clients connected to TIAA-administered employer retirement plans. The firm also advises donor-advised funds and combines point-in-time planning with ongoing portfolio management under a fiduciary standard.

Andrew Kutner is a financial advisor with Truist Advisory Services in Raleigh, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and eight years of industry experience. His prior work includes roles at Wells Fargo Bank, NA and Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC since 2021, as well as Pruco Securities, LLC and Axa Advisors, LLC earlier in his career. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, corporate and business clients, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations. The firm offers asset allocation and investment policy analysis, fiduciary support, and a manager-selection program, utilizing both discretionary and non-discretionary investment approaches supported by AI-enabled research tools and integrated inter-affiliate service arrangements.

Todd Davis is a financial advisor with First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. in Raleigh, NC, holding Series 65 and Series 63 licenses and bringing 10 years of industry experience. Prior to joining First Citizens in 2025, he worked at Ascensus, LLC for 13 years. First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. provides advisory and brokerage services to individuals, including high-net-worth clients, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and corporate entities. The firm’s investment approach combines fundamental, quantitative, and technical analysis to allocate across multiple asset classes, supported by various portfolio management options and financial planning services.

Halah Little is a financial advisor at Transamerica Retirement Advisors, LLC with two years of industry experience. She holds the Series 66 designation and has previously worked at Fidelity Investments and Barings. Transamerica Retirement Advisors serves participants in employer-sponsored retirement plans and IRA owners through managed advice programs and investment education services, utilizing proprietary software and third-party model portfolios to provide both discretionary and non-discretionary investment recommendations.

Andrew Sparrow is a financial advisor with First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. in Raleigh, NC. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has three years of industry experience. He has also worked at First Citizens Bank since 2011. First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. provides advisory and brokerage services to individuals, pension plans, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm employs a client-focused process driven by financial needs assessments and utilizes fundamental, quantitative, and technical analyses in portfolio management across various asset classes.

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.

David Carper Jr. is a financial advisor at First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. in Raleigh, NC, holding Series 66 and Series 63 licenses with four years of industry experience. His prior work includes positions at First Citizens Bank, Synvous, BB&T, and Honest Solutions. First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. provides advisory and brokerage services to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and corporate entities. The firm emphasizes IAR-led assessments and employs fundamental, quantitative, and technical analysis to manage portfolios across multiple asset classes.

Adam Fletcher is a financial advisor with TLG Advisors, Inc. in Raleigh, NC, holding Series 65 and Series 63 licenses and bringing 27 years of industry experience. He has worked with The Leaders Group, Inc. since 2020 and Nationwide Advisory Services from 1999 to 2020. In addition to his advisory role, he serves as president of Fletcher Insurance Group, overseeing its insurance and financial services operations. TLG Advisors, Inc. serves a diverse client base including individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, charitable organizations, corporations, and institutional investors. The firm focuses on manager selection and ongoing monitoring using fundamental analysis and Modern Portfolio Theory to construct diversified portfolios, and it offers both sub-advised account management and a direct-to-consumer digital program called Starlight Portfolios.

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.

David Walters is a financial advisor with First Citizens Investor Services, Inc., holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and 26 years of industry experience. He has worked with First Citizens since 2021 and previously spent eight years with Wells Fargo Advisors and its related entities. First Citizens Investor Services serves individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and corporate/business entities by providing advisory and brokerage services through registered representatives and third-party portfolio managers. The firm employs a client-centered process involving assessments of financial needs, risk tolerance, and time horizon, utilizing fundamental, quantitative, and technical analysis to allocate investments across various asset classes.

Amy Boyd is a CFP® professional with eight years of industry experience. She has worked at Mercer Global Advisors Inc. since 2022 and previously was with Wrenn Financial Strategies, Inc. and operated as a self-employed advisor. Mercer Global Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, high-net-worth families, small business owners, corporate plan sponsors, foundations, and nonprofit organizations. The firm’s investment approach is based on Modern Portfolio Theory and features globally diversified, risk-appropriate portfolios with multi-factor tilts, utilizing a range of implementation options and emphasizing tax management and regular rebalancing.

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.

Bradley Curelop is a CFP® professional with nine years of industry experience, currently with PNC Wealth Management. His prior roles include positions at United Brokerage Services, Suntrust Investment Services, Suntrust Bank, and Bb&T. He is a co-owner of a short-term rental business with Stacey Curelop. PNC Wealth Management offers retail brokerage and advisory services through model-based programs, including an online discretionary model account available as an invitation-only pilot for employees, which uses algorithm-driven risk assessment and implements investments via approved model strategies with mutual funds and ETFs.

Jonathan Shimer is a financial advisor with Kestra Advisory, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 28 years of industry experience. He has been with Kestra Advisory since 2016 and also serves as a financial advisor and partner at Vigilant Financial, operating under Kestra Investment Services since 2005. Kestra Advisory Services provides investment advisory and retirement-plan consulting to a diverse range of institutional and individual clients, offering fiduciary consulting, plan design, and investment advice supported by due diligence and a broad selection of management platforms and third-party solutions.

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.

Stephen Kanoy is a financial advisor at First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. with 20 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 63 and Series 66 designations and has previously worked at Truist Advisory Services, BB&T, and related entities. First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. provides advisory and brokerage services to individuals, including high-net-worth clients, pension plans, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm offers portfolio management, wrap programs, model portfolios, and financial planning, focusing on client assessments and diversified investment strategies.

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.