Kenneth Shores is a CFP® and ChFC® with 24 years of industry experience. He is currently with First Command Advisory Services and has previously worked at firms including The Huntington Investment Company, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, and J.P. Morgan Securities. First Command Advisory Services serves individuals, corporate, and charitable clients with a focus on active-duty service members and their families, offering financial planning and wrap-fee asset management programs managed through a centralized investment team and wealth portfolio managers.

James Contino is a CFP® professional with 33 years of experience in the financial industry. He is affiliated with Valic Financial Advisors and has worked at AIG Valic since 2003 and Agia since 2022. Outside of advisory work, he is involved in non-securities insurance product sales. Valic Financial Advisors serves primarily U.S. individuals, including high net worth clients and employer-sponsored retirement participants. The firm offers portfolio management, financial planning, and discretionary unified managed accounts through a large network of advisors, utilizing centralized technology and model solutions to manage roughly $29.2 billion in assets.

Travis O'quinn is a financial advisor with Truist Advisory Services based in Raleigh, NC, holding a Series 66 designation and 23 years of industry experience. His career includes roles at Truist Investment Services, SunTrust Advisory Services, BB&T Securities, Scott & Stringfellow, and Wells Fargo Clearing. Outside of his advisory work, he serves as Chair of Finance and Trustee at St. Peter Church, a nonprofit faith-based organization. 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 an integrated platform with affiliated entities.

Gary Gaulden is a CFP® professional with 33 years of experience in financial advising. He currently works with Osaic Advisory Services, LLC and has previously held roles at Securities America, Inc., Arbor Point Advisors, and Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. He also operates a satellite office for client services in Atlantic Beach, NC under Gaulden & Associates. Osaic Advisory Services, LLC is an SEC-registered enterprise adviser serving a wide range of clients, including high-net-worth individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, corporate and charitable entities, and sovereign wealth funds. The firm offers various managed programs, retirement plan consulting, and access to alternative investments, utilizing both fundamental and technical analysis and partnering with multiple platform providers.

Edward Harris is a CFP®-certified financial advisor with 27 years of industry experience. He is currently with First Citizens Investor Services, Inc., where he has worked since 2019. Prior to this, he spent 19 years at Valic Investment Services Company. First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. serves individuals, including high-net-worth clients, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and corporate/business entities, offering advisory and brokerage services through a variety of portfolio management solutions and financial planning. The firm’s client process focuses on assessing financial needs, risk tolerance, and time horizon to allocate assets using fundamental, quantitative, and technical analysis.

Jeffrey Marko is a financial advisor at Beacon Pointe Advisors, LLC with four years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has worked previously at DMJ & Co., PLLC, where he is a partner, and Dixon Hughes Goodman, LLP. He serves on the finance committee of Housing for New Hope, a nonprofit organization. Beacon Pointe Advisors provides investment advisory and consulting services to a diverse client base, including individuals, institutions, and charitable organizations. The firm employs a manager-driven investment approach using third-party platforms and sponsors proprietary investment vehicles and private funds.

John Eason II is a financial advisor at Janney Montgomery Scott with four years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and has previously worked at Fidelity Investments, Equitable Advisors, and served in the U.S. Navy Reserve for 15 years. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC manages approximately $110 billion in client assets and serves a diverse clientele including individuals, families, trusts, corporate and retirement plan sponsors, charitable organizations, and municipal clients. The firm offers a range of brokerage, financial planning, and advisory services supported by both in-house and third-party portfolio management.

Robert Scholes is a CFP® and CFA® with six years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Allworth Financial, L.P. Prior to joining Allworth Financial in 2025, he worked at Investors Trust Company, Cook Wealth Management Group, Park Avenue Securities, and Guardian Life Insurance Company. Before his financial advisory career, he spent nine years at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Allworth Financial serves a broad client base including individuals, high-net-worth investors, pension plans, trusts, corporations, and charitable organizations, offering a range of financial planning and portfolio management services. The firm employs both quantitative and qualitative analysis to create customized investment strategies and provides educational content through various media.

Tao Zhang is a financial advisor with Transamerica Financial Advisors in Morrisville, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 11 years of industry experience. His background includes roles with World Financial Group, Inc., International Medical Group, and HCC Medical Insurance Service. Outside of his advisory work, he serves as president of an IT consulting firm and works as a part-time driver for Lyft. Transamerica Financial Advisors serves a broad client base including individual investors, retirement plans, and charitable organizations, offering a range of advisory and broker-dealer services through proprietary and third-party investment models.

Benjamin Summers is a CFP® professional with 22 years of industry experience, currently affiliated with Independent Financial Partners. His prior roles include positions at IFP Securities, LLC, LPL Financial, Truist Investment Services, and Banc of America Investment Services. In addition to his advisory work, Summers is involved in the sales and service of fixed insurance products through firms such as Crump Life Insurance Services and The Pinnacle Group. Independent Financial Partners offers investment advisory, financial planning, trust, and retirement-plan services through a nationwide network of independent advisers. The firm supports a multi-advisor platform serving individual, charitable, corporate, and high-net-worth clients, with a notable focus on retirement-plan advisory and pension consulting services.

Tonja Womble is a financial advisor at Truist Advisory Services with 23 years of industry experience. She holds a Series 66 designation and has been with SunTrust Advisory Services since 2016 and SunTrust Investment Services, Inc. since 2013. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, corporate clients, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations, utilizing both discretionary and non-discretionary approaches alongside third-party manager arrangements and AI-enabled research tools.

David Bellia is a financial advisor with Principal Financial Services in Raleigh, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and 14 years of industry experience. He has worked at Principal Securities and Principal Life Insurance Company since 2020 and was previously with Wells Fargo Clearing from 2016 to 2020. In addition to advisory services, he is licensed as an agent for life, annuities, disability income, long-term care, health, and group benefits insurance. Principal Securities provides brokerage and registered investment advisory services to a diverse client base, including individual investors, retirement plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, corporations, and active-duty military personnel abroad. The firm’s advisory offerings include direct advisory programs, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and access to third-party money manager solutions through both advisory and promoter arrangements.

Shenghao Song is a financial advisor with Transamerica Financial Advisors in Morrisville, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and nine years of industry experience. He has been associated with Transamerica Financial Advisors since 2015 and is also involved in language translation services through Fluent Language Solutions and provides bookkeeping, accounting, and tax consulting services via Melody Song, CPA. Transamerica Financial Advisors serves a broad client base including individual investors, retirement plans, trusts, and charitable organizations, delivering advisory and brokerage services primarily through model portfolios and third-party managers across multiple program platforms.

Troy Fairbank is a financial advisor with First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. in Durham, NC, holding a Series 66 designation and 20 years of industry experience. He has been with First Citizens Investor Services since 2008. First Citizens Investor Services serves individuals, including high-net-worth clients, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and corporate entities, offering a range of advisory and brokerage services. The firm’s approach involves IAR-led assessments of client financial needs and employs fundamental, quantitative, and technical analysis to manage portfolios across various asset classes.

Ryan Ferguson is a CFP® with 10 years of industry experience, currently with First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. since 2022. He previously worked at LPL Financial LLC and UBS Financial Services Inc. 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 employs a client process based on financial needs assessment and risk tolerance, utilizing fundamental, quantitative, and technical analysis across various investment vehicles.

David Wilder is a financial advisor with TIAA-CREF in Durham, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 26 years of industry experience. He has been with TIAA-CREF since 2007. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as an elder and committee member at Triangle Grace Church and is the treasurer for the Voyager Academy Booster Club. TIAA-CREF’s Advice & Planning Services division provides financial planning and discretionary managed account programs to individuals, trusts, estates, partnerships, and small retirement plans, often serving clients with existing relationships through TIAA-administered employer retirement plans. The firm separates point-in-time planning from ongoing management and acts as adviser to a donor-advised fund while operating within a vertically integrated group that includes affiliated funds.

Amber Mc Neill is a financial advisor at TIAA-CREF based in Durham, NC, holding a Series 65 designation. She has been with TIAA-related firms since 2015. TIAA‑CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC’s Advice & Planning Services division offers financial planning and discretionary managed account programs to individuals, trusts, estates, and small retirement plans. The firm provides both point-in-time planning and ongoing portfolio management, operating within a vertically integrated structure that includes affiliated funds and donor-advised fund services.

John Holding III is a financial advisor with OSAIC Institutions, Inc. in Raleigh, NC, holding Series 65 and Series 63 licenses and 16 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Members Trust Company, SECU Life Insurance Company, and Principal Securities Inc. He has received residual commissions from previous life insurance agency work. OSAIC Institutions, Inc. serves individual and institutional clients, including high-net-worth individuals and ERISA plans, providing customized advisory, financial planning, and consulting services. The firm operates a hybrid adviser/broker-dealer model with a focus on both discretionary and non-discretionary accounts, utilizing a network of investment adviser representatives and third-party managers.

Dean Channell is a financial advisor with Truist Advisory Services, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and bringing 29 years of industry experience. He has worked at Truist Advisory Services since 2021 and prior to that held positions at Bb&T Securities, LLC and Scott & Stringfellow, Inc. He is based in Raleigh, NC. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, corporate and business clients, retirement plan sponsors and participants, and charitable organizations. The firm offers asset allocation, investment policy analysis, fiduciary support, and a manager-selection program, implementing advice through both discretionary manager relationships and non-discretionary consulting.

Vijaya Arun is a financial advisor with Transamerica Financial Advisors holding a Series 66 designation and one year of industry experience. She has been self-employed since 2014, providing accounting and bookkeeping services on a part-time basis. Arun also engages in sales of insurance and non-insurance products affiliated with Transamerica Financial Advisors. Transamerica Financial Advisors, LLC offers investment advisory, brokerage, and retirement-plan services to a diverse client base, including individuals, employer-sponsored plans, trusts, and charitable organizations. The firm uses a model portfolio approach implemented through third-party managers and proprietary platforms to deliver its services.